Right... think everyone is aware that my love affair with 7-type sportscars is still very much on, but medical practicality (spine damage) is ruling it out!



So arranging to sell the Radical SR3 that I was going to IVA, the Ultima Spyder chassis and bodywork that has come to nothing, the Audi RS4 V8 engine I was building and the supercharged Blackbird engine that was going in the Radical! Chassis.

An 'interesting' classic would be my first choice. So, in a moment of madness I bought a Lotus Europa... harder to get into than a 7!

I keep coming back to one car though... a last edition (94-96) Jaguar XJS 6.0 V12. Not ridiculously priced as the market has still not decided on whether it will become a classic, so can get a very good one for £7k. Do I just go for it and spend my time pampering it and only cruising on a Sunday afternoon, or am I off my rocker!?

Suggestions required please chaps and chapesses!

Classic, comfy, a looker and reasonably priced!

with the Ultima Spyder chassis and bodywork you must be well happy,just wish i had such a project your so so lucky or rich.

if you ever fancy donating the radical or ultima with engines to a good cause...


i love the XJS, i saw a cracking one for sale near me a good few years ago for about £5k i really wanted it, but would have been a terrible idea at my age lol i was 23 at the time i think..

i think you should do it, a good soft comfy car

Hmmmmm well.......a lovely looking car inside, and for you, slightly more practical than a 7-esque (or europa) to get in and out of....

The bad points......prone to rot.....parts pretty pricey and about 6-16 mpg, depending how heavy your right foot is...

However the 'ford' XJS's (later ones) are more sorted as far as the 'rot' goes....so perhaps that wont be as much of a problem...

A great touring car (with a following tanker of course), you wont feel as though you have done a long journey!

If it is an auto, always, but always, use the handbrake....don't just rely on 'park'.....
If the previous owner/s have not done the above, the rear callipers are prone to seize (if they are inboard)...that can be a right ar%e to put right.....

The worse thing you can do, is leave them standing around, or just use for short journeys.....things tend to go wrong.....

HTH Fozzie

Fozzie....

What about one of these...?
Linky
If you needed alt. controls, a tiptronic might be just the ticket.

Not sure an old Jag is a logical step from a 7, apart from being comfortable.

How about an Elise or VX220? Admittedly they are not as easy to get in and out as the average tintop, but not too bad and you get a similar kind of 'raw' driving experience that a 7 would give. They are reasonably comfortable as well, I went to Le Mans and back in my brothers and I could still walk at the end!

Supercharged MX5? Someone on another forum has one and it's an impressively quick machine. They aren't very exciting in standard form though IMO.

[Edited on 16/8/09 by MikeRJ]

Porsche Cayman. Has to be more fun that most of everything mentioned, except maybe the Elise, which would be hard to get into.

What about a morgan or the merlin sportster type- should be quite a bit easier to get in and out of? They have doors and such.
Dale

[Edited on 17/8/09 by Dale]

I have to ask - what sort of spine damage have you suffered from? I only ask since I have 2 collapsed discs, and 4 months of physio and 3 paravertebral injections have almost entirely cured it for me. I hope I'm not being too nosey, I just want to let you know that some spines can be fixed before you sell something you may later regret?

Ed.

Some good suggestions there folks... keep 'em coming!

Nope - not rich... just bought at the right price (i.e. LOW!). Bear in mind that the Spyder is a 1998 design and is now obsolete... most of the Can-Am parts are straight bolt-ons, but the Spyder is not de-riguer in Ultima circles, so a chassis / bodywork is worth precisely squat!

I've had a VX220 and an Exige... both fabulous, and both tremendously comfy once inside, but getting in / out is a non-starter.

Thanks for the Jaaaaaag info Fozzie. Thought that's why I should go the V12 route... not making good money right now, but if the XJS ever became a classic, then I reckon that is the one to pamper! Would definitely be a 'facelift' car... couldn't be arsed with the rot!

My spine? Missing 5 discs. Only problem is that whilst they were all herniating over the years, they were compressing my spinal canal, so have caused permanent nerve damage which affects my lower back / legs!

Bt p*ssed off about the whole thing as the pain started when I was 22 and was dismissed time and time again by GP's, Consultants, Occy Health Bods, etc. as wear and tear! Treat with painkillers and physio (neither worked!). Asked for an MRI many times, but issue was always fudged. Went to work in Bosnia for 2 years and a couple of months into my stint went to the German military med-cell to get painkillers for my back... oh-no - we're giving you nothing until we've seen an MRI scan. Done 24 hours later and the nasty damage revealed - could all have been trimmed over the years if caught earlier and monitored!

Imagine that - having to go to post-war Bosnia for a PROPER medical diagnosis! NH-BLOODY-S!

PS - Lost my crutch on the train at the weekend (was going to the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, but had to return home early as couldn't cope - was sat so near the exit, I just shufled off the carriage with the help of the handrails and left it behind... only realised after the doors had closed and I was wondering why I felt like I was about to fall over!). Anyway, off to see Pearl Jam play in Manchester tonight... that should be quite a sight - me walking from the car park to the arena without my crutch. Will look like an extra from the MJ 'Thriller' video... LOL!

Typically my local Physio Dept do not have any crutches in stock... will have to order one (and pay for it cos I lost the last one - that's fair enough though).

quote:

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Originally posted by MikeRJ
Not sure an old Jag is a logical step from a 7, apart from being comfortable.

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OR



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And then it's a BIGGER OR!



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OR

What about a 3.2L 265bhp straight-six. exclusivity (one of 176), hugely comfortable, beautiful condition, likely to depreciate extremely slowly, and XJS money....

Can you guess what it is yet?

If you like Jaguar stuff, you might like one of these:



SS100

Access is very good, with wide doors and relatively high seats.

It's one of those kits that I would build if I had the money - they're so accurate that the SS100 owner's club will admit their owners as members - party because they're the only place that they can get newly-made spares for the original cars!

Down-side - expect to pay £30K+ to make a good example.

That is really terrible about your back, I can think of nothing more frustrating!

If you decide you want to get rid of the ultima chassis and bodywork and possibly the audi V8... I may well be tempted

quote:

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Originally posted by tegwin
That is really terrible about your back, I can think of nothing more frustrating!

If you decide you want to get rid of the ultima chassis and bodywork and possibly the audi V8... I may well be tempted

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im with steve hignett on this one

I,ve ran three XJS's V12, 2 x 4litre one auto one manual.

I would be looking at a late 4litre manual, it wa sthe fastest and the most enjoyable one to own.

However at £7k its got to be an XK8 surely, I run one now and its a far better car.

quote:

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Originally posted by David Jenkins
If you like Jaguar stuff, you might like one of these:



SS100

Access is very good, with wide doors and relatively high seats.

It's one of those kits that I would build if I had the money - they're so accurate that the SS100 owner's club will admit their owners as members - party because they're the only place that they can get newly-made spares for the original cars!

Down-side - expect to pay £30K+ to make a good example.

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Wakey Wakey!

I'd be buying a Cobra.

Mike

Just thinking out of the box - what you need is something that you can step right into without raising or lowering yourself too much but is really fun to drive, reliable and not too heavy on fuel so:

Subaru Forester 2.5 XT modified to full STi specs, the STi engine and suspension bits bolt right in and are cheap second hand with 250kW easy to achieve and it would only be a second or two a lap slower than an equivalently tuned STi on the track but really comfortable to get in & out and very chuckable on the road..

And would stick to anything at virtually any speed! Except gravel and ice. Hint. You could rally it from time to time and have a blast. The only knock I've heard about them is that they feel a lot like an Audi unless pushed.

Would love a late JDM Spec STi (last model before they made 'the thing!', but too common.

I think the emphasis has to be 'sense of occasion' when driving whatever car I choose. Hence my thinking along the lines of a 1994-1996 6.0 V12 Jag XJS.

The other thing is... it must be pretty much immaculate as I can just about do the TLC work to keep a car immaculate, but there's no was I can do any serious repair work in the state I'm in now, so that rules out a lot of the 60's, 70's and 80's cars (unless someone else has done all the hard work for me and it's priced right.... sorted older 911's ain't cheap - but, yes, would love one though!).

Tatra 603
Saab 96 2-Stroke

No other cars on the planet are as awesome as the above. Sense of occassion with both, with the tatra the occassion is that you're a communist, imagine pulling up to any event in the tatra. Awesome