XJR x308 pre-purchase questions

XJR x308 pre-purchase questions

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cornershop

Original Poster:

2,136 posts

195 months

Thursday 24th May 2018
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Gents

I tentatively viewed a 98 XJR today and have a few questions i'm hoping the beards can answer

1) Car had one key/fob only - are these available from Jag or elsewhere
2) Car supposedly had an engine replacement by Jaguar at 79k miles (now on 180k) - i understand the date forms the new engine number (YYMMDD HHMM) , but couldn't find it anywhere - does anyone have a pic of where i should be looking. I read about a silver/green tag but could not see it.

Could Jaguar confirm via the VIN?

Even if it hasn't been replaced, as long as its not drinking oil, should i still be worried?

2.1) - Cold start was fine - no rattle from tensioners. The PO said they'd been replaced but there are no bills to substantiate - is there a way of checking?

3) I've read about rusty wheels arches, sills and wings (minor in this case) i'm more concerned about the strut mount rust. The driver side was as new, but the passenger side had seen some repair work. Is this likely to be the iceberg or is the repair acceptable?


r2xjr

1 posts

70 months

Thursday 24th May 2018
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i'd say keep looking. that rust is a bad sign. what's your budget?

cornershop

Original Poster:

2,136 posts

195 months

Thursday 24th May 2018
quotequote all
This one is up for 1850, with room for manoevure.

I don't have a firm budget in mind, maybe a few grand tops

Zippyworld

795 posts

183 months

Friday 25th May 2018
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I would not give a second look to an XJR at this price....I think you are going to be spending £££’s but I guess its subjective. I would look at around £4k as a starter to buy something with a little less heartache. Theres a black one on Ebay right now with 76k on it, looks like a bargain to me.

Edited by Zippyworld on Friday 25th May 19:24

cornershop

Original Poster:

2,136 posts

195 months

Friday 25th May 2018
quotequote all
Thanks for your feedback

Interestingly, the MOT history is clear of *any* mentions of rust, so unsure how (or when) the above happened.

I would imagine both sides would go at the same time, so could damage (eg severe pothole) cause something similar? The driverside looks 100% factory and undisturbed.

cornershop

Original Poster:

2,136 posts

195 months

Friday 25th May 2018
quotequote all
Had a look at the MOT history on the 3750 one, its had rust issues for 8 of the past 10 years - difficult to imagine how it was kept prior to the onset of rust

Front bumper alignment is skewed and the pin stripe missing on the NSF wing, suggests replacement or damage repaired

The above might be nothing, but i don’t think its that much better (if at all) than the one i viewed at half the price.

l80ous

172 posts

222 months

Friday 25th May 2018
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Had one of these for 7 years and had pritty much every issue going, including the ones you mention.

I know you like the idea of an X308 XJR at this price, but it's that price for a reason, move along - you have a few concerns already let me say this is only just the start of the concern's you'll be getting, the mileage is way to high as well.

As said above spend more for one with a history that has most concerned fixed already, then you can enjoy this amazing car rather than worry about whats comming next week and the week after.

Answer to your questions:

Engine replacement at that mileage is very common, they were mostly replaced under warranty due to a problem with the unleaded feul and engine linings at that time causing wear, this is nothing much to worry about, it's better it's had the change than not, though saying that if you do have a car without an engine change (rare) it's unlikely to be a problem at this point.

Key fob's on ebay easy enough, may need a key man to re programme.

Rust is a massive problem on these if you get a bad one it'll always be a bad one, I had a bad one and spent £400/800 per year every April getting rid of rust and chasing it round.

Any other questions please ask.



..

Edited by l80ous on Friday 25th May 21:57

cornershop

Original Poster:

2,136 posts

195 months

Friday 25th May 2018
quotequote all
Thanks - this appears to be a largely rust free example, hence looking to understand if the inner wing repair is a show stopper (bodged) or, looks as expected.

I’ve also read that the rust behind the strut won’t necessarily be picked up during an MOT, so the clean MOT history may not be totally conclusive. To balance this, there is no mention of previously rusty sills, floor pans, sub frames etc in the MOT history.

It does need a headliner and the exhaust is blowing.

l80ous

172 posts

222 months

Saturday 26th May 2018
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Head liner's are around £200 if you shop around. I ended having a full stainless made for mine when it finally needed it, cost around £600 and I had sports cats as well for £250. It's hard to find a standard factory one nowadays, worth bearing in mind - they aren't cheap.

cornershop

Original Poster:

2,136 posts

195 months

Sunday 27th May 2018
quotequote all
Thanks fella, useful to know.

The £1850 one has now sold, so will continue to ‘e-look’

Can you help with where I’d find the replacement engine number/ tag? Any dismantling required to find it?

l80ous

172 posts

222 months

Sunday 27th May 2018
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No dismanting needed but it's tricky to see, you'll need a torch and some of the green labels aren't in great condition anymore and hard to read.


cornershop

Original Poster:

2,136 posts

195 months

Sunday 27th May 2018
quotequote all
Excellent, thanks

Ive seen that pic before and believe its the bulkhead end of the driverside cylinder bank.?

l80ous

172 posts

222 months

Sunday 27th May 2018
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I'm struggling to remember it's been a few years but yeah around there one side or the other

P700DEE

1,107 posts

229 months

Monday 28th May 2018
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You missed out there. Not many semi decent XJRs for £1850! Mileage is no worry they take miles well my 98 XKR drives better than when I got it 14 years ago. Now on 135K miles and there are plenty of higher mileage ones out there. Key feature on a 20 year old car is rust and you should know where to look. Poor ones are scrap, find one that looks good even if it has repairs and you should be fine. I very much doubt there are many rust free unrestored cars out there and they are not worth restoring yet. Replacement engines. Nikasil if its a before 2002 replacement and usually with low mileage. High mileage is good with Nikasil. Failures and replacements would be head gasket failure and over heating as primary reason. Also bore wear from flooding the engine and a few from tensioner failure. Well looked after with the later tensioners etc. you should be fine. At 180K miles its also about wear on suspension etc. but its mnot too expensive to fix. Gearbox , should have had some new oil in that Merc box.
Don't miss an OK one at that price, the poor ones are dying fast the great ones are going up in value.