New to me X308, replacing a totaled X350

X300
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OK, three steps forward and one back. After a 1989 XJ6, a 1997 XJ6 long wheel base, and a 2006 all-aluminum XJ8 Vanden Plas (tray tables in back on the long car), I took a step back in time today to a 2003 XJ8 Vanden Plas with a quartz exterior and black interior. What’s notable about this beast? It’s 17 years old and had 29,850 miles on it when I took a 100-mile test drive yesterday! It ticked over 30k today on the way home from the small town in the Shenandoah Valley where it popped up on a Subaru dealer’s site Monday morning. I moved immediately.

It was a one-owner car, serviced at a Jag dealership. The mechanic who did an independent check on its condition for me emerged to say: 1) it’s quite clear Mrs. Hollar never let the grandkids in the car and 2) you’ve to a real creme puff here. So, meet GOOD KITTY IV, a worthy successor to GOOD KItty III, destroyed by a falling pine nearly 3 months ago. I found this after a daily nationwide internet search that rejected cars like #3 that were thousands of miles away and almost invariably had well over 100k miles. I loved #3, but could not find a decent replacement, and toyed with a convertible but came back to sedans as quieter and more comfortable on trips.

The official GOOD KITTY vanity tags go on after 30 days pass so the DMV has all the paperwork to permit license tag changes.

I’ll try to edit this later to add a picture. …
2003 VDP pics2 2003 VDP pics 3 2003 VDP pics 4 2003 VDP pics 5 2003 VDP pics 6 2003 VDP pics1

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So its a crinkle cut cousin to the Jag :slight_smile: sounds like you have really picked up a goodun there Eliot

1 Like
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In North America, Daimler was a little known, dowdy brand and disappeared completely when Jaguar bought them. Consequently, the VDP, I had an X300, is branded as a Jaguar here.

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Good on you. As Roy Rogers said, “happy trails”. I’m trying to envision what colour quartz is.

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Send your email to eliotb@cox.net and I’ll send you some exterior shots. It’s sort of a smoky grey that depending on the light appears to have tinges of blue or green within it.

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I thought 2003 was the MY that the X-308 went to X-350? :confused: One way to tell - is the fuel filler flap still up on top of the rear fender or down on the side?

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Yep Grahame, know the history.

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No, this was the final year of the X300/308 body style and the fuel cap is on the left upper side of the trunk. They switched over to the X350 with the 2004 year and the fueling port moved to the side of the right fender. Confused the heck out of me for the first 10-15 fillups when I went from a '97 X300L to the 2006 VDP.

Eliot