Possibly the coolest thing for me

[cmcpokey]

its defnitely entertaining, but it is a lot of work to really hang it out. the steering is no joke.

and my wife is terrified of it.

[McReis]

i wish it were faster, but it is carburated, and while it revs quick, its not quick like modern rx's. as far as handling... it has no power steering, and tall sidewall tires, so its kinda washy going around corners i think with some new konis and some better tires, it coudl be significantly improved, but i also aim to keep it as original as possible. it has lived in a garage in SoCal all its life, so it is pristine.

Classic cars are not supposed to drive like modern ones, all grippy and stiff. Which doesn't mean they're not efficient or fast round corners.
The "soft" feel around corners is part of the fun of driving them. You have to addapt your driving style.

[Ferrer]

and my wife is terrified of it.

Then it must be great.

[cmcpokey]

Classic cars are not supposed to drive like modern ones, all grippy and stiff. Which doesn't mean they're not efficient or fast round corners.
The "soft" feel around corners is part of the fun of driving them. You have to addapt your driving style.

i understand that, and i havent driven it enough to really get used to it. but i do enjoy that. i am just saying that it isnt as fast around an autox course as the mini.

also the servos in 1st and 2nd are going, so its difficult to shift into those gears. and that hampers some of the driveability.

Then it must be great.

not really, since we often go for long drives on the weekend.

[DesmoRob]

Back to the XKs not being available as a standard. This makes me think. Does anyone have any idea what it would cost to have a transmission swap. Or, is that even possible? If so, sounds like something I'd like to consider one day.

[Ferrer]

Back to the XKs not being available as a standard. This makes me think. Does anyone have any idea what it would cost to have a transmission swap. Or, is that even possible? If so, sounds like something I'd like to consider one day.

I'd say forget it. Or buy a used DB7.

[DesmoRob]

I'd say forget it. Or buy a used DB7.

Forget it because its not possible, or because its a waste of time in your opinion? Used DB7s are still very expensive. I'm sure AM service and insurance is also priced significantly higher than Jag.

[fisetdavid26]

Forget it because its not possible, or because its a waste of time in your opinion? Used DB7s are still very expensive. I'm sure AM service and insurance is also priced significantly higher than Jag.

I'm quite sure it's possible, but you'll have to spend a lot of time and money to get it done. Therefore, forget it because it's a waste of time. As for the Aston, yes, it will probably cost significantly more than the Jag.

[Ferrer]

Forget it because its not possible, or because its a waste of time in your opinion? Used DB7s are still very expensive. I'm sure AM service and insurance is also priced significantly higher than Jag.

I'm sure the cost of fitting a manual gearbox far outweights the difference in buying and running costs between an XKR and a DB7.

[DesmoRob]

What would you guys think about taking the XKR to Arden and getting them to fit one in. They specialize in Jag, so shouldn't they be able to take care of something like that? I sure don't see why not.

[Ferrer]

What would you guys think about taking the XKR to Arden and getting them to fit one in. They specialize in Jag, so shouldn't they be able to take care of something like that? I sure don't see why not.

Hadn't thought about them. It's an option definitely, you can always ask altough I guess having to take the car to Germany would increase the cost.

[DesmoRob]

"By special request only Arden equips convertible or coupe with a six-speed manual transmission with a high-performance sintered-metal clutch."

YEEEHAAWW......now for the cost.

[Clivey]

CMC, have Alfa-Romeo restarted sales in the US yet? IIRC that was meant to start at somepoint this year - you could still have an Italian sports car inside your budget...a GT or Spider perhaps?

[Ferrer]

CMC, have Alfa-Romeo restarted sales in the US yet? IIRC that was meant to start at somepoint this year - you could still have an Italian sports car inside your budget...a GT or Spider perhaps?

They haven't yet. It seems the 8C is the car which will start the return, but until 2008 or perhaps 2009 nothing.

[cmcpokey]

They haven't yet. It seems the 8C is the car which will start the return, but until 2008 or perhaps 2009 nothing.

exactly... currently the only italian cars available in the states are ferraris and maseratis. alfas will be sold through the same dealer network initially, and then maybe progressing from there. assuming the old american mindset towards italian cars goes away. or it gets re-proven and we run them off the continent again.