Does you XJ drive like a new car?

[eksjay]

I thought I should start this thread because my car - a 95 XJ Sport - feels like it has rolled out of the sale yard. Had it since new....

I have a 2016 JKU 3.6L and while that is a great iconic and extremely capable car, it does not compare to the XJ in terms of the feeling that I get when I drive it.

I am planning a major trip this winter to the interior... of course I am taking this car.

[LuluBelle]

Well eksjay .......... you have one over most of us to start with ............... You know the original Owner know the full service history of the vehicle (good on you eksjay a True Love Affair 22 years in the making).... I have only had my 96 for about 4 years and most times rather drive it than drive my PT Cruiser these days CRAZY?............
I have had to invest a few $$$ but well worth it new control arm rubbers soon and I think it will Drive like a NEW Car!
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/__l_l_,\____\,___
l_---l_l__l---[ ]llllll[ ]
_.(o)_)__(o)_)--o-)_)

[rainman]

yes, but none of the running gear is original.

[junglejuice]

My diff housings are original......

Nothing else in the drive train is, I can only wish that it rode as good as when I first bought it, I'm going to be rejigging the suspension (again) in the effort to chase that elusive nice ride...

[eksjay]

I have changed very little about the car. Added a leaf in the rear end and changed the shocks to other Bilsteins, new header [last year]. Other than that, nothing has changed [of course the headliner has!!!]. Even the tyre size remains the same. I love the turning circle in the city. I can do donuts whereas my JKU struggles to do a three point turn in a wide street. In fact, I can grab the XJ steering wheel from the scruff of the neck, and throw the car around in peak hour traffic. The 4.0L is immediately responsive, whereas the 3.6L feels like it will follow what you are doing 30 mins later.

The interior looks like a resto job, even though my kids are constantly munching on junk in the back and turning it into the Joker's "trick confetti". The vacuum cleaner gets a work out - original carpet BTW!

The paint job is perfection - when it has to be white. It was once orange [for a long time] after a "wet" Simpson Desert trip.

I have watched others around me upgrade their bubble [gum] cars three times in the 22 years I have had my XJ. Yet, whenever they get into my car, they have this look about them as if they are stepping into something that they secretly dreamed of owning [I am not imagining this]. It is like "I cannot believe I am actually sitting in a REAL JEEP!!! ... wait til I tell my friends" kind of look...

The main attraction of this car is in its redundancy. Something can go wrong with mechanical and electrical equipment, however it is incredibly forgiving. Its computer will not pull you over to the side of the trail to give you the blue screen of death on your outback journey.

[Mace1]

I presume my 2000 drives pretty close to what it did when new.

I do know that its a lot more comfortable to drive than SHMBO's late model Aurion, and as comfortable as any vehicle Ive owned. Ive also driven a lot of other newer model sedans for work, and none are better IMO.

The Aurion - im ready to bail out after 2 hours driving. Other comfortable cars Ive had, particularly my 2003 VX SS and my 1985 Rover SD1 (5 speed manual) could be driven all day without any side effects/stiff backs/etc. The Rover was actually the most comfortable car ive ever had.

Sure, the XJ cockpit is a bit small, but it pulls like a train and feels sure and stable when in full time 4WD in the wet.

[spotty dog 360]

Originally Posted by eksjay

I have changed very little about the car. Added a leaf in the rear end and changed the shocks to other Bilsteins, new header [last year]. Other than that, nothing has changed [of course the headliner has!!!]. Even the tyre size remains the same. I love the turning circle in the city. I can do donuts whereas my JKU struggles to do a three point turn in a wide street. In fact, I can grab the XJ steering wheel from the scruff of the neck, and throw the car around in peak hour traffic. The 4.0L is immediately responsive, whereas the 3.6L feels like it will follow what you are doing 30 mins later.

The interior looks like a resto job, even though my kids are constantly munching on junk in the back and turning it into the Joker's "trick confetti". The vacuum cleaner gets a work out - original carpet BTW!

The paint job is perfection - when it has to be white. It was once orange [for a long time] after a "wet" Simpson Desert trip.
I have watched others around me upgrade their bubble [gum] cars three times in the 22 years I have had my XJ. Yet, whenever they get into my car, they have this look about them as if they are stepping into something that they secretly dreamed of owning [I am not imagining this]. It is like "I cannot believe I am actually sitting in a REAL JEEP!!! ... wait til I tell my friends" kind of look...

The main attraction of this car is in its redundancy. Something can go wrong with mechanical and electrical equipment, however it is incredibly forgiving. Its computer will not pull you over to the side of the trail to give you the blue screen of death on your outback journey.

Yeah mate I blew the top off the battery jumpstarting Lisas XJ backwards early one morning with a hangover,feared the worst re computer,new battery and all good.(not so much my clothes covered in battery acid)