l.p.g.

[v4jpp]

thinking of buying a p reg xj 3.2 sport auto thats been professionally converted (certs to prove) with 130k f.s.h. any thoughts on the l.p.g. side of things? i.e does it affect performance, wear engine ect? any cons to go with the pro's so to speak?
the tanks fitted in the spare wheel place
cars in v.good cond and owner is asking £2495 which seems a tad higher than unconverted 1's of similar ilk is this due to the conversion?

[drummerboyXJR]

Sounds like top dollar, you could get a good x308 for that, quite comfortably.

[P700DEE]

Price is no doubt due to the conversion, it would cost about £2k to do a non converted car. Half the cost of fuel, so worth an extra few hundred on buy cost if the rest of the car is right for you. We ran our company van on lpg to 160K miles before it started to die so lasted longer than a similar diesel. I doubt you are buying a non Supercharged Jag for performance so little difference on LPG.

[Jaguar steve]

Providing the rest of the car is is good condition and the history is genuine then I'd say it's probrably worth it. The relibaility and durability of that particurlar model XJ is well known and with some care it should be possible to put many more tens of thousands of miles on it without any problems - this is where an LPG conversion really justifies the initial outlay - if you use it.

You'd expect to get around 24 /26 MPG on a long drive and around 16 / 18 round town. If you drive like a real pussy you can just nurse a 3.2 XJ up to 30MPG. So, do the sums. You are paying over the odds but providing you use the LPG system and it carries on working you'll save cash in the long run.

As far as the rest of the car goes, check very carefully for corrosion round the wheel arches, sills and floorpan, make sure the front tyres are evenly worn with little or no feathering and all the usual stuff too - like everything works, the driveline is quiet and vibration free. The time clocks on these fail but that's easy to replace. Gearchanges can be a bit harsh on the 3.2 as well so don't let this put you off an otherwise good car. I ran one of these for years with no problems at all - in fact in many ways it's a much better car than the later V8 XJ.

If you do buy it buget for a full fluid change - Jaguar's 10000 mile service interval is woefully inadequate - and drench it in Waxoil to stop it rotting away.

[v4jpp]

Thanks for the advice now it's been mentioned the front tyres were very badly worn on both inside edges and the drive was smooth as silk up to 50 mph then the steering wheel vibrated noticably through to 60 mph then smoothed off, i was presuming this is a tracking and balancing problem? is the x308 a better car?

Edited by v4jpp on Monday 2nd November 21:12

Edited by v4jpp on Monday 2nd November 21:21

[Jaguar steve]

v4jpp said:

Thanks for the advice now it's been mentioned the front tyres were very badly worn on both inside edges and the drive was smooth as silk up to 50 mph then the steering wheel vibrated noticably through to 60 mph then smoothed off, i was presuming this is a tracking and balancing problem? is the x308 a better car?

Edited by v4jpp on Monday 2nd November 21:12

Edited by v4jpp on Monday 2nd November 21:21

Excessive front tyre wear on the inside edge is usually caused by either too much toe out - which is a sinple adjustment or weak lower wishbone bushes. XJs are heavy cars and give suspension components a hard time. Changing wishbone bushes should take no more than a couple of hours each side but bills will soon mount up if the rest of the front suspension is tired too. Wheel wobble between 50/60 MPH
is usually flat spotted tyres or out of balance wheels. Easy fix - XJs are very sensitive to tyre choice and wheel balance and even a slight imbalance or somtimes just really cold tyres that have been standing for a while will give a steering wobble.

The X308 is a much nicer car to drive. I've had 3.2 versions of both the 6 cyl and V8 for several years. The 308 is much faster, smoother and generally much more refined then the 6, but theres several reliability issues which make it essential to buy a really good one and look after it well. Timing chains, water pumps, thermostats, gearboxes as well as the engines themselves can fail due to lack of maintainence - which the Jaguar service schedule actually encourages. The 308 is a more agile car dynamicaly but the earlier 300 feels more solid and better made, and has a slightly better ride quality at the expense of handling as well.

Your budget gets you a very, very good 300 or a possibly mediocre at best 308. Given the choice with a couple of grand to spend and keeping back a few hundred for a thorough service and sorting odds and ends I'd go for a pristine 300 everytime. Good 308's need to be realtively low mileage, have a superb service history and all the issues sorted and be in absolutely pristine condition - and you'll find ones like that - if you can find one at all nowadays - will be priced from about £4000 upwards. I'd avoid a cheaper one unless you're absolutely sure it's a good one.

10000 mile service for both - around £150. Set of tyres from £250 to £500 depending on what you choose
Insuirance is usually reasonable but a lot of common spares such as discs, pads, shockabsorbers and other routine replacements cost more than you'd expect.

[v4jpp]

thanks for the advice steve i'll take a closer look and might make him a reduced offer on those grounds, did seem straight otherwise.

[Jaguar steve]

v4jpp said:

thanks for the advice steve i'll take a closer look and might make him a reduced offer on those grounds, did seem straight otherwise.

While you're looking around check www.carsandclassic, the PH classisfieds and jagads, the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club adverts too.

Often the best place to find an older Jaguar is not on dealers forecourts or private ads but more specalist or enthusiasts sources. Much of the stock you'll find retailed is overpriced stone rashed px'es or worn out crap picked up very cheaply at an auction.

Most people selling older cars are doing so either because there's something wrong with it, they can't afford to keep it or there's money to be made on the deal - none of which is to your advantage. On the other hand, you'll be much more likley to find a really good car if you look at enthusiast's sources. Enthusiasts usually spend more on maintainence and treat their cars with a lot more care too and, more importantly will somtimes sell a perfectly good car on a whim, perhaps because they simply fancy a change or they've already bought another one.

If you're buying an older Jaguar, or anything else for that matter, the most important point is to get the best possible car you can find, without getting too fixated on price, colour, trim level or engine size. This might mean a lot of looking, hundreds of miles of travelling and weeks of waiting.
After rejecting over half a dozen cars I spent a whole afternoon mostly stationary on the M25 and getting completely lost in west London trafic in the middle of a July heatwave to view my current XJ and several times nearly gave up and went home. If I had, I'd have lost a real bargin.

Just one thing going wrong, or the cost of a set of tyres might easily wipe out any savings you might have made by buying a less then ideal car in the first place.