jaguar purchase

Nope. It's not....but it doesn't have any gee-gaws. Nobody tells me "key is in the ignition", can't lock myself out of the bot with a dead battery.
Only reason I put the photo up is to show what car 9and trucks) without all the doo-dads looks like.
Dying breed.
My MK2 has manual Moss box (no OD), manual steering, just a plain Jane vehicle....even has a manual choke (yes, on a MK2, factory).
New cars (any make) drive me nuts.

Memory seat and mirror positions........

Alice King-------beautiful car.

Joseph-------The first two sentences of Alice's note says it all.

These Jaguar cars--any Jaguar--- is a "How do you feel when your driving one" car. If you don't feel special when you drive down the road in a Jaguar, you may as well be in a truck.

I know---I know---I'm from Texas, but a "Texas Cadillac" (a pick-um-up) is still not a Jaguar.

Garfield

05/XJ8L

Davenport. Couch. Luxury.
Sorry, I learned to drive on cars that were......direct input.
Manual brakes, manual steering, manual transmission, crank open windows, working door vents, no idiot lights, generators, 4-40 air conditioning.
Seen some of the cars you're talking about here...ridden in some....driven some.

Nice, for me, however, 140MC DHC. No power anything, other than the engine. No power rear view mirrors, no computer, no warning lights, no heated mirrors and seats, the only surround sound was head dropped, 45-50MPH winding over the Ortega Highway at night...you know, that kinda stuff.

I still have three flatmotors....two I drive, one in rework.

Hi Joseph: If one puts aside the mechanical integrity of each, I believe there is an emotional side to which to own. How do you feel when sittingin/driving the auto? My opinion is that after the XJS finished production, the new body style became homogenized with all the other competitors, and I feel a bit special, especially when I get a thumbs up or someone stops to chat about my Jaguar. Guess there is a bit of eliteness with such a beautiful, red, Jaguar convertible. I had the same feeling with my 1986 HE, but unfortunately, it was taken out by another car during an ice storm in New England. That's my "tuppance" Ali

Edited on 2012-06-11 7:55:45

Edited on 2012-06-11 7:53:55

Hi Joseph: If one puts aside the mechanical integrity of each, I believe there is an emotional side to which to own. How do you feel when sittingin/driving the auto? My opinion is that after the XJS finished production, the new body style became homogenized with all the other competitors, and I feel a bit special, especially when I get a thumbs up or someone stops to chat about my Jaguar. Guess there is a bit of eliteness with such a beautiful, red, Jaguar convertible. I had the same feeling with my 1986 HE, but unfortunately, it was taken out by another car during an ice storm in New England. That's my "tuppence" Ali

Forgive me Dave, but what is a "davenport on wheels"?

Hi Dave, You're my kind of guy! I still have a rod and piston from the 49 Merc engine that was in my 39 couple that I blew at the Akron Ohio drag races many a moon ago, In fact it's shocking to me how long ago that was! Mickey Mantle's remark that if he knew he was going to live this long he'd taken better care of himself is sure true!

Dave you just described my 1924 cadillac.

Jay....I wouldn't dream of owning a davenport on wheels.
I have enough trouble adjusting my driving to my MK2 with power brakes.
My idea of a V-8 is 24 head bolts per side, with the heads about 1.25" thick.
Oh, and two water pumps, two thermostats, 4 radiator hoses.......

Joseph,
The early Jaguar V8's had a "ton" of problems that ranged from the nikasil coating on the cylinder walls, chain tensioners, at least three different versions, water pumps etc. We had a 1997 XK8, loved the car, and while we experienced none of the above problems, just knowing of them caused us to sell the car before any could arise. They also had an on going problem with the lower front wishbone bushings, ours were replaced at 15,000 miles and at that time, 2000, there had not been a factory upgrade.

No Dave, Heck, just go buy an XJR! Supercharged V8! Drive safe, comfortably...need power? Push down on the right pedal. Such a good feeling for a comfortable sedan! I have a friend who has a BMW M3 and, although we did not race, he admits my supercharged XJR is faster than his M3. The supercharged power is exilerating. Quiker than a V12.

Heck, just buy an XK-140MC DHC.

In my opinion there is no good answer here, They are both troublesome cars. I would suggest buying a 6 cyl XJS or, as a last resort, a 4.2 engine XK.

The XJS is a blast from the past. Great car in many respects, including a vintage feel. Very Jaguar-ish.

The XK8 will certainly have a more modern feel. Faster, more ammenities.

The XK8s have their foibles but I agree it would likely be an easier car to own.

A well sorted XJS is a dream to drive but not so easy to own. If you're a dyed-in-the-wool tinkerer and DIYer a V12 XJS can be a fun challenge and very rewarding If not, well, it's not easy to find anyone who will even work on 'em these days. Very quirky and used examples virutally always need a fair bit of attention before they can be called reliable....and even then they're not a "drive it and forget it" type of car.

Cheers
DD

In my humble opinion, a V12 is very classy and desirable, but I think the V8 is more dependable and more reasonably maintained. I've heard of guys buying V12 XKE's, pulling the V12 and dropping in a Chevy V8 for power and dependability. Of course you keep the V12 for the next owner, originality and resale value.