Should I use it to go to Paris / Rouen.

[emwmarine]

Ok so my x300 is normally used for fairly shortish weekend trips. Rarely have I taken it over 50 miles. It's a shame I know and I should use it more.

It's a 96 Daimler lwb 4.0 in perfect condition with only 80,000 miles and full service history and it was serviced just a few weeks ago and had the gearbox oïl changed for the second time in its life. It's never put a foot wrong.

Yet i'm nervous to use it to go to Paris and Rouen on business. I work in Paris and normally the Eurostar but around 1 week in 4 have to drive but take the usual daily driver.

I would love to use it in a couple of weeks to go to Paris as we have an event in Rouen and it would be a nice long drive wafting in comfort.

But I can't shake of the worry that it would let me down and I would be stuck at the side of the road with my colleagues very unimpressed. Can people convince me that it would be fine.

[PeterDavisX300]

As long as your insurance permits you to drive in France, and you make sure your AA / RAC is in order and the recovery service works in France, I see no reason you shouldn't enjoy your Daimler for the longer trip. If your garage that service the car are trustworthy, then it'll be fine. Any car can break-down for a number of reasons, shouldn't stop you from enjoying the trip. I used to drive my old Ford Scorpio to Malta sometimes twice a year to take spares across for my older Ford Zodiac, the only changes I made to help the car was to have a separate manual switch to control the electric fans at full power. But you won't need anything like that at this time of year. Have a nice comfortable trip this time, and enjoy the Daimler.

[Tintin]

Last month I drove my 1971 series 1 Daimler Sovereign from Wiltshire to Compiegne and back for a long weekend - no issues at all. If you have time, prepare psychologically by building up longer and longer trips in the UK. I don't know where you live in the UK, but taking an overnight break near Dover may give the car (and you!) a rest before tackling the French side - and gives the car an opportunity to throw any tantrums before you finally commit.

Robbie

[davidr]

Back in 2012 when I first had my 1996 XJS my wife and I decided to drive it down through France for a week doing around 1500 miles.
This was a car that although it had only done just over 50k miles, had hardly moved for many years.
It's recommissioning was a thorough service including dismantling the brakes and building them up again, changing all the fluids and new tyres.
It was a leap of faith but the drivetrain of these cars is very reliable, probably the most reliable engine, gearbox and drivetrain that Jaguar have ever made. It's basically the same as your X300.
The car never missed a beat including a spirited 8 hour charge across northern France to get a ferry on the last day.
I'm sure that your faith in the car will be rewarded. What's more, a good trip like that to really clear its lungs will make it feel like new!
Go on! Go for it!

[emwmarine]

Well i've updated the insurance policy to include business use and as it's a classic car policy it also has European breakdown cover. Useful as I think my RAC policy only covers cars up to ten years.

So off on Tuesday and have to give a colleague a lift from Paris to Rouen . Imagine they'll get a shock.

[davidr]

Good choice! Enjoy!

[Andy P]

Have a wonderful journey.
Enjoy the experience and tell us all about it on your return.
Safe driving.
Andy

[emwmarine]

Well I shouldn't have worried. The car did the 420 ISH miles without missing a bit. I'm used to my other classic , a triumph GT6, where you have a celebration if you manage to reach a destination under your own steam.

Well I set off on Monday evening for Newhaven to take the 11.00pm ferry. When driving to Paris for work and not using the eurostar I need to be in the office by 10am and the earliest realistic Eurotunnel train doesn't allow for that. The Newhaven ferry allows for a cabin and nearly five sleep. In the summer it docks at 5 am and bizarrely in the winter it goes quicker and docks at 4.

So a lovely drive down to Paris on empty roads in the dark and pulled up in Paris by 6:30. I don't bother adjusting headlights in France but use the height adjusters to point them down and find that works well enough. The 4.0 Daimler was more comfortable than the Merc I normally take. It also has perfect torque for motorway driving. Sticking to around 110kmh on this leg the fuel economy gauge was saying 27mpg.
The car got a lot of attention as big cars generally are rare in Paris and xj6 even more so.
Heading to Rouen on Thursday morning I followed a colleague and had to keep up with his BMW 340 as I wasn't sure of the address. He was doing 3 figure speeds then dropping to 130kmh where he knew the speed cameras are. I may have set one off. The car coped very well as I guess it was really designed for high speed motorway driving. The economy didn't drop as much as I thought it would and only dipped to 25 average. Friday evening saw me head to Calais and again the ferry. I hate the smell of pee in the skanky Eurotunnel and often take the ferry if not in a rush. The business lounge is only 12 quid and transforms the experience. The journey to Calais was very easy and not being in a rush 120kmh seems a sweet spot for the car.

Got home about 21 and need to clean the car. It's about the only time it's been driven in the rain that we had in northern France on Friday since 1997. It's previous owner from new garaged it and only really took it out in the dry on Sundays.
I shouldn't have worried. It really is a great car.

[emwmarine]

Tried to attach a photo on the ferry

[davidr]

These are fabulous cars for just that kind of journey aren't they? Bet it feels better now for a good long run too!
Sounds like you really enjoyed it

[Andy P]

Hi emwmarine,
Glad you had a good journey and everything went according to plan .
Very well done,it's good to here of them being used for the purpose they were built for.
The first of many trips I should imagine .
Take Care and enjoy.
Andy .

[Orkney]

It’s easy to be be apprehensive about a big trip but you covered all aspects and it went well - most of the cars we see on the hard shoulder are more modern than ours but as has been said, it can happen to any mechanical or electrical device. We had a great trip of 2500 miles from Orkney to the Black Forest in our X308 Daimler and I too was apprehensive for the first hundred miles or so - you never know when the ‘fruit machine’ syndrome of pretty lights on the dash might manifest itself!

Anyway, I’m sure the rest of the Club would like to hear about your wonderful trip, hopefully with more pictures, so why not contact Editor Nigel for suggestions and possible inclusion in a future issue?

Ian