Discussion
One of my dream cars when I was younger, I never thought I'd own an XJR. It was always on my list, but I just kept getting Alfas! (Have a 156 V6 at the moment and a Ford Galaxy - both have threads on here). It's my friends fault; he asked me to look for a used car for him and as soon as I did, I felt like I needed another car. I saw the XJR advertised on ebay with a Buy it Now and the next day when driving home from work, I knew I immediately had to contact the seller and buy the car straight away. I never do much research into cars I buy and just get excited.
Phoned the seller, offered full price of £2400 under the condition the car was freshly MOT'd (has 5 months left on it). He agreed, I wired him 10% deposit and today went on a 3 hour train ride to pick it up.
For £2400, the car isn't going to be mint is it? I knew there were some rust issues on the rear arches so I will have to get that sorted at some point. Other than that there isn't really much wrong with it. The engine management light is on which I think is because of a Mass Air Flow Meter issue. The seller had previously got rid of the light but it's come up again so will have to look into that.
It doesn't affect performance seemingly. This thing goes like absolute stink. I haven't driven a car with this much power before and don't have anything to compare it to but it is just so effortless and I haven't had the chance to open the taps for more than about 3 seconds so far because it's so quick. I think the Autocar figures for the time were 0 - 60 in just over 5 seconds and 0 - 100 in 12.8. OK, it's not modern AMG / M Car fast but for a 17 year old car, it is still quick. This is the X308 version, so a 4 litre supercharged v8 with 370bhp.
Having briefly look through the history which came with the car, the previous owner seems to have kept on top of things, and in the last few years it's had spark plug replacements twice, egr valve, front suspension refreshed, oxygen sensor, fuel pump, new springs, timing chain upgrade, rear arb link bushes, gearbox oil change, power steering pump as well as regular servicing and quite a number of tyres!! Driving it back it feels very tight and not baggy at all. The interior looks new apart from the front seats which are worn slightly, but not too bad for a 130k mile car. The steering is much more feelsome that you might expect a big cruiser to be, it's really quite good. The car has a great ride, though I'm sure the standard XJ8s on smaller wheels ride much better.
Here are a few pics I took today. Would love to hear from other XJR owners. Any advice on how to sort rear arches? I am not experienced with sorting out bodywork. It probably needs welding but any short term measures I should take to make it look a little better?
I love the wheels on this car. Need to get some new centre caps for the fronts though.
Will report more on the car once I've had in a few days.
Phoned the seller, offered full price of £2400 under the condition the car was freshly MOT'd (has 5 months left on it). He agreed, I wired him 10% deposit and today went on a 3 hour train ride to pick it up.
For £2400, the car isn't going to be mint is it? I knew there were some rust issues on the rear arches so I will have to get that sorted at some point. Other than that there isn't really much wrong with it. The engine management light is on which I think is because of a Mass Air Flow Meter issue. The seller had previously got rid of the light but it's come up again so will have to look into that.
It doesn't affect performance seemingly. This thing goes like absolute stink. I haven't driven a car with this much power before and don't have anything to compare it to but it is just so effortless and I haven't had the chance to open the taps for more than about 3 seconds so far because it's so quick. I think the Autocar figures for the time were 0 - 60 in just over 5 seconds and 0 - 100 in 12.8. OK, it's not modern AMG / M Car fast but for a 17 year old car, it is still quick. This is the X308 version, so a 4 litre supercharged v8 with 370bhp.
Having briefly look through the history which came with the car, the previous owner seems to have kept on top of things, and in the last few years it's had spark plug replacements twice, egr valve, front suspension refreshed, oxygen sensor, fuel pump, new springs, timing chain upgrade, rear arb link bushes, gearbox oil change, power steering pump as well as regular servicing and quite a number of tyres!! Driving it back it feels very tight and not baggy at all. The interior looks new apart from the front seats which are worn slightly, but not too bad for a 130k mile car. The steering is much more feelsome that you might expect a big cruiser to be, it's really quite good. The car has a great ride, though I'm sure the standard XJ8s on smaller wheels ride much better.
Here are a few pics I took today. Would love to hear from other XJR owners. Any advice on how to sort rear arches? I am not experienced with sorting out bodywork. It probably needs welding but any short term measures I should take to make it look a little better?
I love the wheels on this car. Need to get some new centre caps for the fronts though.
Will report more on the car once I've had in a few days.
waynedear said:
That is magnificent, a mate has one, he is a former 156 V6 owner, he bought it a couple of years ago, I am sure it cost him under a grand.
It had a bit of rust at the back archs, he booked it into a bodyshop recently and they sorted it, I have messaged him to find out the extent, cost and what they did.
I know there was a front wing rust issue which he sorted with a replacement wing.
Thanks for doing that waynedear. Will be interesting to see how much it costs to sort the rear arches coz they will need doing. It had a bit of rust at the back archs, he booked it into a bodyshop recently and they sorted it, I have messaged him to find out the extent, cost and what they did.
I know there was a front wing rust issue which he sorted with a replacement wing.
Third day driving to work, Coolant Low warning, followed by loss of heater in cabin, followed by temperature shooting up to max!! Pulled over straight away, and got a tow to garage.
It's the water pump (I hope that's all it is!). He said it is a 3 hour job and a £100 part so hoping the final bill will be less than £300.
My last 3 cars have broken down shortly after buying!
I am feeling great right now. The car is back from the mechanic, who I chose just because he is based right next to my office.... Water Pump plus 3 hours labour for £263. Not bad considering the Water Pump and coolant were £115. He said he had to take the bonnet off to get good access to the engine bay.
He even ran the diagnostics tool and cleared the engine management light for free. It turned out to be the MAF causing it and hasn't returned (yet).
As if the day couldn't get any better, I did a brim to brim calculation on the last 350 miles of driving, which was a combination of city driving, A roads, and motorways; 26mpg! I was expecting closer to 20, so very pleased with that. As good as my 156 v6 which has half the power.
Let's just hope the Jag doesn't give me any hassle for a few months.
God, I love this car. It just feels so special.
He even ran the diagnostics tool and cleared the engine management light for free. It turned out to be the MAF causing it and hasn't returned (yet).
As if the day couldn't get any better, I did a brim to brim calculation on the last 350 miles of driving, which was a combination of city driving, A roads, and motorways; 26mpg! I was expecting closer to 20, so very pleased with that. As good as my 156 v6 which has half the power.
Let's just hope the Jag doesn't give me any hassle for a few months.
God, I love this car. It just feels so special.
LewG said:
How did you manage that fuel economy?! I always struggled to get mine to do more than 16mpg unless I was on a run 
boots filled with lead
I think I miscalculated! I reckon I looked at the 'A' trip distance when I should have looked at the 'B'. Ooops. Basically I'm getting 21 mpg combined. I reckon purely motorway driving would see 24 ish. boots filled with leadWell, since the last installment, the car has been running well and apart from giving me random warning dash lights (we've had airbags, engine management, restricted performance so far) it's been great. The warning lights have not affected the running of the car seemingly, and when I start the car again, they sometimes disappear.
Loving the car overall. The performance is just so easy that I have to keep myself in check to make sure I don't break the speed limit (much). There is the odd niggle. One is that the gearbox seems a bit shunty when coming off throttle sometimes. I know that the gearbox oil was changed at 100k so not sure what else can be done about it. It isn't bad, it is just something that I notice now and again. Another slight annoyance is that the steering seems overly affected by poor roads and can want to deviate from the straight ahead quite easily. I think that wheel alignment will sort that out.
Here's a few interior shots to keep you all interested.
Edited by strangehighways on Monday 5th February 19:15
The XJR is somehow now in daily service, which wasn't the original intention. I sold the Galaxy band-wagon as there are no gigs in the near future and I was paying 3 lots of insurance and tax along with the Alfa 156. I decided to reduce from 3 cars to 2, so the Galaxy was sold (bought for £300, sold for £300, £100 fixing cost over 6 months and 10k miles, maybe my best financial car purchase to date) and as the Alfa has been a little poorly lately, the XJR is doing all the miles. It's done about 5k miles in 4 months.
For anyone who hasn't driven an XJ, it is unlike any other car I've driven. Though it looks pretty large from the outside, it is quite cosy inside. It has a cocoon type feel to it, which I love but others might not. The seats are quite soft and comfy and you sit quite low, staring out over the large bonnet.
I'll get straight to the point. I absolutely love this car. It just has the seemingly perfect balance of comfort with a hint of sportiness. I am not very good at describing these things, but it just drives in a very graceful way. I love the way the car is damped, it has a softness to it but not a 'falling apart at the first sign of a corner sitting on jelly' feel. It is not designed with 100% sporting intentions ala BMW M5 and nor was this the idea I'm sure. It just hits the perfect comfort/sporty nail on the head. It can still feel its weight in the slower corners though, and you are aware that it is nigh on 2 tonnes sometimes; the brakes don't inspire confidence really and always seem to need more effort than my foot wants to give. Adequate, nothing more.
The engine is very refined but you get a nice supercharger whine when gunning it. Personally, I would like to hear the engine a little more and if you were expecting a v8 growl from a (standard) XJR you would be disappointed. It would need some messing with the induction/exhaust to make it more vocal. Maybe something to look into in the future.
The Mercedes gearbox (only on the XJR, I believe non-XJRs have a ZF unit) has a sports mode which makes the car more responsive and holds the revs before changing up. Generally, I have it in 'normal' in the city where it will pull away in 2nd, and then switch to 'sport' as soon as I hit a faster road.
Since the last update, it's had a new MAF as the engine management light kept coming on. Now it's gone thankfully. I've had an annoying 60-70mph vibration running through the car so had wheel balancing done which helped a little but the vibration is still there. I reckon it is something to do with the propshaft/driveshaft and will get this looked at some point.
Averaging 22/23mpg on the way to work, which is probably 30% city and 70% a/b roads.
Over easter the car had a long drive to the Netherlands and back and as you might expect, it was a perfect high speed missile and lapped up the miles with no issues.
I've had more nice comments and stares with the XJR than any other car I've owned including my gorgeous old Alfa GTV. In particular, men over 40 seem to love it. My girlfriend said it's the best car I've owned to date.
For anyone who hasn't driven an XJ, it is unlike any other car I've driven. Though it looks pretty large from the outside, it is quite cosy inside. It has a cocoon type feel to it, which I love but others might not. The seats are quite soft and comfy and you sit quite low, staring out over the large bonnet.
I'll get straight to the point. I absolutely love this car. It just has the seemingly perfect balance of comfort with a hint of sportiness. I am not very good at describing these things, but it just drives in a very graceful way. I love the way the car is damped, it has a softness to it but not a 'falling apart at the first sign of a corner sitting on jelly' feel. It is not designed with 100% sporting intentions ala BMW M5 and nor was this the idea I'm sure. It just hits the perfect comfort/sporty nail on the head. It can still feel its weight in the slower corners though, and you are aware that it is nigh on 2 tonnes sometimes; the brakes don't inspire confidence really and always seem to need more effort than my foot wants to give. Adequate, nothing more.
The engine is very refined but you get a nice supercharger whine when gunning it. Personally, I would like to hear the engine a little more and if you were expecting a v8 growl from a (standard) XJR you would be disappointed. It would need some messing with the induction/exhaust to make it more vocal. Maybe something to look into in the future.
The Mercedes gearbox (only on the XJR, I believe non-XJRs have a ZF unit) has a sports mode which makes the car more responsive and holds the revs before changing up. Generally, I have it in 'normal' in the city where it will pull away in 2nd, and then switch to 'sport' as soon as I hit a faster road.
Since the last update, it's had a new MAF as the engine management light kept coming on. Now it's gone thankfully. I've had an annoying 60-70mph vibration running through the car so had wheel balancing done which helped a little but the vibration is still there. I reckon it is something to do with the propshaft/driveshaft and will get this looked at some point.
Averaging 22/23mpg on the way to work, which is probably 30% city and 70% a/b roads.
Over easter the car had a long drive to the Netherlands and back and as you might expect, it was a perfect high speed missile and lapped up the miles with no issues.
I've had more nice comments and stares with the XJR than any other car I've owned including my gorgeous old Alfa GTV. In particular, men over 40 seem to love it. My girlfriend said it's the best car I've owned to date.
Edited by strangehighways on Sunday 6th May 09:08
The Jag has hit a milestone of sorts. 140k miles. So I thought I'd update as it's been a few months and maybe you were expecting the car to have screwed me over royally by now.
It hasn't! It's been as sound as a pound since purchase 8 months to the day. In that time I've covered 9000 miles averaging about 22 mpg. The only ball-ache I've had was the breakdown just after I bought it which required a new water pump. Since then it's been 100% reliable. There's a couple of things chewing away at me though, one a little bit, the other quite a lot.
Firstly, the small one. As mentioned previously, the vibration is still present on the car, very slightly and not always noticeable (no-one ever riding in the car has even mentioned it, perhaps I'm just anal) at speeds between 55 and 60 mph. I've had the wheels aligned/balanced/swapped over a few times and it has improved things a little but it's still there. It's something I can live with but if I had limitless money I would sort.
The bigger one which comes into my mind every time I see the car is the rust. It has rust issues, around the front arches slightly, which I can live with, but the front of the rear arches are really getting to me. I don't think there is a good way of sorting it unless I get a new arch put in. I am wondering if I should try to bodge it in some way in the meantime..... I have never done anything with bodywork repair before so maybe I should stay away from it! Not sure how it would cost to fix it properly but I imagine quite a bit.
Other than that, I love driving the XJR and it is as special as I thought it would be. It isn't the sharpest thing on the road, but it just fires along in such a relaxed manner, but achieving silly speeds.
One thing that could be improved slightly are the gear ratios. It's a 5 speed box and works well, but it almost needs another gear between 2nd and 3rd. Picture the scenario.... overtaking a slow lorry/car on an a-road travelling at about 50 - 55 mph. It won't kickdown to 2nd (which is good for 70 ish), so uses 3rd and while the performance is still strong, because 3rd gear is pretty long, it doesn't give the performance that the car is capable of (you could manually use the j-gate to make it in 2nd but I'm talking about when the car is in D). I wish the car either had 6 gears or with the 5 speed, 3rd a bit closer to 2nd. The upside to 3rd being quite long is that, it is PERFECT for the motorway overtake, if you are cruising between 70-85 mph before the overtake. If you boot it then, it will kickdown to 3rd and give its absolute best. Another good one is going from 25 ish off a roundabout in 2nd; it just flys to 70 ish before changing up.
It could be a little louder and I might look into an exhaust modification next year once I've sorted any bodywork issues.
The X308 really sits low on the road compared to modern cars and I love it that it looks so different in profile compared to the short, round blobs that seem to be designed now. I really do think it is one of the best looking saloons ever made, especially with the Asteroid 18 inch alloys.
Would love to hear from some more XJ owners out there.
The Jag has just had its MOT slightly early (but I kept the expiry date the same by calculating the 13 month rule thing). I just wanted to get it out of the way and I knew that that it would be more than the cost of an MOT and oil change!
This is what was done at a Jag specialist.
MOT
Oil/Filter
3 bits of welding underneath
Wheel bearing
New lower front balljoints
Total was just over a grand. Not sure why but I was quite happy with that. They've quoted me £900 + VAT to replace both rear wheel arches, will I will sort early next year (probably).
So how much has it cost me over about a year to run the XJR as my 2/3rds daily car? (1/3 is the Alfa 156 v6).
Water Pump £262
Mass Air Flow Meter £30 ish
MOT/Service/Stuff above £1065
I don't think that is too bad considering I bought the car at the cheaper end of the market at £2400 and have done 14k miles in that time. If I can get by in the next few years spending about a grand a year on the car, that would be great but I suspect it might be more than that, especially if I am doing so many miles.
With the colder weather setting in, the car feels quite a bit more punchy due to the lower temperatures. The heated seats are most welcome on these cold mornings but only has 1 setting so it gets turned off after 10 minutes or my a%$e starts to fry!
Thanks to all those who replied previously in the thread, especially those uploading pictures of their big cats.
This is what was done at a Jag specialist.
MOT
Oil/Filter
3 bits of welding underneath
Wheel bearing
New lower front balljoints
Total was just over a grand. Not sure why but I was quite happy with that. They've quoted me £900 + VAT to replace both rear wheel arches, will I will sort early next year (probably).
So how much has it cost me over about a year to run the XJR as my 2/3rds daily car? (1/3 is the Alfa 156 v6).
Water Pump £262
Mass Air Flow Meter £30 ish
MOT/Service/Stuff above £1065
I don't think that is too bad considering I bought the car at the cheaper end of the market at £2400 and have done 14k miles in that time. If I can get by in the next few years spending about a grand a year on the car, that would be great but I suspect it might be more than that, especially if I am doing so many miles.
With the colder weather setting in, the car feels quite a bit more punchy due to the lower temperatures. The heated seats are most welcome on these cold mornings but only has 1 setting so it gets turned off after 10 minutes or my a%$e starts to fry!
Thanks to all those who replied previously in the thread, especially those uploading pictures of their big cats.
I thought some of you might be interested to know the running costs of the XJR, having had it for 15 months and put a lot of miles on it.
I will average out these costs to be over a 2 year period as the car had an MOT recently, and it cost a fair bit to get through. A 2 year cost will take it to Jan 2020, so these are accurate as long as there are no other costs till then! (apart from fuel etc). I've left the cost of the car (£2400) out of it as I think the car is still worth this roughly.
Costs from Jan 2018 - Jan 2020 (2 years)
- 2 x 13k miles a year @1.25 per litre, 22 mpg = £6716
- 2 x car tax = £651
- 2 x insurance = £890
Maintenance/Servicing/MOT etc... Water Pump, Tyres, Wheel alignment/balancing, Battery, MOT, Welding, Oil change, wheel bearing, lower wishbones, MAF = £1966
So, for a per year cost... £5112 for everything. (£426 per month)
Discounting tax/petrol/insurance, maintenance only.....£983 per year (£82 per month)
I think that is pretty damn good! About £1000 a year for maintenance is fine with me, especially considering the amount of miles I'm doing.
I will average out these costs to be over a 2 year period as the car had an MOT recently, and it cost a fair bit to get through. A 2 year cost will take it to Jan 2020, so these are accurate as long as there are no other costs till then! (apart from fuel etc). I've left the cost of the car (£2400) out of it as I think the car is still worth this roughly.
Costs from Jan 2018 - Jan 2020 (2 years)
- 2 x 13k miles a year @1.25 per litre, 22 mpg = £6716
- 2 x car tax = £651
- 2 x insurance = £890
Maintenance/Servicing/MOT etc... Water Pump, Tyres, Wheel alignment/balancing, Battery, MOT, Welding, Oil change, wheel bearing, lower wishbones, MAF = £1966
So, for a per year cost... £5112 for everything. (£426 per month)
Discounting tax/petrol/insurance, maintenance only.....£983 per year (£82 per month)
I think that is pretty damn good! About £1000 a year for maintenance is fine with me, especially considering the amount of miles I'm doing.
swagmeister said:
Sometimes these threads confuse me. Buy a car for £2.5k, spend another £2k on bodywork and repairs, why not spend £4.5k on a car that would be newer and \or in better condition ? I couldnt be bothered with the hassle TBH - These days I like hassle free motoring.
It's a fair question. But £4.5k won't get you a perfect X308 XJR. It would probably get one with better bodywork but not sure what else. I think a 'perfect' XJR would be more like £10k and that is just a wild finger in the air. A 'very good' X308 XJR might be in the £6-7k range. This is only from looking around at wildly varying prices over the last year or so. Mine was certainly at the bottom end of the market price wise but I don't feel short changed at all for the price I paid. Mechanically, it is pretty good.
Two of the main issues with the XJR, apart from bodywork, are the water pump and the timing chain tensioners. Mine has had the tensioners done already by a previous owner. The water pump failed just after I bought the car, but now I have had that done, that is both of those X308 issues dealt with. It is possible that a £4.5k car would have had these done but, often this isn't mentioned in adverts. What I am trying to say is that the water pump issue could happen to any X308 unless someone has taken preventative maintenance steps already and had it replaced.
Once you take off the water pump cost, and the tyres, then the £2k over 2 years maintenance cost drops to about £1300 (£650 a year) which really isn't bad is it?
Also from the history, I know the gearbox oil was changed at 100k, and also the front suspension was rebuilt not long ago. So apart from the bodywork, I am confident that it is a mechanically sound car.
tobinen said:
For those as I with one's head not around the figures at first glance:
£426 per month x 24 months is the grand total (£6,716 + £651 + £890 + £1,966) not including purchase price (which I would agree is no lower than you paid)
Hopefully now moving forwards you'll have far lower costs
Sorry for the confusing words! Yes, total cost per month is £426, but it is important to note that of that, £280 is petrol and £64 is tax/insurance. So basically the only bit that will fluctuate much is the maintenance cost which is 'only' £82 per month. £426 per month x 24 months is the grand total (£6,716 + £651 + £890 + £1,966) not including purchase price (which I would agree is no lower than you paid)
Hopefully now moving forwards you'll have far lower costs
Update on my Jag running costs.
Sept 19 - Wheel bearing OSF replaced (so both front bearings have now been changed during my circa 2 year ownership). Wheel alignment. £330
Plus
I had a bad fuel smell and there was extensive corrosion of a fuel pipe which required a new piece to be made up. £391.44
Updated Costs from Jan 2018 - Jan 2020 (2 years)
- 2 x 13k miles a year @1.25 per litre, 22 mpg = £6716
- 2 x car tax = £651
- 2 x insurance = £890
Maintenance/Servicing/MOT etc... Water Pump, Tyres, Wheel alignment/balancing, Battery, MOT, Welding, Oil change, wheel bearings x 2, lower wishbones, MAF, fuel pipe repair =£1966 £2688
So, for a PER YEAR cost...
£5112 £5472.50 for everything. (£426£456 per month)
Discounting tax/petrol/insurance, MAINTENANCE/SERVICING ONLY.....£983£1344 per year (£82£112 per month)
Bugger. I've pushed through the £100 per month maintenance barrier. Ah well!
Still loving the car and intending to keep as long as possible.
Here's a pic of it late night somewhere in a McDonalds car park near the A1. Sorry for the poor quality.
Sept 19 - Wheel bearing OSF replaced (so both front bearings have now been changed during my circa 2 year ownership). Wheel alignment. £330
Plus
I had a bad fuel smell and there was extensive corrosion of a fuel pipe which required a new piece to be made up. £391.44
Updated Costs from Jan 2018 - Jan 2020 (2 years)
- 2 x 13k miles a year @1.25 per litre, 22 mpg = £6716
- 2 x car tax = £651
- 2 x insurance = £890
Maintenance/Servicing/MOT etc... Water Pump, Tyres, Wheel alignment/balancing, Battery, MOT, Welding, Oil change, wheel bearings x 2, lower wishbones, MAF, fuel pipe repair =
So, for a PER YEAR cost...
Discounting tax/petrol/insurance, MAINTENANCE/SERVICING ONLY.....
Bugger. I've pushed through the £100 per month maintenance barrier. Ah well!
Still loving the car and intending to keep as long as possible.
Here's a pic of it late night somewhere in a McDonalds car park near the A1. Sorry for the poor quality.
The Jaguar is still with me.
It battles on valiantly and refuses to lie down and give up, or rather I keep on throwing fistfuls of cash at it every year to keep it on the road!
With the lack of miles in 2020 due to working from home fully since March, the Jag has only covered a meagre 6500 miles between MOTs, less than half of its usual.
An impressive fail sheet....
Do not drive until repaired (dangerous defects):
Nearside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))
Offside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))
Repair immediately (major defects):
Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases (6.1.2 (a))
Emissions not tested (8.2.1.2 (d))
Exhaust system insecure (6.1.2 (a))
Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.4 (b) (ii))
Nearside Front Integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced outer sill (6.1.1 (c) (i))
Offside Front Integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced outer sill (6.1.1 (c) (i))
Offside Front Integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced inner sill (6.1.1 (c) (i))
Nearside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength inner sill (5.3.6 (a) (i))
Nearside Front Brake pipe excessively corroded (1.1.11 (c))
Offside Front Brake pipe excessively corroded (1.1.11 (c))
Offside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded (1.1.11 (c))
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Integral body structure is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced (6.1.1 (c) (i))
Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material front to rear pipes greased (1.1.11 (c))
Nearside Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))
Offside Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))
New rear tyres plus a shed load of welding and it's back on the road. I am wondering how much longer it will last but it has consistently cost me about a grand each time the MOT comes about. I can live with that. I enjoy driving it so much and it just has the combination of comfort, waftability and thrust that hits the spot. Plus its classic looks combined with the 18 inch Asteroid wheels just looks sublime and unlike most other cars on the road.
Costs for 2020
MOT including lots of welding and new tyres = £983.12
Oil change = £102.48
Overall costs summary...
Discounting tax/petrol/insurance, MAINTENANCE/SERVICING ONLY.....
2020 - £1085.60 (£90.47 per month)
If I look at the last 3 years of ownership and assuming no further costs until the next MOT (so Jan 2018 - Dec 2021 = 4 years), the costs are..
£4803.02 (£100.06 per month)....not bad I think for a car that normally does 14k miles a year and lives outside.
It battles on valiantly and refuses to lie down and give up, or rather I keep on throwing fistfuls of cash at it every year to keep it on the road!
With the lack of miles in 2020 due to working from home fully since March, the Jag has only covered a meagre 6500 miles between MOTs, less than half of its usual.
An impressive fail sheet....
Do not drive until repaired (dangerous defects):
Nearside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))
Offside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))
Repair immediately (major defects):
Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases (6.1.2 (a))
Emissions not tested (8.2.1.2 (d))
Exhaust system insecure (6.1.2 (a))
Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.4 (b) (ii))
Nearside Front Integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced outer sill (6.1.1 (c) (i))
Offside Front Integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced outer sill (6.1.1 (c) (i))
Offside Front Integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced inner sill (6.1.1 (c) (i))
Nearside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength inner sill (5.3.6 (a) (i))
Nearside Front Brake pipe excessively corroded (1.1.11 (c))
Offside Front Brake pipe excessively corroded (1.1.11 (c))
Offside Rear Brake pipe excessively corroded (1.1.11 (c))
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Integral body structure is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced (6.1.1 (c) (i))
Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material front to rear pipes greased (1.1.11 (c))
Nearside Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))
Offside Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))
New rear tyres plus a shed load of welding and it's back on the road. I am wondering how much longer it will last but it has consistently cost me about a grand each time the MOT comes about. I can live with that. I enjoy driving it so much and it just has the combination of comfort, waftability and thrust that hits the spot. Plus its classic looks combined with the 18 inch Asteroid wheels just looks sublime and unlike most other cars on the road.
Costs for 2020
MOT including lots of welding and new tyres = £983.12
Oil change = £102.48
Overall costs summary...
Discounting tax/petrol/insurance, MAINTENANCE/SERVICING ONLY.....
2020 - £1085.60 (£90.47 per month)
If I look at the last 3 years of ownership and assuming no further costs until the next MOT (so Jan 2018 - Dec 2021 = 4 years), the costs are..
£4803.02 (£100.06 per month)....not bad I think for a car that normally does 14k miles a year and lives outside.
Edited by strangehighways on Wednesday 23 December 21:21
I forgot to mention. A car Youtuber did a video on the car a while back, which you might find interesting!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RZqrixQIoU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RZqrixQIoU
tobinen said:
Those costs as a monthly figure don't seem to be bad to me. After the welding is the body holding up OK?
I would say the body is average. It is a bit rough around the arches and sills. A Jag purist would probably be appalled! It looks good after it's been washed if you don't look too closely!I'm not sure how you could escape serious corrosion with these Jags unless it was garaged all the time.
Ecurie Ecosse said:
Lovely car! I bought mine back again last year, after selling it back to the original owner who I had bought it from. There is no escape!
Sounds like you are on top of everything. You should treat yourself to a Powerhouse pulley for Christmas : )
Here is my thread. Not sure where you are, but if you are near Glasgow then Prestige Jaguar is good for all the XJ specific jobs.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=11...
That's great that you bought the car back. I don't think there is anything similar to the XJ Jag on the roads really. There are other luxo-barges, like the 7 series (I've had an E38) and the S Class, and they are far more 'barge like' than the XJ. The XJ has quite a tight cabin considering the external dimensions and it quite likes to be hussled along a road. I just think Jaguar did a brilliant job of making it comfy for a passenger but rewarding for the driver as well. The icing on the cake is the classic looks, and with the X308, the last of the 'low roofline' XJs. Sounds like you are on top of everything. You should treat yourself to a Powerhouse pulley for Christmas : )
Here is my thread. Not sure where you are, but if you are near Glasgow then Prestige Jaguar is good for all the XJ specific jobs.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=11...
Sahjahd said:
A fascinating and encouraging thread, I have had several big Benz saloons, always let down by poor directional stability, and terminal rust after just a few years. Current daily is a 911 Turbo, which is great, except for getting in and out, and its average of going home on a low loader every couple of months. I need something fast, a bit more grown up, a lot more reliable, and keep looking at these, and its aluminium X350 / X358 replacement. There seem to be thousands of them still on the roads from 25 year old 250,000 mile XJR6s onwards.
Off to eBay and Autotrader, again.
Though it doesn't quite have the classic looks of the X308, the X350 is probably the one to buy for a daily car. As it has an aluminium body, it won't suffer the way the X308s do. I am very tempted by an X350 XJR as my next daily. Off to eBay and Autotrader, again.
Another year, another large bill for the MOT!
This time there was no welding required but other things.
- Two new tyres - the car now has Rainsport 5s on all corners
- Power steering pump following a bad leak
- Reconditioned ABS unit to get rid of the ABS light on the dash
Total bill - £1393.52
Assuming no further costs until the next MOT (so Jan 2018 - Jan 2023 = 5 years), the costs (maintenance only) during my ownership are..
£6512.71 (£108.55 per month)
I've got a road trip to Ireland planned with a friend as part of a group called 4ballR, which will be about 40-50 teams of different cars varying from Mazda MX5s to Ferraris and a Lotus Carlton among others! Can't wait for that one. It's been put off 2 years in a row, so here's hoping it finally goes ahead in June.
This time there was no welding required but other things.
- Two new tyres - the car now has Rainsport 5s on all corners
- Power steering pump following a bad leak
- Reconditioned ABS unit to get rid of the ABS light on the dash
Total bill - £1393.52
Assuming no further costs until the next MOT (so Jan 2018 - Jan 2023 = 5 years), the costs (maintenance only) during my ownership are..
£6512.71 (£108.55 per month)
I've got a road trip to Ireland planned with a friend as part of a group called 4ballR, which will be about 40-50 teams of different cars varying from Mazda MX5s to Ferraris and a Lotus Carlton among others! Can't wait for that one. It's been put off 2 years in a row, so here's hoping it finally goes ahead in June.
Edited by strangehighways on Monday 14th February 21:56
Edited by strangehighways on Monday 14th February 21:58
Edited by strangehighways on Tuesday 15th February 16:23
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