Just got the August issue of R&T. In it Peter Egan (Side Glances) talks about his recent purchase of a 2006 vert. Nice article that sums up the car very well.

Bonus: my favorite car/motorcycle writer in my (current) favorite car.

 

Wow, thanks for the heads-up! Mine arrived today but I didn't bother to look at it yet.
Egan can be very good reading. So off I go

 

Does he mention how many miles were on the odometer when he purchased it? And whether it is one of the Victory Editions? Just curious what the professional automotive writers and critics decide to purchase for themselves from time to time....

 

He did mention the mileage (25k), but that was not a primary reason for purchase. It was indeed the Victory edition.

He made the decision based on nostalgia (reminded him of his E-type, old school Browns Lane build, etc.), nice mix of grace & pace, plus value for money. Makes sense to me. These were my reasons for purchase as well.

 

Victory Edition with 25k. I guess people will start e-mailing him now to tell him his top hoses are going to blow at any moment, and why the pressure relief valve is better than the resistor--or vice versa.

 

We should collectively extend an invitation for him to join the forum. It is a great community and resource for these cars.

 

Him being a savvy author, I'm sure he's found our forum among a couple internet sources. Hopefully he'll join up, maybe even plug the forum in an upcoming article!?!

 

He got a good deal too imho. $25K and change for a 25K mile 2006 VE.
I wonder if he knows anything about convertible hydraulics.

Edit: Oh Gator I see you already said something along this line!

 

Even professionals aren't immune to the green shower every now and then....

 

His other, more expensive, choice was a VW TDI.

 

Just saw the issue and the article and I am confused. He says it is a "Victory Edition" but then mentions burled walnut. XK8 Victories came with Elm veneers. Additionally, in the picture, the nose badge is incorrect and the wheels do not look as if they are 19" Chrome Atlas. Now I am sure all this could be changed by the dealer or a former owner but just makes you wonder if this car was presented as something it isn't. Not that a Victory would add that much more value but it is curious.

 

Read the Road & Track article yesterday and emailed Mr. Egan my very similar buying experience at R&T Letters. I also invited him to join the Jaguar Forum and touted it as the place to go to when the gremlins start showing up.

 

For those who can't read a .docx file:


Dear Mr. Egan,
I got my August Road & Track in the mail a couple of days ago, and as is usually my custom, I read it from cover to cover (minus the articles that just don’t interest me), while seated on my favorite “throne” in my favorite bathroom. I was particularly intrigued by your article because it might have been me writing that article. I’m “youngish” and about 60, with thinning (and in several spots non-existent) blondish hair, and a grayish white beard. About 3 years ago I found myself looking at ebay auctions, just kind of mindlessly wondering (and wandering) about cars like the XKR and the like, not really seriously looking, just wondering. It’s not that I needed another car, or even another sports or GT type car, I’ve got a stable full that I essentially don’t get a chance to drive or that are in various stages of restoration. These include a 1958 Corvette (being restored in restomod fashion for the past 6 years), a 1968 GTO (being mildly restored for the past year), a 1972 De Tomaso Pantera (very nice driver that I take out about once every 6 months), a 1978 Datsun 280Z (owned since new and nice driver quality restoration and which I haven’t driven in more than 2 years), as well as a cackle of family cars including a 200,000 mile 2004 Chrysler Pacifica (best automobile I have ever owned among about 30), and a 2008 Buick Enclave (pretty, but certainly the worst car I have ever owned, never buy a first year model). The couple of times a year that my friend Christopher and I go to Audi track days and thrash his S5 6spd along with my ancient Pantera, fulfills my race car driver aspirations, but I longed for the days of my youth where I tooled around in my 280Z, with plenty of room for my 6’-2” torso and feeling like I could have some fun on a quiet, twisty, mountain road. I no longer need to schlep a lot of merchandise around, so I didn’t need to drive either of the big wagons (at least everyday), I didn’t want to take on a big car payment as I had many other financial commitments, and yet I wanted something semi-exotic with plenty of power, that was comfortable, driveable on a daily basis, and a convertible as I’d never owned one and live in the San Fernando Valley part of Los Angeles, in other words 361 days of sunshine per year.

One day while perusing XKR’s on ebay, I came across a 2002 Carnival Red with black interior with about 60,000 miles on it nearing the end of its auction at a surprisingly low price that was still below its unknown “reserve” price. It was located near San Jose, CA, so I figured if I got it, I could rent a 1 way car, pick the XKR up and save shipping expenses without any problem if I won. Three and a half years ago, the typical 2002 XKR with similar mileage in excellent condition was selling for somewhere between $19-25,000. My bid was just above $15,000, the auction ended without meeting the reserve, and I thought I had just had a little bit of fun bidding and dreaming. I hadn’t paid much attention to XK’s, just thinking that they were the true evolutionary link to the XKE, the XJS having been like a bad nightmare. I had never driven an XKR, but we had a 2002 XJ Sport, which had essentially the same interior and engine, just not supercharged, so I figured “how bad could it be?” Two days after the auction ended, I received an email from the seller, giving me the opportunity to purchase the car on a “second chance” offer at my bid price. I was a little shocked, a lot nervous about what I had done, but since I wasn’t under the obligation to buy it since it was an offer, I called the seller. The seller was actually the owner’s daughter who was selling the car for her elderly father. I rented a car that I could drop off at a Hertz location just blocks from their house, popped a $15,000 bank check into my pocket, and headed north. If I didn’t like the car, I figured I could just turn around and drive home in the rental. After about a 4 hour ride I came face to face with an extraordinarily beautiful car that was nearly flawless save for a scratch that had been poorly and unprofessionally touched up on the passenger rear quarter and 4 beat up OEM wheels. Obviously, the elderly driver could not park very well. The interior was as new, but the clincher was the 2” thick file of bills for every service ever performed on the car at the local Jaguar dealership from purchase to the present. I handed over the check, dropped off the rental, and headed home with the top down. I have to say that the initial ride home had some disappointments. The steering wheel shook more than I expected and there seemed to be some cowl shake, and the car seemed to bottom out on even small dips, but I’d never driven a convertible for more than a few minutes so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The power and torque, however, and the wind blowing through my thinning hair were exhilarating. Soon after, I replaced all the front end bushings, had the wheels refinished, and had the rear quarter panel painted, and I had what looked like a brand new car for about $16,000 after all the repairs.

Fast forward to present day. I have used it as my daily driver since then putting about 40,000 miles on it since I bought it, and I still love looking at its classic body and its traditional Jaguar interior. I find the suspension as ancient as my 280Z’s or my Pantera’s, but the power availability is intoxicating, and I have averaged well over 25 mpg on the highway, considerably more than the anemic Buick, and with a transmission that actually shifts in a linear manner with rpm’s rising progressively unlike the Enclave’s absolutely pitiful transmission which is never happy in any gear at any time shifting randomly as it wants. Owning an XK series car, however, does not come without testing your patience and your wallet. You should know, that at some point you will experience the “green shower,” a lovely spray of hydraulic fluid that will rain down through the small screen above the rear view mirror. It happens to everyone, and is essentially unavoidable as the hoses can’t handle the enormous pressure required by the pump to raise and lower the top. A myriad of warning lights will appear for no apparent reason as the car will be driving perfectly, typically the ABS/Traction control is the most likely culprit, but it just drives you crazy to see them light up all the time (the ghost of Lucas electronics lives in every XK). You sort of have to figure on spending a couple of thousand dollars in maintenance and repair per year as it ages, but when everything is perfect, no idiot lights flashing, no green fluid falling on your head, a sunny day above, there is just nothing more elegant, more stylish, more comfortable, more sensuous, or more inviting to drive, all for a price that is less than that of a 5 year old Camry. I have probably owned 30 cars, but none has ever come close to garnering the admiring comments that I receive on a daily basis as my XKR. The design is classic and timeless, the drive is less modern but somehow more rewarding than auto everything new cars, and unlike all new convertibles there is a large, usable trunk, capable of carrying plenty of luggage or more importantly 2 golf bags for the weekly trek to the links.

Enjoy your new purchase, and I think you’ll also find the Jaguar Forum an invaluable source of information when those pesky problems start to appear.

 

I though it was funny he only made it 10 miles before the red light came on, it was nice of the dealer to pick up the tab. Unfortunately this courtesy will be short lived and he will be on this forum like the rest of use looking for answers. Be sure to send him to Revsam's utube vid's.

Welcome Peter Egan!

 

For those of you who don't subscribe to R&T, I've attached the article so everyone can read it.

 

I've read and re-read that article about 8 times so far.

I find his love of the Caddy DTS interesting....he really liked that car..that was another good article he wrote