Daimler Saloon (1993 - 2003) 4.0 Six 4d Auto (LWB) Owner Review

First of all, I live in North America, which means it’s not badged as a Daimler, but as a Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas. With that out of the way, I drive a 1996 Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas Majestic - it’s just a fancy way of saying it’s the long wheelbase and luxury trim pack on the standard 4.0L straight six engined car. How to describe it? In a word, fantastic. It’s an excellent car, very reliable, well put together, and every inch the Jag you want it to be. Is it perfect? Of course not. Is it flawed? Every car is. But does it have personality? Absolutely - it’s a car that has soul and passion. It’s effortlessly cool and refined, and yet ready to rock and roll at the same time. It’s a very nice mix of leather, wood and metal. I’ve found my average fuel consumption is 25 mpg, which obviously goes down if you hammer the accelerator, or drive in a city very often. On the other hand, on a smooth highway run, I’ve got 35 mpg before. So really, it does balance itself out. As for driving dynamics, if your after the last word in handling and precision, really, is a four door luxury saloon the right choice for you? Are you not better served by a Lotus? Keeping that in mind, like any Jag, it’s a fantastic driving car. Very smooth, responsive and very nice. Obviously the XJR and Sport will be more fun as a drivers car, but the Daimler/Vanden Plas offers plenty to the keen driver, when it’s age is factored into the equation. You won’t be disappointed in its performance when you consider its a 20+ year old machine, and weighs the best part of 4,000 lbs. In fact you’ll be rather impressed by how good it is. Comfort? It’s a luxury Jaguar - of course it’s comfortable. They have picnic tables in the back - even if your tall, yes the headroom is a bit sparse, but especially in the long wheelbase, you never really notice it or care. Reliability? Pretty much perfect. There’s nothing out of the ordinary that needs to be done for my car thus far. I did have to clean the throttle body, but that was such an easy DIY job, and it really was just a matter of an hour to get it done. So what are the problems? Well there are some - first of all, it’s a big heavy classic car, so if your used to little cars, you’ll find maintenance costs more (it does use more fuel, oil, and parts are bigger and made of better materials than smaller cars). On top of that, you’ll find the Jaguar brand name carries quite a heavy weight to it when searching for replacement parts. If your handy with a tool set, you’ll be ok, but if you have no interest in working on your own vehicle, prepare to spend a fair chunk of change. Oddly enough, those are basically the only issues with the car. Be sure to get one that is in good condition. That’s important. Like any other steel car they can rust like crazy, so take care. But to add to that, if a used car hasn’t been looked after by a previous or current owner, it will usually bite you hard. And as this is a Jaguar, a cat known to have strong jaws, that is something you’ll wish to avoid. So find one that’s been well looked after. You may pay more up front, but it’s worth it. Other than that, the only issues I can think of come from people. People really seem to love these cars - in heavy traffic, people will let you in more readily, pedestrians will smile at you as the walk past in parking lots and road crossings, and people will come up to you, saying how much they love your car. But therein lies the double edged sword - in my experience, they are a magnet for scratches. You will park as far away from an entrance to a building as you can, so that no one will park beside you, and when you come back, cars WILL be parked right beside you. And while there will be other more convenient and closer spots for them to park, they still ended up parking right there, beside your treasured car. So be aware and prepare yourself for that. If your able to find a good one, one that has been well looked after, you’ll have a classic luxury car, that drives like a dream, and won’t have to suffer any of the classic car woes - you’ll have heating, air conditioning, comfortable seats with actual support, modern engine electronics, heated seats, traction control, and the works - if your a tech head you can even get a classically styled infotainment system from Jaguar Land Rover, which will give you Bluetooth and sat nav (it’s pricey though, so be aware). My experience has been overwhelmingly positive, and while there are some negative points to owning a Jaguar, I’ve found that it’s been an utterly reliable, excellently built, and beautifully styled car. Hope my review helps someone!