Kingfisher Blue, Saville Grey interior
25/01/2008 – 8/9/2009
1 year, 7 months, 15 days
Purchased for: £750
The exact opposite of my straining-on-the-lead 205 GTI, the XJ6 – with its cosseting leather interior, creamy 4 litre straight six, and lazy automatic gearbox – was exactly the car for the road train-littered commute which had been so frustrating during my time in the Pug. Arguably the swap even made good financial sense, it being a cheaper car to buy and to insure, though on the flipside it would be wrong not to mention the single digit “instant consumption” figures and a general penchant for chomping through fuel.
Despite their less-than-stellar reputation this particular 90s Jaguar was nigh on faultless during my ownership; it was also my first experience of a “luxury car”. After two spartan classics and a featherweight hot hatch features like remote central locking, electric windows and mirrors, guide-me-home lights, and the surging power of a big displacement engine were a proper treat – they made the commute bearable and brought a living-room-like comfort to holiday jaunts up the motorway too. However, a chance test-drive in a Mk1 MX-5 (which I found a bit… puddingy) put me back in fidget mode and before long the Jaguar was sold to make way for something considerably smaller.