# Jaguar Decline



## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

Looks as if the Brown's Lane Jaguar factory has had it







. I hate it when manufacturing job's go









The new Jaguars, while very good cars, are not as sexy as the old Jags with all their faults. I think part of the problem is that around 50% of Jag sales is in the USA, a weak dollar, lots of competition and bland model design has taken its toll









They are now talking of turning Brown's Lane into a museum









Doesn't that make you sad? I always feel melancholy when I go around industrial museums, especially ones from the recent past.

The capitalist in me accepts it as a fact of global buisness .... the industrial man in me gets quite upset at the loss of skilled "real" jobs.


----------



## Roger (May 17, 2003)

> The new Jaguars, while very good cars, are not as sexy as the old Jags


Perhaps the Mondeo shows through the Jag clothing?


----------



## chrisb (Feb 26, 2003)

One of the lads at works has traded up to an Audi A4 TDi from a Mondeo diesel, ...he reckons the mondeo is better


----------



## DavidH (Feb 24, 2003)

> One of the lads at works has traded up to an Audi A4 TDi from a Mondeo diesel, ...he reckons the mondeo is better


Give it a coulpe of years


----------



## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

JoT said:


> Looks as if the Brown's Lane Jaguar factory has had it
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What's your problem? We are a top service economy, we are booming, who wants to get your hands mucky when you can suffer stress, mind numbing boredom and no future for Â£4.80 per hour









Design? Ha! A Jag estate, I wonder which corporate ****** thought that was a good idea. People want a Volvo estate for the opposite reasons they aspire (or did) to a Jaguar motor car.









I don't know the model name of what should be the Jag's biggest seller, not the Mondeo derived model and not the top model, I mean the pug ugly middle one, the pastiche of what a Jag should be







It is a cartoon car, the ugliest thing on the road


----------



## MIKE (Feb 23, 2003)

MarkF said:


> I don't know the model name of what should be the Jag's biggest seller, not the Mondeo derived model and not the top model, I mean the pug ugly middle one, the pastiche of what a Jag should be
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Your not keen then, Mark
















MIKE..


----------



## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

MIKE said:


> MarkF said:
> 
> 
> > I don't know the model name of what should be the Jag's biggest seller, not the Mondeo derived model and not the top model, I mean the pug ugly middle one, the pastiche of what a Jag should be
> ...


No I am not Mike









But I'll tell you what, I am after another bike, something sportyish but not radical, something out of the ordinary style wise , in fact, something not unlike your avatar







That trumpet has been bugging me for 5 years, I might just be ready


----------



## MIKE (Feb 23, 2003)

MarkF said:


> I might just be ready


 You could do a lot worse, I still love mine even if it's now concidered a bit slow and heavy against the latest bikes.

MIKE.


----------



## Roger (May 17, 2003)

> One of the lads at works has traded up to an Audi A4 TDi from a Mondeo diesel, ...he reckons the mondeo is better


Didnt he test drive The A4? if he did why swap?? sounds dumb to me.....still he'll be glad in about 3 years time when the mondeo is worth nowt


----------



## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

> Give it a coulpe of years


Give it a couple of months..


----------



## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

I am in the process of changing my car ... looking for a big(ish) sports saloon That is not German, to replace my current MGZT 190.

I test drove a X-Type 2.5S a very nice car .... but .... you could have been driving a Ford and compared to the MGZT it was quite dreary to drive.

After trying out an Alfa 166, Honda Accord R and Mondeo ST220 I have decided to get another MGZT.

You get a lot for your money, its a fantastic fun drive. Only real negative is that you do get hit quite heavily with depreciation.

Incidentaly I tried out the new Mazda RX8 .... fantastic .... couldnt get one because I have to use my car for work .... but what a fantastic car :









I don't know where MG/Rover are heading .... the 75/ZT is great IMO but the 45/ZS and 25/ZR whilst OK are looking very dated. The new small models made in India ... not good.

I got a good deal on a 12 month old ZT190 with 2000 miles that has been sitting at MG Longbridge ... The salesman at the garage I go to has told me it has been a tough year, MG sales down by 5% and Rover down by 20%. Two years ago he was really bullish but not now.


----------



## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

I saw one of those V8 MG saloons the other day...Looked hard as fu#k


----------



## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

I drove a V8 a few months ago ... awesome ... rear wheel drive as well. Very thirsty though and a service every 10,000 miles plus an intermediate oil change at 5,000, 15,000 and so on.


----------



## Nin (Jul 16, 2004)

> But I'll tell you what, I am after another bike


I was in the local bike shop the other day for more spares, having broken my rally bike again ...

I'm amazed at what you can pick up for so little these days. A superb triumph 955 for less than Â£4k! A fireblade for less than Â£4.5k! VFR 750's for Â£3k!

The bottom line from the fella running the shop was that the new stuff is so cheap now - cos of the "stack 'em high sell 'em cheap and provide no backup service" merchants, that the proverbial bottom has fallen out of the second hand bike market.

So now's a good time to buy ...


----------



## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

JoT said:


> After trying out a............. Honda Accord R............... I have decided to get another MGZT.


----------



## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

pg tips said:


> JoT said:
> 
> 
> > After trying out a............. Honda Accord R............... I have decided to get another MGZT.


 Couldnt fault the Honda engine and performance also very good in mid-range (unlike the ZT which is very top endish). The Honda was older and more miles and not much cheaper. Also the Honda cabin is very poor







.

I know I am not a car professional but I do think the ZT is a really good car ... I have driven one for the last two years ... 41,000 miles without a hiccup. Besides the new one has lots of gadgets







SatNav, TV (yep TV!!) , CD multi-changer, cruise control, xenon lights, parking sensors etc







and leather seats







.

Only downsides ... depreciation







and 25mpg

Sat Nav is a riot







she has such a nice voice as well









Have you had many break down in your patch ?


----------



## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

No John hardly any breakdown, They had a problem with fuel pumps but that seems to have been sorted.

It's all horses for courses and subjective, my multi smilie post was a bit tounge in cheek. I like the ZT's. Pity Rover are heading to China more and more, the new city Rover is virtually all Chinese by all acounts and I think the next generation Rovers (if they survive on 30 sales a week) will all be built mainly in China.

I do remember years ago when the 820 came out I got a call to one, a non start on a petrol forecourt. Got there, customer said he drove in to the petrol station to refuel, it was the cars 2nd tank of fuel it was that new, went and paid, jumped in it to drive off and it just went clunk when you turned the key.

After a brief inspection it wasn't hard to see that something was seriously wrong. battery fine so were the cables etc (this car was only a week old) but the starter was straining like mad and getting red hot.

Popped it in 4th and tried rocking the car back and forth, nothing, engine locked. dip stick out.....no oil!







Look down at where the filter should be..... no filter





















walked past the car and back out onto the road and you could see the trail of oil about 1/4 of a mile back, walked a further 1/2 mile and there was his filter laying in the gutter!

Mind you about a year ago a certain manufacturer who shall remain nameless were getting a few cars showing up with oil lights coming on, when the lads went out to them they were all very low on oil. When the factory traced back chassis numbers to the production line they all went through the oil fill part of the production at around eleven in the morning or 3 in the afternoon! Most odd you think. Well not really the answer was found by viewing the cctv tapes, yes they record the workforce. The line in question had just started a new guy and he had the job of filling the oil level.

It's all automatic you just pop the nozzle in the engine filler, then you have to press a button and it delievers a set amount, a bit like those machines that dispense Pepsi in pubs. Anyway these particular vehicles neede two button presses to put in the required amount as the machine couldn't do it all in one hit, you pressed it once, waited for it to empty that load then pressed again. The guy who had just got the job had a weak bladder, you've guessed it he couldn't last til the next sheduled brk so at around 11 and 3 every day he sloped off for a quick waz, and he only gave the button one press! Went and had a wiz but by the time he got back the cars had moved down the line and he didn't have time to do the second shot.

The cars oil level was sometimes missed at PDI and by the dealer but half a sump would still be enough to put the light out. But before long as new cars often do it would "drink" some oil and eventually lose enough to put the light on!

A quick word with the line manager and problem cured!


----------



## Guest (Sep 18, 2004)

Funny to hear your derision of the Mondeo.

I bought a new one for my wife about a year after they came out in 1994.

She and my middle son drove it...............and that is punishment.









About 4 years ago she gave it to my eldest son who continues to use it for work to this day.

Apart from service parts it has never had anything changed on it and still running well.









She replaced it with another new Mondeo.

For what she wants, drives well and a cavernous boot for her business it suits her.


----------



## Roger (May 17, 2003)

> I tried out the new Mazda RX8 .... fantastic


Have the sorted out the rotor tip-seal problems?


----------



## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

Roger said:


> > I tried out the new Mazda RX8 .... fantastic
> 
> 
> Have the sorted out the rotor tip-seal problems?


 PG ????


----------



## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

They say they have, ran one for 500,000 in tests without faliure. Only time will tell if it works in practice. If I had the money and the want for one I'd buy one.


----------

