(..Or Driving Miss Ruby....)


This thread will be something of a journal of the trials, tribulations and adventures of using a 20 year old Jaguar as a daily driver. I hope I can contribute to some other threads and maybe a how-to now and then if I find a subject without one. But this will be more of a "what it's like to live with" thread.

Back story... I lost my wife in December of 2014 after only 20 months of marriage. In settling affairs I had just sold her Nissan Juke to eliminate the car payment and about a week later the transmission on my '98 BMW 740i went out. I decided against repairing it and instead started scouring Craigslist for a mid life crisis. A "pet unicorn" of sorts. I always loved Jaguar and my wife and I had planed to buy one when we got her car paid off. But while and XJS or XK8 would have been right up my alley, 4 kids dictate a sedan is still a part necessary part of my life.

I figured I would likely end up having to go back to a dealership and a 4 year car payment, but was really hoping to avoid it. Then an ad caught my eye for a '95 XJ6 with 68K on it. I made the appointment and went for a test drive. I was met by the original owner who was selling it for his 90 year old mother. Why was she selling it? Well she's now 90 and felt she needed something a little newer, so she bought a low mileage '05 S-Type. Same color combination as this one.

We took the car for a 15 minute run around town and then over to the auto parts store to have the codes read. It came back clear. Everything about the car checked out and I told them they would hear back from me in a couple days. Well by the time I got home I was sure that was the car I wanted, so I called him back up and told him I'd try to have the money before the end of the week.

Well the Good Lord smiles and fools and single fathers (of which I'm both) and I managed the cash to make the deal by Tuesday. The car was in another town, so I managed to swing rides with my mother and sister-in-law. We proceeded with the deal and after running a few errands with my nephew, calling the insurance company and the tax office, I headed back home with a stop off at my folks house, a little less than $4500 lighter.

What to name it? Lady Constance I think (an homage to my wife). And Ruby as her common name. That will work.

Going home I took the back road instead of the interstate since it's actually closer to my parents. No, actually I took it because I wanted to take that road. Arkansas has some great 2-lane highways and this was one of them. I know, I know, an XJ is not a sports car, but it's still a pleasant cruiser and after an hour and 15 minutes, I wasn't disappointed in the car. I stopped and took mom and dad for a ride in my Jaaaaaaggg then headed home.

At first my kids (passengers) weren't real thrilled. My 740i is more spacious in the back. But I took my oldest, who will be driving it some, out for a cruise last Friday night and I quickly one him over. The 740i may have had more power, but driving the XJ6 just feels better. He's even making noises about helping to buy another one (that's my boy!)

So two weeks and three tanks of gas in, I have my to-do list for Ruby lined up (which hasn't changed much from my initial estimates):
- Fluids are all fresh looking with good color, so I'm just eying them for the moment. ETA on the next oil change end of July or mid August.
- The radiator hose needs some attention due to a tear and I am probing several others.
- Hole in the muffler that I am having looked at today. Hoping they can(will) weld the puncture. Instead of purring, it's giving everyone the raspberries.
- Side mirror controller dead and drivers door panel has a broken clip from improper removal. So far I'm the only one that notices.
- Need a new rear view mirror. Auto dim not working
- Tilt not working but I've found that the up and back position is fine for my comfort level.
- Seats need copious amounts of conditioner before they dry out.
- Paint needs some polish and touch up in a few places. It's a respray but looks like they did a good job. The car has a few dings but is still a nice car to look at from 10 feet.
- Digital clock needs refreshed.
- a glitch with the CD player.
- and I need a couple new remotes and a couple keys.

And I need to take some good pictures......

 

And with this we find the first obstacle that will need to be over come. The lower pipe of the front cat system is rusting pretty badly, so that will need to be replaced. And the fun begins!...

 

Welcome and good luck!

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