The point is he just bought a 12 year .. possibly 13 year old car with 84k on it ... and he is planning on taking himself and at least one other with him on a 7k trip. He has no history with the car. I have taken many long trips .. and 7k in a month is a lot of driving .... and the south towards Texas is hot.

And he is rightfully asking if it is prudent. Lots of stuff can go wrong with a car like that ... and if you have any time constraints .. old Jags can be an issue ... nobody wants to work on them and you can't get parts

I'm not sure I would take my 02 with 60k on that trip ... and I have spent 12 years with it.

Jaguars are nice -- I own three of them .. I like them .. loves a bit much. When I'm driving something else I can' say I'm missing my Jaguars.

 

Thank You All for the advice and suggestions. Crazy or not its gonna happen. Fresh synthetic oil, and will be getting changed, I'm guessing somewhere south of Tennessee. Bushings are changed, and I think an alignment check is in order as well. 65% tread on tires, 95% on front brakes. Going to hit the truck stop for a small plug in cooler for medicine, and a couple water bottles. We are going to have the best road trip of our lives if we have some automotive problems or not. (but we will be prepared)

 

Good luck we do road trips all the time -- I also do vintage trips with a club.

have a little kit I take. Work gloves/ cheap rubber gloves/ cheap rain parkas/ couple of large bags (flat tire)/ vice grips /channel locks/ two flashlights/ duct tape/ few feet of wire/ code reader/flares/cheap battery flashing beacon/gallon water/ cheap inflator/ small jumper set.

Make sure the lug nuts are not overtightened before you leave. Some people bring fix-a-flat.

 

Just a reasonable pre-flight check & maintenance, then have fun! When I had a 1995 Bonneville, I would opt for the rental. With my Jags, that's part of the fun. 2000 XJ8 with 165,000 miles, and a 1990 XJS with 125,000 miles, and I would (and do) drive them anywhere! The XJS is still quit the head turner.

 

A bit late but thought I'd add my 2 bits. Take the Jag...driving something "special" is part of the joy of a road trip. A rental/newer car might get you there more reliably, but your soul pays the price. Think about it: ten years from now when you reminisce or talk about the trip...which is better?: I did it in a 12 year old Jag vs the brand new camry?

A) You seem like a prudent person with i) reasonable grasp of the potential risks (few in my opinion given the inspection you've done on the car ii) prudent risk management approach and iii) reasonable amount of cash to overcome any small to medium size problems.

Let's face it, we live in a world where cell phones are rampant and credit cards are accepted in more places than cash (try buying a beer on United with cash).

My tip: bring along a cell phone, the aforementioned credit card and your resliency. Leave the fear at home. You want to be extra careful? Plot out your trip and print out a list of Indy Jag Shops and dealerships. You break down...call em up and hit up Yelp to find a place to grab dinner. You'll have a great story to tell in the future...and a chance to commiserate with some folks at the local dining establishment.

(Unlikely...but) Very worst case scenario: Car dies completely - get rid of it where ever you are and get a one way enterprise rental for the rest of the trip. You'll still have a great/fun trip, a hiccup in the trip and you'll have at least taken part of the trip in a Jaaaaaag.

Good luck.