Hi there!

I'm new here, please don't bite me!

My name is Damien, I'm 27 and I fullfilled my childhood dream after buying a Jaguar XJ-S V12 last year. As I used to live in Britain (until early 1997) I used to walk past an XJ-S on my way to school. I always said to my friends at the time "When I'm old, I buy one of these!".

Unfortunately I couldn't afford one, as I passed my driving test, so I sat there watching the market for good XJ-S' for a loooooong time until I was able to buy one in October/November 2013.

Other than the XJ-S I'm a Volvo guy... Starting with Volvo 740 (wagons), 940 (wagon), 960 (wagon), 740 (sedan) and then buying a C30 (my daily driver), I decided it was time to do something to get some more "fun" into life - especially since Volvos are so "sterile"

Here she is, my 1989 XJ-S V12, in Arctic Blue, with only ~78.000 miles on the clock and otherwise, except a few minor rust spots, in very good condition

On the trip back from the UK (where I bought her) along a Dutch motorway:



Of course she wasn't in the best of all nicks... A few little "niggles" are always expected. As said, a little bit of rust is okay and expectable. Nothing severe. The headliner/ceiling was hanging or was starting in hang. The interior lights didn't work. The central locking didn't work. The wood has cracked. A few drops of oil can be found under the car at all times (not much, but enough to make you check it regularly). Foglights have cracked. Rear bumper is a tad bent (had a slight rear thump as it looks)... But otherwise everything works - which is a good sign.

I've done most of the things to get her up to a good running order... But many parts are getting really hard to scource here... Especially since the XJ-S was only a niche car and was outsold by the German competition at like 10:1 or more!

But still, a great car. I had her registered a few days long last week (as she isn't quite up to "safety standards" yet) and enjoyed it - until I notoiced more and more fluids dripping on the ground... Struts, engine oil, transmission oil, differential oil, etc. - so more jobs to do!

So, I think that should be enough for my introduction!

Please don't bite me for a few days...

Damien

 

Ah, sorry, wrong section! As said, am new here! Don't hit me!

 

Welcome anyway.

I have removed the teeth and firmly inserted the straw from the JD bottle in the side of the mouth, so am unable to bite, and will soon be 'armless.

NICE looking REAL CAR.

Fluid loss is not always a biggy. Sometimes some FRESH fluid sorts them well.

You appear to know yor way around the car, GOOD.

I like your interpretation of "OLD", a tad cheeky, you were 27 when you got it, I was 44 when my first XJ-S arrived in the driveway, not the first V12 though, or the first Jag.

ENJOY.

 

Nice Jag, congratulations

Great to have you on board.

Cheers
DD

 

Damien, your 27 and own Volvo's ? Not the sort of car that any Aussie lad would like to own or admit to owning. LOL
But well done on the XJS, nice looking car, with a bit of love, sweat and a lot of cussing can be made in something very special. I find mine a bit like having a second wife, good sometines but mainly just damanding and expensive not to mention temperamental, moody and downright frustrating.

Seriously good luck with it, they are a stunning car.

 

Well, I was younger then and everything 10 years older was "old". But I'm now older than the car Cheers though! I've done a good bit of work to her already, including a custom headliner (no factory headliner/ceiling for the sunroof), getting all the eletrics working again, getting all the lights working again, spark plug and oil change... Loads more to come! But a few questions are always common

Thanks! I feel very welcome already

Yeah, Volvo and Jag aren't really the ideal combination when it comes to "street cred". But when you survive a really bad accident due to driving a Volvo and can also "thrash" a Golf R (R32/R) with a 25 year old automatic Jag, then you get a tad chuffed!

Cheers though all!

 

Cheers!

I'm happy to be here and look forward to being helped but also helping myself

Yeah, a few details on the car isn't a bad idea. So I added it into my signature

 

Welcome to the forum Damien,

I got your Visitor Message and moved the thread for you. Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums. Thanks for an excellent Intro.

Will you have any problems re-registering the XJS in Germany? I know members taking UK vehicles to France have to wade through serious bureaucracy to get them re-registered.

No need for a link to XJS tech forum as you have already found your way there! The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for info on regular issues.

You can also visit the Europe Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/europe-42/ to find other members in continental Europe.

Enjoy the forums.

Graham

 

Hi GGG,

thanks for combining both threads

Reregistering will be a little trickey... As my Jag has no cats, it will cost LOADS of money to have it registered properly (about €1300/year in road tax! My daily driver costs €135/year). I'll be needing new headlights (I'll be going US-style double headlights, as they are available new where as the Cibie lights are ultra rare here), might need a new tachometer (mine has kph and mph but German law requires a clear kph indication...) and I'll need some new COC data available from German TÜV for around €250.

Otherwise the registration process isn't as bad as it sounds... Get the TÜV to confirm it is road legal, get the papers printed and pay for it. Should be around €400 for registration + parts. If I wait another 5 years, I can get the so called "H-Kennzeichen" which means "historic vehicle". Taxes are at a fix flatrate around €170/year, I can enter the "Umweltzonen" (eco-zones with low particle emissions) and my insurance would be a lot cheaper

In the meanwhile I register her every so often for 5 days at a time, only €65 each time and that is fun enough

 

Beautiful car, Damien!
The thing about Jaguars is, you have to love them for themselves, otherwise all the care and feeding is pointless. If you only want something to get you from Point A to Point B, then one needs something "Sterile." <giggling>

Welcome to the forums from ElinorB.
(';')

 

If you didn't already know, the UK registration THV shows your XJS was first registered to an owner in East Ham, London.

The German re-registration bureaucracy sounds similar to France. €1300/year road tax is a killer - and I thought ours in the UK was bad!

We have a 'Historic Vehicle' taxation class here which is £0 but EU in Brussels is trying to interfere with this.

Graham

 

welcome to the forum - plenty of info and support here - enjoy!!!

 

I know the plate isn't the original plate the car was delivered on. Before buying the car, I did a VIN and plate check. Luckily the car has not been in an accident nor been otherwise "damaged". The plate change was about 2 years ago if I remember correctly.

Well, the road tax here is calculated via displacement and emissionscode.

If I had cats, I'd have "Euro 1" (currently Euro 0). So my taxes would be then around €600/year. If I updated to Euro 2 I would be around €320/year... But that would mean losing the possiblity of getting an H plate (the H plate requires the car to be either appropriatly tuned - if tuned - or being in a normal, factory condition meaning nothing other than normal wear and tear items changed and say the radio. All parts original or time-original). So I prefer to keep it catless (and enjoy that CO and hydrocarbon smell ) and just drive it occassionally

 

Yes, indeed! My daily driver is sterile and just runs like a clock. I chuckle saying that there are two things I can be sure about:

#1: tomorrow will always come
#2: my C30 will start

And it hasn't let me down once in 6 years and more than 100.000 miles!

I love getting my hands mucky and dirty. I've got to get that power steering pump sealed, as it is squirting oil all over the place. The steering is still smooth though!?

 

Welcome to Jaguar Forums Damien,

Good to have you with us.
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

 

Beautiful car. I like the color a lot on the coupe.

 

Welcome to the forum

 

This thread is... oh wait, you already posted pics

Congratulations on fulfilling one of your boyhood dreams!

Welcome!

 

Cheers mate!

The colour is rather common but I do adore it... It kind of enhances the lines

Cheers!

Thanks! Being in other forums, I know the golden rule of "This thread is worthless without pics"

 

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