£1k barges - LS400, XJ8 or something else?
Discussion
So in a few months time I'll be looking to get a barge. The main reason is that I'll be getting a dedicated track car so don't need to worry about having anything vaguely focussed for road use. The corollary of this is that it needs to be able to tow said track car (most likely an MX5).
The LS400 appeals for its reputation for reliability and plentiful shed-money supply. The XJ8 (X308) appeals as to me it's the classic Jag and, well, cool seems like too undignified a word for the subject in question but you get the idea...
Anyhow, what would you choose, or would you get something else altogether? For various reasons I have no interest in the contenders from the German 'big three' so please let's leave these out for now.
The LS400 appeals for its reputation for reliability and plentiful shed-money supply. The XJ8 (X308) appeals as to me it's the classic Jag and, well, cool seems like too undignified a word for the subject in question but you get the idea...
Anyhow, what would you choose, or would you get something else altogether? For various reasons I have no interest in the contenders from the German 'big three' so please let's leave these out for now.
I did both when I was in my early 20's...The LS400 was like you say, faultless and reliable. The XJ was the shortest ownership experience of my life, but one of the most magical & memorable, however it utterly ruined me financially because I didn't do my homework when I bought it.
Plastic tensioners are what killed mine...Make sure this fault is sorted on the one you buy, or it'll spoil an otherwise fantastic ownership experience. Loved it. Still miss it!
Plastic tensioners are what killed mine...Make sure this fault is sorted on the one you buy, or it'll spoil an otherwise fantastic ownership experience. Loved it. Still miss it!
If you want to tick the Jaguar box with a Grands worth of XJ8 then buy one with a long MOT and some tread left on the tyres. Chances are sooner or later it'll all end in tears so plan on just smoking it about until it does, then send the tax disc off for a refund and get a mate to help you tow it to the scrapyard.
Otherwise buy a earlier XJ6 which are pretty much bombproof for around the same money or spend three or four times as much on sourcing a really good, sub 60/70k miles XJ8 and get the essential preventative maintenance done.
Otherwise buy a earlier XJ6 which are pretty much bombproof for around the same money or spend three or four times as much on sourcing a really good, sub 60/70k miles XJ8 and get the essential preventative maintenance done.
It's nice to see threads like these come to some sort of conclusion, so here it is.
Is the Maxima even sold over here anymore? I know you could get them in the 90's, and they looked dreadful. The newer ones look a lot better, though I gather they're designed for the American market where they sell quite a few of them. So it's never really going to appeal to British eyes in the way that most American domestic cars don't.
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