Buying a xj 1995 ish
Discussion
The Nov. 94 ==> 96 cars are X300 models and have either the AJ16 straight six or the V12 engines.
The 96 onward cars are the X308 and have V8 engines.
The X300s are generally considered to be much more reliable and easier to work on than the 308s. The early V8s had a lot of problems, for which there are solutions.
If you hunt back through this forum you'll find this topic has been discussed a number of times so there are some good posts on what to look out for.
The 96 onward cars are the X308 and have V8 engines.
The X300s are generally considered to be much more reliable and easier to work on than the 308s. The early V8s had a lot of problems, for which there are solutions.
If you hunt back through this forum you'll find this topic has been discussed a number of times so there are some good posts on what to look out for.
If you're considering a 6 cylinder XJ - produced from 1994 to 1997 and known as an X300 then your main concern will be conditon of the bodywork. The X300s are robustly built and provided they are maintained properly are capable of huge mileages.
Check all the electrics work, the condition of the front tyres, looking for excessive wear on the inside edges which can be a sign the suspension bushes have weakened and provided the car is smooth and quiet - especially the 'diff - and has a complete history then chances are it's a good buy. The 6 cyls are nice enough to drive although the 3.2 can struggle a bit when heavily laden
Expect to pay up to £3000 - that'll get you a very good 6 cyl XJ.
The V8 on the other hand is a much more difficult car to buy cheaply. Early ones will can found for around the same money but they had a whole host of problems such as timing chin tensnsioners, waterpump and thermostats all failing even when quite new. They also have sealed for life gearboxes and 'diffs with no oil changes scheduled which has lead to several premature failures. Wishbone bushes also fail on the later cars. If you do choose a V8 then the same applies - get the very best you can and avoid the oldest and cheapest. The V8s were revised in 2000 and the later models are generally better cars but all XJs from 1994 to 2003 are old enough now for condition and history of a particular example to be much more important then generalisations about which is the better car.
The V8 is a much nicer car to drive, it's much more refined and and feels a lot more agile and lively then the 6. It also has a much better gearbox. Fuel consumption beteween the two is very similar.
Good V8s will cost more to buy - start looking privately from maybe £4000 upwards. Some independents have nice looking cars for sale from £5000 and there's a low mileage XJ8 for sale through the Jaguar Approved scheme up at the moment for close on ten grand.
Whatever you do drive several and budget for a full fluid change. Jaguar's service schedule is a bit thin at 10k intervals for both cars. If you buy a V8 make sure the latest third generation metal bodied timing chain tensioners are fitted and you have the gearbox oil changed. If you don't chances are it'll go bang on you at some time in the future.
Check all the electrics work, the condition of the front tyres, looking for excessive wear on the inside edges which can be a sign the suspension bushes have weakened and provided the car is smooth and quiet - especially the 'diff - and has a complete history then chances are it's a good buy. The 6 cyls are nice enough to drive although the 3.2 can struggle a bit when heavily laden
Expect to pay up to £3000 - that'll get you a very good 6 cyl XJ.
The V8 on the other hand is a much more difficult car to buy cheaply. Early ones will can found for around the same money but they had a whole host of problems such as timing chin tensnsioners, waterpump and thermostats all failing even when quite new. They also have sealed for life gearboxes and 'diffs with no oil changes scheduled which has lead to several premature failures. Wishbone bushes also fail on the later cars. If you do choose a V8 then the same applies - get the very best you can and avoid the oldest and cheapest. The V8s were revised in 2000 and the later models are generally better cars but all XJs from 1994 to 2003 are old enough now for condition and history of a particular example to be much more important then generalisations about which is the better car.
The V8 is a much nicer car to drive, it's much more refined and and feels a lot more agile and lively then the 6. It also has a much better gearbox. Fuel consumption beteween the two is very similar.
Good V8s will cost more to buy - start looking privately from maybe £4000 upwards. Some independents have nice looking cars for sale from £5000 and there's a low mileage XJ8 for sale through the Jaguar Approved scheme up at the moment for close on ten grand.
Whatever you do drive several and budget for a full fluid change. Jaguar's service schedule is a bit thin at 10k intervals for both cars. If you buy a V8 make sure the latest third generation metal bodied timing chain tensioners are fitted and you have the gearbox oil changed. If you don't chances are it'll go bang on you at some time in the future.
I think your prices are a bit high, I bought my XJR for £3,500...90k miles, FJSH, 2 owners, all electrics/climate working, correct tyres etc etc and my friend bought a nice X300 XJ6 sport for £2k from a specialist...that car has been very good over the last 3 years. Granted we looked at plenty of horrible examples of both at those prices but £3k for an X300? I guess it depends what you consider 'nice' but you can certainly get a good car for less then that IMHO.
tkdsteve08 said:
thanks guys proberly going to get the xj sov 3.2 are they juicy on fuel
My friend gets 25mpg+ out of his X300 stright 6 3.2, I assume the V8 is more efficient? Unfortunalty, with the weight and an auto box they are never going to be very economical..it's worth it though!varsas said:
I think your prices are a bit high, I bought my XJR for £3,500...90k miles, FJSH, 2 owners, all electrics/climate working, correct tyres etc etc and my friend bought a nice X300 XJ6 sport for £2k from a specialist...that car has been very good over the last 3 years. Granted we looked at plenty of horrible examples of both at those prices but £3k for an X300? I guess it depends what you consider 'nice' but you can certainly get a good car for less then that IMHO.
You're right - but I was reconing on absolute mint condition X300s from either a dealer or private seller who is selling the very best example and knows it. Ultimately I'd not be too concerned about price 'tho when looking at older XJs. IMO it's always best to spend whatever it takes - within reason of course - to get the best possible car rather than compromise on condition or history and save a few hundred and go for the slightly cheaper one. X300s have held thier value quite remarkably well over the last couple of years and I guess that's because most people who do a bit of research would be very wary of an earlier X308. In the end we are only talking hundreds after all. That's no more than the cost of a set of tyres or a few hours labour in a garage that a higher priced car car may not need.
tkdsteve08 said:
thanks guys proberly going to get the xj sov 3.2 are they juicy on fuel
3.2litre - either 6 or V8 - should return 26 to 28MPG on a 65/75MPH motorway cruise, 20/22 MPG in daily use and maybe as low as 15 in town and heavy trafic.Worst I've ever seen in my V8 3.2 over 30000 miles is 18.6 and very best 32.2
tkdsteve08 said:
there are so many veriants so confusing
xj
xj6
xj8
xjr
soverin
v8
v6
straight 6
XJ is just what they are called, although it doesn't help. Jaguar have been making 'XJ' cars for a long time, there are many different models, which is why people say XJ40/X300/X308/X350 as each of those is a different type of generation of XJ.xj
xj6
xj8
xjr
soverin
v8
v6
straight 6
XJ6 and XJ8 is just saying what model it is, a straight 6 X300 or a V8 X308. There are quite a few differences between an X300 and X308, you need to know what they are to make an informed descision between the two...pick one and stick with that model. Let us know which one you want to go for, it'll be easier to help you.
The XJR is the top of the range sports model. To want/pay for one you have to be a bit of an enthusiast/collector or whatever...you have to really want one, if you do you can ignore everything else, if you don't then ignore the XJR.
Soverign is a spec level, it's the more powerfull 4litre engine with the comfort suspension/ exterior spec. Usually the 4lire engine comes with sports suspension, although sports suspension was optional on the soverign too...it's just a trim level, unless you have a particular need/want for a soverign for some particular reason it doesn't matter if a car is/is not a soverign.
There is no V6 XJ...not that Jaguar made anyway. Thinking of the X-type?
I scanned parts of the X308 brouchure in for someone here a while ago...http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=85&t=807044&mid=87567&nmt=XJ8%20%28X308%29%20Buyers%20Guide%20-%20The%20Little%20Things might help. Jaguar lovers also has brouchures....http://www.jag-lovers.org/brochures/ which may help. Unfortunatly there are no good books about these cars that I know of.
The December 2008 issue of Jaguar world had a buyers guide for the X300, would be worth getting hold of if you can. If you get really stuck I could scan/e-mail it to you.
Edited by varsas on Saturday 20th February 16:43
Jaguar steve said:
varsas said:
I think your prices are a bit high, I bought my XJR for £3,500...90k miles, FJSH, 2 owners, all electrics/climate working, correct tyres etc etc and my friend bought a nice X300 XJ6 sport for £2k from a specialist...that car has been very good over the last 3 years. Granted we looked at plenty of horrible examples of both at those prices but £3k for an X300? I guess it depends what you consider 'nice' but you can certainly get a good car for less then that IMHO.
You're right - but I was reconing on absolute mint condition X300s from either a dealer or private seller who is selling the very best example and knows it. Ultimately I'd not be too concerned about price 'tho when looking at older XJs. IMO it's always best to spend whatever it takes - within reason of course - to get the best possible car rather than compromise on condition or history and save a few hundred and go for the slightly cheaper one. X300s have held thier value quite remarkably well over the last couple of years and I guess that's because most people who do a bit of research would be very wary of an earlier X308. In the end we are only talking hundreds after all. That's no more than the cost of a set of tyres or a few hours labour in a garage that a higher priced car car may not need.
tkdsteve08 said:
Difficult to know without seeing/hearing/driving it. I assume you noticed the LPG conversion, you'd want to check that had been done properly/safely. Could be a bargin could be a dog...but I can't see anything in the advert that would stop me going and looking at it.tkdsteve08 said:
so is the 3.2 the straight 6
Traditionally the number after the "XJ" denotes the number of cylinders. So an XJ6 has six cylinders, XJ8 is a V8, XJ12 is a V12. Both straight sixes and V8 configurations came in 3.2 and 4.0 versions. The XJ6 from 1994 to 1997 is known as X300, the V8 engined cars from 1997 to 2002 are known as X308. The only V6 engined XJ6 is the newer X350 from about 2002 with the aluminium body shell.Gassing Station | Jaguar | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff