Hi; first time to the forum, and for that matter to owning a Jaguar.

I was smitten by the looks of the XJ back in 2006, and especially liked the interior appointments of the Vanden Plas version. I nearly bought one back then, but thought the better of it (or so it seemed at the time), reasoning that I could buy nearly four Accords for the same price. In retrospect, given the performance of my investment portfolio, that would have been among my better choices. As it was, I bought an Accord (only one, as it happened), but continued to keep an eye on the XJ. In 2007, that model was essentially unchanged, but to my opinion the design began to change, and not for the better (no offense to owners of more recent model years), starting with the glitzing up it received in 2008.

Well, 2011 rolled around, and this spring I realized that there were web services that could alert you to any model of used car for sale countrywide. For fun, I entered my search parameters into Used Cars, New Cars, Reviews, Photos and Opinions - CarGurus, and each week received a listing of used Jaguar XJ's for sale. This helped me get a sense of typical price vs. mileage and condition, and the good news was that I wouldn't have to feel quite as guilty at splurging this time around.

After about six weeks, I saw a really interesting opportunity: a 2007 British Racing Green Vanden Plas, in like-new condition, with only 11,000 miles on it. It was located in Lewes, Delaware, which is the terminus for the Cape May ferry. I had family reasons to visit South Jersey, and arranged for my wife and I to fly down and check it out. It lived up to its billing, and while I ran out of time to have a local mechanic check it out, I really liked it, and bought it that day. I ended up paying $33,000 for the vehicle. On the drive back to NH, despite over an hour of stop and go traffic in CT, I got 26 mpg. I can easily see how owners report 29 mpg on extended highway travel with cruise control. By the way, the dealer also had a beautiful 2003 robin's egg blue XK convertible; I only half jokingly asked if I could tow it home behind the XJ.

I had a local shop that specializes in foreign luxury cars inspect it carefully upon my return. I had some concerns that the odometer reading was "too good to be true". The mechanic confirmed that the 11,000 miles was real, but noted that this isn't always an unalloyed good thing. The tires, despite full tread depth, had dry rot and were cracked; there was a mouse in the air filter, and the rear wheel bearings had taken a set and gave off a low thrumming sound. Also, the owner had put cosmetic shields over the disc brakes, which impeded air flow and led to discolored and a bit warped disks. There is also a bit of wind noise (but no water) through the sunroof, from a gasket that doesn't perfectly seal. That said, after a round of repairs, the car is a delight to drive, and I really like it a lot. Previous cars that I have owned were strictly utilitarian, but the VDP really looks and feels great. I even sprang for vanity plates - natch, "VDP". I think that its combination of luxury, style, performance, and reasonable fuel economy is a real winner.

A few weeks later, flipping through the manuals, I found a proof of insurance card from the husband and wife who previously owned the car, and who were described as elderly, with five cars already. Well, I was able to Google the name and confirm the elderly part, so everything seems to jive.

I do wonder if I should take it off the road for the winter. I once swore that I would never again buy a rear wheel drive car, but here I am with the VDP. If anyone could chime in on winter performance, I would be interested. Would four snow tires make it passable, or is this simply a lost cause?

The one feature that I miss is satellite radio, although there are folks in Woburn, MA who can retrofit this (for a chunk of change).

Anyhow, I am absolutely delighted with the car, and look forward to a long, and hopefully trouble-free driving experience.

I'll post some pics and copy this to the XJ forum once I get permission.

 

Welcome aboard VDP , great to have you here with us at JF.

Great intro full of info, thanks for that......only thing missing is pics, now you have FFA if ya have em get em posted on up

Some great guys here, top techs, good info and more than a few laughs here n there, so jump in and enjoy......

manually upgraded you to full forum access so you can better view the site.......enjoy your time here

 

Glad to have you aboard VDP, great pics!!!

 

Welcome to the forum,

Nice intro sounds like you got a good one that just need some TLC.

 

That's a beautiful car, VDP. I, like you, prefer the older body styles over the newer ones. I check Craigslist nearly every day looking for a killer deal on an XJ or an S-type. What's the name of the web service you were using to get notified of cars for sale? I'd like to check that out.

 

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