My 2001 Jaguar XJR
Discussion
JagXJR said:
Depends what the previous owner has left.
Mine fortunately was fully sorted with one or 2 exceptions like the auto lights not working. Never got round to fixing in the year I had it. Some of the things owners never get round to can cost so inspect carefully before buying.
If I do go ahead and purchase an XJ one thing I will be definitely doing is putting it up on a ramp and inspecting for rust (preferably with help from an XJ guru). Mine fortunately was fully sorted with one or 2 exceptions like the auto lights not working. Never got round to fixing in the year I had it. Some of the things owners never get round to can cost so inspect carefully before buying.
Other things such a leaky diff seals, blocked water channels, lack of gearbox servicing can cost serious money. An small amount spent on preventative maintenance can save a large amount on repair bills.
Liquid Tuna said:
It's a beautiful looking car, but those servicing costs made me wince! Is that normal for these types of Jag? I thought they'd be about half of that (at an indie)?
They seem to be about what I have seen before. The recent XJR needed a couple of rear bushes, ARB links etc and the bill including the supercharger flush etc was the thick end of £1600. Having said that buying a car with 70K miles it is sensible to spend a bit to avoid much more serious bills heading your way. It is a heavy car with big tyres and wear things out accordingly. Upgrading the supercharger pulley is great but the knock on will be increased wear on everything, if these bits are already tired you are asking for trouble. 
Apologies to not replying to this sooner.
I try and take on those costs with an open mind, as i paid very little for the car. Yes; they do seem high. But unfortunately it's a big heavy car that gets most of its life on terrible london roads so i assume this explains all the bushes, drop links, wishbone work. My mechanical knowledge is limited, however it does surprise me that this area of the car has needed so much attention given i barely do 3,000 miles a year in it.
I take it to the Jag Workshop who seem very honest and knowledgeable. They charge £70 per hour labour, excl VAT. I have little choice as i have no workshop/garage facilities. I would rather take these bills on the chin and feel safe in the knowledge it's in good order. It has never let me down.
Even though i've spent £2k a year on it, and £3.3k purchase cost, i still think for me there is very little to touch it in terms of all the boxes it ticks.
I try and take on those costs with an open mind, as i paid very little for the car. Yes; they do seem high. But unfortunately it's a big heavy car that gets most of its life on terrible london roads so i assume this explains all the bushes, drop links, wishbone work. My mechanical knowledge is limited, however it does surprise me that this area of the car has needed so much attention given i barely do 3,000 miles a year in it.
I take it to the Jag Workshop who seem very honest and knowledgeable. They charge £70 per hour labour, excl VAT. I have little choice as i have no workshop/garage facilities. I would rather take these bills on the chin and feel safe in the knowledge it's in good order. It has never let me down.
Even though i've spent £2k a year on it, and £3.3k purchase cost, i still think for me there is very little to touch it in terms of all the boxes it ticks.
Liquid Tuna said:
It's a beautiful looking car, but those servicing costs made me wince! Is that normal for these types of Jag? I thought they'd be about half of that (at an indie)?
I don't know if there is an XJR tax on parts but I expect there may be. My 2001 XJ8 has just had two new rear wheel bearings and an oil and filter change for less than £200. They're not complex cars, so any decent garage can work on them, but they do benefit from occasional fettling. Still, in terms of luxury cars for a low price, these are an absolute bargain at the moment. Not so. The air flow sensor is actually a bit cheaper than a NA V8.
It is a high performance saloon however so stuff like the Brembo brakes and CATS suspension parts are not going to be Ford Focus money.
Don't buy one of these fine cars if you can't afford it, you will only pass on the problems to someone else when you get fed up of spending money on it, and not really enjoy the car.
The mistake most people make is to say I can afford to spend £xxxx on a car (any car), not I have £xxxx for the car and £xxxx for the running costs.
I was fortunate enough not to have to spend much on mine, but I did pay twice as much as the OP. I was however prepared to spend if need be.
It is a high performance saloon however so stuff like the Brembo brakes and CATS suspension parts are not going to be Ford Focus money.
Don't buy one of these fine cars if you can't afford it, you will only pass on the problems to someone else when you get fed up of spending money on it, and not really enjoy the car.
The mistake most people make is to say I can afford to spend £xxxx on a car (any car), not I have £xxxx for the car and £xxxx for the running costs.
I was fortunate enough not to have to spend much on mine, but I did pay twice as much as the OP. I was however prepared to spend if need be.
You really do need to buy carefully and always bear in mind the XJR is a performance car that will have most likley been driven hard - after all why pay the premium for one in the first place if that's not how it'll be used?
Generaly though the 1997 - 2002 X308 is pretty reliable. Parts aren't that expensive and they are not too difficult to work on for a good DIY mechanic. In fact the common failings and needs like weak waterpumps, secondary timing chain tensioners, valley coolant pipes, gearbox oil changes and tired brakes and bushes cost wise are all pretty labour intensive so you can save a mint if you DIY.
Finding a strong well cared for one and really looking after it is the key to running any old car. My 2001 XJ8 has cost me just a set of tyres, a geometry reset, a few litres of Waxoil, a pair of secondary tensioners and nothing more than regular fluid and filter changes in the last three years and 16000 miles.
Generaly though the 1997 - 2002 X308 is pretty reliable. Parts aren't that expensive and they are not too difficult to work on for a good DIY mechanic. In fact the common failings and needs like weak waterpumps, secondary timing chain tensioners, valley coolant pipes, gearbox oil changes and tired brakes and bushes cost wise are all pretty labour intensive so you can save a mint if you DIY.
Finding a strong well cared for one and really looking after it is the key to running any old car. My 2001 XJ8 has cost me just a set of tyres, a geometry reset, a few litres of Waxoil, a pair of secondary tensioners and nothing more than regular fluid and filter changes in the last three years and 16000 miles.
JagXJR said:
The mistake most people make is to say I can afford to spend £xxxx on a car (any car), not I have £xxxx for the car and £xxxx for the running costs.
I can't agree with this more. I went in knowing that annual cost may end up being chunky so i must be prepared for that, even though my annual mileage is low. However i knew i wasn't paying a lot for it initially, and i feel previous owners may have not cared for it as much as me so i would rather make sure it is in peak condition. I think of it as insurance.Also, as someone else mentioned, whilst many parts i have replaced are not expensive in themselves, the labour associated with it really adds up. I sadly have no access to garage facilities so take this cost on the chin.
CDC said:
Apologies to not replying to this sooner.
I try and take on those costs with an open mind, as i paid very little for the car. Yes; they do seem high. But unfortunately it's a big heavy car that gets most of its life on terrible london roads so i assume this explains all the bushes, drop links, wishbone work. My mechanical knowledge is limited, however it does surprise me that this area of the car has needed so much attention given i barely do 3,000 miles a year in it.
I take it to the Jag Workshop who seem very honest and knowledgeable. They charge £70 per hour labour, excl VAT. I have little choice as i have no workshop/garage facilities. I would rather take these bills on the chin and feel safe in the knowledge it's in good order. It has never let me down.
Even though i've spent £2k a year on it, and £3.3k purchase cost, i still think for me there is very little to touch it in terms of all the boxes it ticks.
No wonder the costs are so high, £70+VAT!! I assume that's London prices? Most specialists up here (N Wales) charge £40 p/h so your location wouldn't half affect the cost of owing one of these.I try and take on those costs with an open mind, as i paid very little for the car. Yes; they do seem high. But unfortunately it's a big heavy car that gets most of its life on terrible london roads so i assume this explains all the bushes, drop links, wishbone work. My mechanical knowledge is limited, however it does surprise me that this area of the car has needed so much attention given i barely do 3,000 miles a year in it.
I take it to the Jag Workshop who seem very honest and knowledgeable. They charge £70 per hour labour, excl VAT. I have little choice as i have no workshop/garage facilities. I would rather take these bills on the chin and feel safe in the knowledge it's in good order. It has never let me down.
Even though i've spent £2k a year on it, and £3.3k purchase cost, i still think for me there is very little to touch it in terms of all the boxes it ticks.
They charge the same here locally as well.
The OP has the right idea, you (should) only have to pay it once, once the jobs the previous owners have just left have been done, it should be back to just regular servicing. At £70 an hour even that is not going to be cheap, but it is the price of owning what was a £60-£70 grand car. The savings on buying used more than offset the cost of ownership.
Unless you can do work yourself I would not really recommend trying to run one on a budget. Mine got what it needed, whenever it needed it.
The OP has the right idea, you (should) only have to pay it once, once the jobs the previous owners have just left have been done, it should be back to just regular servicing. At £70 an hour even that is not going to be cheap, but it is the price of owning what was a £60-£70 grand car. The savings on buying used more than offset the cost of ownership.
Unless you can do work yourself I would not really recommend trying to run one on a budget. Mine got what it needed, whenever it needed it.
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