Hal gets the Jaguar !!

Hal Copple · #1 (**permalink**) 03-15-2003, 02:37 PM

It went down just as planned.

First, thanks to the many CC folks who contacted me via CC or personal Email with their views on the Jaguar X Series car i was contemplating buying my wife for our 25th Anniversary. I sincerely appreciate your opinions. Nothing like advice from other Car Guys.

Here is the After Action Report: After Chris (my son) and I test drove an X Series up in Charlotte last weekend, i looked up some Jaguar dealers, and called about three. The best deal, almost $1800 less than the other dealers, came out of Atlanta. Perhaps there is more volume and negotiation in a large city. I wanted the Sports Package, which does not come in every color, and wanted the charcoal leather interior, and a "moonroof', and nothing else. You can put thousands of dollars in music, and other electric stuff on these cars. It was to be a "metallic Platinum".

There was only one Sports 3 liter car thus equipped on the east coast, so to it went to Hennessey Jaguar in Atlanta. It so happened that my wife was to attend a nursing conference this weekend, so i arranged for the Jaguar salesman to give her the keys this morning, just before the conference was to begin at the Marriott. In order to be sure Lynne would be where she was supposed to be, i told another nurse, Jackie, to have my wife there precisely at 0745, as i was sending Lynne "flowers" for our anniversary, which is this weekend.

I could not risk Jackie spilling the beans, as i believe women can keep secret flowers and such, but concealing jewelry and cars is just too much for most women friends.

This morning about 0845 Lynne called me at my office, and told me she about fell over when the other nurses walked up to her with the Jag chap, and he told her "here is your gift from your husband."

She loves the car, had to go out immediately, loves the power and such. I think most women would like a Jaguar interior, they are different than the Japanese and German cars. Here is her car:

http://www.jaguar.com/us/

Chris and Becky kept mum about the whole thing when we all met for dinner at Clemson two days ago, but of course they were well read into the plan. After all, they nagged Lynne for a year to relent and let me get my SPF three years ago.

I really wanted an AWD car, i had a much modifed AWD Turbo Eclipse (yes, I was once a Ricer!!), and really trusted the AWD in rainy weather. This X Series is virtually the only "car" that i knew would get my wife out of the security of her SUV. She will have fun on the 250 mile return tomorrow. She also said that the nursing conference was thrown into an uproar when all this happened at the opening moments of the conference.

If you think buying a car you have never seen, from someone you never met, in some other state, coordinating the "meeting" with a nurse whose last name you don't know, and having it delivered to a place you have never been, paid for by a check you never saw, is easy, guess again.

She loves the car, and i appreciate the advice and opinions my CC friends have given me about this.

Now i have another car to modify!!!!

JWheaton · #2 (**permalink**) 03-15-2003, 02:45 PM

Great story and great gift.

I want to give my wife a Cobra for our first anniversary.

or....is that what I want her to get me????

stush · #3 (**permalink**) 03-15-2003, 03:36 PM

Great story...nice surprise. For putting up with me, I got my wife a one of the new Mini's last year. She still will not give up her minivan though that was never the intention.

Stu

Jamo · #4 (**permalink**) 03-15-2003, 03:50 PM

Glad all went well, Hal.

Excaliber · #5 (**permalink**) 03-15-2003, 03:55 PM

Ha ha,,,,so when the "car dance" was over, and all those "flashy" cars started to fade, it was the Jaguar waiting quietly in the corner that got the nod.

Amazing you could pull of the "logistics" to make it all happen right on target! Well done.

Ernie

TERRY M KRYSTOFIAK · #6 (**permalink**) 03-15-2003, 05:51 PM

HAL,
DIDN'T REALIZE THE SPORT PACKAGE WAS HARD TO GET. OURS (MY WIFES) IS METALIC BLACK, WITH BLACK INTERIOR, 3.0, AND A 5SP STICK. WOULD REALLY LIKE TO MAKE A RUN WITH IT AT AN EVENT OUT HERE CALLED THE VIRGINIA CITY HILL CLIMB. THE CAR HANDLES PRETTY DARN GOOD!! WHATS YOUR IMPRESSION?
TERRY

petek · #7 (**permalink**) 03-15-2003, 07:06 PM

Hal,
You are an incurable romantic!
(Thank goodness my wife doesn't read this forum!)

750hp · #8 (**permalink**) 03-16-2003, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TERRY M KRYSTOFIAK

HAL,
DIDN'T REALIZE THE SPORT PACKAGE WAS HARD TO GET. OURS (MY WIFES) IS METALIC BLACK, WITH BLACK INTERIOR, 3.0, AND A 5SP STICK. WOULD REALLY LIKE TO MAKE A RUN WITH IT AT AN EVENT OUT HERE CALLED THE VIRGINIA CITY HILL CLIMB. THE CAR HANDLES PRETTY DARN GOOD!! WHATS YOUR IMPRESSION?
TERRY

Terry - I haven't ever seen a 5 speed manual version out here! Whenever I see the Virginia City Hill Climb mentioned, I can't help but think back to the 1995 event ......
http://www.nsxfiles.com/VCHillClimb.htm
One way to trash a high dollar sports car!!!

TERRY M KRYSTOFIAK · #9 (**permalink**) 03-16-2003, 07:43 PM

SINCE 1995 THERE HAVE BEEN AFEW MORE CARS WRECKED AT THE VIRGINIA CITY EVENT. LAST YEAR A COUPLE WAS KILLED WHEN THEIR NEW DODGE VIPER MISSED A TURN AND WENT OVER THE CLIFT. I ENJOY RUNNING THE EVENT, AS I LIVE WITHIN 20 MILES. ACOUPLE OF YEARS AGO I STOPPED RUNNING MY COBRA AS I WAS GETTING BEYOND THE ENVELOPE. WAS NEVER HAPPY WITH THE PREVIOUS YEARS TIME, FORGETTING WHAT IT TOOK TO GET IT. WAS ALWAYS PUSHING A MORE. I NOW RUN MY GT350. SOMETHING ABOUT A FULL ROLL CAGE. IM 15-20 SECONDS SLOWER, BUT NOW HAVE A REALISTIC TIME TO IMPROVE ON. THE COMMENT ABOUT "OUR" JAG X TYPE....I THINK IT HANDLES PRETTY GOOD, AND WOULD BE INTERESTING TO COMPARE OLD HORSEPOWER AND HANDLING, WITH LESS HP AND BETTER HANDLING. MAYBE MY WIFE WILL BE OUT OF TOWN IN OCT!!!
TERRY

Excaliber · #10 (**permalink**) 03-16-2003, 09:11 PM

Man can I relate to pushing the envelope! You start out nice and conservative and end up thinking, "I could take that corner a little faster if........" It's tough to "back off".

Ernie

Alex Donghi · #11 (**permalink**) 03-18-2003, 02:56 PM

Hal
Great surprise!!! Steve Hennessey is a friend of mine we will be shooting together this weekend (not that it would have helped in the $$$$). I hope you got Robert Goldman as a sales rep He's great bought 3 Range rovers from him when the dealer dueled. Happy motoring!!

Hal Copple · #12 (**permalink**) 03-18-2003, 06:01 PM

Alex, that is some coincidence! I had called a salesrep, John Hurley, he got right back to me, and handled the details of the purchase and delivery to my wife, sight unseen, without a hitch.

He was professional, and courteous. Sort of different than my daughter's Jeep salesman.

She does indeed love the car, loves the power, the security of AWD on the rainy roads on the drive home, and the past several days. It is a fine car, and i hope she lets me drive it someday. Tell your friend Steve that his dealership is in good hands, and please pass my thanks along to Mr. Hurley. She actually goes out into the garage periodically just to look at it.

all the best, and God Bless America and our troops.