Thinking of buying a Jaguar XJ X308 94-97...

[bmwhaz]

Hi

I am strongly considering a Jag XJ X300 - Preferably a 3.2 barge, as a weekend runaround. I have done a bit of research online and am well aware of issues relating to corrosion, worn headgaskets, electric and build quality issues. However, I have test driven a few and absolutely loved them and may purchase one by end of this month.

Has anyone on this forum owned one/currently own one and tell me their honest views of ownership?

Thanks

[TREMAiNE]

bmwhaz said:

Hi

I am strongly considering a Jag XJ X300 - Preferably a 3.2 barge, as a weekend runaround. I have done a bit of research online and am well aware of issues relating to corrosion, worn headgaskets, electric and build quality issues. However, I have test driven a few and absolutely loved them and may purchase one by end of this month.

Has anyone on this forum owned one/currently own one and tell me their honest views of ownership?

Thanks

A friend and I bought one together off of another friend for shed money back in December, it's been my daily driver since and covered around 3,000 miles. We only bought it for a bit of fun as we got it for mates rates and its worth a fair bit more.

It is a 97 that had 90k on the clock when we bought it.
Apart from a £17 thermostat and basic service items, it's not cost us anything other than fuel, tax and insurance.

Whilst 6 months obviously isn't a massively long time to own it, I have every bit of faith in it despite it having no service history (although it actually might have history from its earlier years - can't quite remember).

The engine is smooth. It's not fast but it's not horrifically slow. We get 25mpg, it appears to be free of rust with only slight surface rust in places. Its genuinely a great-conditioned car and we both love it.

It does have a couple of niggles and while it likely isn't the tidiest example out there it is in generally good condition and we got a right bargain.

We are looking to sell it soon, just because this is what we do - buy and sell cars together (we have 3) but a part of me is tempted to buy him out of his half and keep it for myself... But we also want to go halves on a Kei car!

Jag purists advised me to avoid the X300. As someone with no affinity to the brand, I honestly love it.

Happy to give you more info on mine if you are interested.

Edited by TREMAiNE on Friday 14th April 13:55

Edited by TREMAiNE on Friday 14th April 14:03

[Jaguar steve]

I had a 3.2 X300 for about 5 years and then swapped it for 3.2 V8 X308. I've still got my second V8 tucked away in the garage now.

Although they look very similar the two cars are chalk and cheese to drive. The 300 in 3.2 guise is hopelessly under powered in hilly areas or when 4 or 5 up and it's hampered further by an agricultural 4 speed 'box that only changes up into 4th at 50MPH. It's OK as a motorway cruiser but it needs pushing hard to make any sort of real progress through traffic and down the lanes and at the higher revs you need to achieve that the AJ16 engine is coarse and unrefined and absolutely drinks fuel.

It's only saving grace really is the ride is better than the later V8 and the straight 6 engines and transmission are bombproof.

Driving the two cars back to back - I had both on the road for a while - reveals how much nicer the V8 is to drive. It's, crisper, handles better, is much faster, and especially feels it in overtakes, the ZF gearbox is far more responsive and general refinement is way better. Overall fuel economy of the two cars is about the same on a steady motorway cruise but way better in the V8 when getting a bit of a shift on.

The V8 has quite rightly picked up a reputation for being a bit fragile but some preventative maintenance puts that to bed. Spares availability for both is very good. Both cars will rot like old pears given half a chance.

If that's not changed your mind then buy the very best X300 you can find and look after it.

[cml]

Owned two X300s: a 3.2 Sport and a regular 3.2 XJ6. Stunning-looking, low-rider wafting kings. Performance is all reliative but I found it fast enough to make good progress with little fuss. The power is all mid-range, so rapid enough when you need to overtake and hold it in gear, but it does come off the line 'gracefully'. The Sport had (an option possibly) 10-way sport seats, more comfy and hold your backside in place nicely. Also had a better auto box (kicked down much more readily). Both cars proved reliable - bar a taste in back boxes and one crank sensor. Capable of huge millage until the rust comes calling.

Can be a pain to park on the street as they're so long. Headlining will sag, clock display will be broken and the air conditioning in both never really worked effectively. If you drive with er, spirit, they can be a handful all of a sudden. Plus they take ages to wax all over...

Got about seven years out of each of them with cheap classic insurance and a lot of petrol consumed (reports 20mpg until its thoroughly warmed up and it's a big lump). Got lucky and didn't have to replace the shocks: labour makes that a proper bill if they're shot. My local garage was very familiar with them, parts were easy and there's no overly complicated electrics to go pop.

And people like them, give you room, let you out, admire them in car parks and like to be driven about in them and so forth. Plus its a lovely place to sit: Lord of the Manor for peanuts. Top choice.

Edited by cml on Friday 14th April 19:25

[Jaguar steve]

cml said:

Got lucky and didn't have to replace the shocks: labour makes that a proper bill if they're shot.

A proper labour bill? What on earth are you talking about?

300/308 front shocks are one bolt at the bottom and one bolt at the top. Trolley jack under the lower wishbone then from wheels up to wheels down it's no more than 1hr to do both sides.

Rears are one bolt on the lower wishbone and three on the top plate. Ignore any bleating about factory special tools, you don't need them. Couple of cm spring compression, rotate driveshaft UJs to get max lower wishbone drop then pop the bottom of the spring off its seat with a tyre lever. Drop spring and shock and top plate out. Fit new shock to top plate, put shock and top plate in position and lever spring back in and do the bolts up. Two hours and you're packing up and making a cuppa.

Aftermarket shocks will ruin the ride quality. Fit OEM ones - the price of those is probably where your idea of a proper bill comes from...

[cml]

Thanks for that (slightly sarcastic voice).

I ran the cars on a *really* tight budget. Bills are relative too, proper is this context is well into three figures. Something to consider if you test drive one and notice anything. One of mine had been a caravan puller, got away with shimming, apparently, not quite sure what my man did, or why exactly, but it stopped making funny noises and bouncing about over speed bumps.