Friday 11th May 2012

SOTW: Jaguar XJR (X300)

British sports salooning of this sort of quality is a rare treat indeed for Shed's meagre budget

---

Judging by the excitable response we got when we last featured a Jaguar XJR as Shed of the Week, the sporty Coventry barge is a popular choice among the acolytes of Shed.

So popular, in fact, that come December the XJ-in-a-tracksuit was crowned Shed of the Year by you, the dear reader, despite the concerns over an absence of paperwork for half its life, and more than a couple of tatty bits and bobs on the bodywork.

Thus, when we spotted this 90s beauty dipping below the £1K threshold by a single quid, we realised it was time for the XJR to make its triumphant return to the hallowed portals of SOTW. After all, a 325hp rear-drive sports saloon is always welcome on SOTW. It also remains the most powerful Shed we've ever featured - not even out-engined by the dodgy-clutched E34 M5 we wrote about last autumn.

The power will most likely tempt you but, even if it doesn't, there's something deeply appealing about those olde-worlde proportions. The XJs of this era are hardly the last word in avant-garde design and are a ruddy long way from the Callum-era stuff of today, but without the chrome embellishments of its contemporaries it looks rather dashing even now

If anything, this one might be a better example than the last one we featured, too. Sure, it's got more miles on it (120K) and an equally short MOT, but it's got that all-important paperwork to back up its history and has had some recent work done on it, including a new upper cam chain tensioner and cam cover gasket, and supercharger belts replaced by the previous owner.

It's not perfect, of course, with a blowing exhaust and a dicky electric aerial being the most obvious and problematic issues. But this is a 325hp supercharged Jaguar XJ, and it could be yours for a three-figure sum, so we hope you'll forgive it a couple of issues. Because 155mph motoring really doesn't come much cheaper than this...

Advert is reproduced below, or why not check out the alternatives to today's SOTW on our new beta classifieds site?

Jaguar XJR (6) 4.0 Supercharged F.S.H (£999)
1995 Jaguar XJR 4.0 Supercharged.

Metallic Blue with oatmeal leather interior.

MOT June 23rd 2012.
Taxed until end of August 2012
Lots of service history & paper work
120000 miles (at time of advert, will increase as in daily use)
Spare alarm fob and 2x spare Jaguar Keys.
New Iridium Plugs & K&N Panel filter
New upper cam chain tensioner & cam cover gasket
New OEM water pump
Full coolant system drain, flush and refill.

 

All the usual extras, electric windows, heated front screen, electric memory seats & steering column. Original stereo, electric sunroof etc.

Very original example, very clean inside & out, in very good overall condition. Much better than most Jaguars of this age, 5x Original XJR alloy wheels with the correct sized tyres(255/45/17 pirelli's - rears low but 1x new tyre included). Fully stamped service book & user manuals etc.

Body work is generally very good, paint is commensurate with the age & mileage. See pics

Mechanically very good, no known issues. Strong AJ16 straight 6 engine with eaton blower (belts changed by prev owner & New spares included) Auto Gearbox shifts well, sport & manual modes, traction control also works well.

Known issues

Drivers seat heater element doesn't work
Airbag warning shows on dash (intermittently, believed to be connection issue)
Slight blow from exhaust manifold when cold (not loud and doesn't effect performance - theres a pair of really good spare manifolds included too)
Rear tyres are low on tread, 1x brand new tyre included.
Electric ariel sometimes doesnt extend (works most of the time)

please contact me if you wish to view the car and judge for yourself.

This is really cheap for what it is, It is painful enough selling it for a grand so I dont want any offers! I've been messed around by numerous time wasters lately and just want a quick, straight forward sale.

NO SCAM/SPAM EMAILS, I dont care if you're an Oceanographer/astronaut/Monkey dentist/pig tickler etc etc or how many million euros you offer to deposit into my account.
British £££ only, thanks!

[B'stard Child]

Excellent choice - smoke around in it to make sure engine is OK and then rip it's heart out and stick the engine in my Monza

[B'stard Child]

simonNOSking said:

this has £££££££ writen all over it.

You need to go to specsavers

[B'stard Child]

dbdb said:

“Shedding” in contrast is an entirely more noble pursuit. Shedding involves buying something as flash as possible for as little as possible with ever present danger of being skewered by the first big bill the car throws up. Shedding is still driving a stupidly flash car but without the ostentatious show of credit. It is a ride of triumph and tears…

Nicely put

[B'stard Child]

Welshbeef said:

Fixing the airbag could be mega bucks so getting it past the MOT may be financially unviable.

Also the suggestions of snipping the wore and putting in a PCM to give the impression of a light... I'm sadly that will not work the MOT testers have to pug into the ecu so the fault will display there.

I'm sorry but I think you are wrong there - that would mean every MOT station would have to have a comprehensive diagnostics kit to cover every potential make and model likely to be presented for an MOT.

It'll be a visual check only for light on at start and off once running (or whatever is the std process) and wire linking will work fine for an MOT

Welshbeef said:

They know what cars should and should not have them too so it's hard to pass cars which have been turned into track and road cars... A real problem for those Sunday racers. Solution they need a trailor to take the car to the track or reinstall working airbag and steering wheel.

I'll agree with you there - it will be a problem if the airbag units have been removed on road/track and same could be applied to ABS units removed although up to recently as long as you removed all of the componentry sensors, modulator etc it's been OK

Welshbeef said:

It also buggers up those chaved up or Barry boy saxos without original steeringwheel.

That's not such a bad thing

[B'stard Child]

sumnide82 said:

Well I'm off to pick up the shed of the week,
Hope the air bag light doesn't blind me on the way home.

Something is making the light come on so something can make it go out...

This

sumnide82 said:

Can't expect not to have a little Challange or two when buying something cheap,
But he who dares wins...

And it helps having an MOT bay on site...

sumnide82 said:

And if you have something with no MOT then there are plenty of nutty Europeans and Africans lurking on eBay that are actually genuine and value their cars differently to us fairy English- the bigger the car, the more it's worth!

Agreed

Please do keep us up to date with running costs and "managed retreats" as well as fun times with it would be nice to see on a SOTW post.

Reminds me must bump another old favorite SOTW to the top to get a progress update that I know is overdue

[B'stard Child]

varsas said:

I actually quite like that. Would be a great car to 'do' LeMans in.

Agreed

[B'stard Child]

Big Rod said:

Well, I've just bought it!



Oh dear God what have I done?

Needs the tensioners looked at as they're rattling away to themselves on idle, (At least that's what I hope it is!), the ECU read/reset, a couple of new tyres and the geometry set before I'll be comfortable with it.

But; what a machine! And at the price I paid if I get the length of the MOT out of it before it grenades iteslf I'll be a happy man.

Seems it has an overdriven supercharger pulley on it too so should have a little more oomph than standard.

Edited by Big Rod on Monday 11th June 07:56

You've done the sensible thing and got yeself a jaaaaaaaaag

What could possibly go wrong......

[B'stard Child]

Big Rod said:

B'stard Child said:

You've done the sensible thing and got yeself a jaaaaaaaaag

What could possibly go wrong......

You have no idea how many times that has gone through my head over the past four days!! LOL

I do hope not....... No room for regrets

I also assume that that one has a V8 and a charger?

[B'stard Child]

Big Rod said:

B'stard Child said:

Big Rod said:

B'stard Child said:

You've done the sensible thing and got yeself a jaaaaaaaaag

What could possibly go wrong......

You have no idea how many times that has gone through my head over the past four days!! LOL

I do hope not....... No room for regrets

I also assume that that one has a V8 and a charger?

Copy that on both counts. It's having it's top tensioners done on Thursday. Not a big job apparently but I don't have the time, (or space, hint-hint! ), just now to do it myself

Having said that, it cost me pennies so if the worst did happen it wouldn't be the end of the world but I don't want to break it, it'd be such a shame!

I have to say it's quite a machine. It definitely has whiffs of Senator about it which I've missed.

I helped my best mate (who funnily enough now resides in Edinburgh) find one a few years back and yes I agree definately a "senator type feel" albeit with a slightly cramped cabin which I bet is interesting for you.......



Sun roof is up for Roddy

PS suspension bushes seem to be fairly quick to wear out leading to intersting handling and uneven tyre wear - check them out before you atart getting adjustments done to the suspension geo