Hello. I'm new here and I'm about to embark on my Jaguar phase. I work as an analyst in the finance department of a nationwide insurance broker, I play guitar, bass, sing and write & record songs and my wife and I love cruises as our first vacation choice.

I have Jonesed for a Jag for as long as I can remember, but I did not want to pay the price for a new one and didn't want to take a chance that I would have unreliable transportation with a car brand that is not always known for reliability. Now I've reached a point where my wife always has a new car (lease), and she's about to retire soon. I also have reliable back-up transportation with a nice Honda Silver Wing scooter, so I'm about to take a flyer on a mid-2000s Jaguar XJ8.

There are three nice cars near me, but wow.. they are very proud of them judging by the asking prices. One is a 2006 with about 97K miles with a nice Infinity sound system in it with BlueTooth and things like Apple Car Play. Very nicely installed, I must say. He wants $11K for it. Then there is a 2000 one for almost $14K at a luxury dealer, but it only has 37K miles.. which I think could be bad if the car had sat for a long time. Today, I am going down to look at a beautiful radiance red 2005 model with 130K miles on it, in pictures, it looks to be in great shape. They are asking $8K for it. Car Guru says that is about $2K high.. I'm going to test drive it and if I like it, make a lower offer.

Is there anything specific I should know to ask the dealer? Anything service related that is a known problem or any warning signs I should keep my eye out for? I test drove a BMW 7 series and I went and looked at a similar vintage Mercedes Benz S Class, just because other sites say they are the 'comparable' cars.. but let's face it, the Jag has my heart - it is just plain beauty to look at.

Thank you. I hope to be a full-fledged qualified member and Jag owner in this forum sooner than later.

 

Welcome to the forums.

 

Welcome. You have on your list two very different models. The 1998 to 2003 is the X308, the last of the classic Geoff Lawson design era. It sits lower and looks much sleeker than the following X350 models made from 2004 through 2008. The X308 is considered the quintessential Jaguar sedan, a direct lineage of design and engineering going back to the 1968 XJ6. Its essentially the XJ6 with a new V8 engine. The X350 is a completely new car, which while it looks somewhat similar is aluminum bodied and addresses many of the marketing "focus group" shortcomings of the previous generations, such as a larger trunk and headroom for a 6 foot Texan to keep his cowboy hat on. Hence the proportions are quite different. The X350 was sort of the beginning of a sales slump for Jaguar as from 2004 to 2008, sales declined 50% year over year with the 2008 model year being quite rare. Don't buy the first one you drive as you may find you prefer one over the other.

The X308 had some longevity issues, but in all probability if the car is still on the road, they have already been sorted. However, you should ask to see the maintenance records to confirm if the secondary timing chain tensioners (98-02), the transmission main pressure valve (98-02 except S/C) and water pump (98-00) have been upgraded (not to mention all the recommended fluid changes). If not you can simply negotiate a lower price and have them sorted yourself but these are potential catastrophic failures and with 15+ year old cars could be looming around the next corner. By 2003 model, the factory had pretty much addressed all the issues and that's really the best year to get. That's not to say they were bad cars at all. My 2000 model had only a single failure in its first 12 years and 90,000 miles having to do with the mechanism that moves the steering wheel up and out of the way to make it easier to enter and exit the car. That's Toyota level reliability. But you're not buying a new one. After 15+ years old, all the plastic, rubber, and vinyl is brittle. It's going to need hoses, belts, gaskets, seals etc. in the very near future if not now regardless of mileage so you'll need to set aside a repair budget.

I'm not familiar with X350's foibles except that unlike the X308, they went to an air suspension system to try and recoup some of the predecessor's "magic carpet ride". Those systems can be problematic and expensive to repair whether its on a Mercedes, Lincoln or Jaguar. Beiing newer, the plastics, rubbers and vinyls may be in better shape and be a few years longer before it starts needing those kinds of repairs but still will need them before you know it.

 

Hello, Patrick,
I hope you find the car of your dreams.
Welcome to the forums from ElinorB.
(';')

 

 

welcome to the forum

 

Welcome to Jaguar Forums Patrick,

Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.

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Welcome.

Sound advice above, and is SPOT ON.

Transmission fluid changes, albeit they are low mileage cars, MUST be done, even with the ":sealed for life" nonsense.

Good luck.

 

 

Thank you everyone for the advice and the welcome. I ended up with a 2005 XJ8 L in Radiance Red. The test drive sold me becasue after driving the BMW 7 Series of the same vintage, it was an easy decision. Plus I love the color and style of this one.

This is my 'new' 2005 XJ8 L

 

ps. I. LOVE. IT!