Jags and zombies!
Discussion
Hello Jaguar owners!
I have a few questions but first a little bit of explanation about the thread title:
A friend of mine is due to get married soon and he was good enough to ask me to be his best man. Part of a best man's duty is to organise the stag do. I want my friend's stag do to be a bit special so decided to plan something personally fitting for the stag. My friend grew-up living deep in the New Forest, an only child with a horror movie fixation, specifically the John Romero zombie films (Day of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead etc.) as a child / teenager (and even now) he thinks tactically about how to defend himself and his property in the event of a zombie uprising. When the modern homage 'Shawn of the Dead' came out he absolutely loved it!
So for the stag do I would like to recreate much of the feel of 'Shawn of the Dead' as a surprise for my friend. Recently there have been a number of accessible zombie experiences cropping up around the country, one of which we are booked in on.
In order to add a touch more authenticity to the day I intend to chauffeur my friend around in an old XJ to the venue then into town for the evening's festivities since in 'Shawn of the Dead' the main characters drove around in an Series 3 XJ12. Picking him up in an old Jag is also going to be one of the clues about what we're going to do since the whole day is being kept a secret from him.
Now I don't currently own an XJ, I intend to buy one, use it over the period of the stag do weekend and then sell it on. I don't intend to spend very much money on the car - £1000 is an absolute maximum, but obviously it has to be roadworthy. I doubt very much I could afford series 3 but would like the Jag I buy to have similar styling (eg quad headlights, chrome, wood etc.) I think I'm mainly looking at X300 / X308 to fit the bill but unsure which and then which engine / trim option is going to be easiest for me to sell on afterwards - minimising any losses.
So which model x300 / x308?
which engine?
what to look out for when buying a sub £1000 Jag
thanks!
I have a few questions but first a little bit of explanation about the thread title:
A friend of mine is due to get married soon and he was good enough to ask me to be his best man. Part of a best man's duty is to organise the stag do. I want my friend's stag do to be a bit special so decided to plan something personally fitting for the stag. My friend grew-up living deep in the New Forest, an only child with a horror movie fixation, specifically the John Romero zombie films (Day of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead etc.) as a child / teenager (and even now) he thinks tactically about how to defend himself and his property in the event of a zombie uprising. When the modern homage 'Shawn of the Dead' came out he absolutely loved it!
So for the stag do I would like to recreate much of the feel of 'Shawn of the Dead' as a surprise for my friend. Recently there have been a number of accessible zombie experiences cropping up around the country, one of which we are booked in on.
In order to add a touch more authenticity to the day I intend to chauffeur my friend around in an old XJ to the venue then into town for the evening's festivities since in 'Shawn of the Dead' the main characters drove around in an Series 3 XJ12. Picking him up in an old Jag is also going to be one of the clues about what we're going to do since the whole day is being kept a secret from him.
Now I don't currently own an XJ, I intend to buy one, use it over the period of the stag do weekend and then sell it on. I don't intend to spend very much money on the car - £1000 is an absolute maximum, but obviously it has to be roadworthy. I doubt very much I could afford series 3 but would like the Jag I buy to have similar styling (eg quad headlights, chrome, wood etc.) I think I'm mainly looking at X300 / X308 to fit the bill but unsure which and then which engine / trim option is going to be easiest for me to sell on afterwards - minimising any losses.
So which model x300 / x308?
which engine?
what to look out for when buying a sub £1000 Jag
thanks!
X300 is more robust. X308 is much nicer to drive.
£1000 budget alomst rules out a V8 engined car. If you want one of these it's essential to buy an exceptional example with relatively modest mileage and take care of it if you want reliability. Cars worth buying are few and far between and will sell for more.
£1000 will get you a good 6 cyl car though. No need to have concerns about mileage either the X300 carries miles very well and providing you find a good rust free example that makes the better buy.
Tyres £400 a set, check brakes for smooth straight stop, check front tyres for uneven wear, expect some diff whine, generally robust interiors but wear on drivers seat, led display often fails, sagging headlinings becoming common now, check all over for rust - first place to go is rear wheel arches, some electricial problems, engines and gearboxes tough and reliable, routine service parts reasonably priced and car is a good DIY option.
No real difference in fuel consumption between 3.2 and 4.0. Avoid large diameter wheels they ruin ride and tyres cost a lot more.
Have a look on carsansclassics. Usually loads on ebay too.
£1000 budget alomst rules out a V8 engined car. If you want one of these it's essential to buy an exceptional example with relatively modest mileage and take care of it if you want reliability. Cars worth buying are few and far between and will sell for more.
£1000 will get you a good 6 cyl car though. No need to have concerns about mileage either the X300 carries miles very well and providing you find a good rust free example that makes the better buy.
Tyres £400 a set, check brakes for smooth straight stop, check front tyres for uneven wear, expect some diff whine, generally robust interiors but wear on drivers seat, led display often fails, sagging headlinings becoming common now, check all over for rust - first place to go is rear wheel arches, some electricial problems, engines and gearboxes tough and reliable, routine service parts reasonably priced and car is a good DIY option.
No real difference in fuel consumption between 3.2 and 4.0. Avoid large diameter wheels they ruin ride and tyres cost a lot more.
Have a look on carsansclassics. Usually loads on ebay too.
I agree with the above, give the V8 X308 a miss and try for a decent 300. You might as well look for a 4.0L Sov as it won't cost much more than a poverty spec one and has more interior appointments and extra shove.
Bodywise, they're generally not too bad but do look for non-flakey rear arches.
Might be worth looking at classic insurance, my XJ40 is well under £200 a year fully comp.
Bodywise, they're generally not too bad but do look for non-flakey rear arches.
Might be worth looking at classic insurance, my XJ40 is well under £200 a year fully comp.
Edited by MycroftWard on Wednesday 17th October 12:45
Thanks guys. I will look out for an X300 and and avoid the X308 at this price point. If I can find a 4.0 sov I'll go for it!
MycroftWard said:
Might be worth looking at classic insurance, my XJ40 is well under £200 a year fully comp.
I will definitely be looking for a limited miles classic policy too!declasm said:
I will definitely be looking for a limited miles classic policy too!
Lancaster are worth a try, you can get a quick quote out of them online.http://www.lancasterinsurance.co.uk/classic_car_in...
HaylingJag said:
Have you thought of borrowing one for the weekend? Could work something out if your interested! I have an x300 r , x350r and an xj40 twr particularly sinister in black! All need to earn there keep!!
I was originally thinking of hiring but thought it will most likely cost less to buy since I reasoned that I can sell the car for what I bought it for (or give it a really good clean and sell it for more!) Unless of course you can offer a really really good rate - then I could be interested but I would most likely find the drive a bit less than relaxed knowing I was driving someone else's 'valuable' jag rather than a SOTW jag!Right then, looks like I've found my car. I had been watching a few on eBay and refreshing the classifieds constantly and actually there are a few out there.
Last night came around and an eBay auction was ending so I thought this was worth a punt:
it's a '94 X300 Sovereign 4.0 with 104K on the clock and 11 months MOT, loads of history.
All in I have secured the car and 12 months insurance (through Lancaster) for a very reasonable sum (all within budget)!
I'm pretty stoked about it actually - can't wait to pick up the car tomorrow, I'll report back to let you know if the reality is as good as the pics suggest.
Last night came around and an eBay auction was ending so I thought this was worth a punt:
it's a '94 X300 Sovereign 4.0 with 104K on the clock and 11 months MOT, loads of history.
All in I have secured the car and 12 months insurance (through Lancaster) for a very reasonable sum (all within budget)!
I'm pretty stoked about it actually - can't wait to pick up the car tomorrow, I'll report back to let you know if the reality is as good as the pics suggest.
Edited by declasm on Thursday 20th December 11:35
So far so good! Picked her up from the seller and indeed he was a nice chap. Incidentally the x300 was bought to get him around while his xj40 was off the road getting its head gasket fixed. The owner before was super fastidious however and filled a notebook with info about the car and its servicing etc!
No surprises driving 35 miles home on a mix of roads, everything very smooth although i can't say it felt particularly quick although i didnt really test that aspect of the drive. I'll spend a bit of time getting to know her and most likely start a thread in reader's rides.
Cheers to everyone and thanks for providing really useful advice
No surprises driving 35 miles home on a mix of roads, everything very smooth although i can't say it felt particularly quick although i didnt really test that aspect of the drive. I'll spend a bit of time getting to know her and most likely start a thread in reader's rides.
Cheers to everyone and thanks for providing really useful advice
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