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Jaguar XJ-Series

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Comments

  • christchurchchristchurch Member Posts: 125
    I think the jury is still out on warranties.
    Several of you have bought them, I know.

    But, I am curious, any advice, based on experience?
    If so, what brands gave the best service and reimbursement.
    I hear of so many stories of "things" not being covered.
    Is that your hearing, too?

    Anyone know of Wynns ?
    It is that name that is circulating in my part of the country and seem to be well thought of....but, I would like to know.

    I am considering an extended warranty myself, so these questions are more than just curiosity driven.

    Thanks, Jag owners, this is a special fraternity under the sign of the "CAT" !!
    Christchurch
  • jmm52jmm52 Member Posts: 3
    Bill, Thanks for your response. What do you think a good price is for a 1999 or 2000 XJ8 with 15,000 miles would be?

    I am looking in the Tampa/ St. Pete area but would be willing to look at other reasonably close locations. There is a new dealer going up in North Tampa but they are not through with construction as of yet.
    -Jim
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    I think that you ought to be able to buy a 2000 XJ8 with 15-20K on it in nice shape in a good color for really no more than $35-36K or so.

    As far as a 99... Probably like $1,500-2K less.. if that. On a wholesale level, a 99 with 15K on it isnt worth much less than a 2000 with 15K. Why? The 99 is a low-mile car and carries a big premium. The 00 is an average mile car and does average $$...

    Bill
  • bhill2bhill2 Member Posts: 2,466
    In your post 701 you said about the XJ8 " I am seriously thinking about a purchase but need to test drive the car for a while to see how I adjust to the handling and pickup". Check with Hertz and Budget about renting one for a few days. I have rented them from Budget a couple of times, always at airports. I also think I remember Hertz announcing that they were going to offer the Ford Premium Group cars, including the Jag.

    2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])

  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    Good point.

    And they do rent Jaguars almost everywhere in Florida... Youmay haveto do somesearching to find anXJ tho.. seems like most are S-Types.

    Bill
  • bbrimmer1bbrimmer1 Member Posts: 9
    I am in the market for a XJ. Most likely a 1999 or 2000. Since I live in Southern New England and do a lot of driving (25K per year), my question is this: How good is this car in snow and ice?

    Also, any thoughts on why the depreciation is so high? Many thanks.
  • kevinmac1kevinmac1 Member Posts: 3
    I would appreciate any information on service manuals for basic repairs and maintenance for
    the 1996 XJ6. The usual companies, like Haynes, don't seem to make them.
  • sikorski1sikorski1 Member Posts: 6
    I just bought a "98" XJ8 this summer. I need new tires and I want to keep the factory recommended Pirelli's on year-round. Although I understand that the XJ8 doesn't go very well in the snow. What should I do? Should I buy a different tire for the winter. (I dont really want to store a set of tires.) Should I change the tire and go with a different brand that works better year-round?
    Please tell me what tire I should buy. Include tire make, model and size.
    Please tell me what has worked for you!
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    First,

    If you are going to drive your kitty in the snow (Which they are pretty good at believe it or not, especially with traction control or even ASC) you need to get your mitts on a set of good snow tires. The OEM tires are NOT even all-season rated.

    Yeah, the OEM Pirelli P4000E tires may LOOK like All-Season P4000 SuperTourings, but they do not have an all-season tread compound

    So get snow tires! I strongly suggest either of the following:

    Michelin Pilot snows (H or V rated snow tires)
    Pirelli Winter 210Ps (No longer made... but they have a replacement that is the one that the Jaguar factory cars use in the winter).

    See, if you get a set of typical snow tires, they are generally "Q" speed rated (99mph) and are atrocious on dry pavement. Higher speed rated snow tires (The Winter 210Ps used the same casings as, IIRC, P600s) are built as high-performance tires with snow tread designs and snow-oriented tread compounds so the car wont drive like a 77 Lincoln Town car (or worse)in the dry.

    Hope this helps! (If you are in or near north Jersey, deal with precision tire and wheel on Rt 17 South in Ridgewood. Danny and Scott are amazing)

    As far as repair manuals go.. Factory at the moment. And they are real expensive. Haynes makes one for the XJ40 which is just OK.. But its also only $13 or so.

    Bill
  • kevinmac1kevinmac1 Member Posts: 3
    Thanks to Bill for the info. I see that Haynes makes a manual for the XJ6 up to 1994. Would that model be useless for the 1996 or would the basic stuff be the same? Thanks,

    Kevin M
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    Glad to help.

    The Haynes is OK for some things.. but, frankly, not on a lot of the things that you will be needing to fix on an X300...

    Engine is similiar, but I would NOT use that book to do engine work anyways. Might be useful for suspension...

    If you need a tech in Central Florida, I happen to know the best. Guy that I use personally and he;s awesome. (Long shot but who knows!)

    Bill
  • 97vdpguy97vdpguy Member Posts: 111
    I was in my dealership recently and looked at the new 2002 models they had. All were sporting Pirelli P6000's. The tread design looked to be of the "aqua tread" variety. A deep center grove down the middle with sideways groves heading off at about 45-degrees in either direction.

    They didn't look very "radial" at all. These would probably suck worse in the snow than the P4000E's that were on the models through 2001.

    Will the dealer remove the regular tires and put the snow tires on the same rims, or should we buy a winter set of rims too?

    Thx.
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    They actually switched to P6000s in the USA for the 01 MY...

    Well, the 01 Corporate demos I saw atthe auction tonight had em on :)

    They have been OEM in Europe for years...

    For snows, I'd use the OEM rims myself unless you can snag a set of 16" Jag wheels cheap on eBay...

    BTW, the P6000s are awesome tires.

    Bill
  • mveramvera Member Posts: 22
    A friend of mine just told me about a site that sells tires. Very good prices and cheap shipping charges. Just plug in the make, model & year of car and it will bring up what is available, cost and all the information you would want to know about them. Consumer info. available also. I found it to very helpful to comparing them also. The different Pirelli, Dunlop, Yokohama, etc are all listed. If you click of the search for "best Sellers" it will give you the top ones you would want to purchase for our cats. It also includes the "6000" series.

    The site address is www.tirerack.com

    Good Luck
  • hossophossop Member Posts: 1
    I've always been intrigued by all Jaguar automobiles and will someday own one. However, I've heard that maintaining a XJ8 or any Jaguar car is very expensive. Can someone give me some insight on what you have paid in repairs or regular maintenance. Also, my friend has a 1996 325 BMW and complains about the cost of maintenance. Is a XJ8 more expensive to maintain than a BMW?
  • jwilson1jwilson1 Member Posts: 956
    tirerack.com is very reliable to deal with. Usually they are cheaper to deal with, even with freight included. The only weakness I've found is that they don't carry every good brand, like Toyo, that you may want to deal with.

    Take care.
    Joe W.
  • 97vdpguy97vdpguy Member Posts: 111
    If you buy a 2000, 2001 or 2002 XJ8, it'll come with 4-year bumper-to-bumper warranty service.

    Older ones will not.

    Typical dealer prices for a couple services are:

    30,000 mi (major) service: $850
    Oil/Filter Change: $80
    Replace damaged underbonnet: $275

    I would say that Jags are no more expensive to maintain than BMW's. Don't buy an S-type unless you can deal with an unresolvable shimmy at 70MPH.

    For the most part, these cars don't breakdown like the earlier models and older V12's reportedly do.

    If you can afford one, you won't be disappointed.
    My car insurance only went up $40/yr switching from a Jeep Grand Cherokee to a Vanden Plas.

    Good Luck!
  • jwilson1jwilson1 Member Posts: 956
    I'm happy that no one believes those dumb spy photos of the new XJ. Instead, would someone please PLEASE make this the new XJ. With just a change of the roofline it looks like four doors are going here. I'll bet that's what they're doing and they're going to let me have the first one! Yeah, that's it .......


    http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=9484


    Take care.

    Joe W.

  • scottphillipscottphillip Member Posts: 249
    I am considering a used 2001 Jaguar Vanden Plas in white with only 500 miles. Is $59,000 a good price? My problem is that I am fickle and like to trade every year. I have a 2001 Audi A6 4.2 now, and wish that it were a little larger. I've never had a Jag, but a worried about depreciation. Should I lease new, or buy an older model? Lease periods are often too long for me. I did lease a Q45 for two years, but I bought a second car to keep on the side. :-) What are your thoughts on the Jaguar? Thanks!
  • pluskinpluskin Member Posts: 79
    Its purely a display of future design cues and trends.
  • jwilson1jwilson1 Member Posts: 956
    Exactly what I mean.

    Also, I can read. And dream too, if you know what I mean.

    Take care.
    Joe W.
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    If you like to trade yearly.. Buying a used 2000 or 1999 would be a smarter move. Same car you know!

    Depreciation on VDPs can be heavy.....
    I'm picking up 99 VDPs wholesale for $35Kish depending on miles and color (Low and good in this case)

    Speaking of VDPs... Charles? Out there? My computer at home got fried by lightning and I lost your e-mail!

    Bill
  • sho3sho3 Member Posts: 28
    Hey Bill my e-mail address is charlescooper@mediaone.net
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    TY!

    Bill
  • jmm52jmm52 Member Posts: 3
    Bill,

    I went out to purchase a pre-owned XJ8 and looked at two nice cars. The first was a 2000 with 16,000 miles in Topaz for the 46,000 and the second was a 1999 in Titanium with 19,000 miles for 43,000 thousand. Both included a CD changer. Of the two my primary interest is in the 99 in Titanium.

    Based on your previous comments and in reviewing pricing guides on the internet these prices are way out of line. The dealer appears to have an excellent reputation but I don't want to overpay buy what appears to be a substantial amount.

    Kelly's Blue Book lists average retail at $39,690 and you previously stated that I should be able to get a good 99 at around 34,000. I will go back and suggest that the prices are out of line but I am not sure if this particular dealer will go down in price. (It is certainly worth a try.)

    Two real questions -
    1) Will I get good warranty service from a different dealer than I purchase from? Is there a hidden problem in buying from a non local source?
    2) Any suggestions where I can get a good car in my area. I am in Northwest Tampa and would be willing to travel to Sarasota or Orlando if the dealer and the deal were right and if the answer to my first question if yes.

    Any suggestions? I appreciated your previous comments.
    -Jim
  • 97vdpguy97vdpguy Member Posts: 111
    You should contact Bill and buy your car from him!

    You'll get a good car at a fair price.
  • lesliejoylesliejoy Member Posts: 62
    Don't know if you're still in the market for an extended warranty, but if you are, here's some info:

    I've learned from quite a few "upscale" car dealers that Warrantech (Repairmasters) offers the best warranty called Ultimate 2000. It's bumper to bumper, with an exclusionary list of items such as brake pads,rotors, lights, things that wear out. This is the only one my Jaguar dealer sells.

    I've also learned this warranty is offered at different prices depending on who's quoting you.
    My jaguar dealer quoted us a price of $1959 for a 5 year/100,000 Utimate 2000 coverage on our Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd with 44,000 miles. I bought the same warranty for $1646 from another classic car dealer. This dealer also quoted me a price $900 cheaper for my jaguar. (My jaguar warranty doesn't expire until March 2002, so I'm waiting).

    Warrantech requires that the car is under 4 years old and has not more than 60,000 miles.

    I'm in Atlanta. If you'd like the name of the dealer I bought it from, please let me know. I might try calling a few other places for quotes on this particular warranty to see if I can get it cheaper before March.

    Hope this helps!
  • lesliejoylesliejoy Member Posts: 62
    Forgot to mention, this was for $0 deductible.
  • daveinatlantadaveinatlanta Member Posts: 4
    Well, here we go...

    I need new tires for my 96 XJ6 (75K). The OE Pirelli P4000s are an astounding $229 at NTB and $155 plus shipping at Tire Rack.

    Opinions, please, about:
    Yokohama AVS dB
    Michelin Pilot XGT Z4
    Dunlop SP5000 Symmetrical

    Thanks!

    Dave in Atlanta
  • susy1susy1 Member Posts: 4
    My 95 vdp has developed an intermittent engine surge between 50 and 60 mph. It is very smooth below 50, above 60, and during acceleration. The service manager at the local JAG dealer says it is caused by the torque converter locking and unlocking in response to throttle position between 50-60 mph. He says JAGUAR is aware of this problem and their recommended fix is to replace the rear springs and shocks.

    Has anyone else had this problem? The torque converter lockup sounds reasonable but replacing rear springs and shocks doesn't seem like the proper solution.
  • ou814ou814 Member Posts: 12
    Kevin,

    I have a 1995 XJ6 and there are a couple of places to get help for maintenance. I purchased a factory manual reprint from a guy on e-bay for $300. It's not too bad but it does leave some things to be desired. I have found the best bet is to subscribe to alldatadiy.com. It costs $24.95 per year and is worth EVERY penny. All the diagrams and instructions and directly out of a factory Jaguar manual. In fact I noticed that in the manual I got some torque specs are not listed but I was able to get them off of Alldata. Alldata also has TSBs or "Technical Service Bulletins". These are great in assisting in diagnosis. In fact I purchased an EGR upgrade kit from the dealer but had no idea how to install it. After questioning the guys at my local Jag dealer service department they FINALLY brought out an instruction sheet but would not make me a copy telling me instead to let them do it when I had my oil changed next. Well I change my own oil so that wouldn't work. I noticed on the bottom of the sheet they were showing me there was a date and it said TSB. So when I got home I went on Alldata and searched the date under TSBs and sure enough I found the exact instructions they were showing me. Bottom line: GET ALLDATA. It is cheap and very valuable.

    Rick.
    1995 XJ6
  • ou814ou814 Member Posts: 12
    Well I decided to order the Boges from Coventry West for my '95 X300 but when I got them they were Biltsteins. I called them up and after a lot of research they told me my car came with Bilsteins instead of Boges. Not knowing who to believe now (since they originally told me my car came with Boges and the Bilsteins would ride too rough) I decided to install the Bilsteins. Installing the rear shocks on a X300 is a pain in the A**!!!!!!!!!! One of the shocks was frozen on so we had to cut the bolt. The ABS sensor on one side was frozen into the hub (actually appeared glued in) which we ended up breaking into pieces to get out. But sure enough the original shocks were Bilsteins. The car now rides great. The ABS sensor set off all kinds of warning lights so I ordered a used one from Coventry West for $95. My local dealer wanted $305 for a new one. If I had known how expensive it was I would have taken out the rear seat and undone the wire from the harness to give me slack to move the hub out of the way. Oh well. Live and learn.

    Rick.
    '95 XJ6
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    Wait a second...

    Your car has a surge, right? OK.

    And they say you need NEW SPRINGS TO FIX IT?

    Hmm, that's like saying that a new radiator will fix a broken cigarette lighter.

    Total Bull..poop. Where you located? I may know of a decent shop there!

    That being said, X300s do have a problem with sagging shocks.

    Bill
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    That is a swine of a job to do...

    Ya know.. After you posted I made a call. Was the older cars with the Boges I think.

    Mine has Bilsteins too I found out!

    Bill
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    Dave,

    Look at the P6000 Sport Veloces...

    But, more importantly..

    How do you drive? Like a madman (me) or is a smoothest possible ride more important?

    Drive in the snow?

    Bill
  • daveinatlantadaveinatlanta Member Posts: 4
    Bill;

    Based on your own descriptions of driving, I would not sign up for that category (the Highway Patrol may be monitoring this board...). I probably put a higher premium on noise and tread wear than all-out performance.

    That said, my current favorite, the Yokohama AVS dB, is rated higher in every performance category than the P6000 Sport Veloce on the Tire Rack survey data, as well as the ride and noise factors. Neither is a snow tire (OK by me, I live in Atlanta), but the P6000 is only V rated, while the Yoko is a full W rated, as I think the car calls for - at least I think that's the noise I hear coming from the garage...

    So, looks like I'm headed toward Japanese tires on a British car, but I like the international flavor of the whole thing.
    Several people have pointed me back to the original P4000 (not the P4000e) at very low prices, but I can't find any, and I wasn't a big fan of them anyway.

    BTW, my car's warranty expired yesterday. Maybe that noise I hear from the garage is things falling off - better go check...

    Thanks,

    Dave
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    Yokos will work for you then. I've driven on them and dislike them, but then I drive very differently than you do (Ask Rick!)

    They are quiet and smooth, but not quite as reponsive as P4000Es.

    (PS.. V rated tires are fine... And the P4000s you were told about were the P4000 SuperTourings at probably something like $90 each or so)

    The P6000s are grippier than the Yokos, but at ride is harsher and the noise levels greater... So, like anything else, there are tradeoffs..

    Bill
  • ou814ou814 Member Posts: 12
    Go to this site. http://www.discounttiredirect.com/discount.splash.html


    They have the P4000 tires you are looking for. I have bought from them in the past and the service is very good.


    Rick.

  • pluskinpluskin Member Posts: 79
    I think it was already pretty well known, but it was officially announced at the Frankfort Auto Show that the upcoming XJ replacement (X350) would be an aluminum intensive vehicle.
  • clark27clark27 Member Posts: 1
    I just purchased my first XJ6. A 1995 w/48K miles. I did my homework and have learned much from these postings. I am requesting a second opinion on paint color. My local dealer told me that the paint code HFE is Kingfisher. I thought this was a blue paint. Kingisher does not match the Edmund's list for the 1995 model. My XJ6 is metallic green, but does have a tint of blue. I am told the trim code AGD is oatmeal. Can anyone verify or know of a chart to match these codes? Thanks.
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    If it's blusih green metallic.. (Teal) And it be a 1995...

    It be Kingfisher Blue!

    HFE is aka Kingfisher Blue. The only other blues offered in 1995 were Sapphire Blue (Deep Royal Blue) and Ice Blue (Silver with blue tint). However, Sapphire was not available on XJ6s in 1995.

    You color was sold from 1993-1996.

    Congrats and welcome to the "club" The car sure has heck beats a new Camry LE, huh? :)

    Bill
  • raprorapro Member Posts: 30
    I am thinking about possibly buying 95-96 XJR with no more than 70,000 miles on it. I haven't found the actual car yet, but before I do I would like to get an opinion on the reliability of these cats. I got a quote for extended warranty from warrantygold and it doesn't look good. It's tripple the cost of a warranty for an Infiniti Q45 in similar condition. This gave me a pause and almost dissuaded from even thinking about it, but it doesn't cost anything to get second opinions.

    So my question is what can I expect as far as reliability goes, the cost of parts and such. Is it possible to get Jag parts discounted? Is it advisable to guy this car without extended warranty?
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    Well..


    The XJR is an excellent car! As far as reliability goes, if you buy a 1995, you really want to try and stay with a 5-95 or later production car. I.E. Go for a 1996.


    As far as warranties go.. the problem with Jaguars is that the still have lousy ratings in the actuarial tables that these warranties are based on (Irrespective that an XJ8 is a more reliable car than a BMW or Mercedes and at least as good as an LS400 or GS400)


    So, for $3,000, is it worth it?


    Well.. Since about 1-97 my 95 Vanden Plas has been out of warranty. Since then, I've paid under $500 in repairs. I have also been quite lucky, even though I beat the snot out of the car. Also, I never did get the $250 steering column tilt motor fixed.. I just took it off of "Auto".

    (VERY Common fault on 95+ Jags... up there with rust on old Fiats)


    There are also a lot of places to buy new and used Jag parts at a discount..


    http://www.jagbits.com


    http://www.coventrywest.com <--Lots of salvage parts.. some great buys there! Why buy a new, say, Wiper motor?


    Bill

  • rbrenton88rbrenton88 Member Posts: 186
    Took a spin in a '99 VDP, about 33k miles, carnival red...certified...they were talking in the area of $40k. Sound a little high to you?

    -RB
  • vusicvusic Member Posts: 53
    We purchased a '99 VDP the first part of June for $35.5k with 33k miles on it through e-bay on the internet. It wasn't certified but my local dealer has taken care of any requests (which have been minimal).
    The car is fantastic.
    Bill can tell you more about wholesale/retail, but if you get in the ballpark of where your comfortable, they're great cars.

    DC
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    Not outrageous like some of the ones I have seen.

    Figure that's a $32K or so car at the auction.
    (Wait, is it more of a Brick Red? A 99 ought to be Madeira, but could be Carnival I suppose by special order)

    So figure $2K ontop of that (optimistically) in recon and certification... That's $34K...

    Etc...

    IOW, Its' a lot, but gee.. you get the free extended warranty :)

    That beign said.. I'd say $37K or so is reasonable.

    Out of curiosity... Who has it?

    Bill
  • rbrenton88rbrenton88 Member Posts: 186
    $32k at auction??? jeez!

    I don't know what they called it, but it seemed to be a darker red than what I assumed was Carnival, now that I think about it.

    Didn't you post before that the Madeira was a crappy color?

    Oh yea, they have it at Cherry Hill Jag...Classic I think the name is.
  • im_brentwoodim_brentwood Member Posts: 4,883
    Crappy as in crappy resale.. Some people Like Madeira, I think that it looks nice with Cashmere leather myself.

    Personally, nothing looks like Sapphire Blue on one of these guys.

    While we're at it... On VDPs...

    But the cheap colors are in descending order:

    Rose Bronze (95)
    Roman Bronze (01)
    Amaranth (98-99)
    Morocco Red (94-96) I happen to like this color
    Alpine Green (99-00)
    British Racing Green (95-96)
    Spruce Green (96 and 98 and 00)
    Sherwood Green (97)
    Anthracite (97-01) Especially in the sunbelt
    Madeira Red (98-00)

    Expensive Colors:
    Topaz (95-01)
    Glacier White (90-96)
    Spindrift White (97-00)
    Platinum (00)
    Meteorite (98-99 Special Order, but quite a few exist)
    Sapphire Blue (95-98, none in 99, Avail in 00)
    Jade Green (93-97)
    Ice Blue (95-97)
    Carnival Red (95-96 and again in 00)

    Bill
  • rea98drea98d Member Posts: 982
    British Racing Green, is about halfway down the crappy list. I guess this is good, cause when I get the money to start looking for a 95 or 96, I won't have to pay a premium on the color I want!
    Being crappy has its advantages!
  • rbrenton88rbrenton88 Member Posts: 186
    I looked at Edmunds' color list and I finally see the difference between Amaranth and Sapphire. I think all the cars I've seen in blue are Amaranth if these color swatches are correct. I don't think I've ever seen sapphire in any good car pictures yet.

    Also, the tiny color color samples here make it difficult to tell between Madeira and Carnival. They look too similar here. Am I right in assuming that Carnival is a 'redder' red...almost like a dark red but very deep and bright, if I'm making any sense at all?

    I wish there was a good place to compare all the colors, not these tiny squares.
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