Who could forget this haunting melody, Five Hundred Miles?
Sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary. Video from YouTube.
That's the distance that I arbitrarily chose for the end of my shakedown miles run of my XJS.
At the end of this distance I'm expected to come to some conclusions. First, how reliable has the car been? Does it start easily cold and hot, does it idle smoothly, Does it ever stall out? Does it get too hot? Will these questions will be answered by then?
Five hundred miles doesn't seem like a lot of miles to me. Last month I drove 500 miles in a single day, driving down to Santa Ynez and back, to pick up a cabinet that my Wife had purchased. It wasn't a big deal in my truck, but Jag owners can have different ideas. I was reading a post in the forum where the poster stated that he usually only drove his XKR around a thousand miles a year! I don't know why he wouldn't drive it a lot more. Even if he didn't want to drive it to work every day, there are a lot of weekend and vacation trips that I know I would use it for!
Hopefully after these five hundred miles I'll also have the answers to the hoped for emotional connection that I expect to develop by then.
Looking back through my records, mostly forum posts, I'm reminded that I've owned this car four and a half years. Initial mileage when it came under my ownership was somewhere more than 106,000 miles, It just passed 107 k, I find it hard to believe that I managed to put almost one thousand miles on a car that had a bad transmission and initially wasn't really driveable. I just drove it around the immediate neighborhood. I never drove it any further than I wanted to have to walk back! After some repairs were done I ventured further, in longer loops. After replacing the transmission and the tires I've managed to put some miles down.
Things are looking pretty good right now as it running well.
What kind of epiphany am I expecting when the odometer rolls past that magic 500 mile mark? First, I've gotten used to just getting in and out of the car. The XJS is a very low car with a bolstered seat. I don't like to drag myself across the seat so I use a different method. I put my right leg into the foot well, turn at an angle to the left, and lower myself into the seat with my left leg still outside the car. Then I lift and pull my leg back into the car. It's not as hard as it sounds but if I'm parked in a narrow stall then anything goes to get in. At my employee lot at work, the stalls are pretty narrow and my co workers sometimes park pretty poorly, leaving limited space to open the door. There have been times when I have to enter through the passenger side door and crawl over the center console! Getting out is pretty easy. I pivot to the left, stick my left foot and leg outside, bend over, and hook my right elbow over the top of the windshield post, and swing myself out. Again it's easier if I can completely open the door.
I have a coworker that drives a Honda S2000. The gentleman looks to be somewhat older than me, but is a lean, spry little guy. I've watched as he unfolds himself out of that car. One time as I watched him, I said "The hardest part of driving these cars is just trying to get out!" It's no wonder that most old fat guys prefer to drive trucks and SUVs.
Inside, I find the seating position and actual seats to be comfortable. The wheel is adjustable telescopically for reach, but I have it completely forward and the driver's seat completely back. Visibility to the front is excellent, as the long hood drops down neatly, giving a clear view of the roadway. There's a generous view through the rear window, though there are blind spots in the rear quarters due to the sides of the top. At least there's those little quarter windows. Since parking lots are filled with trucks, SUVs and crossovers, backing such a low car out of a stall requires a lot of caution. Visibility is blocked by the vehicle parked next to me. It seems that Today's drivers are so discourteous that they don't want to slow and allow you to back out easily. Usually a blast of the horn warns you that they are zooming by. Overall though, I find visibility to be very good.
Ergonomics are good in that I can reach the headlamps, ventilation controls, radio and glove box while seat belted in. Of course there are column mounted controls for the high beams, cruise control and wipers. I have never liked the instrument panel with the widely set speedo and tach divided by those unusual vertical display gauges. I know that they are supposed to resemble the instruments in a private airplane, but the speedo and tach are just too small, with tiny numbers. (Of course it just could be my aging eyes!)
I much prefer the dash in the face lift models which is almost identical to the one in my XJ6. Just recently as I was grumbling to myself about the dash it occurred to me that the instruments are very similar to the handlebar mounted display of a motorcycle as they are configured similarly, as well as placed a similar distance away. So now I've made peace with the design. Currently the dials are pretty dark at night. I'm going to have to replace a lot of little light bulbs!
Speaking about lighting, I really like the cabin lights. There are two on the outside of the dash as well as two in the cargo area. Especially the "puddle" and red warning lamps that are built in the rear of the doors.
My '89 model was built before key fob controlled power door locks were available. It has a system that is controlled via the door locks. Holding the key in the extreme travel position, open or closed will lock or unlock the doors and deck lid. It's not as intuitive as the key fob systems and I might also might be have some issues with my aging system.
Luggage space is great, the trunk is large and well shaped. My car is a two seat model with a storage locker behind the seats and a large luggage platform. Everyday storage for incidentals can be handled in the glove box, center console, and door pockets.
These may seem like minor things, but day to day livability has a lot to do with how much you enjoy a car. My '70 Mustang coupe had terrible ergonomics. Once belted in with the shoulder harness I couldn't reach the lights, wiper or ventilation controls.
The XJS was produced for a very long time, from 1975 to 1996. That's 21 years! This was not just the continuation of the model name, but 21 years of production of virtually the same car. There were well over 100,000 cars produced. Despite this long period of production, it seems that there aren't many survivors commonly seen on the road. There are many more XK8s seen out and about, and even though they are quite beautiful, they are now seen primarily as just another used car.
The XJS remains as distinctive and it's design is still polarizing as it's ever been. For the most part, it's styling has stood the test of time and it's become more appreciated. These cars have been gaining fans over the last few years. As a car enthusiast I value owning a distinctive car. Something that makes all the head aches and effort worthwhile.
I'm looking to make some decisions. Primarily decisions about spending money and making a commitment.
But at least I've finished my five hundred miles.
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