Beschreibung
Whenever I look at a car for sale I always wonder why it is really up for sale. So I shall honestly explain my reasons for not only the sale of my Jaguar, but also the purchase.
After wanting an XJ40 since they came out in 1986, I treated myself to one after my wife sadly lost her fight with cancer. I bought it because I felt that life was short and that after all that had happened, this would be a great project and a welcome distraction through the difficult times I faced. It was, and so much more. My nine year old son and I have had some great days out and weekends away in this lovely car. All his friends ask him for a ride in it and we have made some great memories with it.
I have now met someone and we all spend our weekends doing other things. As a result, I am not using the Jaguar as much as it probably would like. To be honest, it has been a brilliant distraction, but I no longer need to be distracted. I can now say that I have owned one and it was all that I had wanted it to be. So maybe it is time to move on and enjoy other things.
Here follows the information that is more important about the car, rather than my life:
Originally supplied by Stratstone of Mayfair, London, this XJ40 stayed with its original owner until I bought it. It was his chauffeur driven company car from new and stayed with him after retirement, becoming a treasured and well looked after member of the family.
The first thing I did after buying it was send it to my local bodyshop for a thorough strip down and inspection for rust, (behind front wings, boot, bulkhead etc.). After a very light amount of remedial work it needed the steering and suspension sorting out. A leading Jaguar specialist replaced the steering rack, wishbone bushes and ball joints. Then it had a full service, replacing all fluids, filters and the thermostat. After this it needed new tyres, so 4 new Falken tyres were fitted earlier this year to get it handling as a Jaguar should.
It doesn't present the common XJ40 problems. It is a battery under bonnet model, without a sunroof and does not have any bulkhead corrosion problems, the air conditioning works perfectly and gets icy cold on a summer's day, the headlining has not dropped at all and the boot and floorpans are bone dry. It also comes with side rubbing strips and rear privacy blinds, which still work. I have a full set of working keys, including the green valet key. Some service history also comes with the car. I will be honest and say that the central locking does not work, but this has been diagnosed as a faulty driver's door solenoid.
I have fitted a Becker Grand Prix (iPod and Bluetooth) head unit which I would be open to sensible offers on. These fetch around £300 on eBay, being a very rare unit. Otherwise I shall refit the Jaguar head unit, or an Alpine that I have.
I have now got this car just how I wanted it be. A simple check of its MOT history will reveal the to do list that I worked from. Since the last MOT test, the tyres were fitted.
In the last couple of months this has been all over Norfolk, Suffolk and the East of England, covering around 1800 miles. and it has not missed a beat. It starts well from hot and cold, the gear changes are smooth and there is no noise from the differential. It averaged 26. 7 mpg on the last run. She currently is sitting at 118, 400 miles.
I have many more photos than the 6 listed here and would be happy to e-mail any desired photograph of the car to a serious potential buyer.
I am not open to canvassers, overseas buyers or anyone wanting a trip down memory lane (bad previous experience). If a test drive is required, please be sure to have suitable insurance coverage.
Many thanks for looking.
