Advice on Triumph Stag buying?

I would very much appreciate from anybody in the know some advice on the variants of the Triumph Stag, which is something I'm considering buying for my wife as her first car (she has not owned her own car since she came to the UK some years ago). I think this would be a more interesting option than insuring her to drive my Rover SD1 Vitesses.

I'm not really familiar with the Stags, what the differences between the MkI and MkII are, what engines and gearboxes were available other than the Triumph 3.0 V8, running costs/economy, and whether the V8 should be avoided unless it has been thoroughly reconditioned. I'm aware that some have had Rover V8s plonked in them.

I don't really want a restoration project (and there certainly seem to be a good number of well-restored Stags floating about anyway) as I'm already paying through the nose to have my SD1 Vitesses repainted.

Most importantly, what can you get in the back seats? I'm guessing they're not "real seats". Can you fit a child seat properly for our toddler? How many years before he gets too big to allow three of us to travel in it?

Any comments, anecdotes, encouragements/discouragements most welcome.

thanks,

Michael

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Reply to
Michael Kilpatrick
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A good starting point would be to go through the archives of this NG, since the subject was discussed in detail maybe a year or so ago.

If you ignore the extreme views at both ends of the spectrum, it boiled down to the fact that its a pretty good and practical car, although there were issues particularly with some aspects of the engine design which caused unreliability problems when it was current. However, if you pay top dollar for a properly restored one with known history you can expect all the nasties have been resolved by now.

Re back seats - go and look at one and decide yourself!

I'd recommend buying from a specialist dealer rather than privately as you are not familiar with the model and won't know what to look for. It will cost more, obviously, but would be safer. And don't even think about a restoration project or anything with the wrong engine.

Personally, I didn't like 'em much when they were current - seemed to be not quite a sports car, not quite a Grand Touring car, fell between stools - but now I can see the attraction. Must be mellowing in my old age.

Good luck.

Geoff MacK

Reply to
Geoff Mackenzie

The Triumph V8 was the only engine available. Most of them these days are pretty reliable and sound way better than the Rover V8 IMO.

Back seats are reasonably OK for short/medium length trips.

Register on the forum at

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Lots of proper Stag people there to speak to.

Reply to
DougP

Those with rover engines tend not to handle too well due to it being considerably lighter and upsetting the suspension balance. All originally had the triumph 3.0v8, available as 3-speed auto and 4-speed manual (with overdrive on 3rd/4th). Almost all 3.0 v8's still in use will have been rebuilt at some time, no doubt to a standard higher than original! Don't touch ford v6 or triumph 2.5 engined models with a barge pole........ Stories of coolant issues, overheating and head gasket failure tend to be exaggerated somewhat nowadays - if the cooling system etc is in good order there's no problem. Differences between Mk 1 and 2 are relatively few, you also find a few of what was affectionately referred to as the Mk 1 1/2 - a Mk1 with a variance of Mk 2 parts, but not to full Mk 2 spec. These are mainly near the end of the "Tax-free" range, and all will be "L" registered. My own is a 1 1/2, it has the Mk 2 intermittent wipers, instruments and seating, but Mk 1 seat belts. It's a manual and I get around 25-28mpg on "Sunday run" driving. Autos are worse, due to the higher rpm's at cruising speeds and the inherent ability of an old design of autobox to consume power. I have, however, removed the original Zenith Stromberg carburettors and converted mine to SU carbs, which makes a difference. Electronic ignition is also advisable, unless you like setting points up!

If you fit seat belts in the rear (3-point available, originals only had lap straps as an option in the UK!) then there is indeed room for a child-seat. my 8-year old travels in ours with no space concerns at all. I am 6'1" and I fitted in the rear (ok, tightly, but I fitted!) whilst testing the seat belts after fitting them.

Check floorpans carefully, and the area under the hood compartment, and the boot floor front edges for rot, most panels are available should you ever require any, but can be complex to repair correctly. Almost all cars suffer from a slight "twitch" if you lift off the throttle mid-corner, due to torque wind-up effectively locking the sliding splined couplings within the rear driveshafts. This can also be caused by dry splines and/or worn trailing arm bushes. I bought mine as a "restored" car that had been laid-up for a number of years, it's not too bad, but the first thing I did was to clean all the old underseal and paint from the underside (horrible, messy job) and treat all the underside metalwork to 2 coats of anti-rust primer, 2 coats of chassis black then a decent coating of the soft non-setting waxoyl type underseal to all seams and the inside of the wheelarches. Then I stripped the front and rear suspension and replaced every single bush and ball-joint, then for an encore I fitted a new power steering rack! Hardtops rot like mad along the top of the front screen rail (mine has a few blisters) and along the lower rear edge. Soft-tops dry out then crack and tear, mine has, but I have a new one for it - I just haven't the time to fit it!

You're welcome. Badger.

P.S. I'm toying with the idea of selling mine to fund another project......

Reply to
Badger

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