Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

Compromises.

My XJS seen in it's natural habitat.

I've been getting out of town a bit since the pandemic has stabilized, at least in my part of the State. But we are still very careful.

My Wife and I were travelling south on Interstate 5 south of Fresno, when I noticed a somewhat familiar form traveling n/b approaching me across the roadway. I identified it a few seconds before it passed by. "Wow, that's an XJS!" My Wife looked up from her phone and asked. "What's so unusual about that? You almost never see one in the Wild."  I replied, "Most of them are seen in garages or parked forlornly in some driveway." She turned her attention back to her phone and I was again left alone with my thoughts.

I spend a lot of time thinking things over while driving on a long trip. We were in the process of a seven plus hour drive, so I had plenty of time.

Why was I so surprised? Probably because I doubt that my XJS will ever be in good enough shape to handle a long road trip. I guess that I should really be embarrassed to admit such a conviction. 

Why? Because it's an admission that I'm not up to the task of sorting the thing out and short of the commitment and energy to seeing the task through.

My car finally earned it's spot in the garage.
It likes it so much it doesn't get out much.

I went to look at a 2005 XJ8 when I was in Southern California last summer. It was white with a light tan interior. There were a couple of dings and scrapes on the outside but the interior was gorgeous. The interior of a late model Jaguar is really like no other type of car. The quality and the detailing is outstanding. The car seemed fine mechanically but there was an annoying dinging chime that would go off occasionally. It turns out to be the proximity sensor. I remember all the threads I'd been reading in the Jaguar forums concerning these models. Timing chains, air suspension, cooling system fragility, electronic gremlins, and those proximity sensors. My Wife really seemed to like the car, and it sure seemed that she would actually like to drive it also. I knew that this car was very vulnerable to sustaining catastrophic damage whenever it suffers a mechanical failure. In other words, if a warning indicator lights up, you have to stop the engine immediately or terminal damage will result. 

I just can't see putting my Wife in that situation. 

While I, and other faithful readers of the Jaguar forum, understand that reality and would do our best to shut it down before permanent damage resulted, most other drivers would not. They would not want to pull over immediately on the freeway, stop in what they think might be a dangerous location, or put up with the inconvenience of not reaching their destination.  They would be likely to just keep on driving until they get somewhere "safe." Consequences be damned!

photo source:pintrest
Just throw the empties on the rear floorboard.

Just pack all of this in your trunk.
photosource:autoweek.com

All that is understandable. Most people drive cars for transportation. They expect their car to fulfill that purpose.  Without a lot of uncertainty, coddling, suspense, or expense. When they were younger and poorer they had to put up with hassles like that. Sometimes their cars would overheat, sometimes minor (hopefully!) leaks required them to refill the oil or even the brake fluid reservoir as needed. The battery or starter would fail, old, worn tires would blow out or suffer a puncture. Maybe they even kept a spare fan belt close at hand, along with the necessary array of hand tools. They carried jugs of water  and jumper cables in the trunk and especially, plenty of dimes! Remember how we carried them to use with the pay phones we depended on before cell phones? They had to be prepared, and they had to have a plan. This kind of uncertainty was accepted and even taken for granted, wondering whether or not we would make it to our destination on time, or even at all! Those were the days when you only drove where and when you had to, and you always had to have an alternate plan. 

Don't leave home without them. I didn't

Still you knew that once you had a good steady job, you'd get rid of that old clunker and get yourself something much newer, only a few years old. Maybe even your first brand new car! With that new car came the greatest of freedom of all, the ability to take an impromptu road trip! It really didn't matter what kind of car you bought. The best car that you could afford was the guideline. Over time, if your fortunes improved, you would have a greater choice, and maybe even someday buy something that you really wanted. 

A new car meant freedom. Plain and simple. 

Freedom from worries about reliability.  Freedom from restrictions on your travel choices. Freedom from suffering in a hot stuffy car. Ah, the luxury of working a/c! Freedom from the constant vigilance of checking fluid levels, monitoring the health of the myriad components and systems that your car depends on, and therefore you depend on. 

My Dad once provided me with a real nugget of wisdom; That people drive what they can afford. 

If you can afford a new car of some type, then most people will. If not, a used car that is only a couple of years old can be just about as reliable. Cars are so well built today that a well maintained car of up to ten years of age can be a pretty safe choice.

Unless you are a die hard enthusiast, we are made of sterner stuff. (Really?) We are not only willing to compromise, we welcome the opportunity!

In order to own cars that we "like" we are willing to buy vintage cars or older versions of the current models that we want. For example, I wanted a Mustang GT convertible. I'd like to have purchased a new one, but as a hobby car, I couldn't afford it. So I found an example that met my needs. The car is old, with a lot of miles, but it was in very good condition. It hasn't needed an extraordinary amount of repair, and has rewarded me with the satisfaction that I was seeking. 

Other car enthusiasts know exactly what I'm talking about, they all do the same thing.

We will continue to do that until we run out of discretionary money, storage space, time, energy, and gumption. It's a familiar story.

I know that I'm starting to run low on those resources

But we can't forget that "that" decision is a conscious choice.

Most regular, "normal" people choose another path. I can't say that I blame them.