The Jaguar That Went Boom

My husband loved flashy cars. After his Acura died from driving back and forth to Milwaukee every day, he had his eye on a great-looking 2009 Jaguar sedan. It was cherry red and in pristine condition. He drove by the car at a local dealership every day. Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore. He went in and negotiated a deal for his dream car.

I had driven a few Jaguars in my past. They were fun to drive and had lots of power. The one area they often had issues with was the cooling system. On a robin’s-egg-blue sky day, Michael and I headed to Madison to enjoy his new ride. As we headed down Washington Avenue, the car began to make strange noises. Next, steam began swirling up around the hood. I suggested we pull over and let the car cool down. Michael disagreed that this was necessary. He insisted that everything was fine.

As we continued down the avenue, the car started making knocking sounds and began running roughly. Now I insisted that we pull over. We pulled into the parking lot of an auto parts store. Michael opened the hood, and the steam gushed out, making a cloud that immediately got my attention.

Michael still insisted that everything was fine. We stayed in the parking lot and allowed the car to cool. We went inside and bought fluid that we could add if needed. Finally, Michael had had enough of waiting. He said he thought everything would be fine now.

I hesitantly climbed back into the car. I had my fingers crossed and was saying silent prayers. As we pulled into traffic, the car began to knock and rock, and the steam returned. The next thing that got our attention was a loud bang. The radiator cap blew off and left a dent in the hood of our car. Michael finally agreed that we had a problem.

As he pulled over, it took all of my willpower to keep my mouth shut. I had warned him about the eccentricities of the Jaguar cooling system. He truly did not believe that I knew what I was talking about.

The afternoon ended with AAA towing our new-to-us vehicle back to Beaver Dam. The next day, the car went in for repairs. Four thousand dollars later, the cooling system was repaired. I explained that we would have to refinance the car to pay the bill. So even before he had made his first payment, the purchase price went through the roof — along with the radiator cap.

I appreciate the beauty of the Jaguar. I simply question the integrity of its cooling system. From that point on, Michael listened to me when I insisted he pull over. I had finally made a believer out of him.

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