Jaguar XJ-Series

marsha7 · September 2003

if your logic is correct, does that mean that a 2001 XJ8L will drop from 32-34K down to the high 20s, or are we just whistling Dixie???

rea98d · September 2003

Older models of a car always loose something in resale when the next big thing comes along. Whether it'll be 2-4 thousand, I don't know. I'm here to find out exactly what the market's going to do. Someone more enlightened in the market than I am can make the prediction of how big a hit it's going to be, and how far down the food chain it's going to travel.

tamalloch · September 2003

Am in Tristate area/NY and looking to buy a probably '02 XJR - any thoughts folks? - and i wondered what the XJR100 signifies?

rea98d · September 2003

I think the XJR100 is in honor of Sir William Lyons's 100th birthday.

nvbanker · September 2003

First, I've noticed a lot of great used Jags for sale in Fla. Unfortunately, I live on the other coast, so that doesn't help me much!

I know of no "bad years" to beware of. Seems that from 98 on, they get progressively better. The 01 or 02 I think won the JD Power initial quality award at #2, behind Lexus, a nice progression from where they used to be.

I'm not away of Ford having a unique problem with silver, but if they did, I doubt it would reach Coventry.

If you do choose an SUV, stay away from the Mercedes M-class. Common knowledge, they have huge issues, never have resolved them.

tjs35 · September 2003

Anyone have any experience with one of these? I'm looking at one that appears to be in very good shape and with only 75000 miles. Its been driven very little over the last five years and I'm told that all the mechanicals are good except the air conditioning. Rubber is good. The seller is asking $5,200. Thanks for any input. Tom

nvbanker · September 2003

A/C is so so, and it will leak.

rea98d · September 2003

'71, if memory serves, is a Series I, which really predates all the reliability problems which plagued Jaguar for so long. Also, all the lemons Jaguar cranked out in '71 have probably long-ago succumbed to attrition. One thing you will have to deal with is finding Series I specific trim, glass, ect, which is becoming hard to find, should you ever need such pieces. I'm not sure what a good Series I should sell for, but from the brief description you give, it sounds like a good-and increasingly rare-car.

fenn · September 2003

I took my 2004 XJR to the dealer for a minor repair item, and they lent me a 2004 XJ8 demo to use for a couple of hours while they worked on my car.

I was really impressed with how quick the '04 XJ8 felt around town. In normal city-speeds, and stop-and-go driving, it feels almost as perky as my XJR... It really is a fun car, with a sporty feel. Considering that the base XJ8 is far less expensive than a base Mercedes S class, or 7 Series BMW, it really offers great performance and bang for the buck.

nvbanker · September 2003

AND, you get a loaner? Wow, one of my colleagues was dropped off by the Mercedes dealer this morning in the shuttle........

fenn · September 2003

Well, my adaptive cruise control module was out and it was a quickie job...I think that they felt bad because my XJR car only had 700 miles on it.......This was an exception..I think.

However, I am not sure that I will ever get the same quality of service and convenience from Jaguar that Infiniti offered me in the past......We shall see.......

minktail · September 2003

hi-
thanks for your advice, nvbanker! you also mentioned lots of good used jags down here... where did you get this info? i'm in palm bch. county. our jag dealer seems to have higher prices on their used cars than in dade/broward; but dealers usually treat people better who buy their cars there, yes?
i read back a few pages on here and see the discussion on the aluminum body/engine. is there somewhere(other than asking the salesman at jag) i can find out what years of the xj8 have aluminum parts?
anyone had any experience/word on that place in texas- texascarsdirect.com? was texas mustangs(odd name, there's a story that goes w/it) were planning on and may have changed the name by now. they sell mostly used jags, but other luxury vehicles as well..
hubby still pushing for an suv, he's looking at the ads right now. ugh!
thanks again!!

nvbanker · September 2003

Probably half the Jags on E-bay, are offered in florida. Look at ebaymotors.com.

The XJ only went all aluminum in 2004. Good luck!

cfollstad · September 2003

Hi all,

I've owned and maintained several makes of British cars over the years ... even a couple Jags; however, I have not had the pleasure (?) of maintenance of a "post Ford" one. I hear quality and customer satisfaction is way up on the new models but what about the ones about 10 years old? I'm considering a late model V12 XJ-S coupe and was wondering what owners' experiences were with them? Typical maintenance costs? Typical problems ... British electrics (aren't they Bosch now?) I pour money into a 79 Rolls and finally dumped a 97 Range Rover after $6000/12 months so I don't want to get into another vehicle thatcosts me so much to run. $150/month is OK ... $400/month is not.

I would appreciate your advise and experience.

Thanks!

Mr_Shiftright · September 2003

I'd say you'll have an experience similar to the Rover but not as bad as the Rolls...nothing is quite as bad as a Rolls for maintenance!

A 1995 V-12 would be a very high maintenance car of dubious reliability and plummeting resale value. On a scale of 1 to 10 for reliability, it would be about a 4. Mostly the problem is the V-12. If you could avoid that, you'd be much better off.

Is there some reason you like this car in particular, I mean a V-12 coupe. I think the XJ6 is a lot prettier and a lot easier to deal with.

rocque · September 2003

Shifty, what type of problems could you encounter with a v12 instead of a v6....

Mr_Shiftright · September 2003

Let's just say that the V-12 makes an already complex car doubly complicated. It is essentially an impossible car for a do-it-yourselfer to cope with, which means you are at the mercy of high labor rates and shocking parts prices. There are lots of black boxes in a V-12 and most of them cost $600. Jaguar engineering has always been pretty bizarre and not geared toward saving the owner time or money. Things like using the a/c to cool the fuel is very trippy stuff. It's a tough car to work on and you'd better know what you are doing. I never met a man who eventually did not come to grief with a Jaguar V-12, except the man who owns both a V-12 and a Jaguar repair shop.

I've had a few Jaguars (140, 150 coupe, XKE coupe, 3.8 Sedan, XJ6) over the years and loved driving them, and I have a tool box taller than myself, but I wouldn't buy a V-12 except to flip it on a quick sale.

farnsworthy · September 2003

I own a 94 XJS V12 which I bought used and have operated for 43K miles. At 84K miles, my reliability has been really no worse (or better) than my Jeep Cherokee or Astro van, and my Jag dealer's repair shop prices, for basic drivetrain work, are not significantly different than for my American cars. Admittedly, body work can be outrageous, but here I would not use the dealer. The engine is not that bad to work on IF you have proper documentation such as is available from Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, on CD ROM for 30 bucks. Ok, ok, it helps being an engineer, but IMHO, this engine is not any more complex to work on than any other computer-controlled fi engine. Yes, things are difficult to reach, because of the stuffed engine space, but the technology is not a deep mystery, once revealed by the books. This is my 7th Jaguar, and is the most difficult to maintain, I admit, but not discouragingly so. The Chevy Vortec V6 that I am putting in a restored Willys now, is no less complex.

sv7887 · September 2003

Hi All,
I'd appreciate your help on this one.
Other than the Supercharger what is the different between the XJ8 and XJR (98-03)? Is the XJR on the longer wheelbase like the VDP's?
I've been thinking about getting an older Jag and have been pondering this dilemma. I love the look of the traditional Short wheelbase XJ but am tempted by the Thrill of a XJR. One more question, is it possible to change the Grille inserts on the XJR to that of the XJ8? I realize it takes away the aggressive look, but I really prefer the normal grille.

Thanks,
SV

rea98d · September 2003

The XJR is on the short wheel base, but Jaguar also makes supercharged Vanden Plas with the same engine as the XJR, all the VDP's chrome, and the long wheelbase. Some years they called them the Vanden Plas Supercharged, some years the Super V-8 (or something like that). Now, from what I understand, Jaguar only makes the supercharged VDP once e customer has placed an order with a dealer, so, in terms of X300's, they tend to be rather rare, so expect to have to look a while to find one.

bhill2 · September 2003

but this forum addresses similar issues, and the XJ and XK have the same engine. Anyway, I have a 2001 with about 20K miles. For at least the last 10K, the 'low coolant' light has come on periodically (say, every 1-2 months). The coolant will be a bit low, but not much. If I add, perhaps 2 oz, it is happy for another month. The dealer just shrugs. Have other people had the experience of this slow loss of coolant? It bugs me that a car this expensive is leaking, even a small amount, since I have owned much cheaper cars that didn't need coolant added any time between changes. Thanks for any insight.

willimjo · September 2003

My wife drives a '98 XJ8L. It does the same thing you're experiencing. Input from an independent mechanic who only does Jag's is - most cars will experience this amount of loss by evaporation through the expansion tank. The difference is the Jag's coolant level sensor is sensitive enough to pick it up and warn you much sooner than most other cars.

Most manufacturer's don't seem to find this amount of loss warrants a warning (they may have to lose a quart or more before the low level is triggered). For reasons that are beyond me, Jaguar chooses to tell their owners of very small losses.

It is annoying to have to clear the light with such a small coolant addition, when any competent mechanic will acknowledge that this small loss has no adverse impact on the system's ability to regulate the engine temperature.

Just my opinion, your mileage may vary.

bhill2 · September 2003

Thanks for the response. Yeah, I know that small a loss wouldn't hurt the engine, but boy is that warning message annoying! Besides, if you ignore it you would also not be warned of a catastrophic coolant loss. Since it now goes on and off more or less randomly until I fill it, maybe I could count on its not going off at all if the coolant level actually got low. Anyway, if anyone has a work-around short of plumbing an external fill spout I would like to hear it.

nvbanker · September 2003

however, I have had lots and lots of cars that don't lose that much coolant in a year. I suppose the Jag system may be different, but I'd be interested to hear if everybody else has the problem. I suspect not.....

Sounds more like a loose hose somewhere, with an undetectable leak.

leadfoot4 · September 2003

...On my wife's 2001 XJ-8. The car has 7200 miles on it, and will be 3 years old this December. It took about a pint of coolant and distilled water to top off the car. Spoke with the dealership's Jaguar mechainc a few days later, and he says that's "About normal".

nvbanker · September 2003

Well, then, perhaps that is "normal", though annoying.....

cfollstad · September 2003

jrosasmc · September 2003

I just read somewhere that the current XK8 sits on the old XJS' platform, which of course dates back to the '70s. So that means the previous-generation XJ6 used a chassis that dated back all the way to the Series I of 1969??

bhill2 · September 2003

Annoying, perhaps with a couple of appropriate adjectives (adverbs?) attached, is a good word for it. Anyway, thanks to everyone for the feedback. At least now I don't have to worry that it is working up to having a coolant hemorrhage all over the freeway.

leadfoot4 · October 2003

...That when you buy a "high end" car, you don't expect to have small "issues" spoiling the ownership experience.

While I totally belive that, I fully understand that cars will use a little oil or coolant now and again, need to have a drop of oil here and there, and so forth. I don't get upset over the little things.

What I find frustrating about the low coolant situation with the Jag is that the coolant reservoir is black. You can't see into it, like most other cars' semi-transparent tanks, so you just can't give it a glance when you check the oil. The Jag's tank is also on the pressure side of the system, so the coolant has to be cold before you remove the reservoir's cap. Just not convenient, which leads to the above mentioned comments.

bhill2 · October 2003

As someone else above mentioned, most cars, high end, low end or in the middle, don't lose coolant like that. I personally have owned a Ford, a Chevy, a Toyota, two Volvos and two (water cooled) VWs, and have never had a car continually lose coolant. Also, if Jag really cannot stop their cars from doing it, at least they could make the warning system less sensitive. The bottom line is, this situation would annoy me if it happened in any car I owned.

nvbanker · October 2003

Well, I would probably adapt to it, and just watch it closely, but I must confess that the only cars that ever did this to me were hardly in the Jag league, they were Chevies, with leaky head gaskets.

ronaldcross · October 2003

I saw the discussion above on used jags.

About a month ago I called North Scottsdale Jaguar here in AZ and asked for a price on a certified used '02 XJ8. He quoted me $38,600 and the car had 15K miles. I went right over. The car was beautiful, and was an XJSport! (Same as an XJR but without the supercharger.) I bought it that afternoon. Kelly BB was $44,000!

97vdpguy · October 2003

I have a 97 VDP and I have two issues that crop up from time to time and they're more or less annoying.

The first is that the fuel pump (located somewhere between the two rear wheels) intermittently "groans". It is quite loud when it happens and fills the car with a really ugly noise. The warranty company won't allow it to be replaced because it hasn't "failed". It groans for about a month, then it goes away for one or two more.

The second thing is that the tires vibrate and shake the whole car at higher speeds. I've had them speed balanced...three times and the alignment checked twice. Currently, I've had the problem "rotated away", but as soon as I get the tires rotated again, my teeth will start to chatter when I go above 80MPH.

Sure spoils the otherwise luxury experience...

nvbanker · October 2003

You sure the fuel pump isn't in the tank? Well, either way, run the car out of gas, and leave the key on. You'll need a new one, and maybe your warranty will then cover it.

gazumi · October 2003

Hi guys,

I'm considering a 98 Vanden Plas with 65K miles and needs your help.

Everything looks very good on this car except that the driver's seat bolster has slight wear, and the door panel handle has wear on the stitching where you would pull it. Can these problems be fixed by an upholstery place? Could I expect the repair to be undetectable if it's done by a good shop?

Also, the seat position memory may not work, but it could be that I don't know how to work it yet. How expensive would this be to repair if it is in fact broken?

Thanks,
Pete

nvbanker · October 2003

Yes, a good upholstery shop can get the original stuff, and make an undetectable repair for you. Door and seat.

Funny, the last XJ I test drove, also had a memory seat that I couldn't get to function, but I also might have been "doing it wrong".

gazumi · October 2003

I spoke to an upholstery shop that does Bentleys and custom Lamborghini interiors for athletes and such and they said that they should be able to make an undetectable repair. If it doesn't work, they can always replace the leather itself, and the fact that there's side airbags in the seat makes no difference.

I also found out from Jag-Lovers.org that the seat memory can be caused by either a loose plug under the seat or a bad ECU.

Pete

gazumi · October 2003

Hi,

It's been quiet on this board! I'm still looking for the right XJ8 to buy...

I've seen alot of ads on autotrader.com that says the car has a "CA spec" engine. Is there such a thing? Do I really need a "CA spec" engine to pass emissions in CA? I was under the impression that cars manufactured after a certain year will meet CA emissions requirements.

Also, has anyone ever dealt with Silvey Motors/www.texas-jaguar.com/www.jaguarofaustin.com? They have a buying service in which they will buy a car to order at the Jag auction. They claim that their cars are of much higher quality than www.texascarsdirect.com's cars and as a result are around $1.5K more expensive. If this is true, what quality are the texascarsdirect cars?

Thanks,
Pete

nvbanker · October 2003

Lots of new cars are 50 state cars that meet all CA emissions requirements. However, if the Jag isn't one of them, you'll get to pay a nice fine to register the car there.

nvbanker · November 2003

Don't get an XJ-12 for a daily driver! It's ok for a Sunday drive car, but plan on tinkering as much as you drive it.

minktail · November 2003

hi jag fans-
i posted here back in sept; at that time, my husband wanted me to give up my aging(& problematic) xj6 for an suv. i caved after much pressure from all around and am now the owner of an '03 tahoe xl. it is so not me. i walk out of anywhere and look for my car in the lot and think someone has stolen my jag; the valet brings me this truck and i nearly tell him he has brought me the wrong car.
so i read wistfully and want to tell you all how lucky you are to still be able to go through the turns w/o leaning and to feel like you are in a sports car as you drive the boys to baseball.
so sad... heidi in so fla

nvbanker · November 2003

I had a similar experience in 96, and spent two years of a lease in purgatory, missing my old car, until I could get back into one.

A Tahoe would be tough to swallow after a Jag.....

houstonmerc · November 2003

I am considering a 2004XJ, but have not begun to look seriously yet. The web site indicates it is "pre wired" for phone. Can someone please explain what that means. Would Jaguar install one or would you have to go elsewhere. If you do get one installed, how does it work? On the Mercedes I know you plug the phone in to the car, then can use steering wheel controls to answer / hang up / view programmed number etc. Thanks.

kela7 · November 2003

I was recently in an accident in my '97 XJ6L. I was waiting for traffic to clear to make a left turn into a parking lot. The 2 opposing lanes of traffic were nice enough to stop short of blocking the driveway. Both drivers waved me through. The minute I edged out to turn into the driveway, a woman came flying out of nowhere in the parking lane and jacked the front of my car up! Fortunately, I didn't get injured in this accident, but my issue now is with the insurance company. They've been given an estimate of approx. $10,000 to repair my car. Rather than repair it, the insurance co. wants to total it because they say the cost to repair it is almost equal to the value of the car. Body shop totally disagrees--says car is in excellent condition (even with 80K miles) and would be worth it to repair (there's no damage to the engine). My biggest problem is that I'm still paying for the car. I bought it 2-1/2 years ago and owe about $16,000 which means I would have to come out of pocket about 5K and in the end would be without a car. This is insane to me! I absolutely LOVE that car and have had no problems with it whatsoever. Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you much!!

nvbanker · November 2003

You are probably within your rights to insist the insurance company fix your car.

marsha7 · November 2003

You might also consider asking them to pay you the $10K, and then ask if you can keep the car...they may want to charge you for the "carcass" as it usually has SOME value when they sell it to a junkyard (since the yard will sell off the parts for a fortune)...oftentimes, the insurance is just as glad to let you keep the car, so they don't have to hassle with it...if so, you get the $10K, fix as much of the car as you want or need to, and then keep your car until it is paid off...contact the PD (property damage)adjuster with the proposal...good luck...

95xjs12 · November 2003

Have a 95 XJS V12 Coupe and am looking to buy a 2000 model year XJ8. Torn between the "smaller" std XJ8, and the VDP and the longer wheel base. Anyone have experiences / advice dealing with TexasCarsDirect in Dallas? Or advice about the 2000 XJ8? Live in south ALabama---where there are no dealers! So I need a fairly reliable daily driver for the wife. Muchly appreciated.

kela7 · December 2003

Thank you both so very much for your input. Marsha, that sounds like an excellent idea and I'm definitely going to try it!

willngayle · December 2003

I some recent posts about key fob failures, what you need to know is that if you have a door or trunk open, the key fob will only beep but not perform the function you want. Hope this helps.

Jaguar XJ-Series

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