The XJ Jaguars have been desirable since they came out in the 60's. It has beautiful flowing lines and a race bred suspension. You sit surrounded with luxury. The older ones are unreliable. When you take one somewhere you don't know if you will arrive at your destination. Then Ford purchased Jaguar in the 90's. The first order of business was to improve the electrical systems. Then mechanical reliablility was addressed. And they then sold a fast, luxurious AND reliable car with race car handling. They were very pricey then but, like other luxury cars, have not held that big price on resell. Mine cost just under $80,000 in 1999 and $15,000 in 2023. It is arguably the most beautiful 4-door sedan ever built. It's like driving rolling art. The X308 Jaguar, the same model as mine, was possibly the best of the XJ cars. Later updates changed the steel bodies for aluminum. And the unique styling gradually gave in to the looks of a most other upscale cars. The Jaguar of today is stylish but not unique.
OK. Here's how I ended up with this Jaguar. When it became obvious that I would have to give up my Tacoma, I started looking for another car. I was originally looking for something older, like an updated 30's, 40's or 50's Ford or Chevy. But there are so many terrible stories of vintage purchases when the car turned out to have had incompetent work done. I decided to go with something a bit newer. I have always been in love with old XJ Jaguar sedans. So I started looking for an XJ sedan from the Ford years. Kathy said no white or black cars. As I looked, I loved the red ones in particular. After a few weeks I found a red 1999 Jaguar XJR in Chicago with 57,000 miles on it. The 1999 XJR is the XJ body with a supercharged V8 engine. It's a fast sedan, but more about that later. I am meticulous about my cars, and when talking to the seller it was like talking to me. He anticipated and fixed possible problems before they became a problem. He spent $2,200 having the car detailed before putting it up for sale. In looking at pictures it was new car immaculate. So I made the purchase. And it was everything I hoped it would be. I'm in love. As I drive it around town, I can't believe I get to own this immaculate vintage Jaguar. I only hate having to park this beautiful car outside in the Fresno heat when home. The garage is permanently inhabited by a Mini Cooper.
I just can't leave it with 1999 technology. I installed a Carupride tablet that adds CarPlay and a backup camera. All the lights are now replaced with LED bulbs. LED brake lights react faster so the driver behind you knows you applied the brakes a half second faster than he would have with incandescent lights. They are also brighter. I rewired the front fog lights to act as daylight running lights. The Jaguar also has red rear facing fog lights (a big deal in Europe) to brighten up your tail lights when there's fog. I rewired the rear fog lights to become much larger brake lights. The guy behind you has big, bright lights warning him you're stopping. The exhaust system is way too quiet with its six mufflers. I have already deleted two mufflers and plan to delete two more. I want it to sound like a Maserati going down the street. Not too loud but with a definite pop.
The future: I found a company that sells a chrome plated version of my Jaguar wheels. The plated wheel is so much easier to maintain. There is also a larger crankshaft pully available that causes the supercharger to turn about 20% faster resulting in 15% more horsepower. And who can't use more horsepower? I'm sure there are other things I will find out about in the future. This gives me enough car to have fun, and the ability to still make it uniquely mine.
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