1996 Nissan Stagea RS FOUR V review from Australia and New Zealand

Classic Stagea -- Rust under the mirrors on both front doors, happens to all of the series 1.

I found one in a junkyard that was the same colour!!! Rare!! And replaced the 2 doors for $600 plus a day to put them on... However the "new" ones have the same issue, just not as bad... Also one small rust spot underneath the rear hatch window...

Also classic for hot running turbo RB25 motors: Coils failing because the spark jumps out the side of the plastic casing... Cost of new set: (there are 6 one for each spark-plug) is around $1000 New Zealand Dollars, so I fixed mine for $2 by wrapping them with electrical tape... Works well, it runs fine now.

The mirrors also have a folding-in function which never worked... The motor goes but they don't fold, worked perfectly on my Subaru... but not the Nissan...

Everything else works, air con needs re-gassing, but that's classic in New Zealand cars, a lot of people can't see the point when it's only hot for 2 months a year.

Wow this car is quick, it's the competitor to the Legacy touring wagons of the early nineties...

Nissan saw that Subaru had no competition in the turbo 4wd touring wagon market segment (in Japan) and so they reached into their considerable parts bin, pulled out Skyline running gear and stuffed it onto a laurel-derived body... and it looks pretty sweet, and goes like a jackrabbit.

The turbo motor in mine was running rough but I discovered by lurking in Skyline forums (the motor is all skyline) that they all suffer from failing coils around 120 to 160 thousand km depending on driving.

The fix is new coils for $1000 to $1500 or just tape them up or coating with silicone... impressive results for $2 materials and a couple hours labour.

The interior doesn't seem as roomy as my Legacy and the seating position appears lower, so that's a downside.

The dashboard is modern and the 4 cup-holders hold small cups easily enough.

The power seats in the front work perfectly and are adequate, although the fact that the car was only sold in Japan is emphasized by range of seat and steering adjustment available, which seems geared toward smaller-framed people if you're 6 foot or taller this car will feel a bit small...

The handling is excellent although the car is fairly heavy at 1600kg.. so that's a downside..

With the turbo motor the car is rated at around 12.9 L/100km, which is not very good, and it can suck down the petrol if you put your foot down, but the rush is worth it.

I probably wouldn't buy another without having enough money to do it up properly, as it's not as comfortable as the Legacies.

Can't go past the inline-six turbo motor it sounds so right!