Reliable* winter motoring passed on to a fortunate* other

[nacho man]

 

We have recently purchased a new house and had convinced the boss we needed a transit type vehicle for the complete renovation it needs.

 

So I bought a cheap ropey stag.

 

 

Looks good in the photos but is covered in three inch of underseal underneath which I imagine covers all sorts of problems. It's also had lots of paintwork some done by skilled professionals, some by primary school children as a class project by the look of it.

 

 

It also has a very leaky rocker cover gasket which is easy to sort, but the leaking diff probably less so.

 

 

But it sounds ace, is manual, it's yellow and has a metal stag head stuck to the dashboard (tried removing on test drive but was glued on good and proper)

 

Picking it up next sat, is only round the corner so as long as the gr8* reputation these have for reliability should get home ok.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[skattrd]

Looks good from a distance ...

[barefoot]

How fast does it go mister?

[purplebargeken]

Looks ok to me. If it's still running then any 'Stag issues' have long ago been sorted. The original Triumph engined cars are becoming more sought after now. 

[nacho man]

I have been after one for a while really, but I couldn't afford a really good one, plus I wanted to do some work myself on it. It drives really nice actually and has had a engine rebuild in the 90s at some rover garage it's also had a new gearbox, it has new coolant hoses but I think the radiator was from a model t that lived by the coast and the owner didn't realise any sort of coolant was needed, so will change that asap, but ran it for a good half an hour and didn't get mega hot.

 

 

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[nacho man]

Famous last words

 

 

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[Six-cylinder]

I love the idea of buying what you don't need!

[RedSparrow]

Drop top Stag with a Triumph V8.

The number 1 choice for snowy winter conditions.

[forddeliveryboy]

I use salt spray as a highlighter for areas of steel which need attention. Councils often supply it for free in cold weather.

 

Nice car when right, how much did you give?

[Wilko220]

I like your style. At least, as a winter hack, it's less* likely to overheat...

[mercrocker]

Bloke I work  with had some incontinent K series Rover of one sort or another which finally shit itself about three years ago.  It was in the middle of winter so the bloke did sensible thing - dig out the Stag he had restored  for summer weekends and drive it to work.   Every day.  Ever since.   The only bit that  hasn't rusted is the hardtop which he left in the garage.   I don't recall him ever been late for work or off  the road ever since, though!

[nacho man]

I paid 4100 he reckons he paid 5500 last year and the few I have been to look at went for between 5 and 7 k I reckon I defo wont loose anything on it, I bought a mgbt a few years back and sorted it many many problems out run it for a couple of years and made quite a bit on it so thats where this money has come from, it was meant to go in the new kitchen/bathroom/roof fund but you know these things happen.

 

Plus I have been working 50 plus hrs a week plus for god knows how long so I told myself that having just a knackered old 306 dizzler and a bandit was not enough, bandit will go up for sale though as thats part of the buying a investment................. Money pit deal thrashed out with her indoors.

 

I checked the guys ebay feedback and he sold the hardtop a few weeks ago. The guy also put the worst aiwa/ripspeed/sanyo/goodmans type crappy head unit in there which looks soo out of place its unreal.

[dollywobbler]

Looks good for the money. Shame he flogged the hardtop! I really like the Stag. It's such a good concept and most foibles have been ironed out by now. One of the best sounding V8s ever. Drove one with a Rover V8 in it once. Was horrible!

[Vince70]

I like the idea of a banana yellow stag as a mode of transport (builders Van) while your doing a house refurb, you will be surprised what you can get in the back with the roof down.

 

I had a cooker in the back of my cabriolet the other week so I suggest the first thing you need is a wholly hat for the local tip runs and the trips to wickes

[barrett]

here's a fun fact: six of the last seven Stags I have seen on the road have been broken down. The seventh was motoring along fine but was later spotted by Garycox - broken down.

 

I am not joking.

 

I reckon these are hideously ugly, pointless, horrible cars, so I have to give grudging respect to anyone who actually buys one. Plus, it'll look eleventy billion times better after a hard winter's driving when all the bits start falling off.

[nacho man]

Lol theres already bits falling off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[michael t]

What a beauty, great buy Sir

[Station]

Are they a bit under rated? Hate the fact they're mostly driven by Ted Tweed.

Dunno what they're like on reliability, but I think I'd prefer to drive a k-series engined Dreamliner.

[londonm]

The featured car for the return of Sean Connery as James Bond in Diamonds are Forever, wonder how he felt it compared to an Aston Martin?

[Sigmund Fraud]

I love Stags, but I would never have the balls to invest £4K in one... RESTECP !!!

[Rocket88]

here's a fun fact: six of the last seven Stags I have seen on the road have been broken down. The seventh was motoring along fine but was later spotted by Garycox - broken down.

 

I am not joking.

 

I reckon these are hideously ugly, pointless, horrible cars, so I have to give grudging respect to anyone who actually buys one. Plus, it'll look eleventy billion times better after a hard winter's driving when all the bits start falling off.

It's not so much the cars. it's the people [present company excepted, obv] that drive them.

[Junkman]

What a hideous, pointless piece of tosh with auto-grenading fitted at no extra cost.

Great buy indeed, Sir.

[barefoot]

I've seen worse vehicles on this website.

[vulgalour]

here's a fun fact: six of the last seven Stags I have seen on the road have been broken down. 

 

To be fair to the Stag, what's happened there could just be the Barrett Effect.

[Junkman]

I've seen worse vehicles on this website.

Yeah, everything can be beaten, but I think it scores reasonably high on the Shite-O-Meter, especially when you consider that less dosh would have bought you a phairly phit R129, which would give you faithful, trouble-free service for the next decade or three.

[Rocket88]

A friend of mine "restored" a Stag over a six year period. By the time he'd finished, the bits he's done first needing doing again.

First job he did was rebuild the autobox. When he'd finished the rest of the car, his newly [mileage wise at least] gearbox, which he'd actually tested on completion, and seemed fine, refused to select any gears at all. During a period of 6 years over inspection pit, which has a drain sump in the bottom, the entire fluid contents of the gearbox had very slowly leaked out. There were no visible drips from the g'box sump, or anywhere else.

He eventually finished the bloody thing, engine rebuilt, body panels all nice and shiny etc etc. It snapped a timing chain within 30 miles. Apparently he'd bought a job lot of mechanical parts when rebuilding the hateful V8, mostly brand new, and, it transpired, mostly manufactured by some unprincipled Oriental gentlemen.

[nacho man]

I know there are one million and one other cars that are shiter and better but it was only £168 to insure fully comp with me and missus on I am 29 her 27 which ain't bad.

 

I really wanted some grade a American shite but I couldn't get cheap insurance and I can't really afford to shell out loads while I do the house up plus I was meant to be on the hunt for a van after I had spent ages convincing her we needed one and as I have full faith* in this not draining my bank account. WCPGW etc etc etc

 

They do divide opinions quite a lot my good mate thinks it's the biggest crock of shit going but while my dad who has impeccable taste said I have made him happy and he will help when anything goes bang, which of course it won't....................

 

 

 

 

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[forddeliveryboy]

A friend of mine "restored" a Stag over a six year period. By the time he'd finished, the bits he's done first needing doing again.

First job he did was rebuild the autobox. When he'd finished the rest of the car, his newly [mileage wise at least] gearbox, which he'd actually tested on completion, and seemed fine, refused to select any gears at all. During a period of 6 years over inspection pit, which has a drain sump in the bottom, the entire fluid contents of the gearbox had very slowly leaked out. There were no visible drips from the g'box sump, or anywhere else.

He eventually finished the bloody thing, engine rebuilt, body panels all nice and shiny etc etc. It snapped a timing chain within 30 miles. Apparently he'd bought a job lot of mechanical parts when rebuilding the hateful V8, mostly brand new, and, it transpired, mostly manufactured by some unprincipled Oriental gentlemen.

 

Question is, did he bother to rebuild the engine? 30 miles could take two or three years to cover in Jersey.

 

 

Yeah, everything can be beaten, but I think it scores reasonably high on the Shite-O-Meter, especially when you consider that less dosh would have bought you a phairly phit R129, which would give you faithful, trouble-free service for the next decade or three.

 

Yes but the 129 isn't good-looking. The R107 is better looking but as much as a rot-box as any old Triumph. I've always thought the 129s looked a bit like their owners were thinking of becoming a drug dealer but didn't know how to. At least they're W124-based, so no probs there... A W126 is the choice of those in the know, Shirly?

[Junkman]

Yes but the 129 isn't good-looking.

So isn't the Stag, so let's call that even.

 

The R107 is better looking but as much as a rot-box as any old Triumph.

I always found the R107 extremely OAP-styled. But you are right, time-line-wise the Triumph guys really thought they can compete with the R107 by cutting up a 2000 saloon and stuff a half arsed attempt at building an engine in it. If this isn't shite of the highest order, I would like to know what is.

 

A W126 is the choice of those in the know, Shirly?

I'd be biased, so I won't comment.

[nigel bickle]

_{Many moons back, I test drove a Stag with a Vette mota fitted.}

 

_{I LOVED the way it sounded, but the damn thing was horrible to drive. It took me less than 10 mins to decide it wasn't for me- a rare occurrence when I'm that far in./}

 

_{Good luck with it- I think they look great}