ian

yes, but only for rwd cars, not awd. I had my rs4s on gravel today (empty car park out whoop whoop..) and the combination of awd and lsd meant that I really really didn't need traction control (thus why it is not included)! Yet on my rwd r34, I have it on all the time on wet roads etc, and do need it unless I'm paying real attention as the back wheels do spin so easily...

I'm surprised that one of the posts above said that they had a series 2 S and had fitted the boost gauge where the autos have the hand brake. Don't all the RS4S's have it inbuilt? ie mine does, see http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/in...i&img=43861 (boost is the one on the right) Ian

there was a good article about this in one of the auto mags a while ago see http://autospeed.drive.com.au/cms/A_0060/article.html I have no idea why the electronics for this should cost $199 - I suspect $49 would be more appropriate... Edit: and that's $10 for the parts, $39 for profit.. See the diagram near the end of the article ie two op amps and a few resisters and a pot.. Ian

wait till you've done a few more km's :-( (I added it up a while ago, and I reckon I must be getting close to the million km's mark - and things do go wrong.... :-)

Looks like no one has done it! I'll post pics after I have, as I am going to need it (if you've ever been in a car accident, you'll know how much force things from the back come forward with...) Ian

Has anyone put a cargo barrier behind the front seats? I'm going to have the back seats down and carring a fair bit of stuff around in the new year, so would need something behind the drivers seat. But I'd need to be able to put it and take it out (so that when the back seats are being used my son didn't think he was in the paddy wagon.. ) Has anybody done it, or have any sugestions?

sorry guys - haven't been here for a while... Got stuff on and can't make it on Sunday. Ian

Looks like mine (see the pics for my username in the gallery)! It will be the second bayside blue one around - though mine is a RS4S.

I've been travelling, or I would have already commented.. Given I have both a R34 GTX turbo and a Stagea RS4S I can say that - a) they appear to be absolutely identical (NEO) engines - at least from the outside. b) I don't run out of puff in the stagea at 3000-3500 revs! (as someone suggested above) c) taking into account the 200kg difference, the engines seem to have the same power. Though the stagea is of course more grippy because of the weight, and the four wheel drive, so I think it makes up for the weight difference quite a bit by getting more power to the ground some times... They both move well when you want them to.. d) the only slight difference I had been finding was that the R34 was going on boost faster. But that has recently been tracked down to a leaky hose, so I'll see what it is like in the next few weeks… If the engines are different in any major way I'll be a bit surprised.. Hope that helps someone.. Ian

Des Locsed Products (in Ringwood) 9879 3545 It seems pretty solid! Ian

As I've said in another post somewhere, I know someone with a R30 who has done over 500,000km, and has only done the regular stuff like oil, filters, belts, the odd shock absorber etc except for having to replace the injectors at about 350,000kms...

If you go to the prestige 'calculator' http://www.prestigemotorsport.com.au/modules/costCalc2/ you get about 16.5K without the tyres for that yen price (assuming FOB). So yes, 22K seems much too high!

So had it been repainted (in the original color)? Actually, I have imported several cars (see the text under my avatar!) and definitely agree that they can be very good value (if you are careful about what you buy). But the better the deal looks, the more cautious you should be.. It may be the bargain of a life time, but the odds move against you the more spectacular the deal appears.. :-) Ian

Well, I'll be interested to know if I was wrong - what did your detailed inspection show? Had it been resprayed, like it sure looked like to me? Ian

why don't you put them ALL in a sub forum, ie like the "Stagea Parts Classifieds" have a "Stagea Info" one.. ? Ian

given how few of us have and "S" I suspect not many have done it... (most are dreaming of having a clutch instead.. :-) Your main choice is going to involve how 'tough' vs 'usable every day' you want the new one to be.. Ian

I pm'd you with my mobile number to ring to organise seeing my series 2..

yep - clearly resprayed, and not currently registered (not a good sign)... Be carefull, could be an absolute lemon or a really good buy.. Ian

the series 2 ecu's know! Though I don't know what they do with it.. Ian

sorry, didn't check the forum yesterday. Let me know when you are coming back into town and you can look at the car (I'm not out mitcham way very often). Ian

I do (as per all my other posts - you should have read the ones about the melbourne get togethers). Heading off for holidays shortly though, how long would you need it and where are you in Melbourne? Ian

Was it only the SII 'S' that had the three gauges in as standard? ie the ones mine has? Or was it somthing introduced in all the later SII's?? Ian

On a wet or icy road there is no comparison... Ian ps Drive to the snow? I haven't bothered going skiing in Aus for a few decades, as we don't really get 'snow' here.. (if the 'snow' feels wet, or is hard - or the temperature has got above -5 in the last week, it ain't really snow...). I know, I've spent too much time in Japan and Canada...

My wife is 5' and likes driving the stagea - she reckons it's the best car I've ever got for her. She now all but refuses to drive the R34, and doesn't want to go to a smaller 'fuel efficient' car either.. Hasn't even complained that I got her the manual version.. She likes the handling and the space in the back for shopping. Thus the R34 has only done 500km in the last 6 months, and I'd sell it except no one wanted to buy it off me (ie see http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/in...opic=98570&hl=) ! So a great car for the wife! Ian

I noticed that most of the 'core' stagea owners have been active in this thread, so slightly off topic for a moment.. A number of you have asked me for a few bits and pieces (I do a lot of stuff on the computer) so I'm going to put a few common requests up on one of my sites (I HATE uploading things to this site, it takes forever). As I don't want my server to crash with to many people, I'm going to password protect the directory. PM me with a email address if you want me to send you the link and password. And no, I WILL NOT have stagea manual up, so don't bother if that is what you are after.. Ian