Right on Jay,
I have owned many British cars from the various marques(Morris, Triumph, MG,
Austin,
Hillman, Rover, and Land Rover) and there are things that I like about all
of them.
If we need to be in an us and them mindset, then lets show our allegiance to
all car
enthusiasts. I've taken my Spit to a few car shows aimed primarily at
American classics
and muscle cars. I get a lot of compliments from the other owners, and while
I can't
see myself owning any of their cars, I can appreciate the love & work they
put into them.
Tolerance is becoming more and more scarce in this world & I think it is
time that we look
at the things we hold in common & not split into smaller and smaller camps.
It must be a
quiet Friday afternoon here in the office, as I don't usually like to ascend
the soapbox.
-Mark
'80 Spitfire
'81 Volvo 245
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-spitfires@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-spitfires@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Jay S Baker
Sent: Friday, May 19, 2000 12:51 PM
To: spitfires@autox.team.net
Subject: The Difference 'tween Triumph and Jaguar owners
I am a lurker, but I have to respond to the recent comments about Jaguar
owners.
I am a very lucky person! I love British autos! And because of this, I have
been
labeled a nut case by just about everyone I work with. I perform ALL of the
work required to keep my families cars on the road. I am an Electrical
Engineer
by trade and I have found that nothing relieves the stress from my work
better
that turning wrench in my spare time.
My daily driver used to be a 1980 Spitfire which I acquired a bit over 4
years ago.
This car became my good weather drive about a year ago when I began driving
a
1993 XJ-6 daily. I have owned the Jaguar for over about 3 1/2 years (my
wife's
car before I inherited it). In the time I have owned these autos I have put
40,000 miles on the Spitfire and 90,000 miles on the Jaguar.
Now let's look at cost of ownership. Yes my Spitfire cost me MUCH less to
purchase originally than the XJ-6. HOWEVER I have put FAR more money into
keeping the Spitfire on the road that I have put into the Jaguar. When I
bought
the Jaguar I paid less for it that I would have paid for a new Honda or
VW. In fact a 3 year old Jetta was being offered for sale for more money
than my 4 year old Jaguar!
Jaguar owners have more money than sense.... NOT!
Jaguar owners never work on their cars.... NOT!
(And I am not alone. Check out the Jaguar-lovers email list(s) and you will
see
the same sort of advice for the person who does his/her own work as you see
on the Spitfire list.)
Jaguars are very expensive to own and operate.... NOT (if you do the
maintenance
yourself and don't buy parts from the dealer)!
Come on people. Please stop the Jaguar owner bashing. We are all riding in
the
same boat (or is that "a similar LBC"). We love these cars for what they are
(and also for what they are not). Don't blast someone for loving a
different
British auto than you. After all most of what you say about the cost and
mentality
of Jaguar ownership can also be said by a MG owner about the owner of a
Triumph.
cheers
jayb
P.S. You might ask why my wife gave up her XJ-6? It is because I needed
something
a bit more reliable than the Spitfire, especially when I need to drive the 3
hours
to San Francisco for work. We looked at several different new cars and
ended up
buying her yet another Jaguar (a 1994 XJS convertible) which cost us a bunch
less money.
It was a win/win/win since we now own three beautiful British Autos! And I
will say
that I REALLY enjoy my 1/2 hour commute (through winding country roads in
the
foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California) no matter which car
I drive!
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