The End of the Affair.
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| Metaphorically speaking of course! I actually saw this movie. |
I might suppose that involvement in an Affair is something that is propelled by romance, excitement, lust and the desire for adventure. Whether it's involving humans or cars, many of the same factors might apply. Owning an older Jaguar is definitely not something that a reasonable person would want to get involved with. It's all about the romance.
I suppose that it could be seen as kind of sad that I never made a real commitment to my XJS. I've had the car for well over five years, but it just sort of sat around. It never became a priority. I did do some work on it. I changed out the transmission myself, lying on my back in the garage. I changed the plugs and ignition module. I even spent the bucks for a new set of tires and a new battery, which was one of my first expenses.
Currently it still needs some ABS work, maybe an accumulator ball. a new convertible top, interior work, and of course, the front suspension. It's always the suspension.
It actually runs quite well and starts easily.
At least until Today!
The last time I took it out onto the driveway, it ran out of gas. I thought that maybe the temp sender unit had died again, so I pulled the socket and jumped the terminals. Eventually I put gas in the car and it started fine.
I had forgotten to reattach the plug and the car wouldn't start. I cranked and cranked with no result. I tried to push the car out of the garage so that I could open the hood and take a look. I could only move the car a couple of feet, I know that the thing is heavy, but I can usually get it out. I was discouraged and sweating, the tow was coming today to pick up the car! Of course on the day I was going to sell it, that was the day that it acted up! I couldn't even open the hood since the front of it was under the "drive under" table.
Maybe something was blocking the wheels? I had seen a yoga mat ( not mine!) that fell off the table, but ignored it in my haste. As it turns out it fell under the right front wheel and was like a parking chock, the wheel couldn't roll over it. I checked under the car and saw it, so I fished it out and resumed pushing. I moved it far enough to open the hood and saw that I had forgotten to reconnect the coolant temp sender plug. I snapped it on, and the car started immediately!
I backed it into the driveway and let it heat up. I had connected my new jumper box for the last few tries which kept the battery from going flat. So it looks like the sale will go through.
So why didn't I want to keep it?
That is the question.
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| "A thing of beauty remains a joy forever" Unfortunately, a pain in the rear lasts just about as long. |
Like all affairs it started out quite passionately, I was determined that I was going to bring this car up to an outstanding level. The car itself was a worthy enough candidate. It was certainly a handsome car with an outstanding pedigree. My particular example was well preserved, especially for an older Jag. Many times these spend years in "storage." Sometimes well protected, other times not. Of course, it needed "things," wasn't that part of the attraction? I was hoping that we would become a team, beating back all the haters and would end up triumphant.
It could have happened, maybe it even should have happened, but it didn't.
Perhaps because I never actually bonded with the car. I never got a chance to drive and enjoy the car ...ever. It was never a real runner. I was able to drive it short distances for short periods, and that was it. I have always been a firm believer that the auto/human connection develops through interaction. You have to use the car, you have to drive the car, it's important to go places in the car. While I have always liked cars, I have always liked driving and going places more.
I didn't overlook the car because I didn't have the extra money. I'd been saving up money for awhile. When I finally accumulated a few extra bucks, I ran off and bought my 2006 Mustang! I preferred to spend the money on a different car, not spend it on the Jag.
When I finally decided that I would be willing to pay a mechanic to work on my car, I found that I couldn't find a decent shop. One shop didn't want to work on such an old car, "Where's the service history?" they asked, another didn't know what they were doing, they wrote me up an order for almost ten thousand dollars worth of work, without mentioning the visibly shredded lower arm bushings. My regular mechanic politely but firmly declined.
Then I accumulated a few more extra bucks, and instead of spending it fixing up the Jag, I find myself looking for something different.
I'm always looking for new cars to drive, but I certainly had to get rid of some from my existing stable.
The dilemma has been that I haven't been able to sell the Jaguar. I tried on the Jaguar forum, as well as the AACA forum, but there was never even a nibble. I couldn't believe that there was nobody out there that wanted it. I kind of decided that I would just have to hold onto it. It might be worth a little money sometime in the future.
So that left the '96 Mustang. Though I didn't really want to sell it. I have invested a lot of time, money, and heart into this car, and it's been good to me. It is in great driving shape. This is the kind of car that could appeal to a high school age kid. It is certainly cheap enough, but for an under 25 year old male, the insurance would be too high. By the time that same kid hit 25, he would probably have a decent job and would be looking for a newer or nearly new model. I remember how I had offered the car to the guys at the oil change place, and the smog station, While they liked the car, they just weren't interested. I see it as a perfect starter hobby car for the mature car collector. Something that is dependable enough to use daily, but nice enough and interesting enough to take to Cars and Coffee events and drive it as a hobby car. It was perfect for someone...like me.
I have seriously considered selling it, but I didn't think that I would be able to find the right buyer. I tried to sell it on the AACA forum. No dice. I dreaded putting it on CraigsList! It's not that I really wanted to sell it, but I needed the space, I couldn't add another car to the mix, one had to go, but I didn't think that it would, or could be, the Jag.
Lately, I've had my eye on a Lincoln Navigator, don't ask me why, but I've always liked the earlier models, especially the 2002 and up with the upgraded interior. I also like the front end with the Mark type grille. It is kind of big, about as big as my F150. I also like the Aviator, which looks almost Identical to the Navigator. The Aviator had higher spec chassis and brake specs, a German steering rack, as well as the Mach One motor. A DOHC, 32 Valve 4.6 V8 producing 302 hp. It was the hot rod Lincoln SUV, and it also has that beautiful interior. These are based on the Explorer platform, so they are smaller and narrower, easier to park and maneuver. I did like driving my '97 V8 Explorer.
I saw a green Navigator on CL that became an object of fascination. The feeling became so strong that I even made the long trek out to Rancho Cordova. I just had to see it and see if that would get it out of my mind. For several reasons this purchase didn't work out, but I kept looking and then found an Aviator, also in Sac, where else?
I always want a "new" car, but I need to make some space. I reasoned, "If I'm going to lose money selling one of my cars, why should it be my Mustang? I love that car. Why not sell the Jag that I'm kind of indifferent to? But could I really sell it? Nobody seemed to want it.
I had sold my XJ6 on Carvio, but when I contacted them about my XJS and my Mustang, I never even heard back from them. Talk about a hard rejection!
So I thought that I'd look into one of those online junk car pick up services. That would give me my bottom line price. Even if they only offered me 700.00, that would be something. If that was the case, I thought that I would call a Jaguar forum member that I met at the Blackhawk show, and offer him the car for 700.00.
I tried the site, Peddle. I entered my car's information and the quick offer was 2,640.00. Well, I could live with that, so I continued through the process and the offer went up to 3,340.00. Now, that was more like it, so I accepted the offer.
This is a significant episode in my automotive life. It is the closing of a chapter that will probably not be revisited. Chances are that I will never desire to own another Jaguar, or any other European car. There are people that enjoy having a more challenging and demanding automotive relationship, but I've discovered that it sure ain't me! Give me a Ford!
Besides the money, the most important thing is that this decision will allow me to keep the '96 Mustang. I told my Wife that I could keep that car until my dying day. And now, there will be room in the garage for both of my Mustangs!
I am sure that I will find something to fill that spot in the driveway!
We all have heard that old saying, "That it is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all."
I will agree that is absolutely true, especially if you can end the affair with a check in your hand!
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