Stag or TR6 dilemma

[Stag Knight]

Wow! Thanks all! What a great forum.I sort of anticpated getting one or two replies extolling the virtues of Stags at the expense of TR6s but not a bit of it. Apart from a few tongue in cheek comments, you have all provide views which are not only balanced but also very helpful and informative!. The consensus was that that my choice should be beased on the use to which I want to put the car - touring or sports. That makes sense - I was possibly getting too hung up on technical/price pros and cons. Maybe a few years ago I would have gone for a TR6, but I must say the idea of a comfortable sports tourer is very appealing although the jury is still out. Im making a bit of an assumption here that whichever way I go, I should be able to buy a reliably, tidy car (of either model) for no more than £10k. Perhaps as a final request, you could give your views on this?
Thanks again for your help

[Stocky]

10 k should get you an excellent Stag or a very good TR6 from a private seller but be aware of mutton dressed as lamb at this level; a quick tart up could hide a multitude of flakey brown stuff. You may find good cars at reputable dealers for this price but expect them to need at least cosmetic work. Usual advice applies: see a few, take someone who knows about the car. Buy the best you can afford unless you want to inject more cash of your own in a restoration.

[darrellprice]

Yes, there is a price difference between Stags and TR6’s ( a discussion for another time!) so your given budget will get you more Stag than Six. Unless you enjoy spending your weekends and evenings in the garage, and some do, buy the very best car you can. If somebody else has spent lots of money on the car it will always be to your benefit as they will not recover their costs. After seeing a few you should see a pattern form, watching what sells on “popular auction sites” will help. Most times it is worth spending a little more for the right car already sorted.

[flying farmer]

I have a stag and a TR5 and my recommendation would be to drive both before deciding. As has been mentioned before they are very different animals, I prefer the TR for shorter journeys but the Stag wins hands down for longer ones (I have driven the TR non stop to the south of France once, didn't have the Stag then).

I found the Stag far too sloppy handling after the TR but a set of lowered uprated springs were a cheap fix and made it very different without destroying its ride quality

Speaking from experience I would avoid any recent restorations unless they come with a full photographic history, I got somewhat bitten by this with the Stag, but it was the only car I have had that I didn't restore myself. I would say that Stag's lose more value when restored than TR's (Stag interiors are very expensive), therefore it makes more sense to let someone else spend the money.

Neil

[tonypy1]

Like Neil says a Stag with lowered springs and the correct corresponding trailing arm brackets handles very well. The later Stag's steering feels better if the original rack is still fitted. A TR6 with (I think) a US spec 3.7 diff would probably do it more for me, or even better something like Neil's with a V8 in it. Maybe someone local to you would let you have a drive in a Stag or TR so you can see what you prefer. A TR7 could also be worth trying in Sprint or V8 form and going further 'outside the box' a MX5 mk1 or 2 can provide a lot of fun for very little money.

[Rubce]

Wow! Thanks all! What a great forum.I sort of anticpated getting one or two replies extolling the virtues of Stags at the expense of TR6s but not a bit of it. Apart from a few tongue in cheek comments, you have all provide views which are not only balanced but also very helpful and informative!.
Thanks again for your help

Good to see someone likes the Forum

Regards

Bruce

[Stag Knight]

Once again thanks for the good advice. In terms of usage, Im leaning towards a Stag and the touring rather than sports end of the scale, maybe with the suspension tweaks meantioned above by Neil and Tony, just to add a little to the performance. Also heartening to know I should be able to find a decent Stag within my budget. Now down to the difficult bit - finding it!
Thanks all.

[Ian Durrant]

Or..... For what a decent TR6 will cost you, you could buy a decent Stag *and* a TR7 V8