There is one available but it has over a 160K miles. I don’t trust a 98-01 one.

 

If it has a complete and up to date service history, and the hotspots (cooling, etc) have been addressed, then you should be able to get another 100k out of it if you keep up with things. Otherwise, it'd have to be a VERY good price to entice me with that many miles.

 

I agree, it would have to be a really good price, and I would still prefer to pay more for a much lower mileage example, they are out there.

 

I have 255K miles on my 98’ XJR with the original engine. It doesn’t matter if it was a Toyota, Honda or a Nissan with that many miles, it really all depends on how well kept up it was. Unless they don’t have any receipts, plan on spending some money on it after you get it.

 

98-01 is just as good if the timing chain tensioners have been done. And even like the first two months of 02 production were subject to tensioner failure. You can search and find the engine build date when they switched.

But if the current candidate is cosmetically excellent, then it could be a good deal with the high mileage as everyone has said it just depends. Even with religious scheduled maintenance even Honda cars start needing a LOT of work starting around 15 to 20 years depending on the climate and storage. You can kind of deduce from the mileage that bearings, bushings, electrical contacts, etc. have theoretically suffered more friction wear than a much lower mileage car. However, friction wear is partly a function of that religious maintenance, but also a function of obsessive-compulsive cleaning and more importantly, the previous owner's AVOIDANCE of letting the car get dirty in the first place. Not many are obsessive enough to take all the electrical components apart to clean the contacts after a dust storm. However some owners watch the weather forecast and choose to leave the Jaguar in the garage during bad weather, drive out of their way to avoid construction zones, never leave the top/windows down, etc.

Regardless of mileage, there's also deterioration and corrosion. They'll leak, squeak and freak out occasionally as every part made out of plastic, rubber, vinyl and other organic materials start to break down. How it was stored when not in use makes a big difference. Out in the sun in San Diego for 17 years and it'd be toast already from the exposure to ultraviolent light, ozone gas, extremes of temperature and humidity. In a dark garage during the daylight hours all of those 17 years and it could still have a long way to go before everything breaks down. Under a cover in a dark garage for 17 years in a mild climate and it may be better than another car with half the mileage. Parked under a tree for years it may have polished up to look great, but every nook and cranny that you can't see into is filled with moist pollen dust, leaf litter and maybe even tiny critters. You don't really know that storage history and might not want to trust what the seller tells you about it so if you're seriously interested, I'd suggest to spend $300 or so and have an independent Jaguar mechanic inspect it and tell you what all he expects it will need in the next XX,000 miles that you plan to put on it.

 

I'd do a quick check of kbb.com and see what they go for with 1/2 as many miles.
It's hard to believe but these beauties have dropped like stones in value and you should either be able to pick a nice slightly enjoyed version for a surprisingly low price.
Also armed with that info you should be able to make sure the 160k cat is priced accordingly.
Anything this old will need something.
If the owner can show you receipts that demonstrate they've cared for the car and stayed current with maintenance, and the price is right it might be a good choice.
Good luck!

 

I bought an 02 XJR with 150K miles. It was only $4K and it will only cost $3K to get it up to date maintenance wise.

 

I bought a XJR 2002 with 210K and have driven it now for 6 months without any problems.
It needs a little cosmetic work but I decided not to do that until I know the engine is good.
Living in Spain, the car has no rust at all anywhere.

I am now doing a complete service on the car that costs less than a 1000 Euro in tools, parts & material, following the jaguar service manual.
- Changing engine, transmission and differential oils (and filters)
- Flusing brake fluid
- Replacing fuel filter, air filter, spark plugs and cleaning the throttle body.
- Flushing coolant and replacing the thermostat.
I would check if there are any signs of oil & coolant leaks around the engine and transmission.
Maybe you can check the transmission oil if you have a oil pump: stick it in the transmission oil filler and suck a little bit out to inspect.

Big thanks to all forum members: there is tons of usefull info on this forum.

 

4 years ago I purchased my most recent/current 2000 base model @ 160K, it was priced right w/ all the timing components upgraded. Mind you I knew what I was getting into as I owned a LWB previously. It's completely sorted now & just breached 170K, it would take a pretty penny for it to leave my hands now.

 

I'm in the same dilemma as OP, kinda. Once my 02 sport sells, I'll probably fix my 2003 xjr r1. 170k miles. Interior and exterior are in amazing shape. I look at 500 Abarths, CL55 amg's the NA ones and few similar cars to those, as my daily driver. But the xjr always draws me.

 

hello, as stated above you can check the build date make sure the timing components have been upgraded. I have 2 2002 xjr's. One thru a rod and I'm working on it. The other I bought about 6 months ago was running fine now has misfire but hope nothing serious.
last car bought for only $1,500.00. nice paint good body good interior, driver seat back not so good. p zero tires still on car, just had some minor problems when I bought it, well this one has the older
timing components but still a good deal as I if you can do mechanical work it isn't too hard to replace these and the parts are getting less expensive.