Hello,

Thank you in advance for the help. I'm new to the forum, and Jaguars. Maybe that will change and I'll be a Jaguar owner. I would like to ask your honest, unbiased opinion.

I'm considering purchasing an XJR, around 2003 to 2006 or so. That seems to fit my budget. I've done some preliminary research on the car, and so far I really like what see.

Cutrently I own a luxary SUV, like it for the ride and comfort and space but a sofa on wheels doesn't corner very well. Have a Corvette like it for the power and handeling but falling in and climbing out, and stiff suspension is getiing a bit tiresome.

Enter in the best of both world's (I hope) - My first sports luxary sedan.

Why a Jag you may ask? The class, the brand, the beautiful understated sporty, elegance, beautiful interior, powerful V8. Hopfully great ride quality and handeling.

Most of the consumer reviews of the XJR seem glowing and positive, however there are some that have had extraordinary bad mechanical, electrical problems with their pre owned, low milage XJR, spending 10's of thousands on repairs soon after purcase. Although the positive reviews outweigh the negative, it is still cause for concern in consideration.

Please tell me ...

--What can I expect in terms of reliablity and build quality?

--What things need to be serviced/changed at what millage intervals, and what is the average cost to have these done?

--How is the handeling? (Acceleration, cornering, etc)
--How is the comfort over smooth and uneven roads?
--How is the noise level and sound proofing?

--Tell me what you love about your XJR?
--Tell me what you dislike or disapointed about?

-- What should I watch out for when buying a pre-owned XJR

Thanks for your help

 

Welcome aboard! You'll find this to be a fun and friendly group. Dig in, poke around, and ask lots of questions.

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Post some pictures of your car when you can.

 

Well welcome! A big thing to consider. 2003 is a totally different body than the '04 and up cars. Starting in 04, bodies were aluminum. Meaning they were much lighter... XJRs are powerhouses! Plenty of oh crap power to scare you! Lol! Ok, in all seriousness from what I have seen, wishbone bushings are always a needed fix. Should be replaced every 60k or so. I am sure you have read enough air suspension problem threads to make you panic, but if they are working properly, they are smooth as silk. Throttle body issues are common on the supercharged cars, and that could mean extra $$ spent when they fail. Watch for leaking transmission pans. Could indicate a warped pan, and that means time for fluid replacement. Oil cooler lines leak often, a/c lines come loose... Etc.. Invest the extra in $$ for the lower mileage over hi mileage cars..

There is so much more to pick apart, but let me put it to you this way: I do not care who you are, you cannot drive down any road, and not notice a jaguar in radiance red, jet black, or seafrost on 19 inch wheels, without taking a second long glance. Even our older saloon cars are super sexy! That's a huge factor to consider, we just make them look good!

See the sticky threads at the top of the xj (x350) section for 04-09 version things to look for. (X308) for 98-03 versions.

 

J4M welcome. First I'll qualify my statements by telling you my car is for sale so everything I say will sound like I'm in a sales pitch. I'm not. The car will find it's happy new owner organically and if not, I will happily continue to own her. Second, I have the Super V8 (XJR's bigger brother as it has the longer wheel base).

I researched extensively before buying and based on my reading, stayed away from anything pre-2005. For several reasons the 04's were particularly troublesome for some owners. As I was drawn to the aluminum body, I didn't research anything pre 04.

The ZF Transmissions are very well built and not exclusive to Jaguar, but need oil changed (which means pan change) more frequently that older vehicles. They perform like no other in my opinion and get this. My wife, who knows nothing and cares nothing of cars, says the car shifts so smoothly and quietly you have to pay attention to feel it. She is also of the opinion that the ride is softer than her S430 Mercedes and handles better. I didn't ask her mind you, she volunteered the feedback so these are definitely notable features.
The air suspension is pricey to fix even for the do it your self-er but that holds true for Mercedes as well. I would personally avoid any Arnott conversions as they change the ride quality (even if ever so slightly) and certainly alter the value of the car. They are NOT an upgrade. They are a "more reliable and more cost effective" alternative to OEM repair. Having said that, those that do convert are happy with their decision but you mention the ride quality.

 

I am curious to know what mechanical & electrical problems you are referring to because we see everything here on the forums.

The only major mechanical issue I've seen are a couple of transmssions that needed replacing, but it's only been a few, and that's been well documented.

I can only think of one major electrical/software problem that was reported off the top of my head, and this was resolved with our help (transmission needed reprogramming, the dealer was unable to do it, the owner did it himself in the end for a fraction of the cost)

Other electrical things have been what I would consider minor, namely the Throttle Position Sensor, but we know how to fix this...

Build quality is quite good, there are a few little things that could be better (e.g. cheap bolts/nuts) and reliability? We are talking about 8-10 year old cars with higher mileage, things will go wrong, that happens with any car.

You can see this in the service schedules, there is a checklist of what is specified at each service.

Accelleration has nothing to do with handling. But, don't forget we are still talking about a 2-tonne boat with 400HP, it is not a sports car, so it is very good for what it is. You need to consider the age & wear of the vehicle, if there are suspension bushes & other parts worn out, the handling will suffer, so it's important to keep everything ship-shape.

Comfortable, made even better by that fact that you are in a Jag.

The sound proofing was progressively improved over the years.
The first 2003 cars were "ok"
The 2005MY (incl. 2004 build) got better insulation, esp at the firewall.
The 2006MY got double-glazing and even more insulation
The 2008MY had a few more tweaks to reduce noise.

Just about everything.

We have a thread on this where owners have chipped in.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...your-xj-32748/

Check the sticky at the top of the X350 subforum....

 

Specifically on the sir suspension issues, my mechanic says that the jag's problems are no different from any other car with air suspension. All of them routinely leak depending on the climate of where you're at. Here in the tropics, every 3-4 years is the general life span. The Arnott's coilover conversion is excellent from a ride quality perspective for an XJR. Maybe the the owners of cars using the comfort shocks (i.e. the non-XJR's) find a difference, but ride comfort doesn't suffer for the R using the sports shocks. It certainly is better than the Mercedes S-class and the CLS.

The handling is different though, without the CATS system, so it does feel a little less sure footed but it's something that you wouldn't notice if you never drove the car with CATS. It certainly beats having to replace the entire air shock system every three + years and seeing the air suspension fault /car too low messages every so often and wondering when you're going to be stranded on the roadside with a flat suspension.

 

j4M

I have been the owner of a 2004 XJR for 2 years. These cars are great and yes, the air suspension is more complicated and expensive to repair than traditional suspensions, it worth it. Have done Arnott replacement shock work and expect to rebuild the compressor shortly. The is a rebuild kit discussed in this forum by Bagpipingandy, to do so cheaply. I have made the purchase but not the installation. Sorry if I have misspelled!

These cars are beautifully designed, are fast and fun to drive with reasonable gas mileage as well. Also have great Brembo brakes, a feature missing on many cars until recently

RyeJag

 

If at all possible, buy from a Jag dealer and get the extended warranty. It may cost almost as much as the car but you will get the price of the warranty back two or threefold (or in my case 4.5 fold.)