Newbie Wanting To Buy Stagea - Advice Needed Please!

[juggler]

Hi all, I'm a relative newcomer to this site, been browsing it for a while and decided to join as I'm keen on buying a Stagea - love the look of them and their features and performance , but I have several questions that I hope you Stagea experts could help me with. Firstly, I've heard that they out-perform the Subaru Liberty wagons - both in the 2.5 and 3.0L versions - is this true? The Liberty was my second choice in the 3.0L version. Secondly, does anyone know of any good, comprehensive reviews they've seen on the Stagea? I'd be interested to read them. Thirdly, for those of you who drive one, how reliable and safe are they? Have you had any problems with them? And what would you list as your favourite components of them? I have 3 kids - so I was interested in knowing how safe and reliable they were, have heard good reports so far but it would be nice to hear it first hand from people on here. And if anything does go wrong how difficult is it to find parts? Is it as easy as finding parts for a Skyline? and how long would it take to get the parts?

Lastly, I would like to know which model is the best to go for - one that I can put a few personal touches on (ie my own mods). I love the look of the black M35AxisAutech but I've heard the earlier models can look just as fantastic with a front end R34 bodykit on them (drooool.. lol) And what year is the most advisable? Basically I want the best performance and features, but also the safety and reliability also. I'm worried that if I go too early (like 98) I'll have problems with the age of the parts and general wear and tear. Is it better to go for the later models? Do you have more options with mods for earlier models? And does anyone know what the post 2004 M35 Stageas are like or have pics of them? I heard after 2004 their look was changed quite significantly and they lost the turbo also. Is it possible to import the later models? I haven't seen any past 03' on any website so far.. Sorry bout all the questions lol but I like to do my research before I buy a car lol. And when you do import one from Japan or from the Eastern States, what should I be asking the dealer for? RAC inspection? Roadworthy certificate? What should I be looking for aside from the pics I see in the ad? I want to make sure I'm getting what I'm paying for, no dodgy bits. Any help and/or advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks guys.

[Jetwreck]

Hi all, I'm a relative newcomer to this site, been browsing it for a while and decided to join as I'm keen on buying a Stagea - love the look of them and their features and performance , but I have several questions that I hope you Stagea experts could help me with. Firstly, I've heard that they out-perform the Subaru Liberty wagons - both in the 2.5 and 3.0L versions - is this true? The Liberty was my second choice in the 3.0L version. Secondly, does anyone know of any good, comprehensive reviews they've seen on the Stagea? I'd be interested to read them. Thirdly, for those of you who drive one, how reliable and safe are they? Have you had any problems with them? And what would you list as your favourite components of them? I have 3 kids - so I was interested in knowing how safe and reliable they were, have heard good reports so far but it would be nice to hear it first hand from people on here. And if anything does go wrong how difficult is it to find parts? Is it as easy as finding parts for a Skyline? and how long would it take to get the parts?

Lastly, I would like to know which model is the best to go for - one that I can put a few personal touches on (ie my own mods). I love the look of the black M35AxisAutech but I've heard the earlier models can look just as fantastic with a front end R34 bodykit on them (drooool.. lol) And what year is the most advisable? Basically I want the best performance and features, but also the safety and reliability also. I'm worried that if I go too early (like 98) I'll have problems with the age of the parts and general wear and tear. Is it better to go for the later models? Do you have more options with mods for earlier models? And does anyone know what the post 2004 M35 Stageas are like or have pics of them? I heard after 2004 their look was changed quite significantly and they lost the turbo also. Is it possible to import the later models? I haven't seen any past 03' on any website so far.. Sorry bout all the questions lol but I like to do my research before I buy a car lol. And when you do import one from Japan or from the Eastern States, what should I be asking the dealer for? RAC inspection? Roadworthy certificate? What should I be looking for aside from the pics I see in the ad? I want to make sure I'm getting what I'm paying for, no dodgy bits. Any help and/or advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks guys.

lol.....two many questions to answer in typing....PM me and I will give you my mobile number then I will answer all questions....alot of the above I had to do, and some of the answers ( e.g. you cannot import models built after NOV 03 yet) you need to know.

[Xmetal]

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/Bu...n-C-t92065.html

Some light reading material.

[Stinky Rooster]

I am only going to cover safety here, but having t-boned a wrx at 60kph with both my daughters and my wife in the car, and we all walked away without a scratch. There are also photo's of a lot more violent smashes on this site than mine, so as far as safety is concerned, I would probably trust a stagea more than any domestic wagon.

Oh, and don't bother looking at any M35 over 2002. You can't get them past the EPA cert for compliance.

[juggler]

Thanks guys, lol.. sorry bout all the questions, I guess I should've posted two threads haha. Jetwreck- I will pm you today, thanks for that! I guess my main questions would be: 1) Where can I get comprehensive reviews on Nissan Stageas? (Xmetal I'll be reading the info you gave me, thanks ). 2) Which model is the best to go for? and 3) what do I look for when buying one.. ie what do I look for to insure I'm not getting a dodgy deal? Thanks heaps guys. Oh by the way I should mention that I'm a woman, I'm just posting under my husbands' user name, will be making up my own profile soon, just got lazy last night lol

Edited June 5, 2008 by juggler

[timheather]

where are you located? someone can probably meet up with you to show you their car in the flesh and have a chat about them.... ps, buy mine cheap

[juggler]

where are you located? someone can probably meet up with you to show you their car in the flesh and have a chat about them.... ps, buy mine cheap

[juggler]

Lol.. ignore that last post.. typo lol.. I live in Perth so if there's anyone in Perth on here with an M35AxisAutech or an earlier model with a R34 front end I'd be most interested in seeing it, thanks guys.

[darrinspencer]

Lol.. ignore that last post.. typo lol.. I live in Perth so if there's anyone in Perth on here with an M35AxisAutech or an earlier model with a R34 front end I'd be most interested in seeing it, thanks guys.

There is currently only approx 4-5 R34 fronted cars in Australia

All on the east coast

If you do decide on one, I have a series 2 silver with converted manual for sale soon.

[juggler]

Darrin - thanks for the info, your Stagea sounds nice, but I only have an automatic license, should've mentioned that in my original post, sorry.

[ssshonky]

*slaps Juggler on the ass * go get your manual license !!

you will p1ss it in now that you have a bit more experience.. . I imagine you got your auto only license when you were a young tacker?

[ssshonky]

but plenty of people in perth willing to meet up and show you a stagea I am sure

no 34 front end ones as stated previously...

[juggler]

Hahaha ssshonky, I know it's embarrassing lol.. an auto license for someone that's a Nissan performance vehicle enthusiast lol.. And no, I wasn't a young chickie when I got my auto license.. I was 27 from memory because prior to that I lived in inner city suburbs that didn't require a car to get around and I had only one child, once I moved to the burbs and the number of kids increased accordingly lol, I had to get my license, there was no way around it.. I had an 'interesting' experience with a manual teacher - she was a very 'assertive' (for want of a better word lol) Slav woman that would slap me on my head if I did something wrong, mind you this was in her bomb of a Diahatsu charade that had no power steering lol and a loose clutch LMAO.. it certainly turned me off driving manual for a while so to speed things up I got my auto license, but hoping to get around to doing my manual within the next couple of yrs. And Tim what does your Stagea look like? Curious to have a squiz at it.

[Appealing]

Hi Juggler....

A lot of this is subjective, but mostly it is going to hinge on a few things, like....

How much do you want to spend?

Is a warranty important to you?

Do you care about a car retaining it's value?

Are you prepared to pay higher fuel costs? (because the Stageas are a tad thirsty).

How will you go for insurance.

As for safety........ I doubt that there are many safer cars. The construction is awesome. PM me and I'll send you a pic or 2 of a Stagea that hit a power pole at about 160k/ph, the owner walked away. (actually he ran).

The cars are brilliant, it all depends on the above.

Where in Perth are you? You may like to come and have a look over mine. BTW my wife drives it mainly and loves it too.

Cheers

John

[leetom]

hi juggler, there has been quiet a bit written about stageas especially s1 & s2, you can probably locate these reviews thru high performance imports (magazine), also you can view a review buy searching stagea on youtube, as far as post 2001 series go it's new ground for most of us although a few of the guys have had experience of these later models (search site), as far as safety go's s1 & s2 chassis are specially designed for safety (side impact etc, some of the more knowledgeable members could maybe shed some light on this area).

good luck.

ps if your into the cosmetics theres plenty of avenues out there to make your stagea stand out without having to do a frontend conversion.

[juggler]

Hi Appealing, I'm looking to spend up to $35k, yes a warranty is important to me, yes I do care about the car retaining it's value although this is not the first priority, yes I'm prepared to pay for higher fuel costs - to me that's expected for a car that has great performance and features, and regarding insurance I was thinking of going to Shannons - have heard very good reports about them and their pricing, who would you recommend? I'm in the Balcatta/Westminster border and I'd love to come and look at your Stagea, doesn't bother me if you're NOR or SOR. Would be most interested, thanks.

Leetom - thanks for your info also, I actually did a search on Youtube today and came up with some videos and reviews of Stageas- the older models that you're referring to, but they were still very informative. You mentioned that the chassis of S1's and S2's were specially designed for safety, do you believe they are safer than the later models? I would've thought the later models would be safer? And regarding the cosmetics, yeah I agree there would be plenty of other options apart from a frontend conversion, any good suggestions hehe?

[260tech]

hi juggler, there has been quiet a bit written about stageas especially s1 & s2, you can probably locate these reviews thru high performance imports (magazine), also you can view a review buy searching stagea on youtube, as far as post 2001 series go it's new ground for most of us although a few of the guys have had experience of these later models (search site), as far as safety go's s1 & s2 chassis are specially designed for safety (side impact etc, some of the more knowledgeable members could maybe shed some light on this area).

good luck.

ps if your into the cosmetics theres plenty of avenues out there to make your stagea stand out without having to do a frontend conversion.

Yup.

1. Save the dough for GO! Manual RB25/26 If you are the nervous type these family wagons are not for you but if you are up for a sneaky station wagon then you're in the right place.

2. You must check out the offers for a looksee at resident Stags around Perth.

3. Stageas' are not economical, (~1600kg) like every other enhanced performance vehicle...at the end of the day the grunt comes out of the tank........at a cost.

4. If you really want a Stagea & not a Commonhore then nothing will deter you so go window shopping. Grade 4 & above at jp auctions are pretty much on the money, top condition, the onsite inspections at the auctions are very thorough. You could always run your potential wallet buster past a current owner before you sign up?

5. Pick a "no bulls#&t importer", make sure they commit to compliance before you commit to purchase. Again, check the raps on the forum.

6. Parts; you will need them sooner or later, every car does & this forum & it's members have done an awful lot of shoe work tracking down alternate bits that fit, suppliers of original & aftermarket stuff, know where to go/got most things covered. Drivetrain, suspension, motor stuff, body parts. The game gets tougher when you mod your car because it is no longer bog standard, but it is the same with Fords/holdens, no biggy. Start getting into it a bit & the list of "know where/how to find/fixers" gets smaller, that's all.

7. Don't prang it.

8. Buy RBNT's/Darrinspencer/Terminal/ wheels, if'n not sold!

Good hunting GW

[andy65b]

Hi Juggler

You have probably spoken to Jetwreck by now and got most of the low down on the M35 Stagea. Key date is no vehicle built later than 11/03 can be complied. You can comply early 2003 models (this is what I have) and the ARX is definatley the pick of this model.

I also managed to get one optioned with side curtain airbags and active head restraints.

So if safety for the family is a big issue this option is a good one to find.

Cheers

Andy

[juggler]

Thanks 260tech, that info was very useful and YES I do really want a Stagea as I love fast cars lol - i'm not your typical nervous woman in the car, I like to go faster than my husband! hahahaahaha. And yes, so far I've heard they're not very economical but I'm willing to sacrifice a few dollars for the performance of the car hehe. Thanks for also telling me about the auctions and what 'grade four' meant - prior to reading this I had NO idea what grade four meant. As for the importer I'm looking at getting my car through Prestige motorsport here in Perth or Northshore Prestige in Sydney. I've heard that both are excellent and very thorough and helpful. So far, I've spoken to both of the head dealers that work there - Geoff at Prestige motorsport and Ben at Northshore Prestige and they've been very helpful. Hopefully I won't prang it either, even though I"m known as a lead foot lol.

Andy - yep I spoke to Jetwreck today and he was great in answering the main questions I had, great advice Jetwreck - thanks. And yes I found out that you cannot comply models later than 03, which is not of a big concern to me as I prefer the earlier models than the 04 models and upwards, was just curious as to what these later models looked like and why you couldn't import them, now I know. Side curtain airbags and active head restraints sounds good, where did you get that done? Thanks for the tip.

And to everyone else, thanks for all the info so far, you guys are great, I've found all the answers I'm looking for on here instead of having to search the net which is time consuming and sometimes generic and not specific, but please feel free to keep posting on my thread hehe, can never get enough good advice/and or suggestions.

[Xmetal]

While i'm thinking about it:

One other thing you can do is sign upto the Skylines Australia Western Australia division (SAUWA) and reap the benefits of club life. I've found that attending club events such as track days, cruises, tech nights, the club AGM and quarterly meetings will see you mingling with other Skyline and Stagea owners and see what other owners have done with their cars in the forms of modding and personalisation, I've found this particularly useful with modding and also to see who goes where for servicing, parts and also learning more about the car that I own and how it behaves under certain conditions like motor sport events.

The other benefit is there are club sponsors out there that offer discounts on products and services such as parts, servicing, consulting and other things that will eventually save you money in the long run.

Club joining fee is $45 for your first year and $35 each year after plus they usually give you some snazzy stuff like a sticker, key lanyard and a members card.