Friday 15th April 2011

SOTW: Jaguar XJR

Is this the most powerful Shed of the Week ever?

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There is no denying that today's SOTW is a major punt. Semi-bespoke performance saloons are not known for their low running costs, Jaguars are not renowned for their longevity, and 50,000 miles of unknown history is going to be a worry to the bravest of gamblers. Especially when said car's MOT runs out in two months.

But despite so many things about this M-plate Jaguar XJR ringing more or less every Shed alarm bell out there, once we spotted it there was little doubt that we had found today's Shed of the Week.

There are just so many things that scream 'want' about this car. For a start, we don't think we've ever broken the 300bhp barrier on Shed, and to do so in a roadworthy car is a treat indeed. Secondly, the sporty barge is close to the heart of what SOTW stands for. Thirdly, we just love a Jaguar.

This X300-era XJR might not quite have the poke of the later V8 version, but you'll pay at least double that for one of those, and for a grand it would be a churlish fellow who feels that 321bhp and 378lb ft isn't enough to be getting on with.

It being a fast Jag, the transmission is naturally a 4-speed auto, (although 268 XJRs, 103 of them RHD, were fitted with a five-speed Getrag manual, though that info does come courtesy of Wikipedia and so must be treated with caution), while leather and wood abound in the cabin.

Outside it's not perfect (the missing passenger side mirror being a prime example of that), but who cares when you've got the first-ever supercharged Jaguar on your drive for just £1k?

Well, you might, when it comes to MOT time and you're faced with a stack of bills. But SOTW has never been about making sensible choices...

Advert is reproduced below

jaguar xjr straight 6 supercharged (1995)
97,000 miles £1,000

hi here we have my M reg jaguar xjr supercarged in saphire blue with grey leather an 97,000 miles.i have service history up to 47,000 very well looked after car needs some tlc on rear arches an passenger wing mirror missing.also chrome trim on back bumper is bent where someone before i had the car tried stealng it. very fast an reliable car everything works as it should,age related marks mot till june tax till july.any questions feel free to call

[johnpeat]

I do believe that Richard Porter aka Aquadrome aka Mr Sniff Petrol sometime Evo Journo and Top Gear Script Editor is currently in possession of one of these and I'm keen to discover just how quickly they can tear-up your credit rating because they are - let's not fk about here - a simply awesome motor...

You have class, performance, bruiser AND cruiser in a car which was supposedly far better made and more reliable than the cars which came before it (although they did set new lows in those fields so it's hardly a positive thing!!)

Horror stories about parts costs and the 'great unknown' of more than half it's mileage would suggest this is a 'drive it until it stops' car - but a nice one at least!!

Edited by johnpeat on Friday 15th April 03:05

[johnpeat]

jayfish said:

Nice shed, but seriously FSH up to 47k then nothing and as an 18 year old car on 70k miles, bks, the car may be straight but I'd walk away rather than believe the contents of this advert

It's a SHED - it's extremely cheap for what it is - this isn't "careful buyer's corner", SOTW is about finding a SHED, a smoker, something which you drive until it drops which is different and noteworthy...

For all it's state this ticks all the boxes - all you really need to do is check that it really is the car on it's paperwork and that the engine isn't made of cake...

[johnpeat]

jayfish said:

I'm well acquainted with bangernomics, my 208k miles E-class bought for £400 notes is testament to this
I'd walk away and find a better shed.

Not well acquainted enough to realise that's not what we're doing here.

If SOTW was to find 'worthy, dull but runs forever' cars then there's be an E Class here every week and no-one would give a damn...

This is about finding something different for not much money - even if the car on offer isn't quite ideal, I'm sure people take the idea and run with it to find another car/one closer to them/one in better nick.

You learn NOTHING about a car from the advert anyway - people who are scared off by words in an ad miss all the best deals, the only true way to measure the worth of a deal is to kick it's tyres (pref. not actually do that - but get that close!!)