Welp, I picked up my silver '01 convertible, two days ago at 2pm. Logged 150 miles the first two days.

Today is the third morning. Ordered my vanity plate yesterday "JAZZ CAT".

A few observations...

Are all horns, this wimpy?

Being a former Vette owner, I can say the XK's are much more rare and twice as much car (at MORE than twice the price).

The standard brakes (with the optional 18" wheels), are stellar. I couldn't imagin a Brembo up-grade !

I honestly feel I'm doing the public a favor, taking her out and showing her off....She gets ALOT of attention, omg !

While shopping, I only saw TWO actually on the highways (and I'm in the "Chicagoland" metro area, with 9 million people) The others I had to seek out, for sale.

I'll must say....all the reading on the forum here, about problems, really bothers me. I admitt, I read here for months and STILL went forward with a purchase....

 

Something tells me you like this car.

 

I was pretty happy when I first got the blue cat. Sounds like you have me beat. Have fun and enjoy the car. The feeling never really goes away for good.

 

Thanks #4....

Your color combo is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE !

 

I love my jag xj 8 If you do normal maintance & follow owners manual car will last along time & as jag gets older it will increase in valve the little I had to do to jag
the parts have been very reasonable, there is not a day that goes by that someone does't give me the thumbs up and tells me what a great looking jag I got, even my wife now wants to go out in the jag because of all the attention it gets with a little bit of loving care you will you will be enjoying your jag for a long time

 

Glad you love it. Jag#4 is right in that the good feeling when you start it up just doesn't seem to go away. I'm suprized at two things:

1. Living in the SF bay area I don't see more than 1 or 2 XKs in a week let alone in one day. Either there are a lot of them in your area or you are really, really looking.

2. You could never get that plate in California. Everything that says Cat, Kat, Kitty, Kity or Jag is long gone. My Avatar is what I ended up with.

If you enjoy your Cat as much as I and it seems everyone else does you will have a great time.

Dave

 

Guys, I've owned a collision repair business for 24 years....I'm no stranger to automobiles. My first job in life at 17, was at an auto parts store.

I worked as a Ford body/paint tech before becomming the Ford Dealership bodyshop mngr. I see the Ford influence on the XK8, like the steering column stalks, and such.

I have owned many muscle cars, antique and late model.

My Hobby has been 60's GM convertibles. I'm in the finishing stages of my '65 442 convertible. I'm a very active member on an Oldsmobile site online with over 6k posts !

 

agree - the feeling never goes away and with the support of the forum, you can't go wrong. Yes a lot of reading and a fair share of issues but the encouragement, help and support are outstanding. These cars are made to be driven, enjoyed and shown off!!!

 

NICE XK8..........good choice in tags. I guess I'm in the honeymoon period with my XK, and loving it.

I have a list of things I will address soon, and over the summer. 1st is tires.

Maybe bucket seat covers, yet this summer season, and a little touch-up here and there, like the bumpers. The rock chips have been touched-up, by the dealer, but should be sprayed nice, (since that's my line of work).

Then maybe the "Kicker" 6.5 subwoofer upgrade, I read in a thread here.....

 

Since I was a kid.....my friends father piddled with restoring an old Jag. (56 or something) I fell in love! I always said "I might be 90 yrs old and driving a beat up Jag, but my plate will say " FINALLY!" Well at 55 with my 97 XK8 conv. almost mint, 85,000 miles...guess what my plate says?????? I say to anyone...Never give up the DREAM!!!!

 

Cool anicdote, tat.......

It just accurred to me...with the title of this thread, I suppose some guys expected to read about a tensioner failer already, or a check engine light/trouble codes.....LOL

 

Jazz Cat- I only have one question- how long from Woodfield to the post office?

I moved there from CA in 94 for a couple of years and STILL don't understand the traffic reports there.

Do you have pics of the new car yet?

 

Chicagoland is so large, that I can't answer your question. Of course I hear "Woodfield' on the news often...I just don't travel that way. I'm on the South East side. Woodfield is North or Norhtwest a good deal from where I am, maybe an hours drive across the city. I hear advertisements for the Woodfield mall, but there are 20 Malls between me and Woodfield I suppose. Each serving a geographical area.

 

I'm over on the western side of the state, it's a rare site to see any xk8's or R's. In a year I'll spot one or two. The Local Jaguar dealer shut down the Jaguar franchise last week. He barely had more than three or four new ones on the lot. Their parts department is shutting down also. The closest dealer will be in Peoria. There are only three xk8's and R's(1997-2006) and two 2007 and up XK"s in our club out of 100 members. Two of the earlier model cars aren't driven a thousand miles a year. I was fortunate enough to get the plate Hot Cat in Illinois. a few years ago. Have fun with your new cat.

 

Hey JazzCat--welcome aboard! I was also a former Corvette owner. The intent was for the Jaguar to replace the Corvette but I was fortunate enough to have both my 95 Corvette and my 2005 XKR at the same time for about a year or so (much to the chagrin of my wife) while I was trying to sell the Corvette. I never really could decide which car I enjoyed driving more as they are really so different.

If you have lurked around here for any time you already know the things to check for and expect.

Doug

 

Welcome aboard from me as well. Enjoy your XK8, and peruse this forum for at least a few minutes every day so you will be in constant learning mode. The experts here will literally save you thousands and thousands of dollars in DIY maintenance and repairs. I would not keep either of our Jaguars without this forum as my primary tool in my toolbox....

 

Point taken Gents.....

I've been out joy riding for hours (since my last post ^ above ^ ).

I couldn't have picked a better time of year (or month) to buy this vert. The top has been down, more than it's been up !

Just this week of Spring, the weather has gone from unusually cold (45*F) to the 70's and sunny.....it's as if the moon, planets and stars have aligned for me.

Exciting anicdote from only an hour and 1/2 ago.....

I was East bound on US Hwy 30 (Lincoln Hwy, coast to coast). Actually at a light, southbound, waiting to turn left (East) onto Rt30. I spied an East bound,late model, White Porsche Carrera Cabriolet going through the intersection, top down.

At that instant I got the green arrow and negotiated the corner and let her fly....passing a couple in a generic American sedan. I caught the Carerra at the next red light, and pulled up next to him (both our tops, down). Turned off the traction controll pushed the "Sport" (S) button, and put the shifter in manual, as well....

Waiting for the green, I cocked my head and locked eyes with the Porsche driver, then looked in the rearview mirror for the Fuzz. I saw the couple in the sedan excitedly talking to one another and pointing at the back of my Jag and the Porsche, as other cars pulled up to the light, behind us.

Now That German Porsche SHOULD have been silver, and my British Jag SHOULD be BRG, to heighten the drama, but we are what we are and I understand what I have here. The Porsche was no turbo and my XK is not supercharged....but I'm here to tell ya, the tension in the air was thick and heavy, NOT just for me, but for those observers as well....

I know that Porsche should beat me dead-to-rights but I was ready to test my new machine against worthey competition...

The light turned green, and we both left, even, at a "spirited" pace (but not a drag race "holeshot"). i knew I would need to go WOT (wide-open-throtle) while still in low gear if the Porsche was serious...

Turns out, we just excellerated evenly through a few gears, with wide-open-highway, ahead of us. I made sure To keep a Leaper's nose ahead of him as we put alot of distance between the cars behind us..

I'm no street racer at 55 years old, and this isn't the machine for that stop-light to stop-light stuff, but it was a thrill for me, AND the emasculated males in their garden variety, 4-door sedans that whished they were the Porsche driver, or me....

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL (I really believe the forum can use and enjoy more happy stories and less doom and gloom)

 

Hey JazzCat--until I read the second to last paragraph I had assumed you were some twentysomething guy. I guess it is a good thing to still have that young exuberance at 55 but keep in mind these aren't really street racers--more like sedate GT cruisers. The looks and exclusivity of the car make up for whatever is lacking in the performance/grunt department.

Doug

 

Hello Jazz Cat, it's such a pleasure to see posts such as yours, especially your most recent recounting your Porsche encounter. I can so relate to that feeling, and those of the publics admirable glances and comments of praise for your beautiful cat. I have been an American Muscle car owner since my teens, and now, at almost 59, I have recaptured the excitement and pride of those earlier years, multiplied 10 fold! My XKR in stock form rivals the power output of the 1969 Firebird 400 4 speed 'vert I owned in the mid 70's, and is much more car than my old 427 Vette, but hands down is the most incredible ride I have owned. I am learning my cat's idiosyncracy's, and thanks to the amazing Jag owners on this forum, I am finding great solutions in bringing an already nice car to near perfection. I too, after a year and a half of recieving "cat scratch fever", have not gotton out of my "honeymoon" faze with my regal red cat. I get the feeling that those responding to this post and others have the same passion. Continue to enjoy your XK, and welcome to our group of cat fanciers.

 

Bwahaha.... hardly



How does the Country song go...??

"I'm not as good as I once was....

But I'm as good once, as I ever was"




(and thnx for the kind words partsman)