10th Jun 2024, 15:22
2024 and I still have the car - my partner uses it most for child related activities as it’s such an easy car to drive. I get to give it a blast every so often and have taken it on a couple of cross country runs over the last months.
Issues:
Welding up the off-side sills - there was much less rust than the near side. Should be good for another decade or so.
Broken headlight - the internal adjuster bracket finally gave up. I put a reconditioned one in myself, not wanting to apply the free “Brutal” fix. While in there, fitted new HID D2S bulbs - they really do get dimmer after more than a decade of use.
Minor leak out of a coolant pipe, easy swap out.
Nothing else but tyres, fuel and servicing. 112,000 miles on the clock.
13th Dec 2021, 14:55
Another update now that I've finally hit 100,000 miles.
The car continues to go and go: performance, handling and comfort unchanged. It has become the family workhorse, oddly enough since it is a 400hp saloon.
I've spent a little more on it in recently - after all it's 14 years old now.
I got the rear suspension arms replaced (as above). They were 'okay' but I had a drive to Berlin planned and wanted the car in top condition for the autobahn. The pandemic put paid to that, unfortunately. Last year I had a new air-con radiator fitted.
This year is the biggest work so far, as rust has finally shown up. As I type, the car is over at the local Jag centre having the nearside inner and outer sills replaced, and some patching into the floor. With no other issues evident (the plastic underfloor trim being removed for the first time) hopefully we'll get much more life out of it yet.