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Re: The July issue of Classic Motorsports... Posted by Justin VanAbrahams [Email] (#32) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Justin VanAbrahams) on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 17:08:50 In Reply to: The July issue of Classic Motorsports..., Noel, Wed, 17 Jul 2013 11:51:28 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I'll tell you, I don't know what got in my head about getting a truly big car, but after comparing A8s, 7ers, S-class, and the XJs, the XJs really seemed like a great buy. The A8s are plagued with transmission problems (as most automatic Audis of similar age are) and electrical problems, the BMWs by transmission and cooling system problems with a few largely inconsequential electrical gremlins), and while broadly reliable the S-class can kill you on electrical repairs. The XJ has relatively little technology and the R dodges the major issue by trading the lesser ZF transmission for an approaching bulletproof Mercedes unit. What escaped my original research - and has since become glaringly obvious - is that the XJs have a BILLION little tiny cooling system hoses that fail. There's something like $500 worth of hoses under the hood, quite literally a couple dozen part numbers. As it turns out, the problem I'm facing is probably cured by two hoses, running a total of $175 for genuine, but discounted Jaguar parts - Uro also makes them for about $45 (HA!), but we all know about Uro hoses. :/ Hey, at least it's an option!
The supercharged X300 and X308 cars received a lot of positive press, from their reliability to their styling to their performance. I really don't think they will ever truly appreciate, but it seems they were great cars hampered somewhat by Jaguar's bad reputation for quality and reliability, but probably mostly from the assault of the New Hotness from Germany at the time. Nobody wanted a cruiser, they all wanted sport sedans. ;) In recent times there have been a number of flattering articles written about the Rs - I think visually they have aged very well, and nothing about their performance seems 10 years old. They'll readily keep up with just about anything made today.
I love driving the car - it's incredibly pleasant on the road and it's giggle-inducing knowing what's lurking under your right foot. It's received numerous compliments from folks at work and even a couple from random people on the street. Hopefully I can throw some money at the dealership, put my coolant leak in the past, and go on to have an easy, fun relationship. ;)
posted by 12.195.130...
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