After reading about (with great admiration) the hearty soles who live and drive their Jags in the snow....

I was wondering if it would be of interest to start a poll to see the percentage of daily drivers out there. I don't know how to do a pole yet, so if anyone else thinks it's worth the effort, and knows how to do it, then please take this thread as impetus to do so.

I just sold my trusty, reliable, extremely useful 98 Suburban today...sob, sob, had it 9 years, put 150k miles on it. So I am "down" to my 04 Mark LT (Ford 150) 4x4 with huge, impractical for everyday tires, AND my 2000 XKR. (The 62 Vette, 55 Chevy, and Kawasaki are strictly toys).

So I'll see how the Jag is as a daily driver now. I'll have to change my driving habits like no more quick trips to the convenience store without letting the car warm up....bad for Jags!

 

I could get my ex wife to show you. When we were married she apparently got quite a bit of experience with many different ones. LOL!

 

Geez Sam!!! I had a similar problem. Solved it the same way you did apparently. ha
Actually my '03 XKR just became a daily driver. Seems the four wheel drive went out on my S-10 pickup. The Jag actually drives better than the truck in the snow now. damn. Just for the hell of it, I tried a few S-10 forums. Most of those guys are idiots and don't really seem too enthused about helping anyone. Sure makes you appreciate the knowledge, experience and willingness to share on this forum.
So, anyway, the Jag gets daily service until the truck is fixed. Hope it's soon, I worry about someone sliding into me when I'm in the Jag. The truck? Not so much. ha

 

My '98XK8 is out everyday. At least once a week I have to take her for a ride to my babysitting 54 miles each way. It's all highway and I travel when there's fewer cars on the road. I'll keep it close to 70mph. She likes that speed and if I have to give it the gas the rpm's are up high enough it takes off. The other days my trips could be short but I like to drive her so much I always take the long way. I don't like the looks I'm getting this time of year. The car get full of road spray and it really looks a mess. I know the other drivers think I'm an idiot for taking out such a beautiful car in this lousy weather. I tried the local wash yourself but the long line was full of tricked out BMW's and Escalades. The sound of their boom boxes was drowning out my DooWops so I had to leave. When the sun comes out and temps get above freezing she'll get a bath at home. Jack

 

pophen, I see your from Monmouth, NJ. That's where I picked up my R - Ray Catena's there. I'd been looking for this exact car for years and the salesman pissed me off so much I almost didn't buy the car from them.

Back to the question, I drive mine daily in the summer, but not in the snow south of Buffalo, NY near the PA line. This car wouldn't have a chance here. Like a lot here on the forum, I have the best of both worlds - a truck for winter and jag for summer. I'm pretty sure the guy that had the car before me in Monmouth drove it every day though (not nearly as much snow out East).

 

I have never been quite wealthy enough (or have the room for that matter) to have a car just lying around of occasional weekend use. Consequently, all of the cars my wife and I have owned have been the daily driver category. The only exception to this was when I was "stuck" with an extra car for myself for about 18 months which is the length of time it took until I found a serious buyer for my 1995 Corvette. However, it was always a pita jockeying cars around since the garage only holds 2 so the third was in the driveway. I would put up more of a fight to keep a third "toy" if I had a 3-car garage.


Doug

 

Mine see's some snow. Not much.

 

I am a daily driver in VA. Just recently we had a foot of snow, the 3rd biggest snow here since the 1800's they said! The Jaguar XKR is good in the snow but not quite that good, it stayed in the same spot for about 3 days before it was on the road again.

 

My 02 Coupe was a daily driver for three years until this winter. I live near Cape Cod so the winters are not too bad and the snow comes and goes pretty quickly (albeit not this year!).

I acquired (quite by accident) a 1989 Mercedes 300E from my neighbor for short money this year. Too good a deal to turn down. Mint condition. Those models are over-engineered and are still a class act to tool around in. I put 4 studded snows on the old girl and off she goes.

I must admit it is nice keeping the Jag in the garage all nice and clean. I try to get her out at least one every two weeks. I hope that is enough to keep all systems happy.

 

I don't drive mine often enough. I only wish I could drive it every day. I'm on the road, so I use my SUV for the heavy miles. My baby spends most of her time in the garage. My wife has named her "The Dust Collector".Call it what you want, she doesn't talk back.

 

Yup https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...t=daily+driver

 

My '01 XK8 is on duty all year round. I can usually avoid going out in snow until the roads have been plowed, so it seldom has to deal with deep snow.

Tires matter a lot here. Mine are Michelin AS, which are OK, but certainly not great, in snow. Overall, the XK8 seems no worse than any other rear-wheel drive car. The ASC / Trac on these cars (when we can keep it working) seems excellent to me. Very "seamless" behavior, if that makes sense.

jnporcello mentioned his lousy experience at the Ray Catena dealership. Seems they're still batting 1000. They sniffed at me that I could "come look if I wanted to" when I told them I was shopping for a used (sorry, "pre-owned") car.

 

I loved the responses..Rev Sam what about your wife and poles? Like Exotic Dancing Poles? Anyhow, I hope this thread continues...interesting reading and personality revealing...way better than a boring statistical pole would have been. Keep the responses coming.

My hats off to those that drive in the snow; or really large metropolitan-extremely heavy traffic cities. Or those who suffer through workday long commutes.

Driving in Florida is very nice this time of year..especially in my Coupe...cool, clear, bright, sunny, no rain, normal post holiday traffic, Snow Bird population in check, and ..... All Jag Systems Go ... last few days...yeah.

Being Retired is Good

 

I'd be interested in hearing what members think about driving an XKR daily in the winter. I'm in Calgary, Canada and we get a fair bit of cold and snow. I'm thinking about an XKR and doing some research on whether it would be feasible to run it as a daily vehicle. If I go for it, it would probably be around a 2004-2005 MY vehicle.

 

Yup, mine's a daily driver. All year round, sun, or sun, or sun, or, let me see, oh yeah, sun. Winter in Tucson means you drive with the top UP early in the morning on the worst days.

 

No winters for my XK8 convertible. Tough enough to get up our road with the 2008 Saab 9-5 with the snow. I have a 2010 Silverado for when I leave before the plow is out. Warm weather is shared between the Harley Roadster and the Jag.

 

One nasty aspect of driving up north is the road salt. What are you guys and gals doing to protect the underside? I flew to Texas to buy mine and I was rewarded with a very clean, rust free car..she's a pleasure to work on and see when on my lift...no corrosion, no nasty build-up of crude. I couldn't bear to get it all mucked up with snow, mud, and salt. Hopefully you clean the underside as needed. I don't think I'd winter drive if I lived up north. I'm fortunate to be in the south.

 

jnporcello, You must have been dealing with the sales Manager or a different salesman at Ray Catina's. The saleman John I deal with I. is a sweetheart. I thought he was a perfect gentleman. I'm even thinking about introducing him to my widowed sister. The staff at the repair shop are aces also. I haven't met one employee that had a bad thing to say about working for Ray Catina. Jack

 

Jack,

Come to think, I should not have generalized about these guys. I only had the one experience with a salesman on the phone, who really did come across as pretty condescending. Good to know you have done better with them.

 

My 2000 XKR has been a daily driver since I purchased it in 2003. Many of my trips are very short (less than three miles) as I live one mile from the center of Dallas. I do try to drive the car thirty miles or so on the freeway weekly. I have had no mechanical issues with the car at all. We do have snow occasionally in North Texas, but nothing serious or long lasting. All in all, it has been a trouble free car the last eight years.