In the coming weeks one of the episodes of "The Grand Tour" will feature classic Jaguars as the adventure cars. I've known about this for some time as I've seen a few teaser shots of the filming, and it's had me thinking about what effect the episode will have on the values and opinions of the cars.

Now I happen to know that Jeremy Clarkson is a huge advocate for Jaguar, and he's owned a lot of them. I'm also a big fan of Clarkson, I've got all of his books, DVDs and literature. He's had XJ40s, XJS and X300 cars, but he was particularly fond of his X308 XJR. He would often write about the car with affection and it was clear in the piece he wrote when the car's lease was up that he was sad to give up the car.

Now we all know that the values of the cars dropped down very low, especially in the UK. It was not unusual to find X308's going for as little as £1,200 but generally these were worn out and badly looked after examples. Depreciation is normal for any model of car of course, with only a few models being lucky enough to survive low depreciation. But recently I've noticed X308's beginning to appreciate in the UK, especially the XJR examples.

In the upcoming episode, filmed in Colorado, Clarkson will have an XJR, Hammond will have an S3 XJ and May starts out with an XJS and later switches to an X100 XK. I can't help but wonder what effect the use of the cars in the episode will have on the popularity and values of them. Good examples of the XJR in the UK are already above the £5K mark and excellent ones are £10K+.

I'm sorry to say they are quickly getting out of my reach, the only way I see myself getting an XJR is to get a rough one and restore it, something I'm not afraid of doing. However I sadly lack the space for such a project, which is the only thing holding me back really. When I bought my current car I was limited to what I could afford at the time, and the little 3.2 fitted the bill. But I'll always lust after an XJR, especially after driving Sean B's XJR 100, but my worry is the upcoming episode will send the values higher.

What are your thoughts? Please post below.

S.

 

Don't really have thoughts on the subject, its all too far away from my part of the world.
But to lighten up this post, here is the guy and his XJR Stu mentioned.

 

Cant wait to watch the episodes

X308 XJR values in the US seem to fluctuate, but have found that "worn out and badly looked after example"s are listed less frequently listed for sale as of late.

If I was to do it all over again I would have bought a sorted car that was taken care of through its life and hope that I wouldn't have had to put some much work into it just to make it roadworthy. Mine was a total POS though and 6 years later you couldn't pry the car from my cold dead hands....ever

If you know in your heart you need it.....then get an XJR! Like Wayne (Wayne's World) said, "It will be mine....oh yes....it will be mine."

 

Wheeeeeee!!

 

I'm looking forward to the Jag episode too, I watched the new one on Friday, and it looks like they've refined the format a bit. No offence, but "The American" racing driver wasn't very good and the brain crash debacle has been disposed of and replaced with something with a Jaguar flavour to it.

Regarding my own XJR quest, I've missed out on opportunities to buy one a few times. Either the price wasn't right, I didn't like the colour or there were issues I wasn't happy with. But during the last car search the problem was my own finances, but as you say "It will be mine!"

 

I was jokingly offered 10K USD for my jewel by a fascinated mail man. I simply told him "good luck with that".

I often get bystander inquiries as to it's reliability, I tell them that once you address the "hot spots" IE timing & transmission, you have a beautiful & dutiful machine. It's a shame that ill informed word of mouth in the US has tanked these awesome cars' public opinion/value. I do feel the remaining owners are mostly of the perseverance type & the mind state will change w/ time.

 

Despite my aversion to Clarkson as a man, I share his fondness for the X-308 XJR. My '01 example, in factory-order Emerald mica, was for me the sweet spot in the XJ's evolution. It had more than adequate power yet its chassis tuning and accoutrements were more evocative of a luxury car than a performance sedan. In daily operation this gave the XJR a significant drivability advantage over AMG and M series German competitors, which may have been more at home on the autobahn but I can’t think of anywhere else.

Moreover, thanks to Ford's considerable investment, the X-308 boasted a brilliant all-new 4L quad-cam 32-valve V8 with optional supercharger. In 5L form it continues to power the current line of Jaguars and Range Rovers. And thanks to multiplex electronics and an ultimatum to suppliers to get reliability up or get out, XJ owner satisfaction over this period bettered the Germans and rivaled Lexus, according to JD Power.

Aesthetically the 308 meets my criteria inside and out. But my favorite aspect of the car is driving it. With absolute minimum familiarization, almost any “non-enthusiast” can step into an XJ and guide it smoothly to its destination. The steering, shifting and braking are Cadillac creamy without the underdamped wallow. The car has the power reserves and handling deftness to get out of tricky situations. External visibility is unrivaled. And passengers in particular will appreciate the magic-carpet ride — made all the more pleasurable by the support and comfort of the front seats, suitable for thousand-mile days without backache or joint stiffness (important considerations as one approaches 70).

True, the rear is a little cramped and that gorgeous low roofline requires that the rear seat bottoms be excessively low to make rear headroom bearable. Another concession to style, a matter on which Sir William would not compromise, was the low boot line, which made for a small trunk. Oh, well. Better than a Bangle Butt.

The above explains why I, now retired, am on my third and I hope final X-308. I’ve got an excellent Jag-only repair shop not affiliated with any dealer, and they keep my XJR affordable to run on a pensioner’s income. I’m hearing reports of ongoing reliability at 220 thousand miles and beyond. My car sports a mere 153 thousand miles and still feels fresh and fast. I look forward to the two of us driving off into the sunset eventually. I can’t think of a better way to go in style.

 

^Well said John!
I've always known they will appreciate, like all the classic sports saloons Jaguar produced out of Browns'. For me the last of a very influential and special line...and people are cottoning onto that fact...
Different markets/countries have differing opinions on what constitutes a 'classic' - in the UK the X308 is now classed as 'neo-classic', according to clubs like the JEC/JDC along with Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust.
A few years on and the cars that are left will be owned by enthusiasts, regarded as classics and the prices will only go one way.

 

Contrary to what is said here, I don't think the X308 will be much of a "classic", other than maybe technically as an insurance classification.

Yes, they will be classics for us, the few immortals who hang on to them, and keep them better than new.
Yes, their price might go up one day, once most of them are driven into the ground.
But No, not for the larger public, for them, these cars will just be an old 4 door saloon.