Darren McQuaid 1995 Vanden Plas

 

My name is Darren, I am originally from Champaign Illinois. Moved to Arkansas 8 months ago. I am an auto mechanic and shop owner and own a 1995 Jaguar Vanden Plas with 120,000 miles on it now. I have worked on it and maintained it for the previous owner for the last 10 years or so. They decided to get a Jaguar convertible and were going to keep this one as a occasional driver. However they decided to downsize their fleet of cars and wanted the Vanden Plas to go to some one who would appreciate it. So in June of 2019 they approached me with an offer I could not refuse. This car has never seen winter, road salt and rarely rain. My alignment guy who dislikes Jaguars has begged me numerous times to sell it to him (which I will not sell) because he has never seen a Jaguar of that vintage is such perfect shape. To say it is clean underneath is an understatement.

Anyway, when I bought the car it had 116,000 miles on it and has been a fantastic vehicle. The ride is amazing, the fuel economy 24-27 mpg on the highway in the heat of summer with the cruise on 80 mph. The speedometer is spot on according to the GPS.

Over the years prior to my buying it, she has had her little problems. Coolant reservoir crack, coolant hose bundle leaks, valve cover oil leaks, rear sub woofer caught fire (that was fun) the usual LCD display issues, power steering leaks and the usual running problems etc. But otherwise she has been fantastic. My only complaint I have ever had is diagnostics. Trying to access power train data, wiring diagrams one can easily follow and diagnostic information has always been a challenge. Currently she has developed a few issues like cruise that just quit working and a varying misfire at idle/off idle.

 

Welcome Darren.

 

Welcome aboard Darren.

 

Welcome to the forums Darren,

I've seen a lot of faults reported but that's a new one on me!

Follow this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xj-xj6-xjr6-x300-26/ to the X300 forum for help, advice and information. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for information on regular issues. You can also use the US Western Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/us-western-38/ to find other members in your region.

Please add vehicle details to your Signature to help others to give relevant advice. Go to the User CP button on the left of the top menu bar, then Settings & Options under Your Control Panel. Select Edit Signature and enter the details.

Enjoy the forums.

Graham

 

Welcome to the Forums.

 

Welcome to Jaguar Forums Darren,

Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.

If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help

 

Welcome to the forums.

 

welcome to the forum - enjoy!!!

 

Originally Posted by Darren_M View Post
..... Over the years prior to my buying it, she has had her little problems. ..... rear sub woofer caught fire (that was fun) .....

Graham, the rear amp decided to short out and applied full system power to the sub woofer. The customer had no idea there was a problem until his son said "dad there is smoke coming out of this grill" and then there was a lot of smoke and a small flame that was quickly put out. The radio shop that repaired the amp thought I was joking until they got inside.The customer decided to keep the scorch marks on the grill as proof of the story.

 

Hello, Darren,
Congratulations on your new Jaguar!
So your alignment guy "Hates Jaguars" but wants to buy yours? That's Hysterical!
Welcome to the forums from ElinorB.
(';')

 

My car has been totally restored. It is like brand-new inside & out. It only has 30k on the original engine. Everything is perfect except the auto trunk release. I use the manual release with the key. I had one question : Are you able to connect with Bluetooth? I love the car. Fun experience: A new 760 BMW owner pulled along side and was amazed to see that the Vanden Plas was exactly the same size and in brand-new condition. All the best to you and your beautiful car.
Plass

 

Hello Darren Very nice Jag. Welcome to the Forums. I'm also originally from Illinois, a little further north of Champaign. Kankakee to be exact. I now reside in Northeast Arkansas, in a small town dead in the middle between Batesville, and Jonesboro. Tuckerman, I've lived there for the past 31 years now. While I miss some thing in Illinois, I got over it, and probably wouldn't go back if you Paid Me. LOL!
Take care of the Jag, as you don't see very many that nice. Good Luck with it.

Jack

 

Yes, it was quite comical. When I dropped it off for him to check the alignment his words were "you couldn't give me one of those"! An hour later he called and said "you want to sell me that Jag"?

 

I know a lot of people from Illinois who have moved near me in Arkansas. And I meet more every week