Hi all, just thought I’d share my story of how I found my love for Jaguar, especially an x308, and how I’ve been looking for it again ever since it got away. Sorry it’s the long winded version

My Dad and Uncle operate an equipment repair business and at times receive all sorts of strange trades in return for work. Usually it’s a bass boat in less than inspiring condition, once a whole cow worth of meat, or maybe a new deck built by a thankful contractor. One trade, however, stands out clear above all the rest to me. Traded by the son of a strange, wealthy recluse (whom had passed a year or so before and was turning in his grave seeing this I’m sure) to clear ~$700 worth of unpaid service. It was this:

I had just recently turned 18 when I snapped these pictures (the last 2 photos I actually have, maybe halfway through resto) only 5 short years ago. I heard they’d received an “old car” in lieu of payment and didn’t think much other than Cash might’ve been more wise to accept than some old money pit, but I thought I’d take a look anyway. I believe it’s a ‘99, possibly a ‘00, I cannot remember. I’m sure one of you eagle eyed enthusiasts can correct me on this though and for that I’d be grateful. It was “just” an XJ if one can even say that. No special edition or options or notable rarities that I can recall. It did have obscenely low miles but it had suffered at the hands of poor storage. I do know this for certain now though; I was totally, absolutely, and completely blown away from the first moment I laid eyes on it.

I’ve always had a love for cars, my love at that point just typically aligned with the harder lines and wacky, blade runner type styling of the modern day. Such are the machinations of an 18 year old mind. But this? The pure class and elegance that it oozed.. just irresistible. There it sat, a mere 50 feet away from me in our dingy warehouse, I stood and looked for a long while and it was perfection manifest. On closer inspection I saw the abuse it had taken though. Apparently stashed in an unconditioned garage on and off for at least 15+ years with boxes and junk sat atop it. Over the years things bumped and rubbed and smashed into it again and again, emblems ripped off as souvenirs by shameless opportunists, critters making snacks and nests out of all the chewy pieces. Most fragile things were shattered, most shiny things stolen, every panel scratched and scuffed in varying degrees of horror. I’d known this car for all of 5 minutes and was heartbroken. Here it was, socked away again, cold and alone where all our broken tools and projects go to be forgotten. It still had soul though, I could tell that much, and it had plenty of life left to give.

Thus started the Work you’re all familiar with. I agonized over polishing every bit to blinding brilliance, cleaning and conditioning every once supple surface, replacing several snarling cat emblems, shattered lenses, and bent trim. One thing I needn’t do though was mechanical service. See, this car Was driven a couple times a year. Maybe 20 feet out of the garage it was buried in to get within range of a flatbed and then probably a couple hundred more feet once it got off the truck to pull into a bay at the Jaguar dealer. The previous, original owner did Every Single Service. Religiously. And any additional service recommendations, small and large, were agreed to and completed. This car amazingly had 16,000 something miles on it and had had its timing chains, guides, tensioners, fluids, hoses, transmission components, gaskets, suspension, interior bits, EVERYTHING was done and more. Most of those things more than once, just to be safe and to smell the sweet smell of burning money I guess. With the glaring exception of the exterior for whatever reason. The binder I found in the trunk overflowing with service receipts and notes felt more like a cinderblock. He had multiple services with less than a 10 mile difference from the previous visit listed on the odometer. Countless thousands and thousands spent just to stash it back in a filthy garage wedged up against a lawn mower and old Christmas decorations, only to get chewed up again in time for the next service. Maddening.

This only spurred me on more. Eventually week after week after week of spare hours here and there and on my weekends home from my freshman year of college, I felt like it was nearing its glory again. That’s when I updated my progress to her real owners, my dad and uncle. They could not believe it, they were planning on just scrapping it at some point to recoup even Some of their money but now? Well it looked too good for that!

Now, if you’re the type to skip past the sad parts of a show, here’s the part where you should stop reading and rest all warm and cozy in your thoughts with all of I’ve said to this point.

I went back to school after that, so full to the brim with accomplishment for what I’d done help that ole cat shine back to life. And then I returned for the summer. And she was gone. Sold for $2,750 apparently. They had parked it by the highway and placed a sign in the window asking $3k and were tickled to death to make two grand in profit off of this trade even after negations. In business you cannot waste money, or so I’ve been told. The car was payment and was Costing to just sit there. At the end of the day it was not Mine, not my choice to make, but it stung nonetheless.

That XJ was bought by a random passerby who paid in cash and seemingly vanished into thin air with it afterwards. I check from time to time to see if it’s for sale anywhere but I don’t have a vin and we never registered or insured the car either so no paper trail there. In turn I was paid $800 for my work and for free I was given one of the most important lessons of my life, more valuable than any monetary payment I could’ve received. If you really love something, do whatever it takes to hold onto it. I’ve only got these two photos and the hope that it’s wafting it’s way through a sunny, scenic valley and not be gnawed at cold and forgotten again.

 

...a happy and a sad story at the same time...
Maybe you find a "sibling" of that X308 somewhere, and "adopt" it?

I love my X308, too, but he is the only one in my collection without a twin-brother... - yet...

 

Your second to last sentence says it all. I love my car and my heirs will get a beautiful XJR-100 when my time comes. A few years ago I was gassing up and some random dude walking by jokingly said, "What a cool car, I'll give you $1.2m for it." My reply was "You're getting close!"

 

It truly goes without saying the lines and styling of our Big Cats are without peer in the world of
cars on the road today. For most here in this forum, I notice that the random issues we face from
time to time only seem to reinforce our fascination and appreciation for these cars. It is really a
fantastic thing to have a place such as this, that can help us solve even the stickiest issues on these
beautiful and exhilarating driving machines.

 

@Mick - completely understand, I did exactly the same thing at the same age, except it was a signal red Mark II 3.8L saloon, cleaned the chrome wires until my fingers bled, and learnt the same lesson.
If you work and focus you'll be into one in no time, get a look at a few before you buy - you can add every factory option as they're plug and play in almost all cases.
I dare say they're very last of the line of genuinely great Jags.

 

The car's styling goes as far back as the 60's but incorporates 90's sensibilities. Its looks are not timeless in the sense that it still looks new, but rather, that it never seems to be old. It doesn't fit within any era of car designs that we've seen throughout the years and thus it stays in a category of its own.

As a college kid, I'm surrounded by peers that all talk about numbers when it comes to cars. They only care about what's faster.
I didn't buy an xj8 to speed around like a hooligan. I know full well that some factory Honda odyssey minivans could be me in a drag race, and that doesn't matter
A guy once asked me why I keep working on the thing. It's not something we can put on spec sheets.
It's when you're driving at night on a country highway. The cabin is only filled with the hum of the tires and the near-silent purr of the engine.
It's when you step out of the car and you turn back to get one last look.
It's when you walk out to the parking lot and spot your cat from a quarter mile away as it seems to shimmer in uniquity amongst an ocean of cars.
It's a feeling. And the feeling isn't for everyone. But that's okay, it just has to satisfy us.

 

Quite right: the love for Jaguars, the reaction that owners have to these beautiful machines (virtually every Jaguar model) is not something easily explained. It has nothing to do with performance numbers as you rightly state - it is the way these cars make you feel, the need you have to look back at the Jaguar after you park it, the sense of well-being as you settle behind the wheel, the wood, chrome and leather, the reaction of others (almost always admiration of the car if not of you)….almost inefable.

 

I have wondered, myself, about why is it that I turn around for a last peak at my parked kitty and what is it that places this aura of special attraction or distinction on the Jaguar cars styling, and I have come to the conclusion that it must be a certain overall design mentality of its design engineers that prevails over the years. A combination of sophistication along with a degree of sporting touch (and some records help here). Jaguars may not sell in the numbers that other "special" cars sell, namely German cars, but they never cease to be present in "upper car class' discussions, articles, even movies. Yes, there is something special about Jags that has prevailed over the years, so, owning a kitty will always be something special about you.

 

Forcedair1,

It’s not just never ceasing to be present in "upper car class' discussions, they’re present with the upper class cars in the real world, something I’m constantly reminded of not just be my looking back but by the heads following looks and smiles my Jaguars inspire. And they rarely get parked in the back lot by the valets - they tend to get left front and centre in the port-cochiere with the six-figure show-offs.

 

I am reminded that when I bought my first Jag, a then nine-year-old ‘89 XJ40 in Westminster Blue. At the time I worked for a US Treasury Secretary (Chancellor of the Exchequer). We had a work function at a high end DC hotel. The valet took my car and, unbeknownst to me, parked it for the day in the one space they had adjacent to the entry awning. Boy did I get looks of envy from my colleagues when I emerged to reclaim the beast.

 

It is true these cars evoke a sense of styling and elegance that set them in a class by itself.
Few automotive achievements have ever come close to timeless flow and stance of this
particular line of Jaguars. The look of elegance coupled with the stance that exudes a
perpetual sense of agility and power were uppermost in the minds of the designers and
were mated with a smooth and refined powertrain that still gives their owners a smile when
the occasion comes to apply it. These cars simply stand apart from the crowd by their grace
and beauty, no matter if they are cruising down the road or sitting in a parking lot so it is
with pride we keep and care for these cars.

 

Thanks for all the replies! I genuinely love this forum and it’s endless threads full of owners smitten the same way I am with these cars. Like I said in my original post as soon I lost this car I immediately started looking for another. The rust belt where I live has not been kind to the examples I find. Most are in dismal shape, used and abused, rusted beyond repair, duct tape and zip ties barely keeping it rolling down the road.

So yeah, options have not been great. My best lead was 3-4 months ago on a 2003 Vanden Plas with 80k miles for ~$3k. This happens to be my ideal year and trim of the x308 and at a compelling enough price, so I was very excited! Condition seemed fair in the photos but the owner promised it was closer to “superb” than fair. Reality was a different story however, he failed to tell me (before I drove 2 1/2 hours to see it btw) that for the last 4-5 years it was owned by a limo company who had beat the life out of it. Yes it had 80k original miles but it seems they used it very little so it sat for looong periods of time with either the absolute cheapest bare minimum maintenance possible or simply no maintenance at all. It’s also what they rented for prom season so the interior was abysmal. It was obviously their beater and boy did it look the part. As hard as I tried to see it through rose colored glasses all I really ended up seeing were my savings aflame and my weekends buried in chasing electrical problems. Sadly I had to let that one go.

It’s deeply sad to know that with each passing day it gets harder and harder to find a clean example. I am no longer dewy eyed and 18 with an ocean of free time, I have a career that sucks up most of that now. They pay me well but it makes me nauseous to read what some pay for professional restorations and even sicker yet when I see the shoddy work coming out of a few of those places.

Hopefully I will find another someday soon and I’ll reconnect with my love of Jaguar. Really I just want “mine” back but I’ll never see it again, so I’m going to stick to sifting through the classifieds and getting disappointed

 

^
Have you thought about contacting some of the Jaguar or British car clubs in your area? Their cats are likely to be better treated and cared for than those in the wild and you may well find one that’s not being offered for sale but can be bought nonetheless if the owner considers you the right caretaker (often at least as important as the price).

 

Ken, I loved the "in the wild" comment. You are absolutely right. A wonderful example that has
been well taken care of, is not easily parted with, unless the prospective owner looks to be one
who will continue the care of the current owner.

 

I (and probably most here) totally get this feeling. For me it happened very quickly. I convinced myself last spring that I probably ought to buy a Jag in general, an XJ in particular and an x308 specifically...they just are gorgeous, something that the x350/358 as nice as they are and as much of an improvement over the 308 as theya re...they've just got way too much X-Type in their lines for my tastes.

Wen through a few false starts and never made the connection with the sellers, I opted out of one relatively nearby as I realized it was a project I'd likely never see the end of and the other it was the seller who just went dark and silent on me while I was enroute to his place with a trailer and cash in my pocket...yet the car remained for sale for months afterwards.

Then one day while scrolling through ads with my friend I saw her. It was my car and I knew it. Oddly enough my friend saw it too and he had the same reaction..."hey wait, go back up, look at that! Buy that one!". The seller had a great eye for photography and the thumbnail image of this BR Green XJR with asteroids just jumped off the page at me. It took me about a month of back and forth with the seller to get everything to align properly, we had just about every possible problem get in the way, up to and including him getting covid the day before I was going to go down...but we both stuck it out and I went down to check it out, with a trailer in tow. 2 hours one way. I got onto his street and it suddenly popped up from behind another car, there she was! It was love at first sight and it was really weird, but when I saw this car I knew I had to have it.

These cars get under your skin. They have a soul and we connect with them in a way that rarely happens with newer cars. Mine is part of the family now. My kids all love it, especially my 9 year old boy....he brings out the hooligan in me and encourages adolescent driving practices whenever possible. So I indulge him in smoky burnouts and full throttle merges whenever possible and we both are grinning like idiots every time. Maybe it'll be his some day when I'm unable to drive anymore, but he's going to have to wait his turn...but he has that same twinkle in his eye and I know the minute he gets his permit and I left him behind the wheel, it'll be his car too.