Well, I realise that, in theory, I have started this thread 6 years late, (it is exactly 6 late years today, at 11:36 hrs, to be precise), here is my ownership thread for my 2006 Jaguar XK Convertible, 4.2 NA, which Mrs Villanova and I were delighted to take ownership of on 22nd July 2017.
As well as trying to keep posting current milestones, event and such like, I will be posting 'on this day in my Jaguar ownership history' items over the next 12 months to get the thread up to speed.
But first, a bit of background. Back in 1994, Mrs V and me were in the Lake District, and I said that, one day, we would have to get a nice drop-top sports car as it would be the ideal way to enjoy such getaways. A slow germinating seed had thus been sown. Over the intervening years, there would be the occasional reference to this or that, or indeed the other, making the ideal touring sports car, but financial realities meant that it was not happening, and the pipe dream remained stuffed into said pipe.
At some point during the Noughties, (I think), Quentin Wilson did a documentary or feature, or suchlike, which focussed on the Jaguar XJS. Even though it was a car programme, Mrs V. watched too. Now, being a petrol-head, Jaguar V12s had always had a bit of a magical hold on me, (I'm not mechanical so I've never had to worry about working on one...), (and I couldn't afford one, so I didn't have to worry about paying someone else to work on it either 😁 ). The idea of a V12 XJS really started to appeal to me. I am sure that I probably kept mentioning that fact whilst we were watching. None of this was helped by Quentin signing off by dropping a ginormous C-bomb. He said that if you're getting a Jag, get a Convertible; "drop-top Jags always sell", he added. Well, that was me well and truly sold, and Mrs V. was quite happy to follow Quentin's expert advise. And the slowly germinating seed suddenly had a deluge of BabyBio and Miracle Gro. It was still germinating slowly, but it definitely was not going to die, and memories of watching the TWR touring cars at Silverstone helped to stoke the flames. Top-down touring round the Lakes looked like it would, one day, actually happen.
Fast forward to the 2nd half of 2016, and the seed is threatening to sprout. Looking at online classic cars adverts and day-dreaming of frittering the junior Villanovas' inheritances away, I came across a rather nice XK8 Convertible that really caught my eye, my imagination and my attention, (P plate, colour similar to Sea Frost over tan). And the price was noticeably affordable without me having to commit any level of fiscal suicide. It was very interesting... The only thing that stopped me was it was in Glasgow and an 8-hour round trip to look at a car I had no experience of didn't seem the cleverest idea, even to me. Besides which, other things were happening throughout the rest of 2016 that made Glaswegian car shopping trips a bit of a non-starter.
But I kept looking at the advert, I kept day-dreaming, and I kept talking about it. And Mrs V. was not saying, 'no'... I also started looking at newer XK8s, because the car was going to live outside and rust was always going to be a problem. Going into 2017, I had started looking at XKs too, because the all-Aluminium construction ticked a very big box. The price of a well-maintained XK8 was the same as an early XK. And in my personal opinion, the XK Convertible is just a stunning looking beast of a thing and better looking than it predecessor. An X150 XK it was going to be! The Autotrader app was downloaded and searches saved. Ideal specifications were formulated; dark blue ideally, 2nd choice light blue, 3rd choice gunmetal grey, (an outside chance of gold or metallic green); preferably ivory interior but would consider tan; 20" wheels a must, Sentas or similar, 19"s at a push; XK or XKR didn't matter as long as it was good mileage and in budget. I joined this forum in January 2017 to help me research what I needed to know. There were, (and still are), plenty of wonderfully helpful people on here, plenty of useful advise, and generous knowledgeable people who would kindly offer to come a view any prospective purchase without the bank-busting Jag-tinted vision.
And so, on this day in 2017, Mrs V. and I caught the train to Nottingham, to head over to Alan Tully Cars, to collect our car, the one I had checked out with my Jag-tinted vision set to 'totally blinkered, beyond besotted'...
The Indigo Blue over Ivory one, with 20" Sentas and only 62K on the clock; as I say, Jag-tinted vision set to 'totally blinkered, beyond besotted'...
Oh, and it was beyond budget by what I considered to be a manageable amount; as I say, Jag-tinted vision set to 'totally blinkered, beyond besotted'...
Despite my trembling hands and my inability to think straight, the deal and the paperwork were concluded. The seed had germinated, sprouted, blossomed and born fruit! This was it, this was actually it! The roof went down, a single Matt Munro song was put in the CD player, and Mrs Villanova and I set off on our Jaguar adventure...
As well as trying to keep posting current milestones, event and such like, I will be posting 'on this day in my Jaguar ownership history' items over the next 12 months to get the thread up to speed.
But first, a bit of background. Back in 1994, Mrs V and me were in the Lake District, and I said that, one day, we would have to get a nice drop-top sports car as it would be the ideal way to enjoy such getaways. A slow germinating seed had thus been sown. Over the intervening years, there would be the occasional reference to this or that, or indeed the other, making the ideal touring sports car, but financial realities meant that it was not happening, and the pipe dream remained stuffed into said pipe.
At some point during the Noughties, (I think), Quentin Wilson did a documentary or feature, or suchlike, which focussed on the Jaguar XJS. Even though it was a car programme, Mrs V. watched too. Now, being a petrol-head, Jaguar V12s had always had a bit of a magical hold on me, (I'm not mechanical so I've never had to worry about working on one...), (and I couldn't afford one, so I didn't have to worry about paying someone else to work on it either 😁 ). The idea of a V12 XJS really started to appeal to me. I am sure that I probably kept mentioning that fact whilst we were watching. None of this was helped by Quentin signing off by dropping a ginormous C-bomb. He said that if you're getting a Jag, get a Convertible; "drop-top Jags always sell", he added. Well, that was me well and truly sold, and Mrs V. was quite happy to follow Quentin's expert advise. And the slowly germinating seed suddenly had a deluge of BabyBio and Miracle Gro. It was still germinating slowly, but it definitely was not going to die, and memories of watching the TWR touring cars at Silverstone helped to stoke the flames. Top-down touring round the Lakes looked like it would, one day, actually happen.
Fast forward to the 2nd half of 2016, and the seed is threatening to sprout. Looking at online classic cars adverts and day-dreaming of frittering the junior Villanovas' inheritances away, I came across a rather nice XK8 Convertible that really caught my eye, my imagination and my attention, (P plate, colour similar to Sea Frost over tan). And the price was noticeably affordable without me having to commit any level of fiscal suicide. It was very interesting... The only thing that stopped me was it was in Glasgow and an 8-hour round trip to look at a car I had no experience of didn't seem the cleverest idea, even to me. Besides which, other things were happening throughout the rest of 2016 that made Glaswegian car shopping trips a bit of a non-starter.
But I kept looking at the advert, I kept day-dreaming, and I kept talking about it. And Mrs V. was not saying, 'no'... I also started looking at newer XK8s, because the car was going to live outside and rust was always going to be a problem. Going into 2017, I had started looking at XKs too, because the all-Aluminium construction ticked a very big box. The price of a well-maintained XK8 was the same as an early XK. And in my personal opinion, the XK Convertible is just a stunning looking beast of a thing and better looking than it predecessor. An X150 XK it was going to be! The Autotrader app was downloaded and searches saved. Ideal specifications were formulated; dark blue ideally, 2nd choice light blue, 3rd choice gunmetal grey, (an outside chance of gold or metallic green); preferably ivory interior but would consider tan; 20" wheels a must, Sentas or similar, 19"s at a push; XK or XKR didn't matter as long as it was good mileage and in budget. I joined this forum in January 2017 to help me research what I needed to know. There were, (and still are), plenty of wonderfully helpful people on here, plenty of useful advise, and generous knowledgeable people who would kindly offer to come a view any prospective purchase without the bank-busting Jag-tinted vision.
And so, on this day in 2017, Mrs V. and I caught the train to Nottingham, to head over to Alan Tully Cars, to collect our car, the one I had checked out with my Jag-tinted vision set to 'totally blinkered, beyond besotted'...
The Indigo Blue over Ivory one, with 20" Sentas and only 62K on the clock; as I say, Jag-tinted vision set to 'totally blinkered, beyond besotted'...
Oh, and it was beyond budget by what I considered to be a manageable amount; as I say, Jag-tinted vision set to 'totally blinkered, beyond besotted'...
Despite my trembling hands and my inability to think straight, the deal and the paperwork were concluded. The seed had germinated, sprouted, blossomed and born fruit! This was it, this was actually it! The roof went down, a single Matt Munro song was put in the CD player, and Mrs Villanova and I set off on our Jaguar adventure...
