I’m 22 and have been in love with jaguars ever since I saw my first beat up jag (I was 17, it was a S type from the 90’s or early 2000’s with a lot of issues). I’ve been obsessed with them ever since but never thought I could afford one, (I thought it would be like owning an Audi or Mercedes maintenance wise)

i have some money coming in soon and from the research I’ve been doing these last few weeks it looks like the 350/358’s are just as reliable as my Buick LeSabre CC (ignoring the suspension ofc). And with buying parts from RockAuto they will be the same cost as parts for my current car.

I like the look of the 358 more than the 350 but doing a retrofit is a lot of work and a lot of parts, from the Little bit of x-Dave’s post I read. I’ve been looking into the Wald Bison kit and that’s in my price range but I’d want to install it my self, the intrusions make it seem like a simple bolt on. Hour or two job (each part) and done, does that sound right?

i plan on doing all maintenance on the car my self (will also be a big learning process), what tools do I need to work on a jag (like special tools only for this car).

im planning on spending anywhere from free to 20K, would be willing to go up to 30K if it’s the right deal, looking to get a LWB Executive or Portfolio Ed.

I have a list of mods I plan on doing to make my future jag a one of kind while still keeping the look we all know and love. Hopefully in 10-20 years I’ll be bringing it to car shows (my Buick will be my winter car, when the jag hits 200k it will no longer be a daily driver)

 

Look at the Sticky's at the top of the page.
There is a section for the information you are after.
Good hunting

 

AJ170,

I love your enthusiasm for these underrated old Jags! They are extremely well built and I find them (mostly) quite satisfying to work on. Find a good one and drive it and enjoy it. As a reference point, my 05 Super V8 has cost about $5000 per year to keep in top condition while covering 20,000 miles. I have done 80% of the work myself. I don't think you will have to spend anywhere near 20k to get a well maintained uncrashed example. In fact 20-30k will get you a very low mileage show car that you might feel guilty about using and modding. Since you want to drive the pants off it anyway I think you should go for a car that's had a life and done some miles. Try to find a well maintained example for 10k or less and bank the rest of your money for upkeep! Take your time and ask the forum lots of questions -- and be picky. It took more than a year to find my car.

Good Luck
Jeff

 

You’re talking about the post that mentions what’s common to go out?

ive bought three used cars and each one has thought me something new to look for when buying a car, my first car thought me to check the roof of the hood for stains. I meant things like that you learn from experience. Wasn’t sure if the jag had something special to keep an eye on.

 

so you think a x350 with 50k miles would cost the same maintenance wise as a x350 with 100k or 120k? I’m thinking longevity. (Ignoring air suspension, as soon as something breaks and it’s not a cheap 1-2 day fix I’ll be swapping to coils).

also $5,000 (USD) a year seems like a lot of money with 80% of that being your work. I don’t plan on doing any performance mods to the car other than upgrading the exhaust (Quicksilver) and I also don’t plan on full on racing it, maybe a pull here and there but that’d be it not sure if that would make a difference. Also can I buy parts from RockAuto? I haven’t seen anyone mention it (also haven’t searched) but parts are really cheap there.

 

$5000 a year IS a lot of money. That was my point. In my experience, old luxury cars that spend most of their lives sitting (like a 2005 Jag with 50,000 mi) tend to have just as many problems as old cars that have been driven consistently, sometimes more. Everything you need to know about common failures with these cars is in the "Sticky Threads" section at the top of the forum. What goes wrong with your particular car is a matter of how it's been maintained and luck.

 

I bought my 2 owner 2004 w/ 90K miles for $3750. I've put 18K miles on my baby in 11 months. I do all the work myself and everything works in the car as it should. I do oil changes w/ synthetic every 3K miles, new air cleaner, 3 coil packs, new MAF, fixed a leak in the AC system (and re-charge), new brakes all around, headlight bulb. May sound like a lot, but it has not been bad to do the work. It's my daily, but I have other cars/trucks I use. Just keep up w/ the car and don't let any problems pile up. I like keep the car always running 100%.

It's horrible in the snow (it was just a dusting). I wish I more knowledgeable on the way the computer modules operate w/ one another. I chased a tranny issue for a month and it ended up being something silly. I want a x358 now with a black interior.

I love love love driving my x350.

 

One thing I never thought of until I'd purchased, was the difference in the seats. My XJR has the sports seats, and while I have gotten used to them, I think I would have been happier with the VDP, or even the base seats. Other than that it has been a pretty good experience so far. it came in at 111k miles, I've replaced most of the steering / suspension, it already had a coil-over kit installed. It also needed brought back to stock, as the Previous owner had installed a cone air filter, and eliminated the rear mufflers. I kept the tubular intake but mated it to a stock air box & AFM. I was driving in traffic with a lot of pickups, and realized with the rear mufflers removed that it sounded just like one of the pickups, so that had to go.

 

Here you AJ, go & do some reading

Sticky

What to look out for in an X350 - you need to know!&

(Multi-page thread 1 2 3 ... Last Page)
Thread Rating: 3 votes, 5.00 average.Cambo on 03-02-2014
09-28-2021 09:46 AM
by mc690 Go to last post
92
125,245

 

ive watched videos on different mufflers and straight pipes on the x350’s and straight pipe sounds horrible, I can imagine what yours sounded like in person. What muffler did you go with? From YouTube videos I think the quicksilver sounds the best, as you let off the gas it sounds like it’s purring.

as for the seats that’s one thing I’m worried about, I don’t have any rentals within a 1-2 hour drive where I can sit in a 350/358 and see if it’s even comfortable. I’ve seen a few posts where people were talking about the two or three different types of seats and how they swapped them.

 

sounds like normal car maintenance for any car when they hit 100k (not sure what MAF is). I had more wrong with my LeSabre I bought at 98k miles (1 owner and was a man in his 70’s) and once I hit 115k was when everything started to break.

Entire breaking system was redone
tranny is going out
air suspension is nearly shot
new coil packs and plugs
my AC has a leak as well
heated seats don’t work :cry:
heater only works on half of the car
Most of that stuff is recent and can’t work on it due to the weather.

i learned how to drive in a 1993 firebird (RWD V6) and also had to learn how to drive in the snow in her. The jag is a lot longer I can imagine trying to turn in it with snow on the ground.

$3K for a 04 with 90k miles is a hell of a deal wow

 

I went to a junk yard and bought a set of stock XJR tail pipes.

 

AJ -

There is so much to look for on these cars that your question becomes too big to answer cogently by one person. That's what the stickies are for.

But you asked one question and that is what did I wish I knew before I bought it?

3 things really

1. How expensive it is to repair the suspension parts. All of them.

2. How expensive parts are in general - your assumption of parts from rock auto is only partly correct, many are not available from there and they are expensive otherwise. For example

3. How complicated the cars are in general, especially the supercharged versions. In addition, all of these cars suffer delayed maintenance and you will be doing it.
The comment by JCalhooun is totally on point. 5K a year is just about right.

Mine (05 super v8) was bought for 7,250$ with 134K miles 3 years ago. Now 165K and 18K spent (don't do my own work).

The adage buy the best one you can afford is really true. You will not be able to spot all trouble before purchase. But if records exist and certain things have not been done, you can assume it needs to be done soon.

Finally, for the suspension control arms I recently looked for bushings on FCP Euro which last year were plentiful. Now they are not even listed on their site. Rubber shortage due to pandemic I assume.

And recently I had water ingress into cabin. This had been going on a long time and the ECU was slowly affected and threw codes from time to time, until finally car would not start. Luckily my mechanic was able to trace and rewire the ECU connectors. Said it took 60 man hours to do and at 110$ an hour that's ...... He charged me a more reasonable amount and told me to sell the car.

So I'm into it for about 25K total (including purchase) over 3 years and still LOTS to do - All coolant hose except valley hose need done and timing chain cover leaking plus transmission pan needs replaced - etc etc

Good luck and choose wisely - they are great cars but ....
Mike D.

 

Stayed away from the super charged Jaguars myself.
Seems to me, the N A's are less likely to be abused.
Unless it's had a several of previous owners.

 

X350 Are beautiful cars. And overall very reliable. I was 19 when I bought my first X350. My first Jaguar was a 96 XJ6 VDP.

I would look at a XJR, If you buy the 06-09 (Moving into the X358) They are easier to tune computer wise.

Currently in the fleet I have a 70 E Type Coupe BRG. 05 Jaguar Super V8, 05 Jaguar XJR, And a 94 XJS.

 

AJ170, welcome to the world of X350/X358! These are amazing cars with lots of little quarks. I am relatively new to Jags, but not to vehicles. My approach is this:These are all my main suggestions. If you get a good foundation then ownership will likely be a great experience without too many unexpected costs. If you get something that has had a more questionable history than the probability of more significant issues will increase. Most of the issues I've had didn't require much money, just some elbow grease.

Beyond all of this, the best advice I can give you is to do saved search, with notifications activated, on Row52 or your local pick & pulls for 2004-2010 jaguar xj. As soon as you get notified, gather up a nice set of tools and head to the car. Spend a whole day or an afternoon stripping the car. The interior, trunk, engine parts, front and rear bumpers, etc... This is the best way to learn the car and how to take it apart, without breaking parts on yours. Then you can also buy some of the sensors that you think might be good for troubleshooting or as spares for cheap. Get the MAP, MAF, FRP, rear back up sensors, some ignition coils, fuel pump, some modules, just whatever you think might be worthwhile. You can get quite a lot for under $100. You can also get the headlights cheap, including the ballasts, if yours happens to be HID equipped. The best source of engine sensors is a car that ended its life in an accident. That tells you the car was running when it met its fate and the sensors are all good. Many engine parts are common in the V8 equipped X-types and S-types, so I would have them included in my search. Another route is to source a parts car of your own, if you have space. These strategies can really help save on parts and troubleshooting costs and give you a good foundation for working on the car.

Hope this helps!

 

I agree with everything Jacuar said with one one small qualifier. If you try to meet ALL of these criteria and you prefer certain models and colors, you will be looking for a long time. I looked for the perfect choice for more than a year but the car I settled on had 5 previous owners. The Carfax revealed that the first 2 had the car for 8 years combined and all service was performed at the dealer during those years. The next guy only had the car for 6 months and the 4th owner was a dealer. I purchased from the 5th owner who had the car for 2.5 years and was well meaning but not really a "car guy". What convinced me to take the chance was the CONDITION of the car and the fact that there were NO modifications. I got on a plane with wads of $100 bills with the agreement that the guy would pick me up at the airport. (If I didn't want it I would have to take a taxi back lol) Looking back, the price I paid for it was trivial compared to what I have invested in maintenance and repair since bringing it home! This is NOT a financially rational decision under the best of circumstances--it's an expensive hobby.

 

I purchased my 2005 Super V8 in April. I was very lucky to find a clean example with 76,000 miles from an owner that stayed on top of maintenance. As with any car, preventative maintenance is key. Stay on top of the fluids and other consumables (oil, coolant, brake, steering, transmission, etc) and you can prevent many problems. Most auto manufacturers have moved to longer service intervals in an effort to save themselves money when a car is covered under warranty and/or a pre-payed service plan. This doesn't help those of us that intend on driving our cars well over 100,000 miles. In my opinion 10,000 miles is too long between oil changes, spark plugs should be changed at 40,000-50,000 mile intervals instead of 100,000 miles as suggested by Jaguar. As for the transmission, there is the risk that servicing at higher mileages may in fact cause problems, but low mileage or rebuilt transmissions really should be serviced every 30,000-40,000 miles. Experience has shown that the ZF6 transmission should not be "sealed for life." My car is fitted with the 20" Sepang wheels and 255/35/20 tires. Tires are not cheap and you will want to stick with quality brands such as Pirelli, Michelin, Continental, etc or ride quality will suffer. I will be replacing the front suspension upper and lower control arms in the next few weeks, along with some new Pirelli P Zero tires and an alignment. The suspension components came from FCP Euro. I went with the Lemforder components and they aren't cheap. Overall these are great cars, but like any luxury car, parts and service are not inexpensive. The 4.2 V8 is a proven engine and should have few problems if maintained properly. If you have the capability to wrench on your own car you will save a lot of money on labor.

 

What do you wish you knew about before buying your first X350/X358?

Where I keep my ATM card.

 

There's 3 things I wish I knew about before buying a Jag:
1. Maintenance history (there's not much mentions about other works and services done to the Jag from the previous owner, other than normal stuff done by a Jaguar dealer, which was done poorly, such as broken bumper clips, a rag left in the radiator area...).
2. Common problems (such as air suspension).
3. Where to buy the best tea and biscuit .