Jaguar xj6 - too cheap?!
Discussion
Im looking for an xj6 at the moment and I've seen on here and other sites that you can pick these up for very little money.
I've spotted one that ticks most of my boxes, and being a newbie I'm a bit worried. Does this sound a bit dodgy?
- the car has 95k, part service history, only £550!
- an Hpi check said that the previous owner bought it 6 months ago, and there is now 3 months left on the MoT
- the check also said that a few people (including traders) had looked at the car
- I found an expired ad for the car from a month ago
I know this may be head vs heart! In the pics it looks pretty straight.
any help/guidance would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Gavin
I've spotted one that ticks most of my boxes, and being a newbie I'm a bit worried. Does this sound a bit dodgy?
- the car has 95k, part service history, only £550!
- an Hpi check said that the previous owner bought it 6 months ago, and there is now 3 months left on the MoT
- the check also said that a few people (including traders) had looked at the car
- I found an expired ad for the car from a month ago
I know this may be head vs heart! In the pics it looks pretty straight.
any help/guidance would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Gavin
These cars are going for very low prices now, so that isn't an issue. Running costs etc are pushing values down on all large executive cars, just look at the big BMWs and Mercs etc. it's still worth checking for trouble though. Rust can be a real issue, especially on the early X300, make sure all the electrics work, take it for a good run and make sure things like air con and the heaters work properly. Listen for knocks from the suspension, as bushes can give up frequently on these heavy cars. As for the engine, it's pretty bulletproof as long as it has been looked after. When I bought mine, it developed a slight vibration from the steering which turned out to be warped discs. I sold mine and regretted it straight away, looking through the classifieds, I can't believe how cheap they are, there was a very nice sovereign with full history for £900 (very tempting). Do the checks, if you are happy, get it for £500 and enjoy!
Thanks for that, good point. I just panicked that a trader (he is selling a few cars it seems) looks like he's selling it for less than private sellers; thought it was meant to be the other way round!
The problem I have is that the car is too far away to pop over to look (it's in Hemel Hempstead)and whilst the seller said it just has the usual spots of rust, I can't really see what's underneath.
It certainly looks handsome though! Only thing I can see from the pics is the chrome insert on the rear bumer has bent out of shape, which is common apparently.
The problem I have is that the car is too far away to pop over to look (it's in Hemel Hempstead)and whilst the seller said it just has the usual spots of rust, I can't really see what's underneath.
It certainly looks handsome though! Only thing I can see from the pics is the chrome insert on the rear bumer has bent out of shape, which is common apparently.
That's an X300 XJ6. Those are the last 6 cylinder cars and are virtually bombproof mechanically. Engines and driveline will go to way over 200k if maintained well.
Rear bumper chrome will be almost impossible to find second hand
You need to check for rust everywhere underneath especially round the jacking points and sills and sill closing panels round the front and rear screens, bottom of the wings and doors and under the bonnet for rust. Rear wheel arches usually go first so if they are OK then chances are the rest of the car might be too.
XJs are heavy on brakes and suspension so feel for vibration under braking and clonks and knocks when driving. Steer from side to side at speed and listen for wheel bearing drone. The car should track straight hands off and under hard braking
At 95k expect some diff whine when it's hot. Make sure everything works and cycle the a/c if fitted and climate control through all functions. Electrics need care checking out - don't assume a light out for example is just a blown bulb
Bottom line is it's a £500 car. If you have to put some tyres on it for example or overhaul the brakes or change suspension bushes or spend a few hundred to get through the next MOT its still a £500 car but one that's cost you over a grand. That grand could have bought you a much better example in the first place so the thing to do IMO if you want an cheap XJ is spend some time searching for the right one. If you've done that and looked at several then you'll know for sure when the right car comes up.
There's often lots of X300s up for auction on ebay as advertising a cheap car somewhere like Autotrader is expensive. Chances are a private sale rather than a dealer might source you a good one.
Rear bumper chrome will be almost impossible to find second hand
You need to check for rust everywhere underneath especially round the jacking points and sills and sill closing panels round the front and rear screens, bottom of the wings and doors and under the bonnet for rust. Rear wheel arches usually go first so if they are OK then chances are the rest of the car might be too.
XJs are heavy on brakes and suspension so feel for vibration under braking and clonks and knocks when driving. Steer from side to side at speed and listen for wheel bearing drone. The car should track straight hands off and under hard braking
At 95k expect some diff whine when it's hot. Make sure everything works and cycle the a/c if fitted and climate control through all functions. Electrics need care checking out - don't assume a light out for example is just a blown bulb
Bottom line is it's a £500 car. If you have to put some tyres on it for example or overhaul the brakes or change suspension bushes or spend a few hundred to get through the next MOT its still a £500 car but one that's cost you over a grand. That grand could have bought you a much better example in the first place so the thing to do IMO if you want an cheap XJ is spend some time searching for the right one. If you've done that and looked at several then you'll know for sure when the right car comes up.
There's often lots of X300s up for auction on ebay as advertising a cheap car somewhere like Autotrader is expensive. Chances are a private sale rather than a dealer might source you a good one.
Thanks for the guidance! I have been looking for a little while, most of the ones I have seen have been sport models which I'd like to avoid as they don't have the chrome bits on and I'm not keen on the darker interiors/dash they tend to have. This one ticked all of the boxes so I think I let myself get a bit carried away!
It might be worth taking a punt even if it costs money to get straight, but it might be better to stay patient. The fact it hasn't sold in a month at this price probably says a lot.
Thanks again!
It might be worth taking a punt even if it costs money to get straight, but it might be better to stay patient. The fact it hasn't sold in a month at this price probably says a lot.
Thanks again!
A month for one of these is nothing. I've seen some on autotrader for 6 months plus! It seems that people are shying away from large engine cars like this, fuel prices have played a major part, just look at what you can pick up for a couple of grand in the classifieds, full of Lexus, Audi, Merc, Beemers etc all with V8 petrol engines. People don't want the running costs. Some real bargains out there.
gj1982 said:
There are some very cheap ones. I was just worried that this trade seller seems to be selling the car cheaper than private sellers, thought it was the other way round!
Trade knows what the present price to sell is, he doesn't want it sitting arround for monthsPriveate sellers tend to price high hopeing someone will come allong thinking its worth more that it is
Hello, I've just bought this exact car, it's in very good condition for the price and age, only needs a little bit of work to get it 100%, I've just bought some alloys for it, but I don't know what tyres should go on them, at the moment the car has steel wheels with 225/60/16 tyres, but the alloys have 225/55/16, does anyone know which it should have?
Those were the two tyre size options for the XJ6 on 16" wheels. Generally the sport suspended models had 55 profile tyres and the touring suspension cars had 60 profile ones. There will be a small difference in gearing and speedo reading and ride comfort between the two.
In the real world you probably won't notice much difference so I'd choose whichever profile you can find the best deals on . Inflate to 32psi front and 34 rear for best economy and tyre life or 28/28 for maximum comfort.
In the real world you probably won't notice much difference so I'd choose whichever profile you can find the best deals on . Inflate to 32psi front and 34 rear for best economy and tyre life or 28/28 for maximum comfort.
Jaguar steve said:
Those were the two tyre size options for the XJ6 on 16" wheels. Generally the sport suspended models had 55 profile tyres and the touring suspension cars had 60 profile ones. There will be a small difference in gearing and speedo reading and ride comfort between the two.
In the real world you probably won't notice much difference so I'd choose whichever profile you can find the best deals on . Inflate to 32psi front and 34 rear for best economy and tyre life or 28/28 for maximum comfort.
Thanks a lot Steve! That's great! Saved us a lot of time, and also thanks alot for the psi! Much appreciated!In the real world you probably won't notice much difference so I'd choose whichever profile you can find the best deals on . Inflate to 32psi front and 34 rear for best economy and tyre life or 28/28 for maximum comfort.
bazz1963 said:
Jaguar steve said:
Those were the two tyre size options for the XJ6 on 16" wheels. Generally the sport suspended models had 55 profile tyres and the touring suspension cars had 60 profile ones. There will be a small difference in gearing and speedo reading and ride comfort between the two.
In the real world you probably won't notice much difference so I'd choose whichever profile you can find the best deals on . Inflate to 32psi front and 34 rear for best economy and tyre life or 28/28 for maximum comfort.
Thanks a lot Steve! That's great! Saved us a lot of time, and also thanks alot for the psi! Much appreciated!In the real world you probably won't notice much difference so I'd choose whichever profile you can find the best deals on . Inflate to 32psi front and 34 rear for best economy and tyre life or 28/28 for maximum comfort.
Pop yourself a crank sensor and an ignition coil in the boot. If the rev counter mysteriously drops to zero while on the move, or doesn't budge when cranking, fit the former. If the dash lights up like a christmas tree and it starts to misfire, you'll need the latter, but it'll take some swapping to work out which of the six has gone.
If the steering doesn't go in and out then it's shredded a drive shaft. Mine was about $50 from US eBay and a couple of hours to replace.
The LCD clock almost certainly won't work - that's about £50 to have refurbished.
If the battery (under the boot floor next to the spare wheel) doesn't look enormous, someone might have skimped in the past and it will likely cost you dearly. They don't tolerate low voltage conditions well. I fitted a Bosch 019.
If the radio doesn't work, tough. It seems they all go senile eventually and Alpine can't fix them any more. I just left it in place and put a good Bluetooth handsfree module behind it with the screen in the ashtray.
When you give it a service, don't forget the fuel filter - it's behind the rear nearside wheel. The nuts will be seized so give them a soak first. I cut mine out and replaced it with one with push fit connectors.
As said above though, the engine is unlikely to give you any real trouble at all. And even a tired X300 feels a like million dollars, so you'll have a blast.
If the steering doesn't go in and out then it's shredded a drive shaft. Mine was about $50 from US eBay and a couple of hours to replace.
The LCD clock almost certainly won't work - that's about £50 to have refurbished.
If the battery (under the boot floor next to the spare wheel) doesn't look enormous, someone might have skimped in the past and it will likely cost you dearly. They don't tolerate low voltage conditions well. I fitted a Bosch 019.
If the radio doesn't work, tough. It seems they all go senile eventually and Alpine can't fix them any more. I just left it in place and put a good Bluetooth handsfree module behind it with the screen in the ashtray.
When you give it a service, don't forget the fuel filter - it's behind the rear nearside wheel. The nuts will be seized so give them a soak first. I cut mine out and replaced it with one with push fit connectors.
As said above though, the engine is unlikely to give you any real trouble at all. And even a tired X300 feels a like million dollars, so you'll have a blast.
thejpster said:
Pop yourself a crank sensor and an ignition coil in the boot. If the rev counter mysteriously drops to zero while on the move, or doesn't budge when cranking, fit the former. If the dash lights up like a christmas tree and it starts to misfire, you'll need the latter, but it'll take some swapping to work out which of the six has gone.
If the steering doesn't go in and out then it's shredded a drive shaft. Mine was about $50 from US eBay and a couple of hours to replace.
The LCD clock almost certainly won't work - that's about £50 to have refurbished.
If the battery (under the boot floor next to the spare wheel) doesn't look enormous, someone might have skimped in the past and it will likely cost you dearly. They don't tolerate low voltage conditions well. I fitted a Bosch 019.
If the radio doesn't work, tough. It seems they all go senile eventually and Alpine can't fix them any more. I just left it in place and put a good Bluetooth handsfree module behind it with the screen in the ashtray.
When you give it a service, don't forget the fuel filter - it's behind the rear nearside wheel. The nuts will be seized so give them a soak first. I cut mine out and replaced it with one with push fit connectors.
As said above though, the engine is unlikely to give you any real trouble at all. And even a tired X300 feels a like million dollars, so you'll have a blast.
Oh yeah, the battery is pretty big! The clock doesn't work but I can refurb that myself, and I'll have a look at the fuel filter today, thanks for the tips!If the steering doesn't go in and out then it's shredded a drive shaft. Mine was about $50 from US eBay and a couple of hours to replace.
The LCD clock almost certainly won't work - that's about £50 to have refurbished.
If the battery (under the boot floor next to the spare wheel) doesn't look enormous, someone might have skimped in the past and it will likely cost you dearly. They don't tolerate low voltage conditions well. I fitted a Bosch 019.
If the radio doesn't work, tough. It seems they all go senile eventually and Alpine can't fix them any more. I just left it in place and put a good Bluetooth handsfree module behind it with the screen in the ashtray.
When you give it a service, don't forget the fuel filter - it's behind the rear nearside wheel. The nuts will be seized so give them a soak first. I cut mine out and replaced it with one with push fit connectors.
As said above though, the engine is unlikely to give you any real trouble at all. And even a tired X300 feels a like million dollars, so you'll have a blast.
Gassing Station | Jaguar | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff