0a's 1999 Jaguar XJ8 4.0 in British Racing Green
Discussion
Firstly, I apologise for recycling the photos and first impressions from the mighty Barge 1-5 thread, but I thought it was worth starting a thread for the latest acquisition.
The back story to this starts with a requirement to do a longish trip every weekend. The old mercs were getting a little tiring, and I fancied a car that was a little more modern and comfy. However, I do like to drive rather than feel driven, and having owned an Audi A8 4wd that I never bonded with, I wasn't sure what car would do motorways well while being a little amusing on big sweeping A roads and the odd B. A long journey car but not one that merely cossets in other words.
The thread suggested I take a step away from Mercedes, and take a look at Jaguars, in particular the XJ. Doing some research on the XJ, the X308 series seemed like a good entry point to Jaguar ownership (no need to go over the top), and posters also suggested the 4.0 v8 engine offers significantly more power and flexibility compared to the 3.2 v8, with little real world impact on economy.
I enjoyed trawling eBay, and turned up this 4.0 car with a tiny ad. I dropped a speculative email to the seller to ask for a little more information. He turned out to be a real gent. I buy from people, and felt good about this seller. I was right.
He promised a fresh MOT (the MOT had ran out) - but unfortunately it failed on an ABS warning. At this point I was already halfway from Edinburgh to the Lake District on the train, so I continued to view the car. I'm pleased I did... and a deal was done.
The car was a Jaguar exec's car for the first 2 years of its life before the seller's wife purchased it. She had owned a string of XJs, and her Dad has owned XJs for further decades back. The car was garaged during her ownership, and is in lovely condition. It feels really taught and fresh. I had it uplifted using Shipley to my mechanic in Edinburgh, who diagnosed a failed ABS sensor and replaced it.
It's a really special thing to drive.
I had never driven a Jag prior to picking it up from my garage yesterday, so was looking forward to getting behind the wheel. The interior is in perfect condition aside from some mild creasing in the driver's seat - pleasant patina of a sub 100k mile car. There's no actual wear. The interior smells of leather and tree.
The engine starts instantly and is near silent on tickover. Pulling away there's a distant purr but that's it. Pulling off it feels seriously young. Everything is taught and proper, with a remarkable low speed ride. It also feels like a much smaller car. It's quit strange. Pulling out of a parking space, it feels big. Parking it again, it feels big. In the middle it shrinks.
At speed, it tootles along at 90 (really, am I doing 90!) on the motorway with zero effort and is generally very relaxing.
I then took it off the motorway and gave it a healthy (but respectful thrashing) - I am seriously impressed. This car is significantly faster point to point than the SL (though the SL accelerates faster) - the ride is something else. It's hard to describe, but it's a really comfortable but well controlled ride that deals with pockmarked roads and bumps and camber changes - yet it's a heavy car. Again it feels smaller than it is - and a lot lighter.
I'm seriously impressed - thank you thread for encouraging me to go down the Jaguar route.
A couple of pictures (I will give it a proper clean this weekend):
I like things like this - a full set of keys and working fobs, and the valet key:
I found this with the paperwork - inside was a personal note to me from the lady and gent I purchased it from. So charming!
I'm very pleased with it.
The back story to this starts with a requirement to do a longish trip every weekend. The old mercs were getting a little tiring, and I fancied a car that was a little more modern and comfy. However, I do like to drive rather than feel driven, and having owned an Audi A8 4wd that I never bonded with, I wasn't sure what car would do motorways well while being a little amusing on big sweeping A roads and the odd B. A long journey car but not one that merely cossets in other words.
The thread suggested I take a step away from Mercedes, and take a look at Jaguars, in particular the XJ. Doing some research on the XJ, the X308 series seemed like a good entry point to Jaguar ownership (no need to go over the top), and posters also suggested the 4.0 v8 engine offers significantly more power and flexibility compared to the 3.2 v8, with little real world impact on economy.
I enjoyed trawling eBay, and turned up this 4.0 car with a tiny ad. I dropped a speculative email to the seller to ask for a little more information. He turned out to be a real gent. I buy from people, and felt good about this seller. I was right.
He promised a fresh MOT (the MOT had ran out) - but unfortunately it failed on an ABS warning. At this point I was already halfway from Edinburgh to the Lake District on the train, so I continued to view the car. I'm pleased I did... and a deal was done.
The car was a Jaguar exec's car for the first 2 years of its life before the seller's wife purchased it. She had owned a string of XJs, and her Dad has owned XJs for further decades back. The car was garaged during her ownership, and is in lovely condition. It feels really taught and fresh. I had it uplifted using Shipley to my mechanic in Edinburgh, who diagnosed a failed ABS sensor and replaced it.
It's a really special thing to drive.
I had never driven a Jag prior to picking it up from my garage yesterday, so was looking forward to getting behind the wheel. The interior is in perfect condition aside from some mild creasing in the driver's seat - pleasant patina of a sub 100k mile car. There's no actual wear. The interior smells of leather and tree.
The engine starts instantly and is near silent on tickover. Pulling away there's a distant purr but that's it. Pulling off it feels seriously young. Everything is taught and proper, with a remarkable low speed ride. It also feels like a much smaller car. It's quit strange. Pulling out of a parking space, it feels big. Parking it again, it feels big. In the middle it shrinks.
At speed, it tootles along at 90 (really, am I doing 90!) on the motorway with zero effort and is generally very relaxing.
I then took it off the motorway and gave it a healthy (but respectful thrashing) - I am seriously impressed. This car is significantly faster point to point than the SL (though the SL accelerates faster) - the ride is something else. It's hard to describe, but it's a really comfortable but well controlled ride that deals with pockmarked roads and bumps and camber changes - yet it's a heavy car. Again it feels smaller than it is - and a lot lighter.
I'm seriously impressed - thank you thread for encouraging me to go down the Jaguar route.
A couple of pictures (I will give it a proper clean this weekend):
I like things like this - a full set of keys and working fobs, and the valet key:
I found this with the paperwork - inside was a personal note to me from the lady and gent I purchased it from. So charming!
I'm very pleased with it.
That card is fantastic! It's as if they were selling you a living thing with a personality to it.
I guess it would make me really want to look after it. You really get the impression that they loved it and cared for it. I expect you'll do the same, OP
What did the card say, out of interest?
I guess it would make me really want to look after it. You really get the impression that they loved it and cared for it. I expect you'll do the same, OP
What did the card say, out of interest?
The card said
0a,
Hope you enjoy 'her' as much as we have!
Keep in touch,
K & P
---
She also got in touch today to say she has posted a Jaguar book to me that she found and not to be silly about giving her the postage.
We agreed that I would take the car as an MOT failure and agreed a discounted price for me to ship it to my mechanic as is and get it fixed. I agreed that any cost to fix under the discount would be refunded to them as I did not want to take advantage of the unfortunate failure and I had a good jag mechanic and they didn't. In the event I'm evens, but have sent them some cash as a gesture of appreciation for the sale.
0a,
Hope you enjoy 'her' as much as we have!
Keep in touch,
K & P
---
She also got in touch today to say she has posted a Jaguar book to me that she found and not to be silly about giving her the postage.
We agreed that I would take the car as an MOT failure and agreed a discounted price for me to ship it to my mechanic as is and get it fixed. I agreed that any cost to fix under the discount would be refunded to them as I did not want to take advantage of the unfortunate failure and I had a good jag mechanic and they didn't. In the event I'm evens, but have sent them some cash as a gesture of appreciation for the sale.
This does look to be a lovely thing. It is always heartening to hear of gentlemanly sellers - and gentlemanly buyers too!
I am glad you like it. It is true that not everyone 'gets' the older Jag. They really do handle well, without compromising the way they ride. For me, the XJ's most impressive attribute is the way the suspension handles rough and uneven roads with peculiar cambers. Your X308 is probably the most sporting of the XJ40/X300/X308 'family' with a stiffer suspension than my XJ40 - and the lovely, very smooth and free revving V8 makes lot more power than my old '40's six-pot.
The X308 is the last of the 'proper old-school' Jaguar saloons which I find charismatic cars, flaws and all. The aluminium XJ which replaced it is much less Jaguarish, though it is more capable too. Your new XJ has a link right back to Sir William Lyons in that he put considerable efforts into the design of the XJ40, the car your X308 is based on. He would recognise the side profile instantly, and that is rather nice.
I am glad you like it. It is true that not everyone 'gets' the older Jag. They really do handle well, without compromising the way they ride. For me, the XJ's most impressive attribute is the way the suspension handles rough and uneven roads with peculiar cambers. Your X308 is probably the most sporting of the XJ40/X300/X308 'family' with a stiffer suspension than my XJ40 - and the lovely, very smooth and free revving V8 makes lot more power than my old '40's six-pot.
The X308 is the last of the 'proper old-school' Jaguar saloons which I find charismatic cars, flaws and all. The aluminium XJ which replaced it is much less Jaguarish, though it is more capable too. Your new XJ has a link right back to Sir William Lyons in that he put considerable efforts into the design of the XJ40, the car your X308 is based on. He would recognise the side profile instantly, and that is rather nice.
That is a lovely car, that colour looks great when shiny and the sun is out but can look the same murky green colour as a seamonster if you neglect it.
I enjoyed the AJ16 and V12 powerplants in the two X300s I had, but the V8 is clearly the product of another age and along with the 5 speed auto it gives the car a much more modern feel. I think I'll have to buy one while it's still fairly easy to find a good example for buttons.
Jaguar made some odd decisions with spec levels on these cars. Omitting cruise control when they'd just moved to an electronic throttle so it was quite literally the minuscule cost of the extra buttons to add it seems particularly mean. I could understand with the X300 where it required a fair bit of complex hardware to make it work. Does it have the absolutely vitally essential power adjustment for making the headrests go up and down?
I enjoyed the AJ16 and V12 powerplants in the two X300s I had, but the V8 is clearly the product of another age and along with the 5 speed auto it gives the car a much more modern feel. I think I'll have to buy one while it's still fairly easy to find a good example for buttons.
Jaguar made some odd decisions with spec levels on these cars. Omitting cruise control when they'd just moved to an electronic throttle so it was quite literally the minuscule cost of the extra buttons to add it seems particularly mean. I could understand with the X300 where it required a fair bit of complex hardware to make it work. Does it have the absolutely vitally essential power adjustment for making the headrests go up and down?
Edited by dme123 on Saturday 15th April 00:41
dme123 said:
That is a lovely car, that colour looks great when shiny and the sun is out but can look the same murky green colour as a seamonster if you neglect it.
I enjoyed the AJ16 and V12 powerplants in the two X300s I had, but the V8 is clearly the product of another age and along with the 5 speed auto it gives the car a much more modern feel. I think I'll have to buy one while it's still fairly easy to find a good example for buttons.
Jaguar made some odd decisions with spec levels on these cars. Omitting cruise control when they'd just moved to an electronic throttle so it was quite literally the minuscule cost of the extra buttons to add it seems particularly mean. I could understand with the X300 where it required a fair bit of complex hardware to make it work. Does it have the absolutely vitally essential power adjustment for making the headrests go up and down?
Dme I agree fully. Mine appears not to have cruise control, which seems strange given that I have this in my Merc 190 from 1988, and with my 300s (from 1988 and 1991). Why not include it when it's cheap to do so?I enjoyed the AJ16 and V12 powerplants in the two X300s I had, but the V8 is clearly the product of another age and along with the 5 speed auto it gives the car a much more modern feel. I think I'll have to buy one while it's still fairly easy to find a good example for buttons.
Jaguar made some odd decisions with spec levels on these cars. Omitting cruise control when they'd just moved to an electronic throttle so it was quite literally the minuscule cost of the extra buttons to add it seems particularly mean. I could understand with the X300 where it required a fair bit of complex hardware to make it work. Does it have the absolutely vitally essential power adjustment for making the headrests go up and down?
Edited by dme123 on Saturday 15th April 00:41
Yet I have all way electric seats, an auto dimming mirror, and auto lights. How strange!
I don't have the headrest adjustment (which I have in one of my 300Es!).
The rest of the car is so much more modern than the mercs though in many ways.
I'm now looking forward to driving a proper merc again though... I don't know what it is, but other marques don't do it for me in the same way!
|https://thumbsnap.com/SLMgxLAG[/url]
I used to have one, just like that, in Carnival Red (a sort of dark burgundy) with magnolia leather. I loved it - took it through France and looked after it. A great looking car and lovely to drive.
Edited to add - Bentley invited me on a driving day whilst I owned the XJ8. I had a whole day driving Arnage's. I got out of an Arnage and into my XJ and felt the Jag was a nicer place to be.
Edited to add - Bentley invited me on a driving day whilst I owned the XJ8. I had a whole day driving Arnage's. I got out of an Arnage and into my XJ and felt the Jag was a nicer place to be.
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