My Primrose, Mk2 Jaguar 340.
Ever since my Farther had a green Mk1 a few years ago I promised myself that when I retired I would buy myself a Mk2. I bought the 340 for a couple of reasons, namely an automatic gearbox and power steering. Because of my limited mobility a non power steering Mk2 would not be comfortable and for the same reasons the automatic gearbox is a must. Since the 340 had both as standard made it an obvious choice.
My car was not in A1 condition, but if it had been I wouldn't have bought her so the ambition was to own the car and restore as I went along. She has electronic ignition but hidden in the distributor and its a god send as no starting problems ave been experienced.
The automatic gearbox did fail on me but I found a local one man auto box repairer near Totnes (Devon) and for less than half any other quote, it wasn't too painful.
At present the bodywork is being repaired by Steve (Brixham Car Accessories) and I am having the Ambla interior recovered in a good quality leather at the same time and expect the car back sometime in late August (2011 I hope!!).
I hope to add a dedicated page to the 340 later on (with a diary of repairs and costs et.)
'New' model Jaguar XK 4.2l Convertible.
I went along to get my service book signed for my Jaguar Daimler Sovereign V8 and when I came away I committed myself to buying a 3 and bit year old XK! But first some history.......
Because of my disability I have only been able to drive the Sovereign for around 15 to 20 miles before the discomfort made it impossible to drive any further in safety, meaning the od lady would take over. This problem did not happen overnight, but as my condition is degenerative, it took the last to 8 years 9 years to get like this.
When I was forced to retire I wanted to treat myself to a Jaguar XK. However I couldn't get in and out of the car so bought a XJ 3.2 sport and it was a great car! So when Nigel (Beechdown Garage - specialist Jaguar dealer and now personal friend) suggested I sit in a new shape Aluminum XK to try it for size I rebuffed him and told him to stop teasing me.
He opened the door and I thought I would keep the peace and sit in it. If I wasn't comfortable any more in the XJ, how could the XK do any better. Well you could have knocked me down with a feather when I not only got in easily enough but it was also more comfortable! It showed just how low the Sovereign was, and with much smaller door than the sporty XK was counter intuitive.
Now all sorts of emotion surfaced. I always wanted an XK and the obstruction of access was gone. Hmmmm........I decided to travel home and think......Getting back into the Sovereign brought into focus how much easier the 'new' car was to my own.
After a couple of days I went back to Nigel and asked to go for a test. It wasn't particularly good day for my 'problem' and I was amazed that during the test drive I actually was in less discomfort! Strange in deed. Perhaps it was pyschological? Well I now had a problem since the car of my dreams was not only easier to get into to it was more comfortable to drive/ride in. The next problem was how to pay for it! And that's when I decided it was too much for the limited mileage I do (less than 3,000 per year).
Ahah......each obstacle was knocked to the floor until I asked Nigel "will my mobility scooter fit?" grim faces all around......"bring it over and we will try it" says Nigel....Bug***er says I.......Now the buggy I have is the lightest and smallest I could find when I bought it as we were going on a world cruise when I retired and it had to be able to fit into the wardrobe in our cabin. It breaks down into 4 parts. One, the aluminum chassis; the removable dry cell battery; the seat and the finally the rear wheels including motor.
Opening the boot I didn't think the chassis would fit, but it does....just......well tight.....after I removed the bracket for the basket (who needs a basket anyway!). The battery also goes into the boot but that left the seat and the rear wheels/engine. They go in behind the front seats secured into two holdalls with the protection on the rear seats. Bug*((e3 again, no more excuses.......
My wife and children, as well as other members of my family were insistent that I buy it....my brother Steve, even kidnapped me on a fishing trip to drive over to Nigel for the test drive!
To cut a long story short the deal was done and I took the car into my possession on my 60th birthday. It is a superb piece of engineering and.....very very fast! Its performance is outstanding and it even has paddles to shift gears......(mind you the conservatory never got built....). After the first week my confidence levels in how far I could drive it showed I could now travel to Exeter (I live in Brixham, Devon,UK) and back by myself! Impossible in the Sovereign.
On reflection the differences were in the width of the door opening; the height adjustment of the seat and the other seat adjustments and herein lies the real secret. Its an amazing range of adjustments that allows me to drive much greater distances. During the travel time I do have to change the seating positions but at least I am able to do it. It is not too much of an exaggeration to say the car has made a big big difference to my retirement life.
We are close to Plymouth (and Brittany Ferries) and I thought it would be nice to go on a family holiday to France with me taking the XK. I found a nice bungalow not far from Roscoff that d the accommodated the 3 families and we had a week abroad. The first holiday for many years and I drove all the way their and back. Don't get too excited though as the total miles were approximately 47 miles door to door!
One other 'unusual' or surprise came when one of my Nieces asked if I would drive her and her friends to there day time 'Prom' "Well I can take you but its not really suitable for 4 adults...look at the room behind the seats.." So we thought it would be easy enough for them to try it.... Again the car stepped up to the mark and yes you can get 4 people into the car! Well the two in back weren't big rugby players, but they were 16 year old ladies. I am not saying you could rive to Scotland and back with 4 but I never even thought 4 would get in!
I will add more as we go along but up to now the car has made a big impact on my mobility (and therefore freedom...) and by do I grin when I drive it! No way should a sports car be better than large saloon (the Sovereign) when you are less able! But the XK does...its brill :)
Jaguar Daimler Sovereign 4.0L
I bought the Sovereign when I replaced my first Jaguar, a 3.2L XJ in Carnival red. I kept her for about 8 years instead of the 2 to 3 years I anticipated. The reason being it was a beautiful car. Initially when Nigel (Beechdown Garages) brought the car to me I did not like the colour at all although the specification was much better than my other XJ. In the end I loved the colour and its still my favourite colour.
In the end though the car was becoming difficult to get into and out of, as well as my ability to drive it for more than a few miles. I was only driving around 3,000 miles per year. If I could have justified keeping it I would have I because It was my favourite car of all time. But with the Mk2 340, the XK it would not have been practical. Still its a shame she went.
If I was able to drive normally I am not sure I would have changed her at all, however as surprising as it may seem my current car, the XK is both easier to get in and out of and much more comfortable to drive!
For anyone with £4000 to £6000 to spend you can get a lot of car for less than a small new family saloon! And the quality of both build and design means it won't be a wreck. Indeed the XJ's I see in the Jaguar World and JEC magazine show real low mileage well looked after cars for little money.
