I'm a little sad, and a little happy.

Sad, because I will not have an XJR in any forseeable future. I looked high and low, and I was not able to find the right color/mileage/price combo. I was stuck to drive one of my other vehicles, except my Cat! Why? Because my "other half" decided that she likes to drive my VDP more than any other car we have! ("opposites attract" is such a chliche,....they attract for a while, but if you are with a woman with OPPOSITE interest, it's doomed to fail,....I know, this is my fourth marriage, and this Lady is my mirror image in personality).

So in the last two-three weeks I didn't have a chance to drive my Cat (I was stuck with Bruno, our S430). And to make a long story short,....I drove to San Diego yesterday, and bought 2003 XJ8 for my wife. I am happy that I have my VDP back! The new "Tabby" is gray, with black interior, and has 102K on the clock. Most women don't have a clue about tensioners, VVTs, and such, so I went for the last year of the model run, with no known issues. Got it for 3500USD, and I have to put new front seats (she wants them heated), new grill (scratched), wife wants wood steering wheel, and the armrest cupholder is toast,....oh, she needs a sagging headliner fixed too! Everything else is peachy, new tires, no codes, no leaks,....purrring. Some hard negotiation, cash in the pocket, my OBD scanner, and she is at home now.

Wife is happy as she can be. Drove it last night from SD, and she was calling every five minutes to tell me how much she likes it (I was following with "my again" VDP). Couldn't put it through it's paces (this is America after all, and we have city and state employees that are trained to collect money from the public on the motorway,....they like to call themselves "Police", and some even have decals on their cars saying "To Protect and To Serve",....but they protect very little, and serve only as a revenue collectors for the crooks in Sacramento!), so we kept it at 85mph (limit is 70 in CA).

Now my wife can leave MY Cat alone, and play with her own.

And I will not buy the XJR that I wanted, any time soon.

 

Start looking for a Super V8 and trade the VDP best of both worlds

 

new car looks nice and clean, but again it is Cali

 

I know! But I'm in love.

Cars are like women to me. IF the one I have does EVERYTHING I like, when I like, and how I like it,....I don't look for another one. If not,......I'm on the prowl.

Plan was to get a 03 gray/black XJR, keep the VDP (I can still drive it, and give it the care it needs!), let her drive VDP, and I'll play with XJR.

I looked at the S/C VDP that's still on Craigs ($10,990.00) and it's gorgeous, but already having a long w/b, I wanted the short one (for corners), with ba11s! And I can't get rid of MY Cat that I so lovingly resored to almost perfect.

 

I know the feeling, I will speed more on my XJR than is rational because he is part of the family. My wife bought a 98 Mustang GT conv. her "first love" car, I would buy an XKR to replace it but the wife says, no way can we sell the Mustang.

 

Love that color on the new one, what's it color code?

 

Just add the XKR to the family!

I AM thinking about "thining the herd" a little though. I can't put miles on any of them (too many of them), and the DMV fees, and insurance is getting rediculous. But what to let go? We were talking last night about getting rid of the Benz, and wife says: "Poor Bruno, we can't let HIM go." Luckily, I have five car garage, barns (for the trucks), and everything is under the roof, and "tucked in for the night". But something HAS TO go and find a new home.
It's stupid and not logical to get attached to an innanimate object like that, but we Americans always had a 'love affair' with our cars

 

It's LHK with LEG trim.

 

GMC stays. It's a 95 with 80K on the clock, and looks new inside and out. But that's not the point, .....it's a ranch truck. It pulls horse trailer, and I use it to pick up the horse feed. We ride horses off the property most of the time, but sometimes we like a change of scenery, so we trailer them to other equestrian parks in CA, NV, and UT.
The feed store is 1 mile down the mountain, and it is driven down there to load, and back up. Plus the work on the ranch (moving dirt, rails, leaves, etc.). It's driven about 2500 miles a year, or less.
I'm thinking Bruno is the most logical (and redundant) choice. But we went on our first date in Bruno, we drove Bruno down to Tombstone to get married, and she says "now that gay is in, we can't get rid of the only gay car we have!"
X5 we need when we travel with dogs. I WOULD NOT load two German Shepherds and a Husky in any other vehicle. H1 I need for off roading/hunting. And I'm definitely keeping all the bikes.
I have ALL I "need" (maybe a little more), and it's only money. Sure it pains me to pay the "toll" to the crooks in Sacramento, or the crooked insurance companies,....but I don't see any other choice.

 

Hmm Super V8. I heard that is good stuff. Ride of the VDP with performance of the XJR. But cant find one even within 700 miles of here. My Jag is the only VDP I have seen around here and a couple of other base XJ8s and one base XJ8 currently for sale. Its really slim pickings for anyone looking for a nice sized Euro. Plenty of E-Classes, X-Types (barely can be called a Jaguar) and 3 series. A few S-Types, all for sale all run down and fading paint and other issues, a couple of e-classes, and decent amount of 5 series base models. No S-class that is worth is, one for sale but check engine light and need new shocks, and one 7 series for sale with over 120,000 odd miles and way overpriced (2006 for $35,000) and that's it. But as of yesterday not a single Super V8 X308 even as far as Dallas (650 miles away) advertised.

 

Blackwolf560, that's the thrill of the chase with these cars, they are rare and worth owning.
If there were more everyone would be in on the act.
Just be patient, I'm waiting for a cheap '03 as a donor car for engine and upgraded parts for my 99 XJR, If I found a Super V8 I would jump on it and try reselling on the forum.

 

congrats on the purchase.

 

Boy, isn't THAT the truth! And, all the red light cameras. Many have been proven to be off timing, but they still send tickets and most people don't fight them. $300-400 per offense!

Fortunately, I don't have an issue with tickets, but it's a shame it has come down to revenue collecting...