For the 28 years that I have known my husband, he has always driven the clunker car. The “good’ cars were reserved for me since I primarily toted the kids around. He’s driven cars without brakes or gas caps, cars that overheat just by looking at them and cars that should have never been on the road in the first place. About ten years ago, when we finally had two reliable vehicles, he bought himself a 1986 Jaguar XJ 12 cylinder red rocket. The Jag was fun for a while but soon the novelty wore off. It had one problem after another, would overheat just by turning it on, leaked oil and housed many a mouse. It was a happy day when that car went bye-bye. A few years ago, my husband started frequenting the Jag dealership in town, checking out the new models, dreaming about the day he could buy one. I’m not sure exactly when but sometime last year he started becoming serious about buying one. I just fluffed it off, saying yeah, yeah, whatever. Not thinking he could possibly be serious. We have 2 kids in college and tons of things to do around the house, how could we afford this?? Please….
We went to Singapore in March to visit my brother and his family. While we were there, my husband kept showing my brother a video on YouTube featuring the Jaguar XF Supercharged driven and reviewed by the guys on the BBC show “Top Gear”. He and my brother ended up in a Jag dealer IN Singapore—Good Grief! He came back giddy like a schoolgirl, busting at the seams to tell me all about it. In Singapore, everything is heavily taxed and cars especially. The Jag he is interested in is $435,000 in Singapore but under $75,000 in America…..it’s a bargain, right? He has to buy it—NOT.
Back home in the states, I was hoping that the Jag issue would fall by the wayside. He can’t be serious, he just can’t. He’s been known to tell tales and fantastical stories to me. I would fall for them and he would get a good laugh. I was thinking this was one of those times and wasn’t going to fall for it this go around. Instead, it became an obsession with him. Late at night when I would think he was working, I’d take a peek at his laptop and he would be looking at Jags on e-bay or watching that damn BBC video. Jeeze man, stop! And then it happened. I was standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes and my husband came over to me and said he was going to by a Jaguar. Wh-wha-WHAT?? No, I don’t think so. We need a shed, finish the dining room, redo the bathrooms, pay for the boys college……so many other things to do and buy. And my biggest argument against this purchase was that he wouldn’t be able to drive it in the winter. Not the winters we have here in the Northeast! He’d have to buy another car and that’s another added expense. After my meltdown, I thought he was done with this. The next Saturday I had gotten up early to run some errands. When I got home, my husband caught me off guard asking me to go with him to test drive a Land Rover. Oh, ok. Then he continued with, well after we do that, let’s drive down to Woodbridge to test drive the Jag. Oh for goodness sakes, if it will make you shut up! So off we go to the Range Rover dealer. Drove a lovely truck, but it would be like buying another Suburban. It would be just too much for what we need.
We got to the Jag dealer and-wow-those cars really are beautiful. I can see why my husband is so taken with them. They are all like works of art. While we were waiting for the dealer to wash the car we were going to test drive, I sat in a convertible. Now THAT I could buy with no argument. Out on the road, I checked out all the interior stuff, radio, navigation system, all the buttons on the console. Hmmm, what’s this button do? It was a button with a picture of a car and a snowflake. My husband answered slowly, “I don’t know” in a tone like he did know but wasn’t saying. Whatever. We got back to the dealer and with great flourish my husband says “hey Rob, what’s this button with the snowflake do?” “Why come inside and I will show you a 3 minute video on the Jag’s WINTER mode”. Winter mode? Are you kidding me? Since when do Jag’s have a winter mode??!! You can’t drive those things in the winter. This felt like a total set up. My husband knew I would never believe that he could drive it in the winter unless I saw it for myself. We watched the video set in New Hampshire on a closed icy snow covered road with professional driver. Oh good grief, now what am I supposed to say, that video just took away my biggest argument! After the video was over, my husband looked at me, Cheshire cat grin batting his big brown eyes and said “You can pick the color”
Later on that week, we had a serious sit down. Laid out all our expenses, no holds barred discussion. Can we really afford this? There is no way I am sacrificing any of my expenditures for this car. Although I did give up my gym membership—I never go. But I decided that before all this. We stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, but had a zero meltdown adult conversation. In the end, with all that we want to do to the house and the boy’s education, it looks like there is enough money in the till for the car. The next few days we didn’t talk about it. I was at work having a particularly bad day and got a phone call from my mother. She for one was not in favor of the car. I forgot what she said but our conversation ended badly--we hung up on each other at the same time. I promptly called my husband and said “are you going to pull the trigger or not?” He called back later and said he had put a deposit on a 2011 Jaguar XF Supercharged Ebony black, London tan interior(my choice) and the upgraded XFR seats(his choice). Apparently the seats are the shiznet. Oh boy, here we go….
It’s been a few weeks since he ordered the car. Rob couldn’t find one made to my husband’s specifications in the States so he special ordered one from England. The car wouldn’t be ready until July or later. A few days ago, I got THE call. The ETA on the Jag is this Friday, Rob found one in Michigan. Yesterday I was getting ready for work and needed help with a zipper. My husband asked if it was a new dress….why yes it is, and you can never say anything again about me spending money when you have just spent the most of all—and all for YOU! He held his head low and mumbled some sort of agreement. Today we are all anxious about tomorrow; is the car going to be in? Are we crazy for buying this? What have we done? Are you really going to drive the Jag in the snow with all the gunk on the roads? And no, I am not taking my shoes off and wearing slippers in the car, that’s just cuckoo!! But I will keep all of you updated and promise to put up pictures……………………..
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