2004 Jaguar XJ6 Wafty Goodness
Discussion
It has been a long time since I posted something in this section of PH so I thought I'd start a little thread that some folk may or may not find interesting...
Towards the end of last year I felt that I needed a more economical car to get into work in, the wife was using my truck to haul the brood around in and I was using her V8 Land Rover Discovery to get too and from the office, which is fun to drive with it's 2" lift and straight through exhaust but I was starting to feel guilty at starting it half five every morning and waking up half the street... I also worked out it was getting 11 mpg on my daily run.
I'd always fancied a Jag, I feel I have the right slightly dodgy and caddish attitude to owning an older one. New ones hold no interest for me as they look far too modern and Audish. So I felt an XJ in the correct shape would be the perfect carriage.
As always, I set myself a budget (I could get away with) and started hunting classifieds. I wanted a V8 but alas at my price level they were either on intergalactic mileages and had no service history or they were older and rotten (still with big miles). So I set my sights on one of these new fangled V6 types - I had no interest in owning an oil burning XJ, putting a diesel engine in an XJ is much like having ketchup with a fine piece of fillet steak, wrong on so many levels.
So,after about three minutes of hard browsing I came across a rather tidy looking 2004 XJ6 in black with a cream leather interior. The pictures were taken in a nice location and were framed nicely, the car looked clean so I gave the chap a call. The nice man on the other end of the phone was very pleasant, told me it was bought new by a funeral directors (hence the fetching shade of black) and he'd bought it after it had been through a few owners, he told me rear parking sensors didn't work, that the AC wasn't working and it had a few dings and scratches. It had just been MOT'd though and the mileage did appear genuine (74,000 miles), so I got all excited an agreed a price on the phone.
It was pretty cheap, it was a Jag, it had an MOT, and it was literally as far away from me as you can possibly get in mainland Britain, the car was in Portsmouth and I live in the North East of Scotland. I agreed to collect it that weekend, sight unseen and pay the money via a bank transfer when I got there (I do love a car buying adventure!), so I got on the internet sorted some insurance and booked my self a forty quid one way flight from Aberdeen to Southampton with Flybe (RIP) and the Jaguar owning chappie agreed to collect me in the steed.
I had to fly via Manchester on a gloomy Saturday in November...
I got a great view too.
So, said bloke came and collected me in the Jag, they were sat there in the car park waiting for me, the bloke and the, erm, Jag. The car looked alright from a distance, though it clearly had never been near even a dirty rag in quite a long while.
I climbed in and off we went to the chaps house to transfer funds and do the document thing, the car seemed to drive alright from the passenger seat, it smelled of leather and fine English craftsmanship and not like a wet dog (which is always a bonus) though I noticed the headlining was a bit baggy, apparently our man had never noticed this, but unperturbed we continued to his house to do what needed to be done.
Once there I logged onto my account to transfer the funds only for those nice people at the Halifax to decline the transaction and request me to call them. This it turns out was some sort of anti-criminal thing as they were concerned that I was being coerced into spending money as I was far from home etc. Once I'd spoken to the nice bank man and answered all of their security questions, told them them the mean circumference of the sun and Pi to twelve decimal places they were still not convinced and they put a stop on my bank account. At lunch time. On a Saturday. When I was almost 600 miles from home.
I was thus instructed to go to my nearest branch with two forms of ID to plead my case and prove I really was a real person and not being held to ransom and then they would allow me to transfer the cash.
Long story short, we found a branch that was still open, parked right outside to prove the car was real and then then showed all the bits of paper I had to get the money paid, to be fair to the previous owner, he helped out quite a bit here!
Anyway, the Jag in all of it's glory:
Mmmmmmm, Jaguary, you can almost smell the picture.
So after a quick check of levels, I jumped in and piloted the big barge in a northerly direction after filling the old girl up, everything was fine until I got stuck in traffic on the M25, my Big Cat started to lurch from 1st into 2nd so I tried to get around this by shifting manually (it didn't really help) - caveat emptor and all that...
Other than the potential failed gearbox, the lovely old barge wafted me home in near silence, and it did around 35 mpg doing so! I was sort of happy, but a little concerned that I may need a gearbox...
More than happy to continue if folk are interested.
Towards the end of last year I felt that I needed a more economical car to get into work in, the wife was using my truck to haul the brood around in and I was using her V8 Land Rover Discovery to get too and from the office, which is fun to drive with it's 2" lift and straight through exhaust but I was starting to feel guilty at starting it half five every morning and waking up half the street... I also worked out it was getting 11 mpg on my daily run.
I'd always fancied a Jag, I feel I have the right slightly dodgy and caddish attitude to owning an older one. New ones hold no interest for me as they look far too modern and Audish. So I felt an XJ in the correct shape would be the perfect carriage.
As always, I set myself a budget (I could get away with) and started hunting classifieds. I wanted a V8 but alas at my price level they were either on intergalactic mileages and had no service history or they were older and rotten (still with big miles). So I set my sights on one of these new fangled V6 types - I had no interest in owning an oil burning XJ, putting a diesel engine in an XJ is much like having ketchup with a fine piece of fillet steak, wrong on so many levels.
So,after about three minutes of hard browsing I came across a rather tidy looking 2004 XJ6 in black with a cream leather interior. The pictures were taken in a nice location and were framed nicely, the car looked clean so I gave the chap a call. The nice man on the other end of the phone was very pleasant, told me it was bought new by a funeral directors (hence the fetching shade of black) and he'd bought it after it had been through a few owners, he told me rear parking sensors didn't work, that the AC wasn't working and it had a few dings and scratches. It had just been MOT'd though and the mileage did appear genuine (74,000 miles), so I got all excited an agreed a price on the phone.
It was pretty cheap, it was a Jag, it had an MOT, and it was literally as far away from me as you can possibly get in mainland Britain, the car was in Portsmouth and I live in the North East of Scotland. I agreed to collect it that weekend, sight unseen and pay the money via a bank transfer when I got there (I do love a car buying adventure!), so I got on the internet sorted some insurance and booked my self a forty quid one way flight from Aberdeen to Southampton with Flybe (RIP) and the Jaguar owning chappie agreed to collect me in the steed.
I had to fly via Manchester on a gloomy Saturday in November...
I got a great view too.
So, said bloke came and collected me in the Jag, they were sat there in the car park waiting for me, the bloke and the, erm, Jag. The car looked alright from a distance, though it clearly had never been near even a dirty rag in quite a long while.
I climbed in and off we went to the chaps house to transfer funds and do the document thing, the car seemed to drive alright from the passenger seat, it smelled of leather and fine English craftsmanship and not like a wet dog (which is always a bonus) though I noticed the headlining was a bit baggy, apparently our man had never noticed this, but unperturbed we continued to his house to do what needed to be done.
Once there I logged onto my account to transfer the funds only for those nice people at the Halifax to decline the transaction and request me to call them. This it turns out was some sort of anti-criminal thing as they were concerned that I was being coerced into spending money as I was far from home etc. Once I'd spoken to the nice bank man and answered all of their security questions, told them them the mean circumference of the sun and Pi to twelve decimal places they were still not convinced and they put a stop on my bank account. At lunch time. On a Saturday. When I was almost 600 miles from home.
I was thus instructed to go to my nearest branch with two forms of ID to plead my case and prove I really was a real person and not being held to ransom and then they would allow me to transfer the cash.
Long story short, we found a branch that was still open, parked right outside to prove the car was real and then then showed all the bits of paper I had to get the money paid, to be fair to the previous owner, he helped out quite a bit here!
Anyway, the Jag in all of it's glory:
Mmmmmmm, Jaguary, you can almost smell the picture.
So after a quick check of levels, I jumped in and piloted the big barge in a northerly direction after filling the old girl up, everything was fine until I got stuck in traffic on the M25, my Big Cat started to lurch from 1st into 2nd so I tried to get around this by shifting manually (it didn't really help) - caveat emptor and all that...
Other than the potential failed gearbox, the lovely old barge wafted me home in near silence, and it did around 35 mpg doing so! I was sort of happy, but a little concerned that I may need a gearbox...
More than happy to continue if folk are interested.
Edited by bob1179 on Monday 24th August 14:28
Edited by bob1179 on Monday 24th August 15:00
Edited by Shaw Tarse on Monday 24th August 15:24
Congratulations on the purchase!
I'm biased (owning the same type of Jag, shameless link plug: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... but they are rather nice.
Gearbox - probably could do with a gearbox fluid change if it hasn't been done (around £300).
Please keep us updated!
I'm biased (owning the same type of Jag, shameless link plug: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... but they are rather nice.
Gearbox - probably could do with a gearbox fluid change if it hasn't been done (around £300).
Please keep us updated!
Join the club !
Similar length journey to collect as well !
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Similar length journey to collect as well !
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Welsh Pirate said:
Congratulations on the purchase!
I'm biased (owning the same type of Jag, shameless link plug: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... but they are rather nice.
Gearbox - probably could do with a gearbox fluid change if it hasn't been done (around £300).
Please keep us updated!
Who doesn't love an old Jag?! A man with no soul, that's who!I'm biased (owning the same type of Jag, shameless link plug: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... but they are rather nice.
Gearbox - probably could do with a gearbox fluid change if it hasn't been done (around £300).
Please keep us updated!
just4u said:
Had a good laugh reading this, please go on. Regarding the pictures ... maybe you uploaded as thumbnail. I did the same mistake.
Thanks just4u, I'm glad you enjoyed my ramblings!sjc said:
Join the club !
Similar length journey to collect as well !
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
That is lovely, can I ask who did the work? Was it in Perth by any chance? I need some paint doing...Similar length journey to collect as well !
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Mark Benson said:
My XJ6 was the most surprising budget purchase I've ever made. Had it nearly 2 years (intention was to keep it a year) and it never put a foot (wheel?) wrong, the most comfortable and cosseting car to do long journeys in and almost economical too.
They are a lovely wafty beast, I do enjoy rolling around in it!croissant said:
I'm surprised you had an issue with your bank! Glad you got it resolved though.
I've always had a soft spot for these too! Get the gearbox serviced and hopefully it'll serve you well.
Cheers croissant, I got it all sorted in the end, will update soon.I've always had a soft spot for these too! Get the gearbox serviced and hopefully it'll serve you well.
bob1179 said:
just4u said:
Had a good laugh reading this, please go on. Regarding the pictures ... maybe you uploaded as thumbnail. I did the same mistake.
Thanks just4u, I'm glad you enjoyed my ramblings!sjc said:
Join the club !
Similar length journey to collect as well !
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
That is lovely, can I ask who did the work? Was it in Perth by any chance? I need some paint doing...Similar length journey to collect as well !
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
sjc said:
bob1179 said:
just4u said:
Had a good laugh reading this, please go on. Regarding the pictures ... maybe you uploaded as thumbnail. I did the same mistake.
Thanks just4u, I'm glad you enjoyed my ramblings!sjc said:
Join the club !
Similar length journey to collect as well !
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
That is lovely, can I ask who did the work? Was it in Perth by any chance? I need some paint doing...Similar length journey to collect as well !
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
bob1179 said:
Welsh Pirate said:
Congratulations on the purchase!
I'm biased (owning the same type of Jag, shameless link plug: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... but they are rather nice.
Gearbox - probably could do with a gearbox fluid change if it hasn't been done (around £300).
Please keep us updated!
Who doesn't love an old Jag?! A man with no soul, that's who!I'm biased (owning the same type of Jag, shameless link plug: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... but they are rather nice.
Gearbox - probably could do with a gearbox fluid change if it hasn't been done (around £300).
Please keep us updated!
So, to continue a bit more...
I got the Jag home and other than the aforementioned dodgy gearbox it seemed to drive very well. One thing I did notice while driving it home was that it was absolutely foul inside. The leather was grubby, there was dog hair all over the place, down the sides of the seats and in between the centre console it was full of horrible reddy brown staining, like somebody had dropped gravy granules down there, it made me feel a bit dirty just sitting there (and not in a good way).
I also noticed the steering wheel was pretty grim too, as were the steering wheel stalks, I felt like some uncouth, unwashed oik had been driving around in Browns Lanes finest. Clearly this had to be rectified, but as it was November the weather was foul and I didn't get a chance to give it a clean for some time.
On a positive note though, I tried the heated seats out one chilly morning and found out that the steering wheel was heated too - I've never owned such opulence! Though only the seat base warms up, the back seems to no longer function.
So in the meantime I pressed the Jag into daily service - after splashing out on some screen wash, new wiper blades and changing the drivers side headlight bulb - which proved to be an absolute pain in the derrière as it was really tight, luckily my wife has small hands and could get in there and remove the plug and un-clip the bulb.
First day taking it into work
I got the Jag home and other than the aforementioned dodgy gearbox it seemed to drive very well. One thing I did notice while driving it home was that it was absolutely foul inside. The leather was grubby, there was dog hair all over the place, down the sides of the seats and in between the centre console it was full of horrible reddy brown staining, like somebody had dropped gravy granules down there, it made me feel a bit dirty just sitting there (and not in a good way).
I also noticed the steering wheel was pretty grim too, as were the steering wheel stalks, I felt like some uncouth, unwashed oik had been driving around in Browns Lanes finest. Clearly this had to be rectified, but as it was November the weather was foul and I didn't get a chance to give it a clean for some time.
On a positive note though, I tried the heated seats out one chilly morning and found out that the steering wheel was heated too - I've never owned such opulence! Though only the seat base warms up, the back seems to no longer function.
So in the meantime I pressed the Jag into daily service - after splashing out on some screen wash, new wiper blades and changing the drivers side headlight bulb - which proved to be an absolute pain in the derrière as it was really tight, luckily my wife has small hands and could get in there and remove the plug and un-clip the bulb.
First day taking it into work
Welsh Pirate said:
Congratulations on the purchase!
I'm biased (owning the same type of Jag, shameless link plug: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... but they are rather nice.
Gearbox - probably could do with a gearbox fluid change if it hasn't been done (around £300).
Please keep us updated!
This is the standard response for any sort of gearbox fault. I doubt an oil change will fix mechanical issue with the gearbox. My guess is, its the main reason the person sold it.I'm biased (owning the same type of Jag, shameless link plug: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... but they are rather nice.
Gearbox - probably could do with a gearbox fluid change if it hasn't been done (around £300).
Please keep us updated!
Anyways, the interior looks very very nice. I generally prefer beige interior cars. So much lighter to sit in.
I have done a few risky one way trips to buy cars. Sometimes it works out.
I'll come to the gearbox shortly, I still have to bore you all with the ongoing daily grind that I was subjecting the Jag too...
I continued to use the Big Cat daily, she got grubbier and grubbier and I felt increasingly guilty at the state she was in, though other than petrol, she wasn't actually costing me any money. I had to pump up the tyres as these were all at about 15 PSI, on closer inspection the rear tyres looked to have spent some time flat as the sidewalls were showing some cracking - shame as they are decent tyres and have a fairly recent date stamp on them.
A dirty Cat...
Obviously, a cheapo Jag wasn't going to allow me to spend no money on it for very long...
Yay!
This proved to be a bit of an annoyance, however I tried the old 'switch it off and switch it back on again' trick and the warning disappeared. Then it came back again a few days later, and went away again. I did some Googling and read up a large amount around the hugely fascinating (to me at least as I'm a proper geek) air suspension and what the causes could be. So taking the cheapest option, I bought a compressor rebuild kit from Bagpipeandy on Ebay. Several months later I have yet to fit it, but it is safe in my garage for the time being. Somewhere. As I seem to have lost it.
The kids love the Jag, my youngest (he's three, he knows his stuff) especially seems to be enamoured by the fine wood veneer and acres of high quality dead cow that line the interior of this fine conveyance, so each Saturday with much pestering I had to take him and my other to kids to their swimming lessons in wonderful delicate comfort. Other people however don't seem to appreciate a fine automobile, or even appreciate what the lines in a car park are for.
I have no idea how the other driver got out they were parked so close, I checked for door dings and luckily there was no evidence of contact. The children also learnt some nice new words when I found my precious in this situation!
As you can probably tell, at this point I was getting quite fond of my cheap old Jag. That view from the drivers seat across the bonnet, the tailored interior, the smell of wood and leather, the sculpted bodywork, even the Ford derived V6 under the bonnet sounds quite decent in a distant and quiet sort of way.
As a result, and making the most of the single dry day we seemed to have in December, I gave the my Jag its first ever wash - more a quick rinse as it was freezing.
A shot of my freshly cleaned Growler.
As you can see, the old Jag actually cleaned up quite nicely. In the process of cleaning it I found lots of scratches, the paint was swirly, the bumpers are quite badly scraped and the bloody expensive chrome trim in damaged on all four corners. The offside rear wing has been painted, the front end looked like it had been driven through a bush repeatedly and there were some really bad touch up marks on the nearside. The rear offside passenger door shut was also really bad scratched, to the point where the paint was opaque (unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of this) where what I would assume is a small dog had been climbing in and out of the car (explaining the dog hairs). The carpet is really badly stained and basically ruined under the mat in passenger side rear, the leather was still filthy but I made a start cleaning the steering wheel and to remove the nastiness down the seats.
Under the bonnet and in the boot it was full of leaves, rotten plant matter and just generally unclean, also I noticed the Jag was leaking oil from somewhere.
I found filiform corrosion on the drivers door top, on the edge of the boot, small bubbles on both front wheel arches and on the door bottoms, but all in all, it wasn't all that bad!
On account that the weather was cold and rubbish and I wanted a beer I did what I could (which wasn't much) and decided to leave it until the weather got better!
I continued to use the Big Cat daily, she got grubbier and grubbier and I felt increasingly guilty at the state she was in, though other than petrol, she wasn't actually costing me any money. I had to pump up the tyres as these were all at about 15 PSI, on closer inspection the rear tyres looked to have spent some time flat as the sidewalls were showing some cracking - shame as they are decent tyres and have a fairly recent date stamp on them.
A dirty Cat...
Obviously, a cheapo Jag wasn't going to allow me to spend no money on it for very long...
Yay!
This proved to be a bit of an annoyance, however I tried the old 'switch it off and switch it back on again' trick and the warning disappeared. Then it came back again a few days later, and went away again. I did some Googling and read up a large amount around the hugely fascinating (to me at least as I'm a proper geek) air suspension and what the causes could be. So taking the cheapest option, I bought a compressor rebuild kit from Bagpipeandy on Ebay. Several months later I have yet to fit it, but it is safe in my garage for the time being. Somewhere. As I seem to have lost it.
The kids love the Jag, my youngest (he's three, he knows his stuff) especially seems to be enamoured by the fine wood veneer and acres of high quality dead cow that line the interior of this fine conveyance, so each Saturday with much pestering I had to take him and my other to kids to their swimming lessons in wonderful delicate comfort. Other people however don't seem to appreciate a fine automobile, or even appreciate what the lines in a car park are for.
I have no idea how the other driver got out they were parked so close, I checked for door dings and luckily there was no evidence of contact. The children also learnt some nice new words when I found my precious in this situation!
As you can probably tell, at this point I was getting quite fond of my cheap old Jag. That view from the drivers seat across the bonnet, the tailored interior, the smell of wood and leather, the sculpted bodywork, even the Ford derived V6 under the bonnet sounds quite decent in a distant and quiet sort of way.
As a result, and making the most of the single dry day we seemed to have in December, I gave the my Jag its first ever wash - more a quick rinse as it was freezing.
A shot of my freshly cleaned Growler.
As you can see, the old Jag actually cleaned up quite nicely. In the process of cleaning it I found lots of scratches, the paint was swirly, the bumpers are quite badly scraped and the bloody expensive chrome trim in damaged on all four corners. The offside rear wing has been painted, the front end looked like it had been driven through a bush repeatedly and there were some really bad touch up marks on the nearside. The rear offside passenger door shut was also really bad scratched, to the point where the paint was opaque (unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of this) where what I would assume is a small dog had been climbing in and out of the car (explaining the dog hairs). The carpet is really badly stained and basically ruined under the mat in passenger side rear, the leather was still filthy but I made a start cleaning the steering wheel and to remove the nastiness down the seats.
Under the bonnet and in the boot it was full of leaves, rotten plant matter and just generally unclean, also I noticed the Jag was leaking oil from somewhere.
I found filiform corrosion on the drivers door top, on the edge of the boot, small bubbles on both front wheel arches and on the door bottoms, but all in all, it wasn't all that bad!
On account that the weather was cold and rubbish and I wanted a beer I did what I could (which wasn't much) and decided to leave it until the weather got better!
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