RE: Shed Of The Week: Jaguar XJ
Discussion
I had an X300 3.2 for a spell. Cost just over shed brass. Full service history, thousands from Jaguar specialists. I just really couldn't stomach the economy, and although I knew it'd never be brilliant, getting anything over 20 mpg was pretty miraculous. Always positive comments from people who got in it mind and still to this day I've yet to drive a comfier car. Even toyed with the idea of a cheap XJR before I got it but I couldn't bring myself to do it.
When I have the space, I'm going to have one of these, I swear. An X305 XJ12, ideally, but I'd settle for the straight six or even the V8... I damn nearly bought an XJ8 last year but was outbid at the last second and ended up in a £595 100k-mile E39 535i instead. That's still going strong, and is probably less rust-prone than I know these are...
I know it's only a grand but I'd like to see the drivers seat bolster pictured. If not pictured I tend to assume they're ripped/missing/ look awful, which really spoils what is a luxury car.
Otherwise a clean looking shed, the aircon may work after a regas, so why not regas it and sell with fixed aircon?
I bought a 4.0 XJ8 for not much more. Rust is always a problem and some can be well hidden.
I get 28mpg on a run, and apart from the usual cam chain issue (only V8s) nothing else has broken, superbly comfy and the 4.0 V8 can get a real shift on too!
You arrive at your destination thinking " Oh I'm here!" rather than "How much longer will this take?"
May have to sell mine as I sadly need a more practical family wagon for taking kids and bikes out (sad face)
It'll have to have leather and more than 4 cylinders, the XJ has spoiled me.
Otherwise a clean looking shed, the aircon may work after a regas, so why not regas it and sell with fixed aircon?
I bought a 4.0 XJ8 for not much more. Rust is always a problem and some can be well hidden.
I get 28mpg on a run, and apart from the usual cam chain issue (only V8s) nothing else has broken, superbly comfy and the 4.0 V8 can get a real shift on too!
You arrive at your destination thinking " Oh I'm here!" rather than "How much longer will this take?"
May have to sell mine as I sadly need a more practical family wagon for taking kids and bikes out (sad face)
It'll have to have leather and more than 4 cylinders, the XJ has spoiled me.
georgezippy said:
I know it's only a grand but I'd like to see the drivers seat bolster pictured. If not pictured I tend to assume they're ripped/missing/ look awful, which really spoils what is a luxury car.
Seems to depend a lot on how many owners and what they tended to wear.Mine on 109k is pretty good still showing only a few creases.Digby said:
Seems to depend a lot on how many owners and what they tended to wear.Mine on 109k is pretty good still showing only a few creases.
I once got given a lift by a farmer friend called Buster, he made Sumo look like ballet for girls. He was most affronted when I pissed myself laughing as he winched himself slowly aboard and the seat back duly collapsed.He didn't give me a lift again.
Car was a turd brown Series 1 but I love the colour now, especially with a tobacco leather interior.
Great shed..or rather slightly decayed stately home
georgezippy was "Right on " about drivers' seat bolsters. if you can't view 'em on the ad. they're gone. Pale leather worse in that respect, BMW not exempt! alarm bells if ad shows passenger side. Incidentally, any of you you out there old enough to remember early Polo/Golf where driver's bolster looked like a rat's nest at 60k?
Lester H said:
georgezippy was "Right on " about drivers' seat bolsters. if you can't view 'em on the ad. they're gone. Pale leather worse in that respect, BMW not exempt! alarm bells if ad shows passenger side. Incidentally, any of you you out there old enough to remember early Polo/Golf where driver's bolster looked like a rat's nest at 60k?
Have you seen the adverts which have the seat belt placed over the offending hole? 
You can get lucky, though.I have purchased numerous cars with no shots of the drivers seat and they have been fine.
2.5pi said:
I once got given a lift by a farmer friend called Buster, he made Sumo look like ballet for girls. He was most affronted when I pissed myself laughing as he winched himself slowly aboard and the seat back duly collapsed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRJxNpPj6ZcTyrone? 55 seconds in... *CONTAINS SWEARING*
Digby said:
Can't get link to work...but you've set a bell jangling , is it lock stock or some other Guy Ritchie film?Buster was a very different fat git...he was from Norfolk
scubadude said:
pSyCoSiS said:
Many people don't use Air Con, so genuinely would not have re-gassed it - doesn't always mean it's condenser related.
Nonsense, Air-Con is the naughties version of CD player, Power steering, 5 speed, electric start... all those things people scoffed at because we don't "need" it, you don't need a smart phone but they are now ubiquitous."Air-con needs re-gassing" is almost always code for- I have no idea why but the air-cons broken, which is almost always £500-1000 bill, the cars that actually needs "re-gassing" are 1 in a 1000.
You can live without it, same as you can live without an iPhone and internet porn... but who would want to go back living without either? ;-)
ks! It's less than a grand FFS, what more do you want?!I agree, I can't live without my smart phone or internet porn, but I can easily do without air con! For me, it's a nice to have, but not essential, especially on a car as cheap as this.
Some folks expect a mint, fully functioning Jag for less than a bag of sand - they are better off looking at £5k examples if things like air con, driver's bolster wear, etc, are so important.
My father and I bought a X308 4.0 for 2k and kept it for 3 years apart from having the cam chain tensioners done it was by far the best 'bang for buck' we've owned and everyone that had a ride in it commented on it. we did have a local Jaguar specialist to look after it and I actually preferred driving it to the convertible XK8! NB It also had the sportier suspension and wheels. In the end I gifted it when my father died as it wasn't worth much but continues to give someone else a lot of enjoyment, even now after a further 3 years. I kept the XK which felt a bit more cumbersome on tight roads. If you buy one I don't think you will be disappointed.
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