RE: Shed of the Week: Jaguar XJ
Discussion
What a top, top shed - it's a Jag for peanuts! It's still utterly bewildering that something like this can be got for under a grand, if I had the space, I'd just have to have it, just for those days when I want to do nothing else but simply waft. And if it goes pop in a few months time (and no reason at all why it would, but just worst case scenario), who cares.... it was under a grand (and what a lovely few months anyway!)
It'll need a thorough test drive, certainly. I had a 170,000 mile XJ8 until earlier this year. It never did break down, but it was a shonka with some issues that I missed during the test drive.
The easiest issue to miss, IMO, the V mount on the front suspension. I gather it's a part that joins the two sides of the front subframe, and it can wear out and delaminate. It's often missed by MOT testers as it looks fine when the weight of the car is resting on it, but an inspection on a lift will show that it's f
ked. You won't feel the effect of it's disintegration under normal driving but if you push hard you'll get a very sloppy steering feel and a sensation of the steering forces fighting against the weight of the car and throwing it off-line. If you don't push hard on the test drive you could easily miss that.
Worn and clonking bushes are another issue, but at least the X300 drive train is stronger than the X308 I had. Rust is the big killer, plenty of these have arches and undersides like Swiss cheese.
The easiest issue to miss, IMO, the V mount on the front suspension. I gather it's a part that joins the two sides of the front subframe, and it can wear out and delaminate. It's often missed by MOT testers as it looks fine when the weight of the car is resting on it, but an inspection on a lift will show that it's f
ked. You won't feel the effect of it's disintegration under normal driving but if you push hard you'll get a very sloppy steering feel and a sensation of the steering forces fighting against the weight of the car and throwing it off-line. If you don't push hard on the test drive you could easily miss that. Worn and clonking bushes are another issue, but at least the X300 drive train is stronger than the X308 I had. Rust is the big killer, plenty of these have arches and undersides like Swiss cheese.
It was an itch that I had to scratch .
Less than £500 from the Bay of E.
Bit cramped inside if you're PH director size .
Lovely waftable barge .
Kept it for 18mths sold it to a mate who is a jag restoration specialist who was going to break it .
He ran it himself for a while then sold it on .
It's now owned by a member of the local jag club and it turns up at all the local shows .
Nice. Very nice. Proper gangster wheels - forget the new wave of black Range Rover.
Had a quick look over on the bay and this looks a cracking example
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jaguar-XJ6-4L-/282112981...
Had a quick look over on the bay and this looks a cracking example
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jaguar-XJ6-4L-/282112981...
Really great shed. The last two weeks have given us two proper sheds rather than the usual cheap VAG/Ford type hatch. The reason why people express surprise at the price, is that a grand really doesn't buy a lot these days, so the thought of a proper old school Jag for under a grand is really rather appealing.
X5TUU said:
Is it just the pic or does the back look really cramped??
They are quite cramped - Jags have never been the roomiest of cars and these, at least in non-LWB form, are snug front and rear.In fact the LWB model, whilst offering legroom, is still short of headroom - this applies more to the tall than the wide perhaps?
It's also emphasised by Jags endless love of "nowhere near enough glass" - I always feel like I'm sitting in some sort of lowered fishtank ;0
Edited by 405dogvan on Friday 29th July 13:21
Used to have one around 5 years ago, bought for £900 on an M plate as a quick stopgap car between being out of the country.
Black on Black with dark wood XJSport 4.0. Was an absolute gem (Bar the roof liner) gobbled up miles and was a great cruiser with a decent amount of poke for wafting around.
Seats like armchairs and lots of view out of the cabin and surprisingly easy to parallel park considering it's length.
Black on Black with dark wood XJSport 4.0. Was an absolute gem (Bar the roof liner) gobbled up miles and was a great cruiser with a decent amount of poke for wafting around.
Seats like armchairs and lots of view out of the cabin and surprisingly easy to parallel park considering it's length.
Gorgeous and surprisingly capable.
My BIL has just sold his XJ Sport fitted with R wheels. Looked magnificent, drove really well.
He sold it for peanuts to make way for an XK.
When I had a go in it I was expecting something quite antiquated but it was a great steer and tight as a drum.
I guess they really figured out how to make them properly in the end.
My BIL has just sold his XJ Sport fitted with R wheels. Looked magnificent, drove really well.
He sold it for peanuts to make way for an XK.
When I had a go in it I was expecting something quite antiquated but it was a great steer and tight as a drum.
I guess they really figured out how to make them properly in the end.
I keep fantasising about shed-money Jags but then I come to my senses and realise I probably couldn't live with it. I'd naturally lean towards a V8, which I gather means 19mpg everywhere or something (with a tailwind), and I think a four speed auto would frustrate me.
I do LOVE the idea of wafting round the Cotswolds in a ridiculously huge car though...
I do LOVE the idea of wafting round the Cotswolds in a ridiculously huge car though...
J4CKO said:
Still seems strange how cheap these are, but I suppose it always has been the case, I wonder if as they start dwindling whether old school Jag saloons will start appreciating ?
It looks nice enough in the photos, but this car is relatively cheap because it has done 190k miles and has 4 months MOT. The slightly later X308 model with the V8 engine is worth quite a bit more. Well looked after cars with reasonable mileage and all the mechanical gremlins (timing chains, water pumps etc) fixed are worth 2-4 grand.
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