I'm a new member, and new to the Jaguar family...or at least, I might soon be. I am looking at a 2005 Super V8 and need some help. As a long time BMW guy, my knowledge base is pretty limited on these cars - I have searched the forum here, as well as the net, and would really appreciate a little feedback from those of you who know the brand well.

First of all, the car I am looking at is a 2005 Super V8. Gorgeous car, low miles (21k miles) and seemingly loaded.

Asking price is $28,500, which seems pretty good. Thoughts?

Any issues typical with the 2005 cars that I should alert the prepurchase inspection folks to specifically address?

On the audio front, the build sheet does not list i-pod or auxillary jack. Is it difficult to have such added? A couple of the BMW cars I have owned were not well suited for aftermarket add ons. Also, the sheet mentions "premium sound", is that a strong system, or being an audiophile, am I going to be wanting to upgrade?

I've read many reviews online for the car, and it seems like a great combination of luxury, with a fair amount of performance/sport. I know it wont handle quite like a BMW, but I'm not wild about the newer BMW cars, and the Super V8 seems like a lot of car for just under $30k.

Any thoughts from owners would be incredibly appreciated.

 

lawguy,

The Super V8's were usually loaded to begin with and had very few options. For an iPod you can add whats called an ACM (Audio Connectivity Module) and that will allow your iPod to play through the factory audio system although you can't see what track names are playing through the head unit because the stock head unit's don't support that feature. I installed the kit myself as opposed to brining it to the dealer, its quite easy but it requires disassembly of part of the interior. The premium audio system is an Alpine system with two subs on the parcel shelf behind the rear seats and the system is 320 Watt's. My car has the premium system and I am quite happy with it. The 2004-2009 XJ's are very reliable, but on the problem front keep an eye on the air compressors for the air ride suspension those are known to go bad. Some people also have problems with their throttle bodies, but that isn't extremely common. The 4.2 V8 is a very reliable motor and the ZF 6 Speed transmission is a very reliable unit, but they list it as sealed for life but the transmission fluid, pan, and filter need to be replaced at around 100,000 miles.

Hope this helps,

Mat

 

Concrats on the "almost" purchase of a Super V8. Wish I had gone for one myself instead of an XJR. Anyway, $28,500 is about right from a private seller, somewhat higher from a dealer.
The main thing to watch out for on this car is a bad air suspension component. I can cost a thousand $ + to replace 1 bad air spring. Here's how I check them out:
1. Approach the car cold (after an allnight set). Be sure nobody got there first and started the car, even for 10 seconds. Look to see that no corner is setting lower than the others. If all is OK proceed.
2. With an observer watching the back of the car for you-- get in. Sight over the leaper (hood ornament) to some fixed spot and start the car. You should see no upward movement of the car as the self adjusting ride height system checks itself out. I myself allow 3/4 of an inch. After all the machine has 6 years over the road.
3. Your observer at the rear should report little or no movement as well.

Now if the car fails the above test, ask the seller to get it fixed. It's no big deal just very expensive. Shoot, for a Super V8 with 21K miles I would offer to split the repair cost. But that's just me.

Relitive to the difficulty of adding an ipod or aux jack I have heard it's a pain but doable. You will probably find the Alpine audio system more than satisfactory. Do check for blown speakers. I have lost 2 over as many years.

Good luck. You'er going to love this car. I doubt you will ever have another BMW.

 

I thought I read some literature somewhere that said the Super V8's have a 400W sound system which is even better than the 320W premium system in the XJ8,VDP, and XJR models.

 

I'll add my bit as we own an 04 XJ8 and 07 VandenPlas - you may get electronic warning issues. These issues occur at start up and can ru the gamut of "DSC errors"..."Air suspension" errors. According to Jaguar tech, the wire harness under the J shift can cause shorts that f*cks the computer around causing it to need to be reset.

The result of this errors is that the car will start but you are stuck as the Park brakes will not come off. Also, my wife reported her car shutting down while driving on the free way and requiring a tow truck.

On both of our vehicles, Jaguar has replaced the J shift & battery.

Just putting this out there. Other than that, the car is solid mechanically but I think our poor 04 XJ8 is experiencing air pump issues - there's some ungodly sound coming from the front suspension area.

 

So did you end up buying it? $28,500 seems like a great deal for a 2005 with 21k miles. What color is it? I just saw an 05 with 30,000 miles for $27,800, and I thought that seemed like a steal for such a low mileage vehicle.