Old Man's car ?
Discussion
As is implied by my user name I'm a bit of a Jaguar fan and currently own 3, all V8s.
My son has always said Jaguars are an old man's car, that is until I let him have a drive in my XK and after 5 minutes at the wheel he said " I want one ! "
I asked him why he thought you had to be old to drive a Jaguar, but the best he could come up with was that " they are usually driven by older blokes "
I'll admit I'm old but I don't think of Jaguars as an old man's car.
So, this begs the question, is there any such thing as an old man's car and if so can you give examples and reasons why ?
My son has always said Jaguars are an old man's car, that is until I let him have a drive in my XK and after 5 minutes at the wheel he said " I want one ! "
I asked him why he thought you had to be old to drive a Jaguar, but the best he could come up with was that " they are usually driven by older blokes "
I'll admit I'm old but I don't think of Jaguars as an old man's car.
So, this begs the question, is there any such thing as an old man's car and if so can you give examples and reasons why ?
thatjagbloke said:
As is implied by my user name I'm a bit of a Jaguar fan and currently own 3, all V8s.
My son has always said Jaguars are an old man's car, that is until I let him have a drive in my XK and after 5 minutes at the wheel he said " I want one ! "
I asked him why he thought you had to be old to drive a Jaguar, but the best he could come up with was that " they are usually driven by older blokes "
I'll admit I'm old but I don't think of Jaguars as an old man's car.
So, this begs the question, is there any such thing as an old man's car and if so can you give examples and reasons why ?
I'm not sure, but my old man has a Jag My son has always said Jaguars are an old man's car, that is until I let him have a drive in my XK and after 5 minutes at the wheel he said " I want one ! "
I asked him why he thought you had to be old to drive a Jaguar, but the best he could come up with was that " they are usually driven by older blokes "
I'll admit I'm old but I don't think of Jaguars as an old man's car.
So, this begs the question, is there any such thing as an old man's car and if so can you give examples and reasons why ?
F Type R, mind....I think it's because generally the older generation from the "yoofs" want something quiet, comfortable and not particularly sporty....of which many old Jags fit that bill perfectly!
As the owner of Jags since I was 19, I would say it is mostly an old mans car if you go to owners clubs, ect. Quite a few younger Jag owners on PH though.
I am 25 now, my preferance is a luxury car over a hot hatch, pretty much every time! I love the wood and cream leather in mine.
I am 25 now, my preferance is a luxury car over a hot hatch, pretty much every time! I love the wood and cream leather in mine.
Edited by alec.e on Wednesday 14th November 21:59
alec.e said:
As the owner of Jags since I was 19, I would say it is mostly an old mans car if you go to owners clubs, ect. Quite a few younger Jag owners on PH though.
I am 25 now, my preferance is a luxury car over a hot hatch, pretty much every time! I love the wood and cream leather in mine.
Old fart... I think I can guess who you are I am 25 now, my preferance is a luxury car over a hot hatch, pretty much every time! I love the wood and cream leather in mine.
Edited by alec.e on Wednesday 14th November 21:59
I think Jaguar has always had a bit of an image problem with cars before the Mk10 and Mk2 being seen as slightly sporty but cheaper than a Rolls, the cars of the 60s and early 70s get the kind of villain getaway car type image and then under BL ownership when everything stagnates they become associated with the likes of Arthur Daley and the old man image develops. Post 1980 this continues as the XJS staggers on and the XJ goes through various iterations of keeping the theme old fashioned. The old man image is then deepened further with Fords view that a Jag should be backward looking and look like a moving sideboard. The XF of 2008 is the first step away from that but similar to “all Lancias rust” “all Alfa’s have terrible electrics” etc once a reputation is gained it can take many years to shake it off
I think it is undeniably true that they have an ‘old man’ image but I wouldn’t let it put me off one. I really fancy an XJ at some point, and I’m 21! I drive a 320d at the moment but I had a Volvo before and that got a lot of old man comments!
Edited to add, I might just be predisposed to old man cars. I love the look of all the various iterations of 7 series, but my friends reckon they’re for auld lads. Funny how different people view things.
Edited to add, I might just be predisposed to old man cars. I love the look of all the various iterations of 7 series, but my friends reckon they’re for auld lads. Funny how different people view things.
Edited by JamesRR on Wednesday 14th November 22:29
RegMolehusband said:
Well I’m 64 and recently bought an XFR. The performance and sound is epic but perhaps the level of luxury, with its cream leather, makes it more appealing to somebody in my age group.
Though I’ve wanted a Jaguar for 20 years
Great purchase. I test drove a blue XFR-S and even though I had to be canny as it was pouring it stilll felt awesome, definitely not an old man's car.Though I’ve wanted a Jaguar for 20 years
I'm hoping my next purchase to be an XKR, does anyone know what month/year they changed the front seats to the better ones? Well, at least they look better.
The irony is that many "old man cars" would be a brilliant choice for a young chap who wants decent performance without having to lube up for the insurance broker.
I remember when I was 21 I pondered a cheap XJ12 (they cost peanuts then) and the insurance was half what I ended up paying to insure a 1.6 8V Astra.
I remember when I was 21 I pondered a cheap XJ12 (they cost peanuts then) and the insurance was half what I ended up paying to insure a 1.6 8V Astra.
I had an E46 touring when I was 20 and constantly got called an old man until I took the offenders out in the wet (‘twas only a lowly 318 as a stopgap), I’m 22 now and I’m lusting after a Jag XJ40
I think it’s just what you see the majority of the ‘older man’ driving, I don’t see anything wrong with a jag at any age I’d have had one at 17 if I could get away with the insurance!
I think it’s just what you see the majority of the ‘older man’ driving, I don’t see anything wrong with a jag at any age I’d have had one at 17 if I could get away with the insurance!
donkmeister said:
The irony is that many "old man cars" would be a brilliant choice for a young chap who wants decent performance without having to lube up for the insurance broker.
I remember when I was 21 I pondered a cheap XJ12 (they cost peanuts then) and the insurance was half what I ended up paying to insure a 1.6 8V Astra.
Yeah but you would have soon made that up in fuel I remember when I was 21 I pondered a cheap XJ12 (they cost peanuts then) and the insurance was half what I ended up paying to insure a 1.6 8V Astra.
t off a shovel until it broke.craigjm said:
donkmeister said:
The irony is that many "old man cars" would be a brilliant choice for a young chap who wants decent performance without having to lube up for the insurance broker.
I remember when I was 21 I pondered a cheap XJ12 (they cost peanuts then) and the insurance was half what I ended up paying to insure a 1.6 8V Astra.
Yeah but you would have soon made that up in fuel I remember when I was 21 I pondered a cheap XJ12 (they cost peanuts then) and the insurance was half what I ended up paying to insure a 1.6 8V Astra.
I've never owned a Jaguar, but having one would be another box ticked!
Insuring any Jag was an issue in my 20s, so I had a Rover P6B 3500S when I was 20 (well I was working for an insurance company).
By the time I was 25 I had a Capri 2.8 Injection and the Jags of that era were just lardy wafty barges.
Many years later I had a W123 Mercedes 280e, which felt like another Old Man's Car so it didn't last long!
My C280 "Sport" Auto W202 didn't last long either for the same reasons.
I'm on BMW number 5 and 6 at present - both with straight 6 N/A petrol engines and manual gearboxes. No chance of finding a Jaguar with a similar spec - if you want an XE with a manual box it'll be a 4-pot diesel.
So yes, Jags do seem to be "Old Man's Cars".
Insuring any Jag was an issue in my 20s, so I had a Rover P6B 3500S when I was 20 (well I was working for an insurance company).
By the time I was 25 I had a Capri 2.8 Injection and the Jags of that era were just lardy wafty barges.
Many years later I had a W123 Mercedes 280e, which felt like another Old Man's Car so it didn't last long!
My C280 "Sport" Auto W202 didn't last long either for the same reasons.
I'm on BMW number 5 and 6 at present - both with straight 6 N/A petrol engines and manual gearboxes. No chance of finding a Jaguar with a similar spec - if you want an XE with a manual box it'll be a 4-pot diesel.
So yes, Jags do seem to be "Old Man's Cars".
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