Stagea Confusion

[studricho]

First and foremost, great forum and I did find all those great inks about buying a stagea.

The story is that I'm looking at replace my wife 2001 RX liberty wagon with has clocked up 255,000 klms. It still goes well, but after driving my RB25 torana I want more stick in our family wagon.

I even went and took a 2008 GT liberty wagon tuned by STI for a drive. What a disappointment!

I handle very nice and stopped well (Brembo brakes), but it didn't have the punch that justified the $49K price tag. I did find out later that the STI version is basically a tart up of suspension, wheels and brakes no engine mods.

Now, be honest. How good are these Stagea overall compared to the Liberty.

Please bare in mind that my wife has clocked over 190,000 in the subaru and I don't want to here her whine about a stagea..

I would also like some relistic fuel consumption figures. I did speak to a guy (Adam from memory) who is selling a very nice example 260 autech version. He did say he gets anywhere between 400-450klm a tank around town.

Also anyone that has installed an after market ecu have some accurate figures.

I find a place in carringbah (Nagoya motors??) and these guys okay when it comes to stagea's?

I've been looking on the net and there are too many heavily modified. I just want a manual, series 2 with the neo rb25.

Not sure I can convince my wife why we need a twin turbo.

And the fact I can't have my wife having a faster car than me.....

Any feed back would be fantastic. Oh, Darrenspencer your killing me with the body mods that you have done to your car. It looks awesome.

[Big Fella]

I find a place in carringbah (Nagoya motors??) and these guys okay when it comes to stagea's?

hey mate, i bought my car through nagoya, not super impressed by their pre sales or after sales service (basically the whole experience in general) i'm still waiting for a repalcement coil pack that i was supposed to get a month and a half ago.

PM me for more detail if you want as i'm not allowed to post up and slanderous comments.

[studricho]

PM sent.

Also what are these cars like when approaching or departing driveways or speed humps in standard height trim?

Reason is that the suby we have is super low an it scrubs everywhere. To the point it has worn away most of the inner guards.

[CL11QE]

PM sent.

Also what are these cars like when approaching or departing driveways or speed humps in standard height trim?

Reason is that the suby we have is super low an it scrubs everywhere. To the point it has worn away most of the inner guards.

depends on the hight/angle of driveway/speedhump, as well as the kit the car has i guess....

basically though u will never really scrub anywhere, except if its a stupid angle like my driveway

at work, which i just go out at an angle on.

the only other time it can really scrub i guess is if uve got a bit of weight in the back of her...

[horrace]

My s1 rs4 has stock suspention and I have not scraped in more than a year, also I now get over 450km a tank since replacing my o2 sensor. They arent that quick though, good off the line and fantastic in the wet, I just wish mine was manual but I see you figured that one out already!

[bubba]

I have a '98 RS4-V (series 2, tiptronic auto) with 159,000km's on the clock (had 120,000 when I got it). It's got Tein coilovers all round (non-adj.), hiflow turbo, split dump, 3" exhaust, fmic, splitfire coils and a Haltech e11v2 (from previous owner, doesn't talk to auto, will be going Nistune soon). Oh and R33 GTSt seats, stock ones are crap, skylines seats sit you in the car properly and makes you feel more part of the car as opposed to riding on it.

The tune is pretty shitty and rich in places, the auto can be a little funny if you're not used to how it reacts to not getting signals from the ECU. VCT isn't set up with the Haltech so it's laggy as, does nothing till 3500rpm, pulls hard from 4000rpm to redline. All easily fixed with a Nistune ecu.

Even with the minor issues, it is still an awesome car to drive! The suspension sits nicely with my 18's, I have never scraped anything. The tiptronic is excellent for cruising around town and great for holding it in gear during spirited hills driving etc. Even with the shitty tune and no VCT I still get almost 400km/tank around down, highway driving gets that up a bit more and country driving I get 600km/tank. I believe it is the ultimate tourer. I can fit heaps of shit and the little things like, can release back seats while standing at the back, back seats reclining etc etc are great, everytime I find a new "little thing" it makes me love the car a little bit more.

I cannot think of a more practical, yet still fun, car out there. When compared with other cars of the same era and ilk (VT/VX commodore wagons etc) the difference is chalk and cheese. When people find out it's a 1998, they spin out.

And what can beat dishing some smackdown in a lunchbox?

Now, this is only my daily. I have another toy (heavily modified 32gtst) which is the "fun" car. I have found that a lot of people get Stageas thinking they can get them to go like skylines but it's just not going to happen, I bought my wagon from one such disillusioned owner with a lot of the mods already done. That being said, I love the fact that the engine is in the same family as my 32, it makes working on the car a lot easier and while it's a big heavy lunchbox, the handling of the thing is phenomenal, very reminiscent of the skylines I have driven.

It is also a super safe family car what with the airbags, ABS and ATESSA 4WD setup. I have to try REALLY hard to get it even slightly out of shape.

Enough dribbling, if you want to hear more about offroad adventures and other stuff, PM me:)

P.S. not a fan of M35's.

[KiwiRS4T]

With minimal mods a manual S2 would be a great family car.

1. A high flow filter for the stock air box ($100)

2. A 3in turbo back exhaust ($900 - $1000)

3. A Nistune chip for the ecu ($900 fitted and tuned)

4. Heavy rear sway bar ($360)

That would drive nicely although another grand on a set of Bilsteins lowered just 20mm or so would be good but not essential!

[Stooge007]

First and foremost, great forum and I did find all those great inks about buying a stagea.

The story is that I'm looking at replace my wife 2001 RX liberty wagon with has clocked up 255,000 klms. It still goes well, but after driving my RB25 torana I want more stick in our family wagon.

I even went and took a 2008 GT liberty wagon tuned by STI for a drive. What a disappointment!

I handle very nice and stopped well (Brembo brakes), but it didn't have the punch that justified the $49K price tag. I did find out later that the STI version is basically a tart up of suspension, wheels and brakes no engine mods.

Now, be honest. How good are these Stagea overall compared to the Liberty.

Please bare in mind that my wife has clocked over 190,000 in the subaru and I don't want to here her whine about a stagea..

I would also like some relistic fuel consumption figures. I did speak to a guy (Adam from memory) who is selling a very nice example 260 autech version. He did say he gets anywhere between 400-450klm a tank around town.

Also anyone that has installed an after market ecu have some accurate figures.

I find a place in carringbah (Nagoya motors??) and these guys okay when it comes to stagea's?

I've been looking on the net and there are too many heavily modified. I just want a manual, series 2 with the neo rb25.

Not sure I can convince my wife why we need a twin turbo.

And the fact I can't have my wife having a faster car than me.....

Any feed back would be fantastic. Oh, Darrenspencer your killing me with the body mods that you have done to your car. It looks awesome.

my bro has a 2006 Liberty GT tuned by STi

it's a fair bit quicker than my stock C34 RS Four S (factory manual), and handles and stops a lot better too

it would want to for the $70k he paid for it (brand new)

a few mods to the Stag (as above, air filter, exhaust, nistune etc.) and it'd probably win in a straight line, but would still struggle in the twisties

i bought my Stag from Nagoya too. not super happy, but not sad either

the Stag is more of a GT car, than a race car

if you want something quicker that handles better, grab a Toyota Caldina. a mate has one, and if it was as big as the Stag, i'd have bought one (i have a newborn so need to lug around a pram, cot, luggage and golf clubs, and the Stag swallows that up easily. a Caldina would struggle to carry that much)

hope the above helps

[studricho]

Great advice guys so far keep it coming..

Stooge007

Wow, I thought the stagea would eat the GT liberty. Maybe I have be spoilt driving me RB25 Torana hatchback. That has awesome pickup..The fuel it uses isen't to far from the 2.5 4 banger liberty.

How smooth is the drive though?

Bubba

Would it be better to try and get a stagea that hasn't be molested (Modified) or just make sure that if it has been modified then it has been done properly.

What does the RB26 version go like? That's the version I keep getting attracted to.

I can say to my wife that because we have two kids it wouldn't be fair to have a single turbo.

What do you think my chances are?

[pipster11]

As everyone has said

they are awesome touring cars

massive boot that fits heaps of stuff in it

fuel useage is a bit heavy, expect 14-15l/100km in the city, highway driving sees it head down towards 10

but compared to similar aged falcon which should do about 7 on the highway you're looking out a bit

a tune and a new o2 sensor will see good fuel gains - i drove to tas from the gold coast and we almost saw 700km from a tank with the car packed up to the back of the front seats

if you get a factory manual you get better seats which is a bonus, and nice suede inserts everywhere

you can feel the extra weight in it but it goes well for such a big wagon, only wagon that i would rate higher or would like better would be a brand new HSV clubsport wagon

think that will be my next car

rs4s's have been getting cheap lately (got mine for $13k) but when you look at it they are old cars now - but still have really good safety

never driven a new lib but if its a family bus you may be better off with something newer and less thirsty

[GoldZilla]

Just remember that you're comparing a newish car to something that is at a minimum at least 10 years old. Considering their age, the Stagea is still an incredible car, and has features which even many new Commodores and Falcons STILL don't have.

[studricho]

I'm actually comparing it as an overall package to my current family hack 2001 Liberty RX wagon.

When I really boil it down, will I be happy in a stagea as I have been with the Subaru?

[pipster11]

whats the best and worst points of the subaru for you?

[studricho]

whats the best and worst points of the subaru for you?

Worst points

-Too low of a seating position. Much worse now after back operation. Long distance kills me.

-Not enough poke

-Stigma that can come with Subaru's. People think that your trying to better than everyone else.

-Pretty tight in the back seat

-Fuel compensation don't much performance.

Best Points

-Very quiet ride. Even when the exhaust manifold crack sounding like tractor we had no idea it was leaking until people would stare at us. I eventually opened the window and heard the noise.

-Awesome brakes and I like the hill assist feature.

-Big boot (Iknow not as big as the Stagea)

-Handling is so good. Best handling car that I have ever owned.

-Nice finish inside and everything still works.

What's gone wrong service wise? (69,000-255,000 klms)

-Exhaust manifold dump pipe (?) cracked and covered by warranty

-Front pads changed twice and disc machined twice

-Rear pads once

-Battery once

-Timing belt twice (last time did all the pulleys too)

-Normal oils and fluid changes

-Rear diff bushes changed (Maybe cause it's lowered)

-Camber kits fitted to car to help tire wear.

-Clutch replaced recently

-Hose to clutch cylinder replaced

So that's what I'm trying to find out how good the stagea is. I know that the Stag has the best 6 in world in it already, just trying to work out the rest of the car.

[Stooge007]

Great advice guys so far keep it coming..

Stooge007

Wow, I thought the stagea would eat the GT liberty. Maybe I have be spoilt driving me RB25 Torana hatchback. That has awesome pickup..The fuel it uses isen't to far from the 2.5 4 banger liberty.

How smooth is the drive though?

Bubba

Would it be better to try and get a stagea that hasn't be molested (Modified) or just make sure that if it has been modified then it has been done properly.

What does the RB26 version go like? That's the version I keep getting attracted to.

I can say to my wife that because we have two kids it wouldn't be fair to have a single turbo.

What do you think my chances are?

the Stages is just too heavy a car (imo) to make it quick, unless you mod it (it's 1600+kg, whereas a Torrie would be what 1000kg?)

the drive is pretty smooth, but as noted, it's a 10+ year old car

i bought a stocker so that i could mod it how i wanted, the way i wanted, but i'm not sure if i'm going to mod it anymore

i haven't driven a 260RS (i.e. with the RB26), but i'd like to. there aren't too many S2 ones around, most of the ones i see are S1

gl with the decision

[pipster11]

Worst points

-Too low of a seating position. Much worse now after back operation. Long distance kills me.

-Not enough poke

-Stigma that can come with Subaru's. People think that your trying to better than everyone else.

-Pretty tight in the back seat

-Fuel compensation don't much performance.

Best Points

-Very quiet ride. Even when the exhaust manifold crack sounding like tractor we had no idea it was leaking until people would stare at us. I eventually opened the window and heard the noise. - Stag is pretty quiet, mine has really cheap tires and they are loud

-Awesome brakes and I like the hill assist feature. - stag brakes work pretty well, easy to change to some bigger ones, hill holder is awesome - i used to have an outback with it

-Big boot (Iknow not as big as the Stagea) - as you said, stag boot is massive, also has handles so you can put the rear seats down while standing at the tailgate

-Handling is so good. Best handling car that I have ever owned. - stag handles well, manual ones have better sway bars than auto's, get a set of coilovers for around $1k

-Nice finish inside and everything still works. - stag is ok, not bad but not incredible, everything works tho

What's gone wrong service wise? (69,000-255,000 klms)

-Exhaust manifold dump pipe (?) cracked and covered by warranty

-Front pads changed twice and disc machined twice

-Rear pads once

-Battery once

-Timing belt twice (last time did all the pulleys too) - timing belt on these are cheaper cos the subaru belt is about twice as long and a lot more difficult to get to

-Normal oils and fluid changes - you'll want to put the good stuff in, but it will love you for it

-Rear diff bushes changed (Maybe cause it's lowered)

-Camber kits fitted to car to help tire wear. - ditto if you lower it

-Clutch replaced recently - may need doing, depends how you drive it

-Hose to clutch cylinder replaced

So that's what I'm trying to find out how good the stagea is. I know that the Stag has the best 6 in world in it already, just trying to work out the rest of the car.

hope that helps

[SABBAi]

In my opinion, the Stagea is a great car if you are after something comfortable, big enough to fit almost anything you need and has a bit of poke. In stock form, they are a touch on the slow side, but I found my Series 2 to be fairly quick from the lights.

I've had a bit of a fiddle with mine, a touch more boost and a high flow airfilter. This brough power up to 155kw atw. It makes it much nicer t odrive and I've found that I don't have my foot in it quite as much to keep up with the traffic.

It brakes pretty good if you're not out for a severe fang or track work. The tiptronic is nice, as you can use it to engine brake to a certain degree. A set of coilovers and some rims will see the car handling very nicely. Tein do a style master super low down wagon spec (I shit you not) for the Stagea. I have them in my car and it has a ride that is not to far from the comfort of stock suspension, yet gives it a low stance and handles much better.

I've done 25 thousand km's since I imported mine in October and I have not had any problems. The obvious expenses of oil, filters, etc and I did have to change the timing belt and tires. But they are consumables. If you find one that has had the belt changed, has good condition pads/rotors, recent service with close to new tyres, you'll be laughing.

Don't forget all the cool little options with these things too. Mine has leather, electric seats with heaters, touch screen climate control, TV, twin sunroofs, xenon headlights, etc. Much better than anything offered by the big 2 locals.

Edited May 27, 2010 by SABBAi

[studricho]

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/privat...id=1285A18A8FEB

I keep going back to this one on car sales. For the extra money I'm looking at the 260rs models.

[Chris_Beli]

Just thought i would add, a big bit of the appeal of stageas to me was that they are different, you dont see them everyday and most people dont know what they are, mine attracts a fair bit of attention if thats your thing. Also on the speed front mine has full HKS cat back exhaust and is running 11psi boost which gets it to 100 in about 7-8 seconds, so not super fast but not slow either, once it gets going it will get to the 180 limiter suprisingly fast. On the fuel front mine is pretty bad, usually only about 400km a tank around town. Oh and alot of people are mentioning nagoya motors, i looked there and was put off, wont go into detail as we arent supposed to, and yeah they sell standard stags for about 15k if they are auto, or like 16-17 for a manual. I got mine with the mods i mentioned aswell as tein super wagon suspension and full carbon fibre dayz kit privately for only 13,500, so i would go private sale. Hope that helps

[studricho]

Thanks for reply Chris and yes it does help.