have you owned an XJR before?

thanks for all your replies.

I've looked at the GS Lexus, but i'm not convinced on the looks department. It looks awkward to my eyes, and the interior looks very dated compared to my IS.

I absolutely adore the Jag's but now I've had previous owners on here share their experience I'm still un-sure what to do. My reason behind spending a mere few thousand on such a car was because I hat depreciation and whilst I understand you're never going to avoid this buying a car - its a lot less buying something this old, but is this balanced by all the parts I will need to replace? lol

Moeks - thanks for your reply. A close family friend was the production manager at Jaguar in Coventry (now a pile of rubble I think??) and he used to have pretty much every Jag you can think of. I think this is where my love for them came about. Having being a passenger in them from the age of 12 I can honestly say I used to peek out the windows and look at it when I wasn't being driven in it! I also remember the whir of the supercharger in the XKR and XJR models and the relentless power - which I hope to experience again in the future. I'm just gutted he Retired ! lmao:D

I think I need to seriously consider paying that bit more and keeping an eye out that cherished saloon ive been dreaming of
 
Nomisf said:
Having owned an XJ8 3.2 you will be lucky to see 8-12mpg around town, I serviced & cared for my own and did very few miles but even then, things like £80-100 for a set of plugs all add up, I can only see an "R" being more expensive again. Few hundred quid for a wishbone ? Nearly a grand for a decent set of rubber on the larger wheels ?

They might be cheap, but these things should come with a "Serious Jag Loving Enthusiast with several grand in the bank, full set of workshop quality tools & free weekends forever" warning sticker, trust me - I have been there and done it, and its still working out cheaper to run a heavily modified Jap wagon!

Mind you, I do miss it -
ci4A4.jpg

Edit: Personally, this is the cheapest I would go, and even then I would expect it to be hiding something - its not often a good one comes up at this price (if ever)... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JAGUAR-4-...4359744?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4843284c40
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Thanks for your reply. your XJ8 was an absolute beauty!
also loving the link, seems a good clean example. Slightly over my price range, but nothing I cant stretch too. Gotta love that post '98 black leather dash! I remember when they first launched that (to appeal to younger buyers!)

Don't you think that, with all these sky high costs (parts, fuel etc) such a car a few years on will be very rare and prestigious. What a shame the government wont support us motor enthusiasts! I just hope that someone out there is keeping one of these beauties safe, so that in 2020 the younger generation will here the roar of these
 
That XJR looks too cheap go and take a good hard look at it before handing over any money.
Sign up to an owners forum and research the common issues there is a good chance it has one or more.

I have an XK8 and I looked at over a dozen before picking the right one and most had fairly serious or at least fairly expensive known easily identifiable faults.
Time will tell if i bought a good one.
 
I love these cars. Came very close to buying one over the winter and probably will pick one up towards the end of this year once I've got the supra to a standard that I am happy with :).

Many parts are surprising cheap and the engines are well developed and strong, but you'd be a fool to think that running one will even be on the same plain as a IS200.

Unless their is a receipt written in blood from a reputable garage stating that the tensioners have been changed to the latest metal ones budget the £600 odd for new chains and tensioners right off of the bat. You can't avoid the issue by going with later cars because although the tensioner was redesigned once in the 4.0's lifespan the redesign was still rubbish. Metal tensioners were only available in the 4.2s onwards from the factory, but they really are the only way to go to unless you're a betting man and with the bill upwards of a grand for replacement second hand engine alone, plus the metal tensioners you should have fitted first time around plus labor installing it, I think the stakes are too high even for me.

They also enjoy going through the odd transmission as well. Its the old 'Sealed for life' story where in hindsight people are discovering now that perhaps some ATF changes should have been on the service schedule! And if it is done the fluid HAS to be the Merc stuff (£25 per litre I recall, and for a full flush I'd expect a garage to use 10-12 litres of the stuff), sticking dextron in there is known to end in tears.

The suspension is going to be knackered. Those poor rubber components have had to hold up 1800KGs worth of car for as many as 14 Years. The rubbers are relatively cheap, but the dampers aren't. £200+ per corner for CATS dampers... You can supposedly fit non cats dampers for a fraction of the cost and unplug the control module, but when you have to look into doing stuff like that you really have to question is you can afford the car.

And avoid the brembo brake option. Eye watering pads and discs prices with supposedly very little gain.

When push comes to shove you are miles better of getting a XJ8. For 95% of the time it is still the same car (if not better, XJRs have a harder ride and the box is said to be better than the Merc one found in the R) but with more reasonable running costs. If it has to be a R you might want to have a look at the earlier XJR6 where £3k actually gets you a nice example rather than the slightly suspect 8s that pop up for this money.
 
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Domi said:
That XJR looks too cheap go and take a good hard look at it before handing over any money.
Sign up to an owners forum and research the common issues there is a good chance it has one or more.

I have an XK8 and I looked at over a dozen before picking the right one and most had fairly serious or at least fairly expensive known easily identifiable faults.
Time will tell if i bought a good one.
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good idea, I have to admit - being a member of the Lexus owners club has been fantastic. Even before I owned one I was knowledgeable about everything, including the common faults or overlooked flaws.

Love the XK's. They seem to hold their price really well too, Gotta love the hips on that car! I would have considered one - that is if my budget came remotely close lol
 
Thanks Joshy! a quick google came up with tensioners problems, or rather neglect. I see your point in factoring that into the cost of the car or discounting it (I don't fancy a four figure repair bill)

OOOOUF! £25 Per Litre, thats nearly as much as unleaded now lol

Agreed on the Brembo brakes option, whilst they look good - epsecially with the 20" BBS Wheel option (I think these alone were a £2,000 option when new if I remember correctly) Its just added expense. I dread to think how dear the tyres would be for it.

hmmm maybe, But I think I would still like to try and get the 4.0 NA if I could.

I'm not in a massive rush, I quite like the hunt for a nice car. And being in my position, eg no part ex etc then I think that puts me in a decent position. What would you think is a sensible budget for a second hand V8 XJR?

oh and which Supra do you have? The twin Turbo?
 
If you are not a speed freak to the point where it has to be a R certainly consider 3.2s as well. There is not a massive gap performance wise, neither of the NA engines are particularly quick. There were a lot more 3.2s made so finding a good example will be easier.

There does seem to be another brembo option other than the one that required the 20s. Rare (I saw two cars with it in the six or so months I was looking at them) and fit under the standard wheels but still very expensive to replace.

The problem I found when looking was that 3k can buy you a nice enough example to make the 5k 'mint ' ones on the market look a bit over priced. The key is to wait and wait and wait a little longer for the right example. I remember seeing a carnival red, 80k mile very tidy example looking example complete with pictures outside a massive house with a Ford GT on the drive as well, basically the right car being sold by the type right type of person youd want to buy it from. By the time I sorted out a sane quote for insurance (a hazard of wanting a xjr at 20 years old!) it was sold, in a matter of hours, for 2750! :(.

I don't think 3k is not too little but you'll have to wait until the right example post up. A mate of mine visited about five for this budget before discovering they were mostly crap and gave up :).
 
Just to say that my boss has an X308 3.2 V8 which he bought for 2 grand three years ago. He has literally never serviced it, and never washed it and never spent any money on it, other than fuel and tyres. It still goes fine. The cabin heater has stopped working - that's it.
 
Joshy said:
If you are not a speed freak to the point where it has to be a R certainly consider 3.2s as well. There is not a massive gap performance wise, neither of the NA engines are particularly quick. There were a lot more 3.2s made so finding a good example will be easier.

There does seem to be another brembo option other than the one that required the 20s. Rare (I saw two cars with it in the six or so months I was looking at them) and fit under the standard wheels but still very expensive to replace.

The problem I found when looking was that 3k can buy you a nice enough example to make the 5k 'mint ' ones on the market look a bit over priced. The key is to wait and wait and wait a little longer for the right example. I remember seeing a carnival red, 80k mile very tidy example looking example complete with pictures outside a massive house with a Ford GT on the drive as well, basically the right car being sold by the type right type of person youd want to buy it from. By the time I sorted out a sane quote for insurance (a hazard of wanting a xjr at 20 years old!) it was sold, in a matter of hours, for 2750! :(.

I don't think 3k is not too little but you'll have to wait until the right example post up. A mate of mine visited about five for this budget before discovering they were mostly crap and gave up :).
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On the subject of insurance, if you pick up a 99 or earlier classic car insurance for an XJR is just over £200 ;)!
 
ramirez said:
i had an XJR for about a year (x308) - fastest car ive had by a mile, i loved it despite the slightly grandad image it has.

i want another.
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Always nice to hear a satisfied owner :)

I quite like the granddad image they have. wolf in sheep's clothing springs to mind. Besides that no-one can really **** an XJR off (well anyone who know anything about cars should at least appreciate what it is, even if its not to their taste)

I always remember being a passenger in a LWB V8 sovereign model all the way to Wales. It was sublime. Even with 4 of us in the car the ride was just incredible.
 
flat-6 said:
Just to say that my boss has an X308 3.2 V8 which he bought for 2 grand three years ago. He has literally never serviced it, and never washed it and never spent any money on it, other than fuel and tyres. It still goes fine. The cabin heater has stopped working - that's it.
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ooouf! what a bargain. He must have dropped on big time !
 
I've owned a few jags over the years and my view is to always go for the largest naturally aspirated petrol since they started doing the supercharged ones. They're more than fast enough, mine have been broadly reliable, though thermostats have been a weak spot. A £100 fix at a specialist on the 4.0 but a £400 fix on the 4.2!

In the x308 (98-02), the 4.0 is actually more economical than the 3.2, although much harder to find after 1999 or so. I also found the 3.2 a little too slow, not quite enough torque. The 4.0 is the sweet spot.

Currently, I'm in a 2003 4.2 s-type and it's great. I loved my XJ but the lack of modern sat-nav and a few other bits and pieces make it feel a bit too old.

Photo of my XJ8 - loved the colour!

CIMG0086.jpg
 
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