Hey all, so I'm finally picking up my XJSC that I purchased a little while ago. I'm now faced with the dilemma- ship it back, or drive it home?

Trip would be about 2k miles, from Sacramento to Chicago. It would be during the last 2 weeks of May, so I don't expect temps to exceed 80 F, given our cool spring so far.

The car is an 87 w/ about 60k miles on, and the master cylinder was just replaced w/ new tires and brakes all around. Car has been routinely maintained by the original owner since new. Planning on having all the hoses replaced.

So my question is, ship it or drive it? And if I drive, what necessary precautions should I take?

 

I would ship it back. The cost of flying out there and driving back may cost about the same or more if problems arise. You would also have about 2,000 more miles on your Jag. If you ship it back the carrier would be insured and less than a mile would be added. I flew down to inspect mine and than purchased it and drove it home about 600 miles. every noise I heard had me wondering if a problem was just around the corner. The check engine light came on and I read the codes with no way to fix anything. I reset and drove on. It was well maintained and in great condition with 52,000 miles. The previous owner put very expensive plugs in the car and of course we all know the XJS was not designed to handle them and they caused the misfire problems. I did get it home but I was uneasy all the way back.

 

I'm in the Sacramento area, and you can't depend on temperatures to be any particular comfort level. In my short residence here I have seem temperatures of 60 and 115 degrees this time of year, sometimes only a few days apart. Ya can't count on it being cool tomorrow just because it's cool today, let alone 3 weeks from now.

Confirming Ronald's advice above, I have traveled I-80, and I'll tell you there's a whole lot of Nothing through Nevada and Utah, and quite a lot of Colorado. If you were to attempt to drive that in an unfamiliar car it would be a trip of fear and apprehension of every noise, click, tick and vibration--Even with a car you've driven for quite a long time you're never quite sure!

Since you already have doubts, you will be far more comfortable having your car shipped so you can get to know all its quirks in familiar surroundings. The "excitement" of driving through the Nevada/Utah desert is Vastly overrated! Been there, done that, survived, don't Ever want to do it again!!


(';')

 

Since I was already leaning towards shipping, I think y'all have confirmed my thoughts; I'd be apprehensive about doing the trip in my LR3 as it is...

 

Where's your sense of adventure? LOL - flew out and drove both of mine back Dallas to Amarillo the first time, Just outside Memphis to Houston the second. Bring a credit card, AAA, and a sense of humor.

These cars are made for driving long distances.

 

I agree... LOL.

 

If the car has had its major systems maintained properly - cooling, brakes/tires, engine, transmission - bring a buddy and make it an adventure. What better way to get to know its "personality"? Adding 2K miles to a 60K car is nothing in my mind.

Of course, I'm biased since my coupe is my daily driver, and I regularly take it on 500 mile weekend trips.

 

Well I'm glad to see opinions from both sides of the coin. I think it will depend on 2 things, honestly.

Firstly, I have to see how well maintained it really is and if its up to the challenge in its current condition.

Secondly, cost. It's about $1,600 to have it transported back in enclosed trailer, and $600 for a return flight for 2 people. If I can average upper teens in fuel economy, that's about $500 in fuel, plus another few hundred for hotels/meals. So roughly less than half the cost of shipping it back. Plus whatever the adventure is worth. Assuming no major breakdowns....

I"ll add the car to my Hagerty insurance. I haven't used their towing benefits yet, but I know I have them. So that's definitely something I'll have to look into.

Oh, and I'd pack some flairs, a fire extinguisher, some water and munchies! I know the spare is original to the car, so I should probably pick up a new spare and make sure I have some basic tools. Any other suggestions if I go for it?

 

Well then if you decide to drive it home, take water not only for yourself but also enough for the car, just in case.

And when you arrive, check in so everyone will know you made it and you're not stranded East of Wendover somewhere.
(';')

 

Good point about bringing some for the cat too.. and I'll be sure to check in! Hopefully post some pictures along the way too if I decide to go this route.

 

I would also recommend bringing a windup radio/flashlight/USB charger and a toolbox with the basics just in case. Also a power inverter so you can charge/run your laptop from the car lighter and give us updates from the road. With this network of cat owners you are sure to have a friend nearby should you need one...

Also, FWIW, I've been getting 17.5 mpg on straight highway driving with some recent things done (new brakes, new tires, AC compressor removed, cleaned grounds and connectors), but still need some transmission work. I bet others do even better.

 

As I have posted before get some plastic wine bags from boxed wine
drink the wine and refill with water prior to running I -80.
You can refill the bags by pulling out the black plug , refill and insert the tap.
I plan on a similar trip to California from Dallas .
Have 5 of these bags folded up into 4"x 4" square held by rubber band .
When you leave Reno for Salt Lake City fill the bags .
Enjoy the trip.

 

I am all about adventure but I would share these thoughts about this. It only takes ONE bearing or failing connector etc. to leave you stranded. Sounds like the car has been well maintained and loved by the previous owner but at 60K miles the car has been sitting most of its life. It is one thing to drive an older car one or two hours at a time but to drive say 500 miles in a day can bring up some unknown issues very quickly. You are talking about a car that is almost 30 years old-so there are still many bearings and connectors and parts on that car that are almost 30 years old. I lived in Sacramento for years and I would second the previous members post( who now lives there) that this time of year it can go from 80 to 100 degrees in a day. But you are leaving Sacramento so that should not be your focus. Your focus in my opinion is the 2000 miles of pretty much nothing in between.

I will share a quick story of buying my first XJS. I have two 1995's with the 4.0L set up so much newer than your 1987 but my first one had 58K miles on it when purchased so this story will have some relevance here. I live up in Idaho and found my first 1995 in southern California. This was about 4 years ago. The car had been well maintained but due to the miles on the car it sat a lot. I really wanted to fly down and drive the car back and I almost did but something ( I call it common sense ) told me to drive down and trailer the car back. It takes about 16 hours or so to drive down to where the car was at from Idaho so I can assure you that about half way down I was really questioning myself why I had not ignored my little voice (common sense) and just flown down. It would have been cheaper and quicker to just fly down and pick up the car and now I was going to have to turn around and drive back any way. Well long story short , I get down and the car is everything I was told. Since I had the trailer I loaded the car up and started heading back home. The first time I stopped to fill up my truck I was looking over my new found treasure and guess what I noticed-green antifreeze dripping down back by the firewall area. I found out that the heater control valve was just starting to fail. Well, needless to say I quickly found out how great my little voice in my head had treated me this time.

The moral of this story is that it only takes one little thing to leave you stranded. It may sound great and adventurous to talk about driving across country but sitting out at a gas station in the middle of no where trying to figure out how you are going to get this car moved back home will not be. The way I would approach it is to ask yourself this one important question; are you prepared for the worse case scenario? If you are prepared for this and you are willing to live with this then at least you will not be standing out along the highway trying to get phone reception wondering what ever possessed you to do this in the first place. Adventures are a lot more fun if you are prepared for the worse case scenario. Keep in mind that most tow coverage is limited to either miles per tow or nearest qualified repair facility so even if you get towed to a place that might have a shop that knows something about a V-12 Jaguar you can bet they will not have the part you need to get back on the road. By the way my second '95 was purchased in southern California and on that one I flew down and drove it back. I made this decision because I had time to get to know this year car and engine and knew what to bring with me just in case (spare heater control valve and all). Oh, and of course I had a friend standing by at home with a trailer ready to come get me-remember what I said about being prepared for worse case scenario -LOL!

 

Drive it back.

Here's what you do. Schedule an appointment with a shop, perhaps this one:

http://m.yelp.com/biz/british-car-service-sacramento

An have them go over the car. Might cost you an extra $200 for the service, but they will undoubtedly give you the confidence to either drive the thing home, or confirm that it's not road worthy.

Pack up some tools, is recommend a spark plug socket, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm and 13mm sockets. Torx heads, T20-T40. Screwdrivers, pliers, some electric tape and of course, jumper cables. (I don't own a 12, I'm just quoting common tools I typically need for my AJ16)

You'll not only save money, but buy some great memories when it was you and your new XJS against the US Highway Administration! I'd relish the opportunity for a ride like this in an XJS. The longest ride I ever took in my car was DC to Charlotte, NC. It was great!

 

Don't forget beer!

 

Ship it. I bought a Jaguar from an owner in Washington state this past January. It was cheaper for me to ship the car than to fly to Washington and drive it home to Florida (about 3,000 miles). My total cost for an enclosed trailer was less than $.50 a mile.

 

I've actually already made an appointment with that very shop, and the car has been regularly maintained there since the Jaguar dealer the original owner purchased it from closed down about 10 years ago. it was regularly serviced at the dealer until that point. They just put a new master in the car.

 

Mind me asking which transport company you used?

 

Transport companies are typically hired by broker. I had a car transported from Indiana.

Basically, the less urgent the haul, the cheaper the price. The sweet spot tends to be the 3-6 week window.

My transport had "mechanical issues" which delayed delivery by almost a week. The car did come, and everything was fine, but it was a hassle.

I think I paid about $600 to have it transported, but it may have been less.

 

Some sage advice from both camps. If it were me and I had the budget, I'd do this:

- have a qualified XJS mechanic vet the cat and fix anything it needs for the trip
- bring a buddy (optional), credit card, AAA, and SENSE OF HUMOR / ADVENTURE

DO IT!!!!!!!

Oh, and post pics along the way for us and you!!! This is an awesome opportunity!!!