Can a Stag be used as a daily driver?

Can a Stag be used as a daily driver?

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Discussion

iSore

4,011 posts

145 months

Tuesday 2nd May 2017
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Yertis said:
Thanks for writing that - saved me the bother! A Stag is sometimes reckoned to handle better than a 107 - can't vouch for that as I've never driven a 107 -
Let me assure you they don't!

Old Mercs do indeed rot and the seventies ones can be grim - the trick is finding a decent early to mid eighties one that's been looked after.

With regard to restoration and maintenance costs - most 100'000 mile SL's are still on the original engine, autobox and diff. They were built by Daimler Benz after all, a company known for making things properly. The Stags serious design flaws and ropey quality means they need attention more often alas. I do like them, but wouldn't pay R107 $$$ for one. They aren't worth it.




iSore

4,011 posts

145 months

Tuesday 2nd May 2017
quotequote all
V8 Fettler said:
Stag was less than half the price of an SL when new.
A Datsun Sunny was 1/2 the price of a Stag, but it was reliable and did it's job.

anonymous-user

55 months

Tuesday 2nd May 2017
quotequote all
iSore said:
Let me assure you they don't!

Old Mercs do indeed rot and the seventies ones can be grim - the trick is finding a decent early to mid eighties one that's been looked after.

With regard to restoration and maintenance costs - most 100'000 mile SL's are still on the original engine, autobox and diff. They were built by Daimler Benz after all, a company known for making things properly. The Stags serious design flaws and ropey quality means they need attention more often alas. I do like them, but wouldn't pay R107 $$$ for one. They aren't worth it.
Mine don't need attention, regular oil change, regular anti-freeze change, car designed by an Italian with flare opposed to a German with a ruler.

V8 Fettler

7,019 posts

133 months

Tuesday 2nd May 2017
quotequote all
iSore said:
V8 Fettler said:
Stag was less than half the price of an SL when new.
A Datsun Sunny was 1/2 the price of a Stag, but it was reliable and did it's job.
A Datsun Sunny?! Is that a V8 convertible?

iSore

4,011 posts

145 months

Wednesday 3rd May 2017
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V8 Fettler said:
A Datsun Sunny?! Is that a V8 convertible?
No, it was a cheap economy car that was, unlike BL stuff, well made and reliable.

Had Nissan made a V8 convertible, you may rest assured that it would have been rather better than anything squeezed from the rectal passage of Canley!

iSore

4,011 posts

145 months

Wednesday 3rd May 2017
quotequote all
Raygun said:
car designed by an Italian with flare opposed to a German with a ruler.
It's flair, and Michelotti only styled the Stag. I doubt they'd put their name to the rest of it.

Edit:

I really fancy this to go on top of the TV - I'm not brave enough to buy a real one.




Edited by iSore on Wednesday 3rd May 15:39

V8 Fettler

7,019 posts

133 months

Wednesday 3rd May 2017
quotequote all
iSore said:
V8 Fettler said:
A Datsun Sunny?! Is that a V8 convertible?
No, it was a cheap economy car that was, unlike BL stuff, well made and reliable.

Had Nissan made a V8 convertible, you may rest assured that it would have been rather better than anything squeezed from the rectal passage of Canley!
If the Datsun Sunny of the 1970s was well made then there will be lots left: https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?q=Datsun+Sunny . Oh look, they've mainly gone to that breakers yard in the sky.

On the other hand, the Stag is a survivor: https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?utf8=%E2%9C%93&...






iSore

4,011 posts

145 months

Wednesday 3rd May 2017
quotequote all
V8 Fettler said:
On the other hand, the Stag is a survivor: https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?utf8=%E2%9C%93&...
No fool like an old fool! :-)

iSore

4,011 posts

145 months

Wednesday 3rd May 2017
quotequote all
Whatever happened to Triumph by the way?

Are they still going?

V8 Fettler

7,019 posts

133 months

Wednesday 3rd May 2017
quotequote all
iSore said:
V8 Fettler said:
On the other hand, the Stag is a survivor: https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?utf8=%E2%9C%93&...
No fool like an old fool! :-)
i agree, you were certainly foolish to select the Datsun Sunny to compare with the Stag.

iSore

4,011 posts

145 months

Wednesday 3rd May 2017
quotequote all
Don't be silly, Susan :-)

The Triumph was an expensive car that didn't work very well. It broke down, a lot.

The Sunny was a cheap tin box that did work very well. It rarely broke down.

The SL was twice the price of a Snag, but four times as good. Unblemished 19 year production run dear.

Triumph went down the toilet and DB and Nissan are still here.

Summary: Triumph weren't very good at making cars.

Well, apart from this one. These were rather good:


V8 Fettler

7,019 posts

133 months

Wednesday 3rd May 2017
quotequote all
If the Stag was so dire and so undesirable, why have so many survived?

iSore

4,011 posts

145 months

Wednesday 3rd May 2017
quotequote all
V8 Fettler said:
If the Stag was so undesirable
Who said that?

The fact that they've always had a certain mystique has ensured surprising survival rates. By rights there should only be 6 or 7 left!

I like them. They look and sound great - I favour the early ones with the stainless wheeltrims and no side stripes. But the design and execution was just dire and it's nothing to do with price. the Merc SL was a better car, which is why they sold so many for so long at twice the price.

Btw there's 'better' and 'preferable'. The Stag is more charismatic imo.

iSore

4,011 posts

145 months

Wednesday 3rd May 2017
quotequote all
Unlike most MB fanboys, I never much cared for these and prefer the R107:



Certainly not at the ludicrous prices they make now!

V8 Fettler

7,019 posts

133 months

Wednesday 3rd May 2017
quotequote all
iSore said:
V8 Fettler said:
If the Stag was so undesirable
Who said that?

The fact that they've always had a certain mystique has ensured surprising survival rates. By rights there should only be 6 or 7 left!

I like them. They look and sound great - I favour the early ones with the stainless wheeltrims and no side stripes. But the design and execution was just dire and it's nothing to do with price. the Merc SL was a better car, which is why they sold so many for so long at twice the price.

Btw there's 'better' and 'preferable'. The Stag is more charismatic imo.
If the R107 (that sold so many) was so good, why do so few survive? https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?page=1&q=Merced... 280 SL, 350 SL and 450 SL for production years broadly comparable with the Stag, although you could probably ignore most of the 280s if 1977 is the cutoff point.

In the UK, more Stags have survived than R107s from the same era. So much for the robustness of the SL R107

iSore

4,011 posts

145 months

Wednesday 3rd May 2017
quotequote all
The joy of statistics!

The Snag failed miserably elsewhere but outsold the SL in the UK by a huge margin - as you know.

Now - find out how many Snags survive in the USA compared to R107's....................


anonymous-user

55 months

Wednesday 3rd May 2017
quotequote all
iSore said:
Whatever happened to Triumph by the way?

Are they still going?
Yeah in Hinckley and doing very well.

iSore

4,011 posts

145 months

Wednesday 3rd May 2017
quotequote all
What do they make?

Not planes I hope!



Edited by iSore on Wednesday 3rd May 19:24

V8 Fettler

7,019 posts

133 months

Thursday 4th May 2017
quotequote all
iSore said:
The joy of statistics!

The Snag failed miserably elsewhere but outsold the SL in the UK by a huge margin - as you know.

Now - find out how many Snags survive in the USA compared to R107's....................

Statistics can be very awkward when they don't support your erroneous claims. You'll have noticed how the number of remaining UK R107s has declined over the years 2001 - 2016, whereas the number of Stags has remained very constant.

DonkeyApple

55,439 posts

170 months

Thursday 4th May 2017
quotequote all
iSore said:
The joy of statistics!

The Snag failed miserably elsewhere but outsold the SL in the UK by a huge margin - as you know.

Now - find out how many Snags survive in the USA compared to R107's....................

Everyone understands exactly the point that you made. wink