Jaguar XJ-Series

im_brentwood · June 2001

The X400s are being made in Merseyside (Liverpool area).

The main Coventry plant makes the XJs and XKs... And the Ss are made in Birmingham (Halewood IIRC)

Bill

ajayme · June 2001

Have any of you guys had any experience with this Jag reseller (http://www.texas-cars.com/). Their cars look very clean and they say that extended warranties are available. Their prices seem very good. I just wondered if they're legit. Thanks

gmangr · June 2001

gmangr · June 2001

It is black interior and exterior--which I think looks really cool--and is sold by a Lincoln/Mercury dealer in Michigan who often sells slightly used Jags. In fact, some other Jags he has on the lot right now include two black 99 XJ8s, a white 99 VP (for $45000), and a 2000 silver XJ8 (for $43000).

im_brentwood · June 2001

Yup, good outfit. I know the guy who owns it... He goes all over the country to buy used Jags. Must be doing close to 100 a month...

Bill

im_brentwood · June 2001

I'd certainly try and talk em down./...
\
However..

There's a 2000 Black/Black XJR on eBay with 6800 miles for $48,900 "Buy it now" is the same price. Its' in Texas but so what? Have it shipped!

www.ebaymotors.com

Much better deal, at wholesale. The 99 XJR is below full-pop retail, but not a screaming deal.

I'd rather see you chop $2K or so off the price of that R in Mich.

Bill

bhill2 · June 2001

I saw one of these listed for sale by a local Jag dealer. Said it was a special order job. Could you really get one of these is '99 or was it a misprint? I have to admit that I could be tempted if it was certified. They were asking about $54K. I can't remember the mileage.

netranger4 · June 2001

Thanks for the update on where the new X car is being built. Have you ever taken the Coventry plant tour? If not, try to do it. Those folks at Brown's Lane take a great deal of pride in what they build. As of 1989, each car got an 15 mile trip through the streets of Coventry before it was cleaned again and prepared for shipment. The guide on my tour said the only reason they used Lucas electricals is "because they're British".
Thanks again for the information.

im_brentwood · June 2001

Wow,

Yeah you could get them in 99. Rare as 1804 Silver dollars (almost). VERY uncommon car. Basically, each one was built to order and had everything. They have beautiful 17" Wheels. That's the only way to tell the car from the outside. (www.jaguar.co.uk... look for the UK section and search for a "Daimler Super V8" for more info).

That is a Monster of a car. Also, was the only Jag sold in the 99 Model Year with CATS (This was pre S-Type and Pre-XKR). VERY Few imported, and they only showed up in Spring of 99. The car came out with little fanfare, and was not advertised.

I think under 200 came in. I think I've mentioned before, my mother drives one. The Lease ends next Spring and we're buying it. I had to trade an XJR and an XK8 to get the car from another dealer. Sapphire Blue with Ivory. Unless you pop the hood or look at the wheels, it can't be told from a regular VDP. No external badging (Which was a complaint from buyers).

$54K sounds fair to me I suppose. Black Book doesnt separate the car, and Manheim doesnt show a separate listing for the car. Also, in looking at recent auction sales I can't find any records of any 99 or 00 or 01s selling for more than typical money either.

It's a VERY Rare car. This is a pretty rare opprotunity for you. I'd say buy it only because it a seriously amazing car.

Now... How many miles? Color?

$82,580 was the MSRP IIRC.

Bill

im_brentwood · June 2001

Been there...done that. I plan to go to to see the other plants ove the next few years.

I'll get to it I suppose

But Brown's Lane is a real institution.

Bill

pluskin · June 2001

Just a couple of corrections and clarifications...

The X-type plant in Merseyside is called the Halewood plant. This is indeed a former Ford Escort factory, which has undergone huge renovation and training of the workforce.

Castle Bromwich in the Birmingham area, is where the S is produced, and is the body shop for the XK & XJ.

Brown's Lane in the Coventry area, is very final trim & assembly of the XK & XJ is done.

Whitley Engineering Centre is in Coventry as well, where all of Jag's product development is done.

im_brentwood · June 2001

I got em all confused...

Bill

rroyce10 · June 2001

...... I think the dealer in
Mi, is trying to put you asleep at $47,900.. I was in the Detroit auction on thursday..so I have a pretty good idea on what these "dudes" run..

On wednesday I was at the Manheim in Pa, and 5 ran through -- 2 I bid on, 1 ruby red with 9K and the other "brave blue..?" with 11K both with all the stuff..perfect shape, with -day 1 records.. the blue sold at $39,800 and the ruby sold at $40,550 ---- So if you are truly interested in the one in Mi, I wouldn't be lookin' to spend much more than about $43,000 and some change..

Nice clean low mileage Jags, are not breaking any records....it's not like they a rare..

I hope this helps....

Terry.

arcoates · June 2001

The supercharged VDP is the ultimate car in my eyes. Classic Jaguar looks, the most opulent interior this side of a Rolls, and it can beat the pants off of anyone who thinks it's JUST a stately Jaguar. I would give anything for one. To those priveleged few, congrats on getting one of the greatest cars in the world~ A.R.

pluskin · June 2001

Bill,
Its a bit easier for me to keep them all straight, since I work there

pablo_l · June 2001

I do love the VDP interior indeed. But the additional room in the back to me somewhat negatively affects the near perfect esthetics of the XJ8. That is why, after much (and painful, because I loved my XJS convertible, but it was getting a tad long in the tooth) deliberation, I went for the XJR. The interior is not quite up to VDP coziness, but it has a 2+2 sportiness I like. And the driver's seats are more comfortable for someone over 6 feet (the base XJ8 seat seemed a bit short for my legs, the XJR's extra padding solves this).

But the VDP SC indeed is fabulous.

One thing that I love about the XJ8 platform is the "Baby Bentley" philosophy. Its shape oozes esthetics and tradition, its interior class, and yet it's probably less quirky and a better car to live with day to day (particularly in times where I am adjusting to living off my salary again, and no longer of my high-tech stock portfolio :-)

Mind you, I still *love* Bentleys.

lucnoel · June 2001

I agree with Pablo regarding the lack of proportion on the longer wheelbase.
I think that it is due to the fact that they only extended the back of the car and having doors/glass of od differents lengh look a little weird.
I also,beside the fact that I am 6.3 prefer the style of the sport seat with the perforated leather look.
From a interior point of view, the XJR have way too much Ambla/vynil,it is why that on my 2001 XJR, I replaced for less than $3000 the console,console extention,door pockets and armrests,console lid/cupholders with Autolux leather.
I also added rear blinds,wood on the roof console and rear passenger adjust front seat.
From a driver point of view, the XJR is THE better car, shorter weelbase, less weight,better suspension and bigger wheels and tires.

What is a shame is that in the US, you cannot custom order a Jaguar.
In England, you can have a VDP on the shorter wheelbase and from what I understand,if you are willing to pay and wait for it,you can built your car anyway you want.
Also why can't we get in the states the Auto leveling headlamps,intrusion sensors,hood security switch,heated front windshield,and a bunch of other standard/optional features that are available in other parts of the world?
Luc.

To Pluskin.
Do you know why Jaguar doesn't offer anymore the air particle/pollen filters kit part # JLM 20670?

pablo_l · June 2001

Totally agree with lucnoel: the XJ's are such an individualist statement that it is a shame they can't be customorderd far more. I *totally* missed that possibility when I ordered my XJR. Al you could order was color and nav system, period. Not enough given the car's philosophy and the price bracket, in my humble opinion.

im_brentwood · June 2001

It boils down to marketing.

In the US, People wake up one day, decide to buy a jaguar, stroll down to the dealer, pick one out and drive it home.

In Europe, most cars are ordered...

The way things be in the US... They pretty much offer 90th percentile cars...

Bill

pluskin · June 2001

Not really my area of expertise... Have you asked a dealer?

arcoates · June 2001

I'm sure if you pay enough money, contact the right people and are willing to wait, you can custom order a Jaguar. With a little grease on the palm, you can get just about anything done.~ A.R.

vusic · June 2001

Is it me, or have the messages in this forum doubled in the last 2 weeks? I also noted that XJs are moving through the internet dealership I purchased from on E-bay at "Buy It Now" asking prices (a '98 and a '95) at a pretty rapid pace.
P.S. Hey Wild Bill, I've been waking up in a cold sweat picturing a Carnival Red VDP in full power slide.

DC

im_brentwood · June 2001

Umm,

That's a Jade Green VDP and a Carnival Red XJ6. haha..

Seriously, I think that its' more a case of people actually beginning to BUY cars for real on eBay. I'm about to start doing it myself.

Speak of the devil... the cars in action...

http://members.aol.com/wiseguyxj6/billwvdp.jpg

http://members.aol.com/wiseguyxj6/speed.jpg

Bill

im_brentwood · June 2001

Is from this page:

http://www.vauxhallpa.50megs.com/deathkiafromhell.html

I did not know a Kia Spectra, fully loaded could cruise at 90-95...

Bill

arcoates · June 2001

I much prefer the gauges in the pre-8 cylinder Jaguars. The three pod idea isn't as nice as the flat back gauges with a nice piece of wood. Just in my liking~ A.R.

gmangr · June 2001

What do you think about a white 99 VDP with 24000 miles that seems to be in excellent condition? It is on the lot of a Cadillac/Lexus dealership. The original price was $47,900, and they have come down to $44,900. What would be a reasonable price for me to offer?

im_brentwood · June 2001

I agree. I dont like the 3-pods.

Oh.. but that supercharges V8... Oohhhhh

Gmangr:

I'm thinking somewhere in the $40-41K range is fair for that car. They seem to be doing roughly $37K or so at the auction, figure another $1K in costs on top of that...

Still, offer $39K and see what happens

Bill

vusic · June 2001

For comparison, item # 592545534 on e-bay. Closes in 4 hours. Also check out www.texas-cars.com. Depending upon where you live, it's well worth paying the shipping. The cars are still under warranty.

vusic · June 2001

You are a sick man. It's one of your more endearing qualities.

DC

mvargo1 · June 2001

Certain things such as interior, exterior, or top color can be customized on almost any XJ or XK. Limited to colors currently in production. For example I've seen two Carnival Red XKR convertables and one Titanium XKR coupe. These colors are not normally available on those cars.

The reason S/C VDP's are so rare is that the dealer must give up an XKR allocation to get one.

rea98d · June 2001

Here it is, the 2003 XJ8

http://www.motortrend.com/may01/jagxj/jagxj_f.html

I dunno about you guys, but I like it! Especially the color.

hugoclee · June 2001

I just saw reference to the web site Texas-cars and checked it out. I am in the market for an XJ series VP and was surprised at the resonable prices they listed. Does anyone have experience with these folks and why are they advertising everything at, what seems to be, below NADA wholesale. Appreciate any insight and response.

automophile · June 2001

Hi!

I have been following this forum for a while, and have seldom seen such a cohesive group of people that love their cars so uniformly! I sold my Lexus a couple of years ago because the seats "sucked". I loved the car, but could never get comfortable. I have been driving a very comfortable Solara until I figure out what to get next. I have been looking at Audis (I had 4 in the past) and others. A couple of months ago, a neighbor brought home a stunning '97 Topaz XJ VDP. I see it every day, and can't stop looking at it. I had NEVER considered this before as Jags are expensive here in L.A. Then I found that eBay has cars, and find that I can buy a GORGEOUS XJ for the price a paid for the Solara! D'Oh!

I am very excited by the possibility of finding the right car at the right price and driving a beautiful, repsonsive car with some real character. The pricing from Texas seems very attractive.

Thanks to all of you for helping with this discovery and decision and to Bill for your bottomless trove of Jag information.

By the way, for a group that really seems to be into your cars, no one has mentioned using Zaino car polish! It is surely the most fantastic thing you can put on your car! Check out the popular Zaino forum here for more information.

Sorry for the long post, but I am very pleased to have a Jag in my near future.

Bill- will the wheels from the XJR fit a standard XJ8 or VDP? I need a little "sportiness" in my cars, and the R wheels are bigger, fatter and sportier.

Also- The 2003 model looks great, but I have seen SO many of these supposed photos of new cars that turned out to be clever computer generated fantasies, that I have adopted a "believe it when I see it" attitude.

97vdpguy · June 2001

It looks like an S-Type!

I'm glad I bought mine when I did, and in 3-4 more years, I may pick up a nice 2001 used model and have one of the last of the line of what I consider the classic XJ body styles.

I don't like the new XJ. It resembles an S-type or a MBZ from the front, and definately an S-type from the side/rear. Pity..

im_brentwood · June 2001

Vusic: Thank you

About Texas-Cars: Good people to deal with. Prices firm..etc.. He basically buys cars at auction, marks them up about $2K-2,500 and moves them. Quickly. Sorta also shows how far off NADA Wholesale usually is.

03 XJ: Pluskin, tell me that's not accurate!

XJR Wheels: Fit 88+ Sedans, but your suspension is caliubrated for the 225-60-16s... I'd upgrade your shocks as well.

Bill

im_brentwood · June 2001

If that's really the car...

Then an 02 XJ is in my future

vusic · June 2001

I took the plunge earlier this month. Searched everywhere on the internet. Picked up a '99 VDP with 34K miles for $35.5 from www.expomotorcars.com in Houston (I found out about Texas Motorcars from Bill after I purchased). I took delivery on the car last week. The car is beautiful and the guys (Dave Lee in particular) were great to deal with. I'm reserving total judgment until it gets out of my local service center for issues covered by the warranty.
Here's a short to-do list:
01. Run a CARFAX report on anything your looking at.
02. Watch a couple of episodes of "Columbo" to learn how to get people to tell you things they're not really supposed to but will because they love Jags too.
03. The report gives you the area of sale or lease. Find the dealer(s) in that(those) areas and see if you can track a verbal warranty service history from the service dept. (make sure you've got a pen handy)
04. If you can't check the car out yourself, have the seller drive the car to the nearest Jag service center and have it inspected.
Officially, they're not allowed to charge for this (or even do it).
05. Find a good shipper, usually the seller can help you with this. (I used Gator Transport.. Dave Perez...very pro)
06. Clarify that the car comes with all accesories, manuals etc. (I'm having to order a second key fob for $180.00 and an owners manual thanks to missing #6)
07. Remember, these cars have a 4 year 50K warranty.
(I'm having the pass side wood trim replaced because of a hairline crack)
08. Enjoy one of the finest modes of transport available on the planet.

On Jaguar design: I'm skeptical of "enhanced" photos......but shouldn't an XJ's "face" lean forward???? Stiff upper lip and all that.

Bill: Your welcome.

DC

hugoclee · June 2001

Thanks for the info. It will help me and my purchase. Maybe a trip to Texas wouldn't be so bad and the drive back to the East Coast would be a mini vacation.
Hugoclee

pluskin · June 2001

That is soooo not what it looks like.

Now obviously I can't really give away secrets here. But personally, I would describe it as looking like the old XJ, but more substantial. If that makes any sense...

im_brentwood · June 2001

Thank you.

Now I can sleep at night.

Bill
You guys wanna talk weird... I have an 85 Seville in the driveway at the moment (Don't ask... lol)

lucnoel · June 2001

You will not be able to replace it as a single piece.
The 4 door pieces come as a "matched" kit.
If you look at it closely you will see they all have the same grain/pattern.
You should send it to Madeira Concept in Santa Barbara,california.

They do all the warranty work on wood for Jaguar and after having had a couples of pieces done by them on my 2001 XJR, I can say that they are first class.
Luc.

rea98d · June 2001

Is that the one with the chopped-off trunk. Those things are ugly! Stick with the Jags ;-)
When I first say the MT "photo" (it is computer generated), I thought I was looking at the X-Type. Whether or not it looks like that, or what Pluskin said, I think I'm gonna like it! Now, where did I put that 60 grand again?

bhill2 · June 2001

Like brentwoodvolvo, I would like to thank you for giving me back my faith regarding the new XJ. I have been fighting the urge to buy a VDP (maybe even supercharged) because I am looking forward to the advances in the new version. When I saw the picture, I started going to the steps of grieving (I had gotten to the one where you panic and try to grab the most desirable example of the present model available). Thanks to your reassurance, I will hold on a little longer and hope that in fact Jaguar has NOT lost its corporate sanity.

im_brentwood · June 2001

Get that VDP SC.. turns out its' a real cheap price from my research (Finding out that I dealer I know recently paid $52K for a 20K mile one wholesale and sold it for 59K)

arcoates · June 2001

That must be a computer generation. Jaguar could not do that to it's customers. The lowly X-Type looks better than that thing. It looks like a bloated S-Type. I hate it. Jaguar better come up with something to best the current XJ, which is a masterpiece~ A.R.

97vdpguy · June 2001

Earlier I had asked a question about the A-Mem button on the radio. Bill suggested that it provided an additional 6 station presets that you could manually program (which is true).

However, I found out today that if you press AND HOLD the A-Mem button until it beeps, it will auto-scan the FM dial and does in fact, auto-program the six strongest FM stations into the presets. This will come in handy this weekend when I drive through 3 states and encounter new radio stations. Now all I have to do is press and hold the A-Mem button and I will have the local stations at my command.

It's great when things work like they're supposed to!

kela · June 2001

dpl95xj6: Haven't checked this site in a couple of weeks. Went a few posts back to catch up and found your message. I had the same EXACT problem with the brakes on my 97 XJ6L. When I bought the car in May, everything checked out perfectly except the lighter wasn't working (had the fuse replaced) and one of the numbers on my clock display is somewhat faint. A couple of weeks after I got the car, my brakes started squeaking. The dealer that I bought it from said he had the car serviced immediately after buying it at auction and didn't understand why the brakes were squeaking. Nevertheless, he had the front and rear brakes replaced by a mechanic that he uses. Well, about 2 weeks after the brakes were replaced, they started squeaking again! I tried explaining to the dealer and mechanic what you were told about the silicone backing drying out and they didn't seem to get it. The left rear brake was replaced again Saturday and today (Tuesday) I hear squeaking again. I'm a little frustrated, but have no regrets about my car.

dpl95xj6 · June 2001

kela, the private jag mechanic here in phoenix who replaced the pads re-set the pads and silicone backing. it has been two weeks now and the squeaking has subsided! i can understand the back of the pads drying out here in phoenix as the roads in June-Sept get hot up to 150F easy. i can give you the guys number and you could talk to him. he fixed jags in Beverly Hills for 20 years so i figured he knew what he was talking about. i just needed some reassurance from fellow jag supporters. i love the car--Topaz with 55k miles for $17,500.

dpl95xj6 · June 2001

Anyone out there interested in a 93 Cadillac Deville with 58k miles. Perfect condition all Arizona miles? I fell in love with my neighbors 95 Jag XJ6 which has left me with one too many cars. if interested contact me DLyons@ Lyonsinter@aol.com.

regards

vusic · June 2001

Thanks for the info. My service guy said the same (I was curious if he would).
It would be a little expensive to send it to Santa Barbara (nice town), I'm in Washington State.
For those thinking about biting the "purchase a Jag on the Internet" bullet. The verdict is in on my wife's 99 VDP we just purchased.....I'd do it again in a New York minute. The car turned out to be better than I expected. I was looking to put a new set of brakes and rotors on when the service manager told me it must have been done by the dealer.....they were brand new. The car is gorgeous and every moment I drive it, I'm thinking of buying a second one for myself.
I got a quote from the dealer (they said they were authorized) on extending the warranty to 6yrs/100K miles (drum roll)..............$FIFTY $IX HUNDRED DOLLAR$!!!!!!!!
Any input?
I can't say for sure, but I think all the cars at Texas Motorcars dot com came with the "Select" warranty. It seems to be a consideration at purchase.
I'm still pleased as ----. We saved thousands buying online.

Wild Bill: With that showing up in your driveway, did you call local authorities to see if there had been any UFO activity the night before? (no offense intended dpl95xj6)

DC

Jaguar XJ-Series

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