356 vs Jag XK150
Discussion
Hi
I am contemplating adding a classic to my stable and can’t seem to decide between rhose 2. I love their shapes and their heritage.
Does anyone here have experience with either of those cars? What are they to own in terms of relative reliability (I know they’re 60y/o car), cost of ownership etc…
Although I am not super handy, I can do the little odd job on a car (I also own a series 2 Landy and do most of the work myself) and would like to do the odd job on that 356/XK150 as it helps bonding with them.
I realise that people on this section of the forum might have a preference for the 356, but that’s OK. I am after owner’s views and experiences.
I am contemplating adding a classic to my stable and can’t seem to decide between rhose 2. I love their shapes and their heritage.
Does anyone here have experience with either of those cars? What are they to own in terms of relative reliability (I know they’re 60y/o car), cost of ownership etc…
Although I am not super handy, I can do the little odd job on a car (I also own a series 2 Landy and do most of the work myself) and would like to do the odd job on that 356/XK150 as it helps bonding with them.
I realise that people on this section of the forum might have a preference for the 356, but that’s OK. I am after owner’s views and experiences.
SRT Hellcat said:
A very interesting conundrum. Last year I was having thoughts of adding an XK coupe to the stable. XK120 probably to small for me. So I thought about XK140, very good looking and then thought about XK150 as its the roomiest. I have shelved the idea for the moment and may revisit at some point in the future. Like all these old cars rust and how they have been maintained over the years is the key. I have not driven one by the way.
I have however owned a 58 356A coupe getting on for four years. I absolutely love it. I was offered my car by a very good friend and I said yes subject to driving it. I had never been in or driven a 356 prior so at 6'2" I wanted to make sure I fitted. Yes I do and very comfortably so. The seating position is perfect just like an early 911. The A has a shorter windscreen and I love the chopped roof feel about it. I love the dials and the haphazard white knobs and the painted dash. It drives far better than I imagined any 66 year old car ought to. With lovely steering feel and good brakes even though they are drums. C's got discs all around but I am told that in truth a properly adjusted drum brake set up works equally as well. If you were going to hoon it around which I guess is unlikely discs would be a better bet and there are aftermarket brake disc conversions. On spirited drives I have never felt any brake fade and an A coupe weighs around 800kg which helps.
Reliability. I have put around 9000 miles on the car. Touch wood it has never let me down. It will cruise all day at 70 to 75mph gps speed very happily. 70mph is 3300rpm. It has an 11 gallon tank and on a run returns around 40mpg. Good range. The 1600cc engine is surprisingly torquey. I can get a full size suitcase and a carry on case on the rear seat area which is plenty plus stuff thrown on top of necessary. The previous owner did less than a 1000 miles in his 11 years of ownership and as we all know cars don't like sitting around. So in my time I have rebuilt the fuel petcock, stripped and cleaned and new gaskets on the carburettors, rebuilt the fuel pump, new front and rear crankshaft oil seals all because of leaks. I have also fitted a 123 distributor that has provided a little more bottom and mid range torque and although not difficult to start it fires up quicker. The A gearbox works fine but you need to be precise with it. I heel and toe on the down shifts which helps the synchro's out.
Having joined the 356 clan I have met many other 356 owners. What a great bunch of people, just like Mel mentioned above. Mel owns a beautiful XK as well. Some like me are relatively new to the mark and others have owned for many years. Honestly they do get under your skin and would thoroughly recommend one. Every year they hold a 356 International meeting. Netherlands in 2022 140 cars present. Munich last year 240 cars present. Estoril this year.
Down side. Well I can think of only one really. If it is raining hard you will mist up. There are no fans to blow air onto the front screen. So ideally crack the windows a little and keep a microfibre towel next to the seat by the door to wipe the screen. On the way to Munich last year we had torrential rain for a good 2 hours or so and the microfibre towel was well used. I did try rainex wipes on the screen and it seemed to work for a while. I will try rainex fluid before Portugal which may work better
Brilliant thank you. I have however owned a 58 356A coupe getting on for four years. I absolutely love it. I was offered my car by a very good friend and I said yes subject to driving it. I had never been in or driven a 356 prior so at 6'2" I wanted to make sure I fitted. Yes I do and very comfortably so. The seating position is perfect just like an early 911. The A has a shorter windscreen and I love the chopped roof feel about it. I love the dials and the haphazard white knobs and the painted dash. It drives far better than I imagined any 66 year old car ought to. With lovely steering feel and good brakes even though they are drums. C's got discs all around but I am told that in truth a properly adjusted drum brake set up works equally as well. If you were going to hoon it around which I guess is unlikely discs would be a better bet and there are aftermarket brake disc conversions. On spirited drives I have never felt any brake fade and an A coupe weighs around 800kg which helps.
Reliability. I have put around 9000 miles on the car. Touch wood it has never let me down. It will cruise all day at 70 to 75mph gps speed very happily. 70mph is 3300rpm. It has an 11 gallon tank and on a run returns around 40mpg. Good range. The 1600cc engine is surprisingly torquey. I can get a full size suitcase and a carry on case on the rear seat area which is plenty plus stuff thrown on top of necessary. The previous owner did less than a 1000 miles in his 11 years of ownership and as we all know cars don't like sitting around. So in my time I have rebuilt the fuel petcock, stripped and cleaned and new gaskets on the carburettors, rebuilt the fuel pump, new front and rear crankshaft oil seals all because of leaks. I have also fitted a 123 distributor that has provided a little more bottom and mid range torque and although not difficult to start it fires up quicker. The A gearbox works fine but you need to be precise with it. I heel and toe on the down shifts which helps the synchro's out.
Having joined the 356 clan I have met many other 356 owners. What a great bunch of people, just like Mel mentioned above. Mel owns a beautiful XK as well. Some like me are relatively new to the mark and others have owned for many years. Honestly they do get under your skin and would thoroughly recommend one. Every year they hold a 356 International meeting. Netherlands in 2022 140 cars present. Munich last year 240 cars present. Estoril this year.
Down side. Well I can think of only one really. If it is raining hard you will mist up. There are no fans to blow air onto the front screen. So ideally crack the windows a little and keep a microfibre towel next to the seat by the door to wipe the screen. On the way to Munich last year we had torrential rain for a good 2 hours or so and the microfibre towel was well used. I did try rainex wipes on the screen and it seemed to work for a while. I will try rainex fluid before Portugal which may work better
Any recommendation on best place to source one? There are very little stock on PH/AT/C&C etc… any tips would be appreciated.
For the same price, I am also considering a pre-73 911 - a T most likely. Any thoughts on those?
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