I really don't know what to say as I am at a loss for words. On one hand, I am glad that the XJ is still alive, but on the other, really disappointed where my country is right now.
It is sad that daily we discontinue solid reliable vehicles because they do not meet "current EPA mandates". I know that clean air is important, but lets be realistic. Let's face it, they got rid of the 4.0 because it wouldn't meet future EPA mandates. There wasn't any reason in the world why Chrysler (the HEMI experts) couldn't design a hemispherical combustion chamber head to work on this solid reliable workhorse of an engine. In addition, the fact that high pressure common rail EFI was just beginning to make itself known was simply ignored.
Don't even get me going on the "cash for clunkers" program that spent millions of hard earned tax-payer dollars to take good solid American-built vehicles (including lots of XJ's) out of existence. To me this was the most ridiculous waste of money, -used vehicles are a valuable resource, both in terms of replacement parts, -and running vehicles that are inexpensive to own (no payments, no interest). The government spent millions of dollars to take valuable vehicles out of existence so that people could get a check written by the US taxpayers to go buy a new KIA, Nissan, or Toyota, -yeah, that makes a lot of sense, -doesn't it?
I certainly don't want to rant about politics on the forum, but some things simply deserve mentioning.
Just wait until the day when China begins manufacturing solid reliable vehicles that DO meet current safety standards, -that day will soon be coming folks.......
The times are a changin'...........:shocked: