Fastback stag

[Pete 21]

Sounds fantastic Phil. In truth mine has been off the road far more than on since 1988 when I bought it but changing out much of the mechanics during lockdown kept me sane and with a 120 mile house move in a couple of weeks I’m now going back round to check I did things right (furthest it’s been is about 10 miles in the last 20 years)!

Peter- what you said is sort of what I meant. My stag is a hobby (sadistic one at times) rather than an investment and my comment about emphasis on affordable and popularity was about trying to ensure supply of reasonably priced quality parts, and where possible supporting the integrity of the cars that are out there. I see the fact that so many survived as a positive to be promoted, however the observation about the amount of dodgy ones being put on the market is sad and a real concern.

[jbuckl]

Rod is right, but so is Richard.

I liked the fact that Stag was affordable - probably diue to the fact that many of those built emain. I'm not rich but neither am I poor and £20k for a car is a very serious outlay - I've paid less for houses ! The problem is that there is a lot of spare cash about and retirees/pensioners are spending it on classic cars in general, which pushes prices up across the board. You shouldn't worry about Stag not keeping up with the Jones's classic Alfa or TR6, just revel in the fact that you are driving a bargain - and only you and a few others realize this.

I am, however, worried about Richard's scenario of poor cars being sold on .. and on ... and on... as this will damage any reputation. Which brings me to the problem of the cost of parts as these have kept pace with general classic prices and not with Stag prices, so they are relatively expensive when compared to the cost of a complete Stag. How is an original rear wing 'worth' £1800 ? when in an advert next to it on Ebay was aJaguar wing at £25 (OK, not directly comparable but the disparity is enormous). Anyone contemplating a rebuild is looking at very serious money and there are few ways of now doing it on the cheap and doing a decent job. Which leaves us with tatty Stags which people can't afford to restore properly and good cars which are worth more than an average man will think of paying. It is becoming a rich man's game - which is not what a liking for old cars should be about.

Rock on Wolfie Smith, the common man has his rights !

Peter

You can find jag wings…. Hundreds.
You cannot find stag rear wings.

Stag spares are quite cheap generally but also available in lower quality than the original parts were.

some recent complaints about stag spares prices being too high appear to be totally out of touch …. With many owners being too tight to buy a leyland repair manual.

my take is the stag is a totally undervalued proposition…. That many still imagine can be bought as a roadworthy classic for £10k or less and run on a shoestring.

a proper engine build or body paint isn’t far off that in reality.

So why shouldn’t a stag be £25 -£35 k if it’s got both a good engine & good paint & good trim…..

Still Blighted by pub talk probably.

one recent advert for a stag was priced so low people commented it’s probably a scam…. It wasn’t (can’t win!)

[Philip Wardle]

Sounds fantastic Phil.

Thanks for you kind words. The end result isn't be up to the top concourse standards, but will be presentable and (hopefully) reliable. So overall this car has taken 38 years, on and off. I have another one in the same initial condition - I'm 69 next birthday, so if I start now I will be 107 when this is finished. Finding a way to locate and pay for decent parts could be even more challenging

[Pete 21]

Fantastic story Phil. I’m sure when you’re driving it you’ll get even more satisfaction and enjoyment out of it than you have whilst you’ve been restoring it.

[Registrar]

I know that you could be called losely in the trade Julian but the price of some spares has rocketed since Unipart days of the mid eighties. I bought a rear wing in 1985 for £80 - now a dealer wants £1800 for the same thing (and it's rusty in places !). General inflation in this country since 1985 has been about 300% (i.e. things are 3 times more expensive than they were) so a rear wing should be £240.OK that is an extreme example but looking at a few 1987/2023 prices makes some important parts seem very expensive
Front wing £65 / 440
Door shell £160 / 1050
Sill £30 / 170
Steering rack £75 / 375
Fuel tank £85 / 445
Lumenition £45 / £230
Crankshaft £160 / 740
Radiator £75 / 385

I will agree that many of the less important and smaller parts follow the 3x idea but why should an engine rebuild or a paint job be nearly 10k ? They weren't £3k in 1985.

I know the reasons why some parts are just really expensive - it's to do with the collapse of British manufacturing industry and small volume production batches but that doesn't make it anything other than expensive.

At the end of this, let's work backwards and ask the question 'Why is a Stag worth £25k ?'. As an answer. take a look at the XK8 prices. The XK8 is an infinitely better car - no question - but a twenty year old convertible is anywhere between £5k and £10k with the coupes being cheaper. So why is a Stag actually worth £25k ? The reason is that classic cars are currently considered 'sexy' but that doesn't alter the basic 'value' as an automobile, just the price as a 'collectable' and to spend £20k on a restoration is the equivalent of having your Renoir repainted because the colours have faded.

Cat .... Pigeons ..... off you go .....

Peter