Survivor.

I've been a fan for a long time.

Outwit, Outlast, Out play

I'll admit that I'm a longtime fan of this show. Tonight I was watching the first episode of the 20th season."Winners at War." That got me to thinking.

As usual I've been looking at different cars to replace the current cars in my fleet. But maybe I've been  looking at it all wrong.

All of my hobby cars were purchased for a reason. I'll admit that a lot of it had to do with price, low price in each instance. But there was more to it.

My hobby cars may seem like a rag tag collection, but like the players in Survivor, they can be considered to form a tribe.

I specifically chose each of these cars. The 1970 Mustang was chosen because I wanted a classic pony car. It was my attempt to make an end run around the high price of well preserved example. The XJS was chosen because I wanted something special. I believe that I used the term "legendary!" The XJ6 was selected because I wanted a "plush car" that was ready to go when I bought it. Don't forget, I drove Cadillacs for a very long time. The '51 Jag was selected because I wanted a real vintage car, something that was old and simple, and could provide me with a bridge to Jaguar's glory days of the 1950s.

They were all wanted and all valued, but if I have to cull the herd...

Maybe I should submit each car to a tribal council and decide it's fate.

If that car is voted out then I'll focus on the next car in line, and subject them to the same trial.

Ultimately there might be only one car standing, or maybe there will be no car standing!

I will invest some effort in each car and see if it can really satisfy the "need' that I thought it would.

First up was the '70 Mustang. I invested time, money, and effort into the car with some success.

Ultimately it was found lacking and it's torch was extinguished.

I should have known that things were not going to turn out well going in. I just ignored the signs.

Now it's the XJS's turn to stand trial. It's kind of like the handsome, muscle bound guy that everyone figures will be a shoo in to win. Of course it's going to have the most targets painted on it's back!

First, I will evaluate it's condition and determine if it could really be a useful car.

I've brought it to pretty good running condition and I'm in the process of putting some miles on it.

While I'm doing that, I should get some solid estimates for some of the essential repairs that it really needs, suspension and top, for example. Other things can wait. I remember how I drove my '66 Riviera without a working heater for almost two years, The a/c was never repaired and the body work and paint was never even started. I fixed what it needed to run safely and reliably. It didn't look that good. Still that didn't stop me from driving and enjoying the car for many years.

For example, if the XJS should survive tribal council and I decide to invest more into it, then the next remaining car will have to stand judgement to maintain it's place in my fleet.

The XJ6 would have to face the fire next. It comes into the arena in a really strong position. Since I bought it in good running condition I decided to use it as an everyday driver. I did use it. I really put the miles on. I even drove up to Washington state on vacation. It wasn't until the suspension loosened up that I cut back on driving it. It's a beautiful luxurious car that has provided me with many glorious driving days and loads of wonderful memories. Owning it has been a most satisfying experience. I just have to get an estimate on the suspension rebuild. It's earned it's keep around camp.

The '96 Mustang has won total immunity from standing in tribal counsel. It has given me such good satisfying service that I have no doubt about it's value. It is also the only one of my cars that my Wife will consider driving. So it is affiliated with the strongest alliance, counting my Wife and myself in the circle. A clever gambit.

My Explorer also enjoys a special status. Although I originally bought it for my Daughter to use, I've found it to be of extreme utility. I like the way it looks, drives and I find also find it very comfortable. I came very late to the SUV appreciation game, but it seems that now, I'm all in. Currently it enjoys limited immunity.

There's still one more player to figure in. That's my Mark VII. However it's not actively playing the game right now. It's sitting it out on the Edge of Extinction! Whether or not it makes it back into the land of the living remains to be seen.

It could be a game changer!

Who will survive? Who can mastermind a blind side? Are there any hidden immunity idols hidden, just waiting to be found?

Beats me, tune in and find out!

California US101, my favorite highway

For many years these old signs were commonplace.

Route 66 gets all the nostalgic glory, but my favorite highway in California is US 101, The El Camino Real. The King's Road that connects the California missions.

This was one of the first National highways that traverses California from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. Passing through the states of California, Oregon and Washington.

It is the one of the oldest major highways in the country.

One of the most appealing aspects of the highway is that it still follows much of the original elevation and layout.

Thank You Mapquest.

photo source: My Wife's smartphone.
This is the real California.

photo source: cahighways.com
Highway sign near Camp Roberts

Between the Bay Area and Los Angeles it passes along the coast and through the coastal valley through countryside that has not changed that much in a hundred years.

It does bypass the centers of many small towns where it was once the Main Street, however you can follow the commercial route through these towns if you wish.

While everyone knows that California is a populous powerhouse of a state, this section runs through fairly unsettled and empty heartland. Mostly farmland, vineyards, and orchards.

It is the perfect route for a relaxed trip through the center of the state.

There are three major north-south thoroughfares in the state.

US101: The El Camino Real.

Highway 99:  Which is known as the Ridge Route because it crosses the Tehachapi mountains.

Interstate 5: The newest highway that bores straight through the most boring section of the state. I still remember when the final stretches were completed in the 1970s.

Wait, there is still one more route.

California Highway 1: This is the highway that follows the edge of the state's coastline from the Mexican border to the Oregon border. In many places it merges into US101 and both share the same route. South of Santa Barbara it is known as the Ventura highway.

By the late 1920's cars were reliable enough to cover long distances.

Look Familiar?

This stretch of highway was immortalized in the 1970s by the musical group, America. Their song "Ventura Highway" was the anthem of my teen aged desire to get out and explore the country. The late 1960's had popularized the idea of internal tourism, the motto was "Discover America!"

I had this very same poster
hanging on my bedroom wall.

This desire to discover America came to fruition in the concept that produced the movie "Easy Rider."


Recently I took a couple of trips to So Cal down US 101. In the Spring the landscape has turned a lush green with new growth.

Leaving San Jose you will pass the Soledad prison on your way to King City. That's generally my first quick pit stop for coffee. As you leave King City there are a couple of missions just off the highway. I had stopped to check out the Mission San Miguel but this time I had a couple of other things to do.

One of the things that I like most about 101 is that it is a rural highway. There are plenty of curves and elevation changes. Not to mention the Cuesta Grade which reminds me of how adventuresome road travel was back in the 1920s. This grade is so steep that it reduced my truck's speed to only 30 mph. returning home, towing my Jaguar XJS. I find that the road encourages me to slow down a bit and savor the scenery and the highway itself. This is a perfect motorcycle touring road. It's not a soul less boring, highway that makes you want to speed up and just get it over with.

Passing San Luis Obispo brings you back to the Ocean.  My lunch stop is usually in Pismo Beach. Lunch or early dinner at Brad's by the pier.

Scene on the San Marcos Pass Rd.

The next stretch is the longest as it passes by Arroyo Grande, Santa Maria, Atascadero, and Buelton. Yes, the split pea soup place. East of Buelton lies Solvang and the Santa Inez Valley. This time we took the San Marcos pass road south of Las Animas, which passes Lake Cachuma and delivers you directly into the town of Santa Inez. My destination was Solvang where we spent a couple of nights.

This section of road welcomes you into the Santa Inez Valley.

You can have pastries or wine or whatever strikes your fancy, though this "Fake Danish" town is a bit too cute for me. The Santa Inez Valley is home to many wineries and small ranches but the most appealing thing to me is the scenery. The green rolling hills with the old Oaks and picturesque little ranches. It's not really an isolated area but it is far enough off the main beaten path that I get a feeling for what early California must have looked like a couple of hundred years ago.

Vineyards are everywhere.

I rejoined US101 and passed through Santa Barbara and Ventura, Oxnard, Camarillo then over the hill into Thousand Oaks. I really became familiar with this area when my Son was attending college in Ventura. I drove this route many times when I was into my swap meet business on my way to Los Angeles.

The Ventura Highway Today.

Soon you are driving through the San Fernando Valley and US101 becomes the Hollywood Freeway. In the early 1980's I worked for several years in the L.A. metro area and feel comfortable getting around. Driving down the Hollywood Freeway into the city during rush hour traffic would have been a nightmare if I had to do it everyday. This time it was a pleasant (though slow) trip down Memory Lane.

photo source: gettyimages

Say what you will about the City of Angels, it has endured and it is even more vibrant then ever. I remember thinking in the 1980's that this place will eventually implode like a Black Hole.  But luckily clean air standards have banished most of the smog, though the traffic isn't really any better.

It's hard to believe that so much natural beauty can be found less than a Day's drive from this teeming metropolis. But it's this contrast that gives California it's continuing allure. I have been driving all over this state for almost fifty years and still find it a source of immense pleasure. US 101 is right there and waiting for you. Travel as far or as near as you wish, you'll find the trip worthwhile.

The Great Garage Massacre.

My own Better Beaters version.

This is nothing awful, terrible, illegal or immoral.

photo source: youtube.com
This is not what I'm talking about!

My favorite automotive writer, Peter Egan, once wrote a column by this title, and it is contained in his series of column anthologies.

The scenario is that Egan wanders out to his garage and surveys what he sees. He is not cheered by the sight.

He finds many uncompleted projects and vehicles that he hasn't even started to work on.

He comes to the realization that his whole automotive program has stalled out. For various reasons nothing is getting done.

After thinking it over he decides that it is time to cull the herd, paring things back to a reasonable number.

It's time to reboot.

Egan details the vehicles that he puts on the chopping block. He's pretty ruthless, and that's where the title "massacre" applies.

When it's all over he finds himself with only one car and one motorcycle.

At least he was able to raise some money, as his projects were worth at least a little bit of money.

Sometimes the best thing that you can do is to just cut your losses.

It's a constant refrain on this blog. Getting in over your head, focus is diffused among too many projects, and the whole hobby activity grinds to a gradual halt.

What kind of car guy am I?

I asked this question awhile back and it's a question that has to be answered periodically.

So has all my thinking over the last few months going to result in me getting rid of any of my cars?

Something has changed and it's going to have an effect on my hobby.


Truth be told, I've managed to save up a bit of money that I can direct towards my car projects. It isn't a lot, not enough to run out and buy a new Mustang, for example. But it's a good chunk for an old car guy like me. Five grand. That's enough to buy any number of different, newer old cars. Or even, imagine this, put it down on an even more expensive later model car. Then sell off my stable of beaters to take care of any potential needs that car might have. Hmmmmm.

Options.

That's heady stuff.

Now I have the opportunity to make choices, and choices are dangerous!

I could keep what I have, the simplest alternative.

I could act very carefully and hold onto the money as long as possible. Oh believe me, I'm in no rush to spend a dime.

Unlike Egan, cleaning out my garage will only result in empty space, but not very much money. I don't have a partially completed Triumph TR6, Formula racing car, or any old British motorcycles to sell. My cars aren't worth very much, and would probably take a long time because they would be hard to sell.

Perhaps it's time to consider some philosophical tenets. That sounds pretty high falutin'

Where exactly, do I find myself with my current stable of projects?

Looking back on recent posts I mentioned that this was the year of the XJS. That is a reality. It's time to see just how I feel about this car. And to see if it can in any way be used as a real daily driven car. I don't need to fix the top, the seats, the window, the a/c or even the radio. My biggest concerns are the suspension, ABS system and the serviceability. Can I be sure that the brakes will function properly and reliably? Can I fix whatever problems pop up without enduring teeth grinding frustration? Is it really too much hassle for me to handle? Is it more than I honestly want to handle?

The truth is, I don't know. I've been trying to drive the car more. Using it to drive to work is a good way to put some shake down miles on. How many miles will this require? I'm thinking at least several hundred. Unfortunately the weather hasn't always cooperated. With the bad top I don't want to drive it in the rain or leave it parked under a cover in the driveway, so time will tell. Spring is coming.

The question of the XJS is a riddle that I have to solve. The deadline is fast approaching.

Now the XJ6 is another matter. There's no question that I love this car. I have used it as a real daily driver since I bought it, even using it on a Summer trip up to Washington State. I find it satisfying to drive and eminently usable and useful. So what has changed?

Nothing really, except that the condition of the front suspension has deteriorated to the point that it chews up the sacrificial tires that I feed it. There are some other problems. The check engine light issue has to be resolved. Smog check time is fast approaching. The fuel sender is bad, and the fuel pump should be proactively replaced since I need to get in fuel tank anyway. Those are the main things. These could all be taken care of by investing a little time and money. There's no question that I would be very happy to have the car returned to good order.

Spend the money Cheapskate! But... I could buy a newer XJ8!

This is what happens when you think that you have options!

What about the old Jaguar Mark VII? It's currently sitting in my side yard. The issues that I ran into trying to rebuild the brakes brought everything to a screeching halt, pun intended. I've decided that I'm just going to rebuild the carbs and see if I can get it to run with an under hood gas can set up. If it runs and sounds okay, then I'll move forward. This is a cost effective, practical approach. My guess is that I'll try to adapt some new universal master cylinders to the system for the brakes and clutch. I've been checking the Wilwood website and found a few things that I could use. If I can get the engine running, that would definitely make it a lot more attractive to a potential buyer. If, I decided to sell it.

Do I still want the car? Yes, I still do. It's pretty darn cool looking. My only chance to own something like a Rolls or Bentley. More importantly, it's a link to Jaguar's past glories of the 1950's.

The other members of my fleet are the more prosaic examples. The '96 Mustang still runs very well but is starting to suffer a bit from my lack of commitment. There's an oil leak that I have to address and the steering rack is getting a bit noisy, and in general the whole car could use a bit of attention. Am I tired of it? Maybe a little, through no fault of it's own. I do have a lot of respect for the car, I don't think that it's going anywhere... yet.

The Explorer is also running pretty good. I even took it on a family vacation down to Indio last Summer. It survived being stolen and recovered, and is giving good service except for that crazy unlocking issue. I have found that I like driving it quite a bit and it is extremely practical. Serviceability is very good with this vehicle. I find it much more user friendly than my truck, especially loading and unloading. The lift over height is much lower than with the truck. I'm tired of reaching over the tailgate. It can also carry four people comfortably as opposed to three uncomfortably in the pick up.

Barring unforeseen circumstances it will probably be around for a while longer.

My other newer cars, like the '07 Mustang and my '07 F150 are certainly not going anywhere. I consider these to be my "real transportation" vehicles. These are the family vehicles that I have to hold onto.

The others will have to prove their worth to me.

Oh, Happy Valentine's Day. Don't forget there are things that are much more important than cars!

Dollars and Sense Part Two. Other People's money.

photo source: billboard.com

Bruno Mars has a great line in his hit song, Twenty Four Karat Magic: "I'm a dangerous man with some money in my pocket!" Ain't that the truth!

Like I posted last column, that little bit of money has given me some options. It seems that options tend to make you dissatisfied with the status quo, although they might ultimately allow you to appreciate what you currently have more fully.

At least now, you have a choice.




Title price is monthly payment estimate*

Visit for full details & price quote:

Trim: XK8 Convertible
Mileage: 100k miles
Exterior Color: Gold
Interior Color: Tan
Engine: 4.0L NA V8 double overhead cam (DOHC) 32V
Drive: rwd
Transmission: Automatic
VIN: SAJGX2048XC039325

Sale Price: $5888

*Monthly Payment Estimate: Finance at 3.99% APR for 72 months at $74 per month with $1178 down payment. Subject to credit approval. Adjustable terms available. This estimate does not represent an actual loan offer. Please call today for your custom monthly payment plan. Vehicle subject to prior sale. All prices plus government fees and taxes, any finance charges, dealer document processing charge, any electronic filing charge, and any emission testing charge. See dealer for details. Please mention Craigslist when calling about offer.

                                ---------------------------------------------------------------- 

What's important about that Craig's List ad is not so much the car, which looks pretty clean to me. It's the financing that's offered. 3.99 %. I have never in my  life been able to avail myself to a low interest rate when buying a new car. Interest rates were high back in the 1980s. When I bought my new '84 Mercury Cougar they were 14%. Even when I bought my first house, a fixed rate, 30 year mortgage was 15%! Luckily there was a first time buyer program offered by the County that subsidized two percent of that, reducing it to only 11%.

The point is that the price of money has a big effect on how much an item costs, as well as allowing you to buy something a bit more expensive than you might have originally planned. Stretching a bit can help secure a real buy sometimes.

Years ago, my Wife decided that I needed a separate source of funds for my hobby cars. Using the "family" credit card and especially the debit card, would often result in my added, unaccounted for (and unauthorized! ) expenses frequently placing our checking account into an overdrawn status. Of course this threw our monthly budget into a total mess. Since she is the one that pays the bills the situation became intolerable to her. It took me a bit to realize what a mess I was causing, but gradually I also came to that realization. So I needed to keep my car expenses completely separate from family finances.

Luckily for me, my Wife recognizes my need to play with cars and we came to an agreement for me to have a monthly car allowance that I can use for my projects. I then secured a credit card that I can use for online ordering and monthly amortizations of larger purchases. It also protects any hacked or unauthorized purchases from affecting our family finances.

I went with one of the many credit card offers that arrived in the junk mail. "You've been approved!" These reached me in my vulnerable state and I took the bait. The APR is 24%, that may be high but my plan was to pay off the balance every month or so, thereby making the high interest rate moot. Well it hasn't always worked out that way, but for the most part, it's given me a lot of flexibility. Flexibility is the key, that also gives you options.

Looking at that low APR for a used car loan the thought arises that I could buy a car that didn't need any work. A tempting thought, especially since I'm going to be very busy for the next couple of years. I wouldn't want to finance a low priced car over such a long period, 74.00 dollars a month seems like an excessively low payment. But for 4% a year, why not use their money?

This does open up some possibilities, I would have to buy something that was fairly low priced, under ten grand, but the dealer might take one of my cars in trade. Or I could try to sell it on Craig's List. It sure beats my idea of buying a car completely using my credit card!

I went to a used car lot to look at a 2004 Jaguar XJ8 that was offered at 4995.00. I wanted to take a first hand look at these newer aluminum bodied V8 sedans. To put it mildly, I was quite impressed. The car still looks like a classic Jaguar and the interior was just as gorgeous as they had ever been. And was it fast! And loaded with features like, navigation, adjustable pedals, and a glass moon roof. A really nice car.

This is option that I could choose to replace my current cars.

The other would be to just buy a similar car that is in better shape and would cost me the same, or less than the outstanding work that my present car needs.

For example, just adding up those projected numbers that I listed last post:
(Just remember that these numbers are just pulled out of thin air)

Suspension rebuild                                                         2,000.00
convertible top replacement                                             2,500.00
a/c rebuild                                                                     1,000.00
reupholster front seats                                                     1,200.00
projected total                                                                6,700.00               


I'm sure if I added in some additional odd and end repairs the total would be well over 7,000.00.

So, I could just buy another car in better shape that costs 7,000 bucks and come out the same. Even better if I can sell my one of my other cars for a few bucks.

Consider the XJS in the Craig's List ad below.

Jaguar - $4600 (Sacramento)

1996 Jaguar XJS. Always maintained at dealership, it has 110,000 miles, driven easy and with older people, motor is a strong and smooth 4.0 in excellent shape. I am very sure you will have many years with no issues it just runs so good. The top is like brand new and in excellent shape. Prepare for paint fading on hood. No rips no tears inside. Michelin tires. Clear pink and smog is done.

• do NOT contact me with unsolicited services or offers

That XJS looks pretty good, but there's no guarantee on how long it would stay trouble free. There's never a guarantee when you're buying an old car. The Car Keepers Guide states that the cheapest used car you can buy, is the one that you already own. That's because you already have equity built into that relationship. I've had my XJS for several years now and have invested some money, but even more time and effort, bringing it up to the point that it is at currently.

Buying another car or one in better condition is a reasonable course of action. That's what most people would do. Maybe I'll follow that route. But first I'm going to put a few hundred miles on my XJS and see how I feel about it.

Dollars and Sense. Part One.

photo source: cardomain.com
Not the car I'm talking about, but you get the idea!

Dollars and Sense, that kind of takes the fun out of the hobby, doesn't it?


I remember going to look at a '69 Cadillac El Dorado many years ago. It was offered at a very cheap price,1,000 dollars or b/o, so of course, I was interested. To be fair it didn't look too bad in the picture in the ad, although it was just one photo of the exterior. The seller had done some roofing work for a client and discovered the car in the garage and expressed an interest. This lead to him taking the car as a partial payment for the work that had been performed. I can only hope that it was a very small part!

Upon first arrival I saw a very sad and faded white car sporting large areas of surface rust on the horizontal surfaces. The bumpers were pretty straight, but were also covered with a layer of dusty rust. The body was straight with only a little bit of that expected GM rusting around the rear window. I talked to the woman that was showing the car, she was the roofer's Wife, who told me the story. She said the engine ran and she would be glad to start it up. It did fire up, but then she informed me that the transmission wasn't working.

So far it sounds like I'm describing almost any old car that piqued my interest on Craig's List. But there was a difference. The entire interior, seats, headliner, even the dash had been covered in purple crushed velvet! The dash had also been butchered to fit an ancient 8 track tape deck. The velvet was pretty filthy.

Of course the package shelf had been savaged to accommodate an over sized pair of speakers.

I was a bit shocked to see the condition of the interior, but the Woman advised me that she was open to any offer.

I looked at all that filthy velvet and thought: The entire interior would need to be gutted. Replacement panels would have to be found, another stock set of seats, and worst of all, a replacement dash board would have to be sourced. I knew how hard that would be and how much work changing it over would entail.

Of course the transmission would have to be rebuilt also.

While I was thinking about all of this the Woman said that she could accept an offer of 500.00.

Five hundred dollars? In my eyes the thing was worthless.

This car was pretty much just a parts car for rebuilding a better, more original example. There's no way it could make any economic sense to try to bring this thing back from the dead.

Even if she gave me the car for free, it would still be more expensive to fix up that car then to start out with a better car for 2,500 dollars.

You have to know when to walk away, which I did rather quickly.

I was very diplomatic and just advised her that this was a bit more than I was capable of handling, at least at this time.

Most of the time when you stumble upon such a rough car it's seldom a good idea to get involved.

So what does this have to do with my fleet?

                                ----------------------------------------------------------------------

My '70 coupe.
I almost decided to buy it back.

I've written a lot about my 1970 Mustang coupe. It's actually the inspiration for starting my blog.

It was a rough, but cheap example. There was a reason it was so cheap. Unfortunately, it featured "the trifecta of undesirability."

A six cylinder, (count 1) coupe, (count two) with a salvage title, (count three, and you're out!) and more than a few problems. However, I saw the potential (?) and jumped right in. I can claim my project as a success in that it was eventually turned into a presentable, finished daily driver.

However...

I soon reached a point where I had invested more that 3,800 additional dollars in my 1,200 dollar coupe. Now it was a 5,000 dollar project!

Yes, it was a running and driving car and was even looking pretty good. But it still needed so much more.

By the time I'd swapped in a small block V8, the appropriate transmission and rear end, and added disc brakes, I was looking at another three or four grand.

If it was going to be a keeper than more bodywork and a new paint job and some interior work would have to follow. Figure anywhere from three to five grand, but probably more.

How could happen to my low buck project? At least an other ten grand would be required.

And if, if! I was to pour all this money into the car it would still carry the stimata of the salvage title.

Thereby destroying any hopes of profitable resale.

So my hopes of doing an end run around paying the higher prices of a more desirable early Mustang was a failure.

This is in direct contrast to my '96 Mustang GT convertible. This is a modern, fully equipped car. Fuel injected motor, overdrive transmission, four wheel disc brakes with ABS, seat belt/shoulder harness, air bags, a/c power everything, cruise etc. Performance is more than adequate and it returns 25 mpg, at 70 mph. on regular gas.

Here's my car on a trip
to Carmel.

I only paid 2,800 dollars for my '96 convertible. Even counting a grand for the top, 500 bucks for tires, 300 bucks to have a new fuel pump installed, new lower control arms and a couple of replacement intake manifolds over the years, I'm sure that I'm still below a total investment of six grand. And this is a car that I still own and that I've reliably driven almost 60,000 miles since I bought it. Not a bad deal.

But I could always have kept the 70 Mustang, right?

I could have just done the work that it really needed right away.

That would be to upgrade to disc brakes. That's all it really needed, Right?

Well, the engine was powerful enough, I found that out driving it to Santa Maria for the car show. On the way home I cruised up the Cuesta Grade, south of Paso Robles at a steady 70 mph. I was keeping up with a 1970 SS Camaro. Of course we weren't racing, he could have blown me away! I found that the top end was 95 mph. recorded on my GPS calibrated speedometer. That was fast enough, I wasn't going to blow the motor up trying for a few more miles per hour.

I also found that the fuel economy was pretty low, around 15 mpg. driving at 65-70 mph. Later I performed a 100 mile, 55 mph. mileage run and was rewarded with an improvement to 17 mpg! I could live with a slow car that gets good mileage, or with a fast car that gets poor mileage. But a slow car that got poor mileage was a bridge too far.

Combine that with poor ergonomics, ventilation, and some other problems that are just part of the "old car experience" and I just decided that I didn't want it any more.

So I put it up for sale and sold it for a 1,300 dollar loss. I've done worse.

Kind of kills the Car Keepers philosophy!
                                                   
                             -----------------------------------------------------------------

My first anecdote was about a car that I (luckily) was smart enough not to buy, and that you should never buy, something that would be a real money pit. The second was about my '70 Mustang which seemed like a smart buy, but ended up costing me more than it was worth. Especially since I ended up with a car that I really didn't want to keep. I included my '96 Mustang because this was a smart choice, a good buy, and has been a good experience. Probably because these models are just plain good cars.

Since this is the year of the XJS, I'm doing some very serious thinking about what to do with it. Fortunately, I don't have a lot of money tied up in it. I replaced the transmission with a 180.00 used one that works great. I just spent 500.00 on new tires and there's a few hundred bucks spent here and there, but nothing way out of line. If I have a total of three grand in it I would be surprised. It's up and running and I'm trying to put a few miles on it. The odometer just hit 107,000 miles, I've put about 500 of those miles on since I bought it. The engine seems to be in very good shape and runs nice and cool.

Overall it looks pretty good, the body and paint are in very good condition. The top is beat and the driver's seat needs to be recovered. The front suspension and steering definitely need to be rebuilt. The ABS system has to be looked into, maybe just a new pressure ball. The a/c is out and the passenger window doesn't work properly. The cruise control needs a new bellows assembly and the radio won't work without the code which might require a new unit.

So how much would it cost to get the car in good shape, only taking care of what it really needs?

I should get a quote, but I'll figure 2,000 bucks for a shop to rebuild the suspension and change the steering rack if needed.

I paid 1,000.00 to have the top replaced on my Mustang, that included the top,but not the headliner, which is still original. I know that the top and headliner are available online for 550.00. I don't know how much my top guy would charge to do the Jag. I wouldn't want to pay more than 2,500 dollars total.

To fix or replace the a/c would probably run at least a grand, maybe more.

The right thing to do would be to redo both seats. Some guys on the forum have had the seats recovered with original factory type leather covers. I would be okay with just having the seat bottoms repaired, if that is possible. I'll just throw out a blue sky number of 1,200 bucks.

Let's see so far I up to an imaginary projected expense of over 6,000 dollars.

How am I coming up with these numbers? I'm just pulling them out of thin air. Others might say that I'm retrieving them from an unspecified part of my anatomy, but let's be kind.

The smart thing to do would be to get an actual estimate on doing the work, so that I know exactly how much things will cost. Pulling numbers out of the air is totally counterproductive and a waste of time. I need to have an accurate idea of how much it will cost to fix the car. At least the things that I really don't want to do myself, like rebuilding the front suspension. Then I can decide if I want to invest the money in the car or not.

Stay tuned for Part Two.