What Do I Need To Know?

[Ghostrider]

I am considering buying a Stagea S2 Neo later this year.

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW?

What are the pitfalls with the car, can I use it as a tow car as well as a luxury cruiser?

Is there anything specific I need to know about them, do they haveany inherant problems that need to be addressed.

Who is the best to import it for you?

I have approached Powerplay Imports and they tell me they can get me one.

Please advise.

Cheers, D

[AlexCim]

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/in...showtopic=92065

[Duncan]

I don't know if that thread covered off the towing issue properly.

In the end I decided not to go ahead with a stagea as a tow / race support car because I was concerned about its towing capacity.

The GTR race car is over 1500kg wet, and our trailer is a further 800...so 2300kg load. The stagea has double wishbone independent rear suspension and there would be a major downforce on the towball (not sure how much but surely a few hundred kilos).

I would have loved to go a stagea but in the end went a live axle navara instead, rated to 3000kg load from the factory. Of course it has a crap z24 engine so its slow progress but I am hoping the vh45de transplant will fix that.

On the other hand Gary(Sydneykid) went the stagea with a custom tow ball, he has at least 1 thread about it....I'm sure he knows what he is doing I just didn't have the time to stuff around.

[66yostagea]

As far as i know the downforce (load) on a tow bar is usually very small

in kg, compared tothe towing ability of both the tow bar and the vehicle

capacity to tow.

I've been thru the towbar bit and am getting one built by a local(Tamborine Mt) engineer. I am also getting a bigger A/T cooler. Maybe even a rear diff cooler a/la Subaru.

There are other dissertations about the towing abilities of Stageas on this

site.

[Duncan]

Well I've never measured the downforce on the towball with our trailer, but the further forward you move the car the more stable the trailer is to tow, but of course the more weight on the car

[3intheBack]

Ghostrider - I've said it before and I'll say it again...dont think, just buy!

I really cant see how you can go wrong with the Stagea compared with other cars. Obviously, its horses for courses, so it wont do everything, but it does most things very well including good looks. Secondly..it's just that...second hand so dont buy other peoples screw up mods.

Typically in the evolution of things the S2 has fixed most of problems associated with the S1

Dont be a fence sitter, hop into the fold.

[GoldZilla]

Sydneykid, AlexCim, Terminal and a few others have tow bars.

I think at least one of them has one rated to roughly 2K, the link is here!!!

[Ghostrider]

Thanks guys,

I read the link and taken note of it's recommendations.

I actually got blown off by a silver one, south bound on M5 between Moorebank Ave & Hume Hwy last night on the way back from the olds.

Not much of a contest as I was in my daughter's U12 Ti.

My biggest concern was actually fitting in one, as I'm a tad under 6' 4 I thought it may have been a problem. I was over Concord way the other day and parked my ass in a yellow S2 ($35000/98K) at Edward Lees and that is no longer an issue.

As for towing issues my HR30 is only 1200kg and trailer is about 420kg, therefore I'm well under 2 tonne overall.

Sydneykid has set me straight on a few things and now you have with a few more.

I will get in touch with Prestige and make a few enquiries, but my plans are for the latter half of this year.

Cheers, D

[AlexCim]

I have a towbar yes, supposedly rated at 2T but i havnt towed anything over a 500kg 6x4 trailer. Was very good

[Ghostrider]

I have been doing some research.

Some say the Tiptronic transmission isn't the go! can someone tell me why? and how do you tell the difference, as in all S2's pics I have seen so far both versions have the + & - shift in them, along with the same thing on the steering wheel.

What's so bad about the Tiptronic that it should be avoided.

I think something like J Spec Imports #5724 will be my preference. It looks pretty much stock, so my guess it hasn't got loads of problems associated with it.

My budget's going to be around AU$20000.00.

Cheers, D

[Tangles]

Im 6ft 8inch (201cm-ish) tall; fit all ok, sort of, its all good and nice and comfy for sure - could benefit from putting the seat as far back as possible (only due to my 7knee surgeries, so I want ultimate comfort & leg room).

So for room - no issue there. Snug but nice.

Its pretty basic to have a heavyduty towbar setup for the car, nothing a bit of $ wont fix........!

As for tiptronic, its the bees-knees; I only grabbed the S1 because I couldnt afford the 25k S2's were last July, I figured a 18k S1 with 7k mods would be all good - and it is! Best car Ive ever bought.

Brendan

[Ghostrider]

Thanks Guys for all the help & suggestions.

I take it the one to get is an S2 25t RS Four V then???

Cheers, D

[Terminal]

Look for dual sunrooves if you can. i never owned a car with a sunroof until i got mine and now i couldn't get another car without one (or 2)

leathe is a nice option but not a requirement in most peoples books.

my tow bar works pretty well with a 6x4 box trailer full of gear. i had it loaded up with stuff and still managed to beat my mate in his DC2 integra type-R.

i'm yet to tow a car with it, i would have twice now but ended up not needing to at the last minute. alwys good to be prepared

[GoldZilla]

Yeah, the S2 has the advantage of the R34's Neo engine, so a bit more power and torque is available, and maybe (not too sure on this, but someone is bound to confirm it) better fuel economy.

Like Terminal said, the dual sunroof option would be great - I missed out, but that's fine because I managed to get my hands on an already-converted manual S1 in a colour I liked.

Just check that you can squeeze your frame under the sunroof, especially with your height. If you're comfortable with your seat at the lowest settings and you still have some headroom left over (for the occasional unexpected bump or pothole), then go for it!