Hello, everyone! I'm happy to have found this forum, and have already received quite a bit of help with my XJS. I'm not new to the car, but am a new owner. My story is kind of a lengthy one, but I'll try to keep it reasonable!

My parents bought this car new in 1989. I grew up loving the car, and I credit it with the car that began my love of automobiles and, later, pushed me to pursue a career in Engineering. While I love it, however, it had its fair share (more than its fair share) of issues. My dad wasn't one to work on his own cars, so it spent a lot of time in the shop. It was that fact that drove me to want to work on my own cars.

In 2006 I inherited a 1996 Olds Aurora (4.0 V8) that my grandmother purchased new, and it was a great car to learn on. It has its problems too (it always keeps me on my toes) but it's a great car. I still have it and drive it daily; It has gotten to the point where I have replaced everything so it has become a somewhat reliable mode of transportation. I'm the lead Administrator of the Aurora Club of North America forum, and that has helped me work on my Aurora quite a bit. It wouldn't still be on the road without it!

My Olds:


The Jag and the Olds together, right after I got the Olds:


After driving the Olds for a while my parents finally allowed me to drive the XJ-S full time, which I did joyfully for about six months. I was driving home one day experiencing a loss of power, and didn't know why. I got it home, but barely. I took it back out for a test drive to see if I could figure it out, and that's when the ignition harness caught fire on me. The middle of the harness shorted somehow (I'm attributing it to cracked shielding on the wires) and that was that.

The car sat for a while, and my mom eventually sold it for next to nothing. I was upset, but life moved on. Fast forward six years to last month; My boss loves CraigsList and is on it frequently and knows about my history with the Jag. Every time he sees a black XJ-S he sends me the ad. He sent me an ad for a black 89 and I almost brushed it off but I noticed a few similarities: Same stuck antenna, same rust spots, same wheels, same aftermarket stereo that we had, etc. So I went to check it out. Turns out it was the same guy that bought it from us. He bought it, stuck it in his front yard, and let it sit. Didn't do a thing to it; my shoddy attempt to fix the harness was still in place under the hood.



The paint has gotten worse, the rust has gotten worse, and it still doesn't run, but to find the same car my parents purchased back in 89 in the same condition that I left it... I was ecstatic. I went home and pleaded with my wife (who graciously agreed) and came back the next day with a tilt-bed trailer and cash.







So that's my story. It has a few issues to fix (the harness being the main one) but I'm just happy to have her back. This looks like a great forum, I'm excited to browse around and learn what I can!

Collins

 

Hi and welcome aboard, its good to have you here with us here at Jaguarforums

Cool story, great intro, thanks for sharing.....

Any useful site information you may need such as how to post pictures, edit signatures, add videos, using the
search facility etc, can be found here within the following link Using JF "How To"

There are lots of members local to you with the same interests with info on local dealers and possible meets.
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Welcome to the forum xjsman89,

Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums. Great Intro.

The XJS has had a tough life since your Mon sold it but great to have their original car back.

I can see you've already found your way to the XXS tech forum so there's no need for a link to it from me. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for info on regular issues.

You can also visit the USA Central Region forum by following this link USA Central - MT WY CO ND SD NE KS - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to find other members in your region.

Enjoy the forums.

Graham

 

Hello, Collins,
That's quite a story! But first of all, that garage is Way too clean!! However, you'll fit right in with our XJS group.
Welcome from ElinorB.
(';')

 

welcome to the forum - enjoy!!

 

Love a story with a happy ending.

Welcome to the forum.

 

Welcome to Jaguar Forums Collins,

Good to have you with us.
That's quite a story.
Enjoy the forum.

If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help

 

Thanks, everyone!