Just returned from Kansas with our "new" '97 XJ6 L !

Hello fellow Jag owners. We're new members to the forums and we live in Northern Connecticut. Recently, we enjoyed one of the "dreams" I'd had for many years. That dream was to fly to a remote destination, buy an exotic, and drive it home. We did just that last Thursday, flying to Kansas City KS, plunking down the bucks, and literally driving home the next day back to CT over a three day period with our "new" car. Its a '97 XJ6 L in Spindrift white and, I must tell you, in 99 point condition. Frankly, I was expecting less. The dealer, who had it listed on eBay, really presented the car properly with great photos and descriptions. However, when I saw it, I could not believe how nice it really was. There is not a scratch on the body, period. The engine bay has NOT been "polished" but is clean. The interior looks to be brand new. It had 79,800 miles on the clock before our trip. And, to boot, everything works! I'm astonished. I figured some convenience system would be disabled but outside of a worn switch (external mirror) the entire car is immaculate. We are truly lucky.

We started our trip on Thursday morning. It was a good test because it was 11 degrees when we woke up. I figured if the car started in that weather we were golden. I was not disappointed.

The first stop we made was to a Walmart so I could buy some "emergency tools" to have on the ride home. We flew there without any checked luggage so necessities like screwdrivers and pliers were verboten in our carryons. Now I have a nice small kit in the boot. I also included some ring clamps and, of course, duct tape! LOL

The ride home was amazingly smooth. We stayed with friends in Evansville and also in Pittsburgh and arrived home in Enfield at 6pm on Sunday evening having traveled precisely 1489.1 miles. For that we burned 62 gallons of high-test. That means we beat 24 mpg all the way across. On Sunday alone, however, we got 26 miles to the gallon. Pretty amazing. Those numbers actually reflect what Jag says they should reflect.

So we are now happy campers. I've make a couple of contacts already through the Jag-Lover's forum from the UK but would prefer to rub shoulders with US owners if that's ok. I'm confident that you have a lot of local sources and expierences as shown in the forum.

Oh! I did discover that the rear view mirror has "failed" and, according to another Jag owner down in Southern Ct, it can be replaced by Magna Donnely under some type of guarantee. I've called twice with no reply. The contact I was provided no longer works there.

So, that's it. I'm sure I'll be poking here for tidbits as time moves forward and things need adjustment or repair. I've owned many many Brit cars over the years, including an XKE at one time. This car, however, is by far one of the nicest I've been in. And we specifically wanted the '97 as it was the last year for the "6".

Great forum! Look forward to chiming in from time to time.

Rome