Can a Stag be used as a daily driver?

[andyps]

Probably a daft idea but I've always had a hankering for a Triumph Stag but if I got one at the moment it would have to be as my daily driver and that means 10-12k miles per year and not garaged. I'm not afraid of doing mechanical jobs and regular maintenance but just wonder if this would be at all realistic.

The other point is that I wonder how I would get on going back in time with a car for this purpose, I've possibly been spoiled by the XK8 I've been using for the last 5 years but am not too worried about that I don't think.

I'd welcome any thoughts and particularly experiences from people.

[Plinth]

Funny you mention that – I was thinking a similar thing recently!
I have no experience with the Stag – never even sat in one – but I have always quite liked the styling.
My “plan” would be to buy a recently restored car with automatic box and hardtop.
Any colour but red or white.
Get my local garage to remove the Triumph engine (which I would sell) and fit a 3.9 Rover V8 with fuel injection.
Add a set of Minilite style wheels.

Probably not a cheap exercise, but it should be a better experience than buying another crap 911.

[Mark300zx]

Nice objective, but cannot see it being reliable not in modern terms anyway.

[battered]

Yes, it's possible. Costly, inconvenient when it's u der repair and you need another car, and at 12k a year you'll need to put time and money into MoT type repairs. I did it with a Spitfire 20 odd years ago, while I had another car it was great. As a sole driver it was a pain, spent more time mending it than driving. Good luck.

[TR4man]

There are several people within the owners club who use their Stags as daily drivers with little issue at all.

One of them writes about his experiences in the monthly magazine.

There are plenty of specialists around, parts are relatively easy to obtain in comparison to some other classics.

I sold mine last year but frequently during nice weather would drive it on the daily commute from Cheshire to Birmingham. It used to lap it up with no problem. A very stylish way to commute. Just need to keep it well maintained and on top of any jobs.

I do miss the old girl.

[Thurbs]

You can run any car as a daily... it is all dependant on...

- how reliable you need a car to be
- how you like spending your weekends / evenings / late nights
- how cold / uncomfortable / wet etc you want to be
- how much protection / rust the vehicle has
- how far you need to go each day

...and so on...

[Yertis]

My current opinion - which might change by lunch time - is that using a classic as a daily is the best way to use one. I've been using the TR a lot over the last couple of weeks, and the more I use it the more I adapt to its 'ways'. It drives better and better. I did build it with reliability as the number one priority, which helps.

[larrylamb11]

There is absolutely no reason why you couldn't use a Stag as a daily driver to do 10=12k miles a year..... lest we forget these were the 'new' cars of yesteryear and used as daily drivers by their first owners - annual mileages of 10k+ were by no means unheard of. Of course the cars themselves were also new and are not in 'new' condition anymore.....
The key to using a classic as a daily is preparation and mechanical sympathy.
If you press an old and little used classic into daily service you have to expect things to fail due to age and previously unnoticed wear and tear. If you spend some time and money going through the systems most likely to leave you stranded at the side of the road before pressing an old car into service it will pay dividends in service and reliability. This means going right through the cooling system, braking system, fueling system, ignition system, wiring and electrics, whilst also looking over all the mechanical components looking for obvious worn items or imminent / probable failures. This is the preparation bit.
With that done and with the car freshly serviced with new drive belts etc. you should get a good crack at daily, reliable, enjoyable use that will allow you time to really get to know your steed, its idiosyncrasies and learn its 'normal' squeeks, rattles and noises so you will notice if the pitch of a noise changes or a new noise develops, investigation of which which help you determine if it is simply more 'character' or a developing issue that needs heading off. Regular servicing is also important - modern 20k mile service intervals have no place in the classic world! With good servicing and a proactive approach to maintenance and care a classic should give excellent daily service. This is the mechanical sympathy bit.
Mechanical sympathy is a hard skill to learn in the modern age as modern cars have been increasingly idiot-proofed to suit the lowest common denominator and it seems to be something that is instinctive.... or not, as the case may be.
Driving a well prepared classic as a daily can be a really fun, rewarding and enjoyable experience, that makes you look forward to your commute and rekindles a love of the road and driving.

[andyps]

Thanks for the replies, I maybe need to start looking at some. I drove one briefly once and did like it. In terms of maintenance and mechanical sympathy I don't have any concerns other than the time to do jobs myself - fortunately I have at least one other car so can cope with short off duty spells with my daily driver. I've driven and used plenty of older cars for many years so understand the principles, so good to know the Stag can take the use if I choose to go that route.

[battered]

andyps said:

fortunately I have at least one other car so can cope with short off duty spells with my daily driver.

This is key IMO. There will be times when it is in dry dock and you will need another way to get to work. This can be a bus, a bike, a 1955 Land Rover, anything, but it has to work when the daily driver won't. I have seen a 1930s Austin in daily use, it commutes (or did) across Leeds every night. Great, and it will ensure it remains in good order, but when it goes down and a part is needed the owner needs to know he can go on the bus for a week.

The thing that soured my relationshiop with classic cars as only cars was when the servant became the master. "I'm sorry lads, can't make the party tonight, I have to sling a clutch in the Spit". Not ideal, and if you live in the sticks it's a consideration. If you have other wheels, then great. This is how I get by with a shed in spite of having a pretty high annual mileage and a knowledge that if I fail to show I don't get paid. However scruffy the MX5 may be, if it can get me to work then I still get a day's pay.

[hman]

Yes if it's got the rover v8 instead of the original lump

[battered]

I thought the original V8 did eventually get the fundamental faults fixed though? Rather like the K series, as sold it's a crap engine, but a K with a working head gasket and associated parts is very good indeed.

[kevin st]

I have used classics every day, mostly my tr7v8, with regular maintenance reliability has not been an issue, but if you have to fix it to get to work classics as a hobby can quickly lose its appeal. My solution, have 3 classics! then you always have time to fix one if something goes wrong. (the others are a Range Rover and Lotus Elan)

Kevin.

[TR4man]

hman said:

Yes if it's got the rover v8 instead of the original lump

Rubbish.

The original engine is perfectly reliable if maintained correctly.

The Rover engine was the supposed panacea thirty years ago. Technology and knowledge of the Triumph engine has progressed since then. Apart from anything many of the conversions were inexpertly done in someone's shed without any thought to the effect on suspension and steering. The only good thing about buying a Rover engined Stag nowadays is that you'll get one for about 30% cheaper than one with the original engine.

[mybrainhurts]

andyps said:

Can a Stag be used as a daily driver?.

[Mark A S]

Question, would not having to use your “Classic” as a daily not take the shine off the passion you have for it ???

IMO, if you have a classic you need a fairly modern ish run-around to help keep the spark alive.

[exitwound]

Yes.. its a car like any other.

Nowt wrong with a Stag V8 that a bit of regular and basic, easy maintenance will sort out.

Overall, its an easy car to look after, but if your expecting modern domestic appliance buy and forget, then is not for you, but the rewards of driving one far outweigh the doom and gloom merchants offerings.

The more you use it the better it will get..

[exitwound]

Mark A S said:

Question, would not having to use your “Classic” as a daily not take the shine off the passion you have for it ???

IMO, if you have a classic you need a fairly modern ish run-around to help keep the spark alive.

Very wrong.. Unless you bought the car just as an investment garage queen. Using a classic on a daily basis raises your driving enjoyment to a much higher level that my words cannot depict for you.

My colleague surprised us all by selling his modern Berlingo and buying a '71 MGB GT. This has been his daily for the last five years and its running better than ever, yes it has a few more marks on it but that's life and its called patina.

Road salt and rust? That's why God gave us the jetwash. Older cars took a bit of tlc, that today we have forgotten how to do..

The old fashioned term was "being a motorist". Rediscover that and you'll open up a whole new world and wonder why you took so long to do it!

Edited by exitwound on Wednesday 19th April 17:04

[battered]

TR4man said:

. The only good thing about buying a Rover engined Stag nowadays is that you'll get one for about 30% cheaper than one with the original engine.

You'll also get more power and a lighter engine with better availability of tuning parts. If originality is your thing, stay with the original. If not, then feel free to buy the cheaper car. After a few years of 10-12k pa it will hardly be a high value garage queen in any case, whatever engine it has.

[hman]

Yep I'd take one with a rover v8 over the original all day - crankshaft snap, timing chain stretch, overheating... nah rover v8 all day thanks.