clik the above links for transport to the page
This site is to record my experience with Jaguars to date, the links above are in chronological order of ownership. Ill be updating soon with pics of some of the cars as I dig them out, and articles , as well as news that I find. Please check back.
Dean, Sydney Australia.
23/11 Ive pinched a great list of links from Jaguar Drivers Club of Australia , on the Links page strangely enough check em out...
My interest in Jags was piqued from an early age, possibly inborn, as my parents bought a Mk 1V when I was about 3 in 1959. From what I recall it was a short tempestuous affair with the car being often stabled at the local Jaguar specialists for repairs....
Damn I was cute!
  clik
for bigger pics |
However the short acquaintance never dampened the families enthusiasm for the marque, and we would always drool after the many models that were to follow over the years.
I finally bought my first Jaguar in 1988, in Sydney, for 18K, after growing up in New Zealand and sampling many other British makes, many with unsatisfying results.
I chose a 1981 Series 2 V12, in a dark green with the black vinyl roof. It looked great with the genuine Jaguar spoke wheels, but unfortunately didn't live up to expectations of motoring excellence. The car had a problem with the ECU unit, that I now know I could probably fix myself, but alas the internet as we now know it did not exist then. I would be sailing along happily at whatever speed, and it would just stop......It may start again, it may not..it might take 5 minutes or an hour....Ususally when it did restart it would overfuel drastically and pump out clouds of white smoke the like of which Ive never seen another car do.I would sit and wait, and eventually it would seem to clear itself and return to normal.
After a number of trips to a not so local thief masquerading as a repairer ( still on Victoria Rd in Balmain)I was fortunate enough to come across Peter Sloss who was mobile at the time. He found a recon ecu unit for about 1/5 of what Id been quoted and all was right ...sort of. Living in Sydney in summer is a test for any cars cooling system, and this one just wasn't up to it unfortunately. At only 7 years old at the time I wouldn't think the radiator would've been blocked.....but whatever the reason, 5 minutes in 40Degs on Parramatta Rd, and it would be off with the air, and down with the windows as the gauge climbed inexorably towards the H.
Pic just before I sold it with the steel wheels. Looks black, but was dark green.
It also had the bothersome/dangerous ability to pump fuel out the fuel filler at will. This of course was caused by either the return line changeover switch /valve sticking or not working and diverting fuel to the wrong tank. Not being a smoker I was fortunate enough not to have the back of the car go up in flames.....
Another annoying quirk was those damned bonnet catches. Stay shut? not a hope...... I eventually removed the most recalcitrant one and was slightly less annoyed by the bonnet not sitting quite right....
While attempting to remove the radiator for a flush at one stage, I had removed one of the relays above it, foolishly without disconnecting the battery. I then let the bonnet back down on it when leaving the car for the day. Next day Im treated to a 4 inch round burnt area on the bonnet.
Not long after having this repaired I'm driving along the approach road to the old Glebe Island bridge, when the traffic comes to a screaming halt. I didn't halt quite quick enough and rear ended the car in front. Nothing major, but both guards dented from memory.....Elect to spend an extra $1000 and have the whole car resprayed. It came out great. And it lasted maybe a month. On a trip down to Cooma to hand my license back to the nice magistrate for driving le jag too fast we're following a farm truck towing a trailer full of green steel bits for god knows what. We cant overtake and sit there patiently. Truck goes over a bump. Piece of green steel parts company with trailer. I brake hard, but in slow motion, bounce... bounce... bounce...bang.. it hits the car. I stop and retrieve the errant piece and jump back in to chase the truck driver. He responds to my furious tooting and flashing and I appraise him of the situation. He's insured, so that's something, but its back to the panel beaters for the 3rd time in as many months...The piece of steel had managed to hit the bonnet, the edge of the guard, and crack the windscreen.....
About now I'm wondering if the colour has anything to do with it...
After a year of ownership, I've been embarrassed about 40 times with the smoke, the cars been towed home 4 times (although this is now all fixed) and its cost me $7000 in repairs, including $550 (amazingly cheap) for a rebuilt turbo 400 after the torque converter came apart and shrapnelled the trans..
I managed to get 12K for it....