wife wants a Jag

[JAM1775]

My wife has a 2000 S-Type. Got it used in late 2000. It was my way balancing out the Cobra obsession. She says it is the best car she has ever owned and tells me she still falls in love with the sleek dark blue body with tinted windows when she is about to step in it. . They really do have a distinctive shape. It is shocking how well it handles corners and it does not seem to get tired of accelerating at any road speed.

[panz]

Hal; my wife has had a jag xj8 vanden plas since 2001. her first one was light green in color new 2001...kept for 2 years(on lease) and turned it in with 13000 miles on it. she now has a 2003 dark blue and at the present time hates it because it is so terrible in the snow. when spring finally gets here she'll be happy again. they are a great road car and the faster you go the better they run. they cruise super at 80 to 85. when we had the oil changed they dropped off an x model for us to use while they performed the oil change and some minor warranty work...adjust wiper washer, replace seat cover due to stain and rotate tires. anyhow, my opinion of the x model is that the quality, ride and feel is that of a jag xj8 in a smaller suddle way. i'm biased, as i really like the jag...we've, no my wife, has had lincolns, mercedes, chryslers, and lexus and of all i prefer the jag...because they're not a common car you see on the road alot...actually, there are more and more lately because of the s and x models which hit the lower price levels. there is NOTHING like the interior that the jag has. you only live once...if you can afford it, go for it...the worst thing thats going to happen is she won't like it, so sell it and get something else...you can't take it with you. enjoy

[Excaliber]

Jaguar quality is WAY better than the cars of yester year. It's a whole new ball game. I had several Jag XJS' over the years and loved them all. BUT, I also did my own work on them (a LOT) and was keenly aware that they wouldn't hesitate to hesitate and leave you walking!

I'd buy a new XJ8, but I know it would be to reliable to be any "fun", lol.

Ernie

[chopper]

FWIW, I just received the April issue of Consumer's Reports, the "new car issue." Three Jag-you-ares are listed. Two, the S-type and X-type, are rated "much worse than average" for reliability, and the third (XJ8) is redesigned for this year and so considered too new for reliability ratings. I know, I know, Consumer's Union is hardly an authoritative automotive publication, but their reliability numbers are gathered from subscribers who are actual owners, so I tend to look on those numbers as being relatively reliable. I agree with those above that the Jags are beautiful and drive well. The trick is keeping them on the road. My $0.02 anyway.

[Flyin_Freddie]

Chopper...that was my impression with our Jaguar experience. I can't say if it was that particular automobile, or just a bad dealer experience. I do know that I was told they didn't have many Jaguar customers who performed their own maintenance, like I did. I finally stopped taking it in for oil/filter changes since they kept finding things wrong with it. In my opinion....just my opinion, fellas...since they were soaking the Jaguar warranty program for the cost of these repairs, they'd just invent things that needed fixing...like the leaking overhead cam cover gasket. Overall, our Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas was a beautiful and very well made automobile that drove and rode superbly...but it needed what I thought was an abnormally high amount of maintenance for a $65K automobile.

Tonyvda...if my comments offended you then you have my apologies as that was not my intent. Just because I had a bad experience doesn't mean everyone will. Looking back on it, I would have had a much better experience had I not just assumed my local dealer would do what they're supposed to do and not try to soak the manufacturer for every tupence and farthing they could.

I still think Jaguar is the classiest looking car on the road today...great looks and incredible fit and finish. And they look great just sorta 'gliding' down the road. But, at least in my case, they don't look so hot waiting in line at the check-in desk at my local dealer's service department.

Hal, your experience may be much better than ours was...

[anchor2]

Chopper I have had two Jags and currently have a xjs conv that the wife drives. No real serious problems but I highly recommend you keep on the reg maintenance. Go ahead and get one...still the nicest looking car on the road (my opinion). My BMW 540 has given me much more grief the the two Jags combined!

[good2go]

Hal

Just a thought. All of my collegues have Mercedes or BMW's and being a 'Merican V8 kind of person I purchased a 2001 Lincoln LS V8 and did a little upgrades on it. New front and rear valences, Eibach Springs bringing it down 2" in front and 1 1/2 in rear, drilled rotors, 18" BBs wheels with Pilots, re programmed the chipa and a stainless exhaust. Dark windows, dark taillites, and blacked the front and rear chrome and changed the grill material to a dark mesh. Nicname is "The Batmobile". Since I really live in the "land of the beautiful people" (Southern California) I feel really good at the amount of attention this car gets. My blonde wife gets a lot of comments on the car here in the Disneyland of Orange county. It will stay up with a big boddied BMWs on the corners and has lots of bells and whistles. All of this for around 40K and 0 problems in 27K miles.

Just an alternative for a great "old man's 4 door" LOL

Dave Phillips # 88

[Hal Copple]

Hal here: thanks to you all for the public and private comments to me about the X Jag. Our anniversary for 25 years is this coming weekend, and while i suppose a Jag will cost more to own and operate and perhaps eventually sell, it is the only "car" that will get my wife out of a tall SUV. She even mentioned this evening to some friends that she thought it was a nice car.

So tomorrow, about dawn, i am linking up with someone traveling up from GA to pick up their Olthoff buillt new SPF, then will come back down to Charlotte, meet up with Chris, coming up from Clemson, and we will check them out. There are many fine cars, some no doubt "better", but i know Lynne well enought to know that she won't drive a "car", unless it is this Jag. So there really is no other choice.

I am not sure i will/can do this, but i will let you all know in a few days how this works out. I have discussed it with Chris and Becky, my two kids at Clemson U, they are all for it, and are keeping the whole thing a secret for now.

Lynne has no idea i am shopping for a car for her. I did ask her tonight if she liked BMW's, she asked it it was like the one Michelle across the street drives, i concured, and she said they were nice looking. I showed her a picture of an M3, and she asked it it rode nicely.

Sigh, no M3 for my family as a "beater" for the wife.

I'll report back soon on how it plays out.

[G.R.]

Hal
You'll grow to like the Jag--If you can swing it for your beloved why not give her what she wants to drive--after all she lets you drive the "Great Stroker"

PS was looking at your Cobra picture in the SilverFox calendar, nice looking, I've seen it for about 7 days now--today I noticed the safety cone in the background--this area must be your private "road course" close to the old homestead

[terry lee]

HAPPY 25TH

HAL,
I JUST WANTED TO BE THE 1st TO WISH YOU AND LYNN A HAPPY ANNIVERSARY. 25 YEARS IS SOMETHING TO BE REALLY PROUD OF!
HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU BOTH.
TERRY

PS. ARE YOU PLANNING ON "VIR" IN MAY?

[Sizzler]

Concerning ONLY the X:

It's half a car. The front half is fine. It looks nice, is comfortable and pulls the car along nicely.
It's the back half that's the issue. From the rear, the X is just another non-descript ho-hum styling exercise.

In the rear, the doors are narrow, the knee room is minimal, and getting in at all is an exercise for someone qualified for the Cirque d' Soleil and not for anyone you care to call friend (involving twisting your foot down under the front seat and then twisting at the knee to sit, or sitting first, hauling your knees to your chin while twisting your feet sideways to fit down into the bucket in the floor).

If you're friendless, have a better, bigger car for transporting more than 2 normal people at a time, or will for other reasons never need to transport anyone other than a child ballet student (who has mastered the duck-walk/foot position needed) in the back seat then it's probably perfect for your wife's needs.

From the inside, front seats, it's a nice car. To oncoming traffic and as you walk up to it from the front, it's a nice looking car. From any other point of view it will range from bland to painful to the most observers. Sort of reminds me of that old Candid Camera car that split in half when driven away from the curb. It's half a car.

[RallySnake]

Hal,

Happy 25th to you and your wife. We just celebrated our 25th in December and the Jag-you-are was part of it. Isn't it hard to believe so much time has passed?

Have a great one,
Paul

[TERRY M KRYSTOFIAK]

HAL,
WHAT IS IT WITH WIFES WITH HUSBANS WHO HAVE SHELBYS? MY WIFE ALSO WANTED AN X-TYPE. WE HAVE A 3.0 , SPORT PACKAGE. AND A 5 SEED STICK. GREAT, GREAT CAR. HANDLES BETTER THAN ANYTHING I HAVE...WHICH INCLUDES A 230 SLK,AND THE GT350 SET UP FOR VINTAGE. I REALLY WANT TO RUN THE CAR AT AN EVENT WE HAVE OUT HERE CALLED THE VIRGINIA CITY HILL CLIMB, BUT AM GETTING NOWHERE. DON'T THINK YOU WILL BE DISAPOINTED,
TERRY

[webebob]

Oh Hal,

Just buy her that Boxster!

(Don't shoot!)

Later
Bob