Rather than spend the nickels and dimes I've been saving to fix the Jag I bought a beater so I'd have something to drive as the Jag has been basically useless the last 4 months and I got tired of renting cars and borrowing cars. So now I have transportation of my own and I can start saving again to fix the Jag at my leisure and not try and rely on it as my daily driver.
I ended up with a SAAB story. A '97 900 S base model with no turbo with 72k on it, manual trans and only one owner before me. Even passed VA inspection on the first try and got 34.3 average mpg on my first freeway drive with it. Totally different than driving the Jag. And will likely break a lot less. And best of all was only $1100.


Dave

 

Awesome

 

Good for you, I hope it all works out.

 

Lucky you didn't buy the auto........ugh......Mike

 

Dave,
I think any smart Jaguar XK8 or XKR owner should have a beater. I have a 1999 Explorer with a bazillion miles on it, a V8 and AWD. Awful mpg, but when the weather is too bad for Ruby, my XK8 coupe -- snow, sleet, rain, etc. -- I have an alternative.

 

Dave,

You've stated numerous times that you are going to sell your XK8 because the repair costs were killing you. Have you changed your mind? I thought you really hated the car....

 

I have two beaters, 01 Accord and a 93 Chevy Silverado. They get driven in rain and snow. Honda gets family duty since I still have a 11 year old and her won't fit in the back of the Jag and NO ONE rides in the Trans I have but me. I found the trans on a dealer lot, 1995 Lt1 (350) with the 6sp, 36k on it, looks and smells brand new. So she sits a lot to keep the miles off of it.

 

Well it was stressing me out that I couldn't trust it for daily driver duty. Now that I have something else to drive that stress is gone and I can take my time with the Jag and not worry about having no wheels when it breaks down or it needs to be apart for a long time while I am dealing with fixing it. If I get it to a point where I can trust it before it bankrupts me then I will keep it. I love driving it when its not stressing me out. Being on disability pay doesn't help as it takes me a long time to save up for repairs when they are needed. The money I spent on the SAAB was money I was going to use to get some of the Jag repairs done. Now I don't have to be in a rush to fix it each time as its not my daily anymore.


Dave

 

I specifically avoided the auto trans cars when looking at these. Nothing like having to rebuild a $2000 trans on a $1000 car. That and I enjoy driving a stick much more than any auto trans.



Dave

 

Repairs are much more fun when you don't HAVE to have it done for Monday morning.

 

Smart move Dave, all my cars are "beaters". I can have two out of commission and my wife and I can still each get to work.

 

Here it is anyways...






Dave

 

My XK8 Convertible is my only driver. But here in Hong Kong, the public transportation system can get me around without problem when the cat is down, so having only one driver is no big fuzz. If I were to acquire a second car, the biggest expense is renting a parking space which can easily cost you more than the cost of the driver in 12 months. I have in fact looked into car parking lifts to install into my existing car parking spot, and the thing will pay for itself in less than a year, but unfortunately, the headroom over my parking bay is too low to accommodate two-tier parking.

 

Amen brother. Amen.

 

I had read in one post that you had to use your car to go to the dr office miles away and did not want to break down . i am glad you are able to keep the jag and still have the fun of a rag top as a second car . hope all works out for the best . dan l

 

One of my cancer Docs is a 300 mile round trip and the Jag has successfully made that trip twice and twice it came home on a rollback.
This SAAB looks like it will make a nice beater. Needs a handful of little things fixed like new coolant hoses and some electrical things but overall its not bad for $1100 so far.



Dave

 

I had a 2000 Saab 9 3 SE 2.0 turbo Auto. I drove it for a year before I gifted it to my granddaughter when she got her license. I had some electrical problems also ignition switch & info display. I wasn't impressed with the car overall. I must say that it was good in the winter. Mileage was the same as my XK8. Here's a pic.

 

I've seen beaters that were in much worse shape.....Looks like a winner....Hope you have fun with her. I won't tell you the last Swedish thing that I had fun with, but her wheels are getting old.......be cool.....Mike

 

You all take a lot of pictures of your cars......be cool.....Mike

 

Attn. Mr.mrplow58.

I notice you have or had a Custom 928. What is that, exactly? In the early '90s I had a '79 928. I thought about getting another one instead of my 'new to me' '05 XK8, but I remember the stratospheric insurance rates for the aluminium body. Jeesh.

Jip