Fixing or replacing the transmission wasn't the nail in the coffin. It came down to the other maintenance I had planned for the car, which included new tires, suspension work, and at some point, the timing chain tensioners. As the maintenance compounded it became more obvious that simply fixing the transmission wasn't going to end the stress or cap the money pit that I knew this car was becoming.
I loved my Jaguar, and as I expressed in my previous post, I had a lot of history wrapped up in that car. If I had deeper pockets I could maybe justify saving it, but ultimately, sacrificing all of my extra income to keep her just seemed like a waste when it would come at the expense of all of the other things I'd like to do. I really thought about my decision for a good week before making up my mind, but I have no regrets.
So, my new car hunt began shortly after this. Meanwhile, my old Jag sat in the driveway at my folks place. Instead of trying to sell the car as is, I decided I wanted to salvage as much of my Jag as I could myself - partly to sell some of it, but largely for personal mementos.
After the last week the result of my handy-work is pretty apparent. My Jag has never looked more depressing. I took off the headlights, grill, a few of the sensors, the new throttle body I put in, all of the badges, some of the paneling, the taillights, my custom gearshift knob, and even the never-used alloy in the trunk. Anything that was convenient to remove (or that I knew I could sell easily), I took.
What's next is a call to the auto-wrecker to come and take the car away, and that will be that. The story has pretty much reached a conclusion now, and my adventures in my XJ8 are certainly over. I wouldn't rule out buying an XK sports car when I decide it's time for a mid-life crisis though.
I'm giving the imports a break for the time being, and after feeling betrayed by my Jaguar I thought it would be best to go domestic. I honestly couldn't be happier with my new wheels - click here to have a look!
bit surprised. new set of wheels costs too. good luck!
ReplyDeleteNew wheels do cost too, but for the money I would've spent on repairs this year, I essentially got a newer everything in a lower mileage luxury car. If I didn't need a daily driver it might have been a different story, but even with all of the regular maintenance I had done on my Jag, her reliability was clearly becoming a serious issue. In the end, it's no fun if you put as much into your car as I did and still feel that you can't trust it. The kicker was mostly that cosmetically my Jag was still in beautiful condition.
Deleteunderstand. my philosophy with old cars has been a bit different. after repairs i know that part of the wheels is done for sure and therefore better than investing in something newer but still secondhand and something not as familiar to me. this way, for example, my 42 year old volvo has proven to be the most reliable car i've ever had, I've myself driven 140K with it (has 272K in total), annual costs are minimal and will never sell it. my xj still has to prove her case, but 12K and a year after so-far-so-good (although did invest on costly tensioners)... anyway, best of luck with your chrysler!
ReplyDeleteThanks, and I certainly see where you're coming from. My Jag was a great car while she lasted, and you never know, I still have plenty of time to own another Jag in my future :)
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