1999 Jaguar Vanden Plas review from North America

I am a 52 y/o male PhD educated professional. I am the second owner of this car; miles on it when I bought it were highway miles. I have driven this car hard, locally and cross country, and have been very satisfied with it. Jaguar is a finicky car and requires constant attention to detail, and you must fix the little things or they will become big things. These are the only surprises I have had from the car (I always use premium gas, and full synthetic oil changed every 3,000 miles) :

The 100,000 mile scheduled service caught me a little off guard -- almost $2500.

The thermostat housing (ironically made of molded plastic) shattered -- only an $85 repair, but in the shop for two days.

I had to replace the fuel pump recently -- of course it is located in the gas tank -- that was an unexpected $850 repair, but completed within 36 hours.

The car runs and looks great, especially for a 1999. It is detailed once a month, and I am very happy with the car. I have read a lot of the comments, and have to wonder two things: are the vehicles being properly maintained, and is it possible that there are 'bad' Jaguars just as there are bad models of everything? I would buy another one just like mine tomorrow. They are not cheap to operate, but they look and perform like a precision vehicle. If you want higher reliability and cheaper operating costs, buy a cheaper "run of the mill" car.

JLS.