Thinking about buying a cat. Hi, all
#1
03-11-2017 | 04:18 PM
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Joined: Mar 2017
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Thinking about buying a cat. Hi, all
New to the forum. I have been looking at Jags for some time now and I'm getting ready to pull the trigger. I'm mostly familiar with German cars and have owned a few Mercs and Bimmers, but I think I might venture to the world of British cars this time.
My background is hotrodding; custom cars, mostly american iron from '51 to '76, so I'm no stranger to a wrench.
I'm Curtis. Pleased to meet you all.
Long story short, I usually have several cars in my stable. Right now I have an 02 F150 for work (theater tech director), as well as a 96 Impala SS, a 67 LeMans Convertible, a 66 Bonneville, and a 99 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad. I'm strongly considering selling the 96 SS and replacing it with a classy ride. The budget is somewhere around $5k, which makes Euro luxury cars a good pick... provided you pick the right one. Some are money pits that drain the wallet and others are reliable choices. For instance, my last Euro car was a 99 E300TD that gave me 204k miles of zero trouble. I look for gems like that; cars that depreciate hard by association, but they themselves are actually reliable gems.
Which brings me to my conundrum. I have my list narrowed down to the following:
-E38 BMW, preferably an 01 740iL sport
-C32 AMG, but that is a bit on the small side.
-X308 VDP or maybe XJR
-CLS55, but hard to find one for less than $8k
-Something else that you folks might suggest
So my main purpose in posting here is to sorta get a practical buyer's guide for an X308 as well as maybe get some insight on the others in the list if you have an opinion. I've already read about chain tensioners (did they fix it by a certain year, or was it an ongoing issue?) and Nikasil on the pre-2000 cars, but actual real-world experience is far better than a website saying "it was an issue."
Right now, I have two problems: 1) I am staying at a place with limited garage space and no lift. I plan to remedy that in the near future (buying a house and moving) but problem #2) My work is something that I absolutely love... but it takes a very large amount of my time. While I normally do all repairs myself up to and including building engines, my current stable does often go to the local shop for repairs because I have a steady income but not much time. So anything European I buy can't be $1000 for spark plugs, or $800 for brakes. I know nothing European will compare to my Chevy's $70, 1-hour brake jobs, or the Ford's 10-minute, $60 evap solenoid, but one of the goals is to get into a Euro lux car that won't be a drain on the wallet or sit in the driveway waiting for me to get time to fix it myself.
So, Hello to all, and help me pick a ride.
I drove this one today https://harrisburg.craigslist.org/ctd/6031301915.html
Nice ride, but the pre-2000 spooks me. It was also repainted and the used lot where it is was shady at best. Just makes me wonder what happened to require the paint. Clear title, at least.
I might go look at this one, but its a half hour away. Just need to find the time. https://harrisburg.craigslist.org/cto/6030829958.html
This one looks absolutely perfect, but I wish it were a couple years older so it was in my price range. https://harrisburg.craigslist.org/ctd/6006670003.html
My background is hotrodding; custom cars, mostly american iron from '51 to '76, so I'm no stranger to a wrench.
I'm Curtis. Pleased to meet you all.
Long story short, I usually have several cars in my stable. Right now I have an 02 F150 for work (theater tech director), as well as a 96 Impala SS, a 67 LeMans Convertible, a 66 Bonneville, and a 99 Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad. I'm strongly considering selling the 96 SS and replacing it with a classy ride. The budget is somewhere around $5k, which makes Euro luxury cars a good pick... provided you pick the right one. Some are money pits that drain the wallet and others are reliable choices. For instance, my last Euro car was a 99 E300TD that gave me 204k miles of zero trouble. I look for gems like that; cars that depreciate hard by association, but they themselves are actually reliable gems.
Which brings me to my conundrum. I have my list narrowed down to the following:
-E38 BMW, preferably an 01 740iL sport
-C32 AMG, but that is a bit on the small side.
-X308 VDP or maybe XJR
-CLS55, but hard to find one for less than $8k
-Something else that you folks might suggest
So my main purpose in posting here is to sorta get a practical buyer's guide for an X308 as well as maybe get some insight on the others in the list if you have an opinion. I've already read about chain tensioners (did they fix it by a certain year, or was it an ongoing issue?) and Nikasil on the pre-2000 cars, but actual real-world experience is far better than a website saying "it was an issue."
Right now, I have two problems: 1) I am staying at a place with limited garage space and no lift. I plan to remedy that in the near future (buying a house and moving) but problem #2) My work is something that I absolutely love... but it takes a very large amount of my time. While I normally do all repairs myself up to and including building engines, my current stable does often go to the local shop for repairs because I have a steady income but not much time. So anything European I buy can't be $1000 for spark plugs, or $800 for brakes. I know nothing European will compare to my Chevy's $70, 1-hour brake jobs, or the Ford's 10-minute, $60 evap solenoid, but one of the goals is to get into a Euro lux car that won't be a drain on the wallet or sit in the driveway waiting for me to get time to fix it myself.
So, Hello to all, and help me pick a ride.
I drove this one today https://harrisburg.craigslist.org/ctd/6031301915.html
Nice ride, but the pre-2000 spooks me. It was also repainted and the used lot where it is was shady at best. Just makes me wonder what happened to require the paint. Clear title, at least.
I might go look at this one, but its a half hour away. Just need to find the time. https://harrisburg.craigslist.org/cto/6030829958.html
This one looks absolutely perfect, but I wish it were a couple years older so it was in my price range. https://harrisburg.craigslist.org/ctd/6006670003.html
#2
03-11-2017 | 05:48 PM
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 120,461
Likes: 16,874
From: Durham, UK
Welcome to the forum curtis73,
Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums.
Follow this link XJ XJ8 / XJR ( X308 ) - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the X308 forum for help, advice and information. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for information on regular issues.
You can also visit the US Northeast Region forum by following this link US Northeast - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to find other members in your region.
Enjoy the search for the right Jaguar and enjoy the forums.
Graham
Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums.
Follow this link XJ XJ8 / XJR ( X308 ) - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the X308 forum for help, advice and information. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for information on regular issues.
You can also visit the US Northeast Region forum by following this link US Northeast - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to find other members in your region.
Enjoy the search for the right Jaguar and enjoy the forums.
Graham
#7
03-12-2017 | 05:58 AM
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 28,381
Likes: 6,327
From: Delaneys Creek,Qld. Australia
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#8
03-12-2017 | 12:35 PM
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 117,934
Likes: 6,380
From: PHX some of the time
Welcome to Jaguar Forums Curtis,
Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.
If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help
Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.
If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help