There seem to be a number of potential new Stag owners currently using the Forum to see whether they should make a leap of faith and buy a Stag. There also seem to be quite a few new owners who are experiencing problems with their new purchase.
Perhaps the experiences of a long term owner might help them to decide what they can look forward to. Maybe I have been lucky to-date, but I don’t seem to have experienced the same number of problems as many other Stag owners – yet I now have had my car for more than 16 years and drive it regularly.
I have to admit I don’t do an awful lot to it and tend to only fix things when they go wrong (or are about to go wrong) – I am a great believer in the maxim “If it ain’t broke then leave well alone”.
Unlike some on the Forum I am no expert mechanic when it comes to the Stag – but I do manage to keep mine running fairly well (in my opinion) and love driving it. I must admit though that when we go out in the Stag I always I have my fingers crossed, and if I am going somewhere really important (like a Hospital appointment) we always take my wife’s Honda just to be on the safe side.
If it is a run out though exploring pastures new – then the Stag is always the first choice of vehicle to use, and so far has never let us down. Normally I do not over rev it, and on the Motorway drive it around 70/80 Mph, but in the U.K. I once did have a race with a BMW 3 series and touched 95 before he gave up trying to pass me on the road from Wrexham to Chester.
To summarise how my car has behaved since I originally purchased it in 1994 , and how it has behaved since (both in the U.K. and in Tenerife) then see below. Perhaps my experience will help persuade potential new Stag owners that the Stag can be a viable long term investment that will always give a lot of pleasure (when it is not causing a lot of worry & head scratching and is a temporary drain on financial resources).
Maybe some other long term owners can relate their experiences also.
· 1994 - Purchase car and fit new radiator and disks etc.
· 1996 – Fit stainless steel exhaust.
· 1997 - Fit Newtronic electronic ignition system.
· 1998 - Skim Heads, fit hardened exhaust valves + new timing
chains & oil pump.
· 2003 – Fit new Water Pump, new Crank & another new oil pump.
· 2004 – Fit new Heavy Duty Battery, and have local garage
undertake some bodywork repairs.
· 2004 – Emigrate to Tenerife in Stag.
· 2005 – Repairs to Hood mechanism & “matriculate” onto Tenerife
plates.
· 2005 – Changed cracked distributor disk for new one, & repair LH
Head Gasket failure, plus further Heads skim & fit new
Starter Motor & re-adjust timing chains.
· 2006 – Undertake further bodywork repairs at local garage after
accident. Fit new exhaust rubbers, inhibitor switch, and
push button starter.
· 2007 – Fit new Battery & power steering bracket bolts, weakened
carb fuel mixture after MOT emissions failure. Also
replaced power steering belt after failure.
· 2009 – Had local bodywork specialist undertake total re-spray on
car after bodywork repairs.
· 2010 – Replaced split exhaust rubbers.
Perhaps the experiences of a long term owner might help them to decide what they can look forward to. Maybe I have been lucky to-date, but I don’t seem to have experienced the same number of problems as many other Stag owners – yet I now have had my car for more than 16 years and drive it regularly.
I have to admit I don’t do an awful lot to it and tend to only fix things when they go wrong (or are about to go wrong) – I am a great believer in the maxim “If it ain’t broke then leave well alone”.
Unlike some on the Forum I am no expert mechanic when it comes to the Stag – but I do manage to keep mine running fairly well (in my opinion) and love driving it. I must admit though that when we go out in the Stag I always I have my fingers crossed, and if I am going somewhere really important (like a Hospital appointment) we always take my wife’s Honda just to be on the safe side.
If it is a run out though exploring pastures new – then the Stag is always the first choice of vehicle to use, and so far has never let us down. Normally I do not over rev it, and on the Motorway drive it around 70/80 Mph, but in the U.K. I once did have a race with a BMW 3 series and touched 95 before he gave up trying to pass me on the road from Wrexham to Chester.
To summarise how my car has behaved since I originally purchased it in 1994 , and how it has behaved since (both in the U.K. and in Tenerife) then see below. Perhaps my experience will help persuade potential new Stag owners that the Stag can be a viable long term investment that will always give a lot of pleasure (when it is not causing a lot of worry & head scratching and is a temporary drain on financial resources).
Maybe some other long term owners can relate their experiences also.
· 1994 - Purchase car and fit new radiator and disks etc.
· 1996 – Fit stainless steel exhaust.
· 1997 - Fit Newtronic electronic ignition system.
· 1998 - Skim Heads, fit hardened exhaust valves + new timing
chains & oil pump.
· 2003 – Fit new Water Pump, new Crank & another new oil pump.
· 2004 – Fit new Heavy Duty Battery, and have local garage
undertake some bodywork repairs.
· 2004 – Emigrate to Tenerife in Stag.
· 2005 – Repairs to Hood mechanism & “matriculate” onto Tenerife
plates.
· 2005 – Changed cracked distributor disk for new one, & repair LH
Head Gasket failure, plus further Heads skim & fit new
Starter Motor & re-adjust timing chains.
· 2006 – Undertake further bodywork repairs at local garage after
accident. Fit new exhaust rubbers, inhibitor switch, and
push button starter.
· 2007 – Fit new Battery & power steering bracket bolts, weakened
carb fuel mixture after MOT emissions failure. Also
replaced power steering belt after failure.
· 2009 – Had local bodywork specialist undertake total re-spray on
car after bodywork repairs.
· 2010 – Replaced split exhaust rubbers.
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