Hi all
I am from the X300 side of this forum own a highly modified X300 XJR but am considering updating to an X350 4.2

I have been looking at reliability issues and performance upgrades as stepping from a S/C car to N/A I am not sure if I,ll be happy on the surface my S/C I6 engine makes more power and torque than the standard 4.2 V8 engine then I have all the mods as well

What is the upgrade alpine sound system like
I have a expensive upgrade in my XJR speakers head unit amp and its okay but still lacking in the bass department
The standard speaker size being 6 inch makes it hard to source decent speakers wondering if the X350 has gone to 6 1/2 size speakers or still uses the 6 inch also is the 04 model upgrade alpine head unit capable of controlling an I pod or am I stuck with the prehistoric stacker again

I have read stories about the air suspension
I have all new Bilstiens on my XJR

The X350 I am looking at is a 3 owner with 157,000 k,s on the clock full specialist service history but so did my XJR and I still ended up spending copious amounts of money on it to get it right

Is the 4.2 V8 engine reliable does it have any problems the S/CI6 engine in my XJR has 240,000 k,s and needs new valve stem seals otherwise is in perfect condition will the 4.2 need timing chains and tensioners and so forth and if so at what mileage

Are X350,s roomier on the inside I had my seat rails extended on my xjr as I am 6,3 tall car looks big but is actually quite small on the inside and boot

I noticed the boot looks much larger on the X350 that's a bonus they have moved the fuel tank did that change the handling of the car moving the fuel tank

Any info would be appreciated especially if there are any early XJR owners out there that can give me comparisons

I was never going to sell my XJR as I have over capitalised on it

Last year I hit the gate post and did some minor damage to the front fender
I haven't repaired it as I am worried about the fender being a different colour to the rest of the car
The paint is after all 17 years old also have a small spot of rust appearing under the back window rubber

I was planning to get the fender damage repaired windows out new seals and a full respray and valve stem seals done I estimate this all costing about 10 to 15 grand and changing over to the x 350 will be about the same money

I don't have the room to keep both cars one would have to live outside in the weather

Any hints and ideas would be appreciated I was originally waiting for X350 XJR,s to come down a bit more which they haven't

The only reason I am thinking about the XJ is it has a lot of nice styling mods done already by the current owner has a well documented history from new and is a very reasonable price

The owner is in a similar situation as me he has a XJ40 turbo Chasuer special order delivered to a famous Australian singer when new in his garage and he is retired now so the X350 is hardly used just to the corner shops and back and the occasional trip somewhere he said its better to use the XJ40 for that occasional use than let it sit
which is similar to me

I run my business from home have done so for years I also live in town so traffic is mental so I bought a 200cc scooter to get around instead of taking the XJR to the shops and spending hours in traffic idling and going nowhere I use the scooter and if I have to go any distance I tend to use the wife's diesel Jeep grand Cherokee again because of the traffic
if I had the room I would just put the XJR away as I believe these first generation cars will be collectors items one day

Either way any info would be appreciated funny thing about getting older decisions like this seem to get harder 10 years ago I would have just moved on bought the new one and been dreaming about the next one now I think I would miss the XJR

Having had some very collectable cars in the past and thinking when times are better ill get another only for them to get ridiculously priced and unjustifiable now makes this decision all the more harder

Wouldn't it be nice to have a climate controlled barn or shed that I could hide them away in that is close to home so I could just take my pick of which to drive at the time LOL

 

Well, I'm a newbee to X350s; having gotten our '05 just a few months ago. But we have a '97 XJ6L that we've had 16 years. We love our '97 (although the lower timing chain tensioner went out so we're not going to fix it).

The X300 is a much better looking car than the X350; my wife thinks the X350 looks like a Buick. However, the power, ride, handling, gas mileage, etc., etc., etc. are all much better than the X300. If you look at the specs of an X300 XJR (obviously not highly modified like yours but a stock SC), the X300 NA actually is about the same on 0-60 as the X300 SC.

I enjoy driving the X350 much more than the X300; a much lighter feel feel yet it grips amazingly. I wish it still looked like the X300 but was all aluminum, etc.

Anyway, no complaints here. I suggest you drive it a bit. Of course, in our case, it was obviously much quicker/responsive since our X300 is NA. So your X300 may have a bit more get up and go, but handling is going to be better on the X350.

No problems on the air ride; I like the fact that it auto-lowers at higher speed. I've heard that some people have switched to conventional, but I've gotten some sources for replacement parts that are much cheaper; I'll keep it with air suspension.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure you are really going to like it. Just pretend you are in something that looks like a Buick and enjoy the great ride!

 

Gordon, I some what agree with your wife the X350 does lose some of the lines that make the X300/308 so beautiful. I don't know about a Buick, roof line of a Lincoln maybe.

When looking I had my heart set on a X308 XJR but could not find one in decent shape. A dealer called me and asked me to look at a low mileage X350 that just got traded in. After a test drive and research showing how technically advanced the X350 is I bought it. Now a few years later I am so very happy with my decision.

As a friend said, "at a glance you can still tell it's a Cat".

 

audio-wise, you'll find the x350 just as lacking in the bass department...two 6-inch 'woofers' in the rear parcel shelf. Upgrading those to a single unit...not exactly a direct swap, does make a HUGE difference. I just disconnected mine, and mounted a 10-inch in an enclosure in the boot, amped separately, and i am very pleased now. Don't skimp on the sub, however, the boot is well insulated, so you need a powerful one...a 12 would probably be better, but I had an existing 10-inch JL 10w6.

if you want ipod control, you'll need to make sure the car has the Audio Connectivity module already, or have one installed, its a dealer supplied add-on part. There is really good documentation from previous members on here already, its all you need to get informed on part number, and installation instructions. if you car your looking at has a usb and rca port black box in the glove box or arm rest, you have the ACM, and the chord for the ipod should be there.

 

This is my first Jag. I shopped very carefully over a long period of time to get the model and price that I thought was the best deal. I steered away from the 2003 and earlier XJs because of the timing chain tensioner issues, because they feel so much less roomy (especially head room) than the 2004 and upwards models, and because of the aluminum alloy engine on the 2004+ making them drive so much better and get killer MPG.

I used to prefer the lines of the 2003- models, but now I'm actually liking the look of the 2004+ more. I see some similarities to the Buick lines and even an older model Taurus rear end, but I wouldn't trade the roominess, drive, feel, and luxury for anything else. When I drove a 1998 XJ8 I felt crouched behind the wheel and I'm under 6' tall.

I have 157,000 miles on mine, and it still drives like new.

 

Well guys I drove it today and love it bought it on the spot
Picking it up monday got higher K's than most but the guy is a fanatic like me we aee so similar

 

Well guy's drove down to Melbourne on sunday overnighted in Sydney drove the X350 this morning after seing it in the flesh bought it on the spot
The guy selling it is just like me a fanatic and perfectionist uncanny actually

Writing this on my phone so exited now just trying to figure out how I can keep the XJR as well lol
Flying down next monday to pick it up and drive it home
Thanks for the input guys ill put some pics up when I get it
Sorry for duel post stupid galaxy note 2