Someone talk me out of a Jag XJ8 3.2
Discussion
My girlfriend has gone back to uni. I spending too much time in the classifieds and decided that i need abit of V8 in my life.
Went and sat in one this evening (the one i like is further away so might go look at it tomorrow) and loved it. Im used to diesels and 4-pot petrols. The smoothness of the engine on start up was lovely. I will be driving tomorrow if i dont get talked out of it.
Is this a stupid idea? I dont earn alot and dont need huge repair bills.
Its got 77,000miles with full service history by jag main dealer. Looks lovely!
Any cheaper to run alternatives?
How likely will i be to get 30mpg on a stead motorway run?
Went and sat in one this evening (the one i like is further away so might go look at it tomorrow) and loved it. Im used to diesels and 4-pot petrols. The smoothness of the engine on start up was lovely. I will be driving tomorrow if i dont get talked out of it.
Is this a stupid idea? I dont earn alot and dont need huge repair bills.
Its got 77,000miles with full service history by jag main dealer. Looks lovely!
Any cheaper to run alternatives?
How likely will i be to get 30mpg on a stead motorway run?
elephantstone said:
Any cheaper to run alternatives?
How likely will i be to get 30mpg on a stead motorway run?
1) Yes, I would have thought so. The XJ's are robust if looked after, though like any ageing luxury car, can throw some big bills when they fancy it.How likely will i be to get 30mpg on a stead motorway run?
2) You might top 30mpg if you're lucky. The 3.2 V8 is not renowned for being particularly economical despite it's (relatively) small displacement. Expect mid to high teens around town and an average of around 24mpg from mixed use with maybe a little more on long, steady D/C runs with the engine warmed through. To put it in context, I had a 4.2 V8 Audi A8 at the same time, and doing the same sort of drives in the same sort of way, we both spent about the same on petrol.
Source - friend and long time Jaguar owner who was always throwing money at his (admittedly lovely) 90's XJ's.
I think you'll struggle for 30mpg, also the 4.0 is a nicer car, with no real difference in economy. I would also forsake your V8 lust for an older straight Six. Parts for these cars are now quite cheap, lots of breakers as well. Lovely car, I'd look for an LPG one .... Ideally a 4 litre high spec one, Sovereign or similar. The V8's have a few expensive time bombs which need to have been done to avoid big bills .. These include timing tensioners, gearbox fluid change, water pump. All quite well documented on the net.
elephantstone said:
What other cars are less of a risk/more frugal with a V8? DO they exist?
With a V8, the Lexus LS400 seems to score points on economy. Many owners report regular 30mpg runs out of them, and they are known for being exceptionally well made. For a V8 car, many of the Mercedes models of the 90's are well spoken of to in economy terms; things like the W140 S500 and the R129 SL500 are supposed to have an economy which is very surprising for a 'big' (by UK standards) V8. The Audi V8 in my A8 was, by comparison, known for having a thirst and admittedly, I could rarely resist the temptation to floor it was the pickup and acceleration was so exhilarating. A few mpg here or there though doesn't make a massive difference in real terms. A bigger consideration, if petrol costs are a worry, are the servicing and repair costs for these sorts of cars. If just fuelling it has you sweating, then their ability to generate repair bills will really frighten you. Whilst I would definitely recommend owning a cheap, luxury V8 car, you need to keep a couple of grand on standby for repairs and budget more than you'd think to run them.
E38 7 Series - cooling system and fuel tank rot can be hugely expensive (fuel tank can be a £1000 job)
D2 A8 - Gearbox can go bang at £500-£1500 a go
Jaguar - timing chain tensioners and rust are known issues
Lexus - Garlic spent a packet getting the rear suspension on his sorted out
Mercedes W140 - wiring looms and vacuum pumps are known issues, W220 and equivalent CL have rust and airmatic suspension to contend with, W220 diesel engines are famed for being problematic etc etc
And of course, budget for the big discs needed to stop these heavy cars, and big tyres. Even a 'smaller' wheeled car can costs upwards of £150 a corner for midrange tyres.
Baryonyx said:
With a V8, the Lexus LS400 seems to score points on economy. Many owners report regular 30mpg runs out of them, and they are known for being exceptionally well made. For a V8 car, many of the Mercedes models of the 90's are well spoken of to in economy terms; things like the W140 S500 and the R129 SL500 are supposed to have an economy which is very surprising for a 'big' (by UK standards) V8. The Audi V8 in my A8 was, by comparison, known for having a thirst and admittedly, I could rarely resist the temptation to floor it was the pickup and acceleration was so exhilarating.
A few mpg here or there though doesn't make a massive difference in real terms. A bigger consideration, if petrol costs are a worry, are the servicing and repair costs for these sorts of cars. If just fuelling it has you sweating, then their ability to generate repair bills will really frighten you. Whilst I would definitely recommend owning a cheap, luxury V8 car, you need to keep a couple of grand on standby for repairs and budget more than you'd think to run them.
E38 7 Series - cooling system and fuel tank rot can be hugely expensive (fuel tank can be a £1000 job)
D2 A8 - Gearbox can go bang at £500-£1500 a go
Jaguar - timing chain tensioners and rust are known issues
Lexus - Garlic spent a packet getting the rear suspension on his sorted out
Mercedes W140 - wiring looms and vacuum pumps are known issues, W220 and equivalent CL have rust and airmatic suspension to contend with, W220 diesel engines are famed for being problematic etc etc
And of course, budget for the big discs needed to stop these heavy cars, and big tyres. Even a 'smaller' wheeled car can costs upwards of £150 a corner for midrange tyres.
Hmm i have also spotted a E39 535 for sale, doesn't seem to be much info on them on the net. Is this a safer bet as it is a "class" lower?A few mpg here or there though doesn't make a massive difference in real terms. A bigger consideration, if petrol costs are a worry, are the servicing and repair costs for these sorts of cars. If just fuelling it has you sweating, then their ability to generate repair bills will really frighten you. Whilst I would definitely recommend owning a cheap, luxury V8 car, you need to keep a couple of grand on standby for repairs and budget more than you'd think to run them.
E38 7 Series - cooling system and fuel tank rot can be hugely expensive (fuel tank can be a £1000 job)
D2 A8 - Gearbox can go bang at £500-£1500 a go
Jaguar - timing chain tensioners and rust are known issues
Lexus - Garlic spent a packet getting the rear suspension on his sorted out
Mercedes W140 - wiring looms and vacuum pumps are known issues, W220 and equivalent CL have rust and airmatic suspension to contend with, W220 diesel engines are famed for being problematic etc etc
And of course, budget for the big discs needed to stop these heavy cars, and big tyres. Even a 'smaller' wheeled car can costs upwards of £150 a corner for midrange tyres.
elephantstone said:
While there isn't anything TOO wrong with that, I think you could do far better for your money. Baryonyx said:
elephantstone said:
What other cars are less of a risk/more frugal with a V8? DO they exist?
With a V8, the Lexus LS400 seems to score points on economy. Many owners report regular 30mpg runs out of them, and they are known for being exceptionally well made. For a V8 car, many of the Mercedes models of the 90's are well spoken of to in economy terms; things like the W140 S500 and the R129 SL500 are supposed to have an economy which is very surprising for a 'big' (by UK standards) V8. The Audi V8 in my A8 was, by comparison, known for having a thirst and admittedly, I could rarely resist the temptation to floor it was the pickup and acceleration was so exhilarating. A few mpg here or there though doesn't make a massive difference in real terms. A bigger consideration, if petrol costs are a worry, are the servicing and repair costs for these sorts of cars. If just fuelling it has you sweating, then their ability to generate repair bills will really frighten you. Whilst I would definitely recommend owning a cheap, luxury V8 car, you need to keep a couple of grand on standby for repairs and budget more than you'd think to run them.
E38 7 Series - cooling system and fuel tank rot can be hugely expensive (fuel tank can be a £1000 job)
D2 A8 - Gearbox can go bang at £500-£1500 a go
Jaguar - timing chain tensioners and rust are known issues
Lexus - Garlic spent a packet getting the rear suspension on his sorted out
Mercedes W140 - wiring looms and vacuum pumps are known issues, W220 and equivalent CL have rust and airmatic suspension to contend with, W220 diesel engines are famed for being problematic etc etc
And of course, budget for the big discs needed to stop these heavy cars, and big tyres. Even a 'smaller' wheeled car can costs upwards of £150 a corner for midrange tyres.
OP - I ran an XJ8 4.0 for a year. It was a wonderful car, not too thirsty (I averaged 31mpg, mostly motorway to be fair) and cheaper than I thought on parts. Plenty of go, silky smooth engine and engaging enough in the corners. They are so cheap to buy now that I would argue that you cant not afford to have a go. If worst comes to worst and you cant afford to run it just sell it. You wont lose too much on them.
I have heard that the 4.0 v8 is the one to go for. With regards to tensioners, water pumps etc. If they have them done, great. If not, they have lasted this long so are unlikely to go any time soon.
Take the plunge, youll love em!
JoshyS said:
elephantstone said:
While there isn't anything TOO wrong with that, I think you could do far better for your money. elephantstone said:
Looks tidy and has a good dealer history with 4 services in the last 14,000 miles alone. I would check the paperworks stacks up and if it drives fine go for it. If its something you will enjoy then just do it. The way I would look at it, is in the unlikely event that something big went bang that made it uneconomic to repair, you could probably strip it and sell parts on eBay and get a couple of grand back. If you can pick it up for £3,200 then you are only risking £1,200. Doesn't sound as bad when you man maths it does it?
JoshyS said:
While there isn't anything TOO wrong with that, I think you could do far better for your money.
Agreed..... For this price you can get a leggy Xk8 or even just about an X350 V8 (no engine worries, and definitely over 30MPG. Don't forget to search under Daimler too. You should be able to get a very tidy/sorted X308 for that price.Bisonhead said:
Baryonyx said:
elephantstone said:
What other cars are less of a risk/more frugal with a V8? DO they exist?
With a V8, the Lexus LS400 seems to score points on economy. Many owners report regular 30mpg runs out of them, and they are known for being exceptionally well made. For a V8 car, many of the Mercedes models of the 90's are well spoken of to in economy terms; things like the W140 S500 and the R129 SL500 are supposed to have an economy which is very surprising for a 'big' (by UK standards) V8. The Audi V8 in my A8 was, by comparison, known for having a thirst and admittedly, I could rarely resist the temptation to floor it was the pickup and acceleration was so exhilarating. A few mpg here or there though doesn't make a massive difference in real terms. A bigger consideration, if petrol costs are a worry, are the servicing and repair costs for these sorts of cars. If just fuelling it has you sweating, then their ability to generate repair bills will really frighten you. Whilst I would definitely recommend owning a cheap, luxury V8 car, you need to keep a couple of grand on standby for repairs and budget more than you'd think to run them.
E38 7 Series - cooling system and fuel tank rot can be hugely expensive (fuel tank can be a £1000 job)
D2 A8 - Gearbox can go bang at £500-£1500 a go
Jaguar - timing chain tensioners and rust are known issues
Lexus - Garlic spent a packet getting the rear suspension on his sorted out
Mercedes W140 - wiring looms and vacuum pumps are known issues, W220 and equivalent CL have rust and airmatic suspension to contend with, W220 diesel engines are famed for being problematic etc etc
And of course, budget for the big discs needed to stop these heavy cars, and big tyres. Even a 'smaller' wheeled car can costs upwards of £150 a corner for midrange tyres.
OP - I ran an XJ8 4.0 for a year. It was a wonderful car, not too thirsty (I averaged 31mpg, mostly motorway to be fair) and cheaper than I thought on parts. Plenty of go, silky smooth engine and engaging enough in the corners. They are so cheap to buy now that I would argue that you cant not afford to have a go. If worst comes to worst and you cant afford to run it just sell it. You wont lose too much on them.
I have heard that the 4.0 v8 is the one to go for. With regards to tensioners, water pumps etc. If they have them done, great. If not, they have lasted this long so are unlikely to go any time soon.
Take the plunge, youll love em!
PLUS i have always wanted a Jag. Nearly bought a 2.0 V6 X-type a couple years ago but didn't because i wanted the real thing..
rswift said:
Agreed..... For this price you can get a leggy Xk8 or even just about an X350 V8 (no engine worries, and definitely over 30MPG. Don't forget to search under Daimler too. You should be able to get a very tidy/sorted X308 for that price.
XK8's scare me to be honest, are they the same reliability wise? Seem to read more horror stories to do with the XK.elephantstone said:
JoshyS said:
elephantstone said:
While there isn't anything TOO wrong with that, I think you could do far better for your money. elephantstone said:
From what i have gathered from various forums, the one i have posted a link too might be worth a punt. Very good service history from Jag main dealers and MY2000 which from what ive read seems to be when they started to iron out problems.
PLUS i have always wanted a Jag. Nearly bought a 2.0 V6 X-type a couple years ago but didn't because i wanted the real thing..
I think they stopped lining the cylinders with Nikasil after 2000 and also upgraded all plastic impelors and pulleys to metal items. Best to check when you go to drive them. I think there is a way of telling by the colour of the casing. Google is your friend. Also, VINs with a certain sequence of numbers tell you whether it is Nikasil lined or not.PLUS i have always wanted a Jag. Nearly bought a 2.0 V6 X-type a couple years ago but didn't because i wanted the real thing..
£4k should buy you the best of the best. If I were in your situation and only wanted a XJ8, I would buy one for £2k tops and budget the rest for running costs.
If it were my £4k - 540 all day long!
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff