Maybe I am one of
the few people who actually liked the XJ-40 Series when
they were introduced in 1987. The first time I saw one,
I was driving with my (then) wife and baby son along Carmel's
17 Mile Drive in our Ford Aerostar (how times have changed).
A brand new dark blue VDP passed us on a curve over a
double yellow line and zoomed out of sight. I thought,
wow, Jaguar has done it again. Someday, when I am "successful",
I'll have one of those...
Well, fortunately,
I got my wish (through a lot of hard work mind you!). I had
my sights on a VDP after late 1988 as I heard the Ford influence
was starting to be felt in the quality of the cars. Overall,
I have not had any trouble with the car, but like all Jaguars
they are
expensive to maintain. Regardless, the car remains
a daily joy, now after 10 years of ownership..
This is the kind of car
that you really enjoy getting into every day. It looks good,
it feels good, and it drives elegantly smooth. The longest
or shortest trips are consumed with the greatest aplomb.
Unlike other cars where you just "get there", you
arrive in a Jaguar.
I am a frim believer
that certain cars look good in certain colors. Everywhere
I go in this car, people marvel at the (factory) color
of Alpine Green. The car is driven daily at all times of the
year, and has placed well or won at many British Car shows.
Strangers marvel at the color and care of the car. One time,
a lady in a Lincoln followed me for two miles, and when I
pulled into a parking lot, she came over and asked me who
"did" my car. "What do you mean?", I asked in bewilderment.
She replied, "I mean, where do you take your car to get
cleaned and polished?". I told her I did, but why did she
want to know? This is the funny part--she owned a limosene
company and was wondering how she could get her cars to look
as good as this one! What a compliment! Well I told her
a little bit about my
exterior cleaning tips
and she went on her way. I was floored.
The XJ-40 series
of Jaguars is superior in many ways to its Series III
predecessor, but gets no respect from the other Jaguar
enthusiasts...unless you own one. Those of us that
have one love it. This is my first Jaguar and is a
"keeper". I eventually will replace it with one of the brand new
aluminuim XJs Jaguar has just announced for 2003, but
I'll never sell this car, and I look forward
to enjoying it years in to the future.
Favorite
British
Cars
