I am supposed to be looking at a 2000 XJR and thought I would ask those with experience what I should be looking for? The car has 88K miles.

I know tensioners are an issue and I should be looking for maintenance history. Any other items that I should be specifically on the look out for? Do these vehicles have weak transmissions or is there some particular item that I should know about?

By way of background, back in the 90s, I had an XJS. Other than that, I test drove an X-Type 2.5 and most recently, I test drove a 93 XJ6 that I am very tempted by. While I don't have tons of experience driving Jaguars, I have never driven a Jaguar that I didn't want to bring home. The handling and power delivery of a great running Jaguar is pretty intoxicating.

Problem is that because I like the brand so much, I feel like it would be all too easy to overlook costly problems so any help is greatly appreciated.

All the best,

Jason

 

You know about the tensioners, trannys in the R models are pretty much bullet proof, nikasil cylinder liners might be an issue on that year, search the forums for more info on that.

Water pump and housing can be a problem and should have been replaced, also the original throttle body could cause some problems, see if it has been replaced.

Suspension bushings can go bad about that mileage and so can wheel bearings.

Supercharger oil can be changed, so can tranny fluid, do some searching for details on that too.

Print out the checklist in the first post here: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...k-links-20090/ and take it with you to look at the car. Do it!

Make sure everything is there (mine was missing both cig lighters and the front ashtray, I'll never use them, but they are expensive to replace and the dealer took care of it) and make sure everything, and I mean everything works. Every switch, light, electronic component, seat heaters, power antenna, etc. These will all be expensive to repair later.

Check for bent rims, 3 of my 18" wheels were bent. (I missed that in my inspection, even though the word "bent" was written inside the wheels, duh.)

Get underneath the car on ramps or a lift and look for leaks, missing parts (brake and alternator cooling ducts are commonly lost) and evidence of recent or shoddy work.

I took 3 years to find my XJR and I passed on a lot of cars in that time due to various issues. If this one isn't right, another one will come along, just like buying horses, airplanes or boats! (Some say this about gals too, but that is another discussion, lol!)

Good luck and enjoy the hunt!

Vector

 

Do it.

 

I live about 20 min from you. If you want, I can meet you and look at the car with you (four eyes vs. two!). Let me know.

 

Daniel,

Wow that would be very generous of you. I will PM you and we can exchange contact information. It would be great to make some like minded friends in the desert.

In the meantime, I am about to head out to Diamond Bar to look at a 2000 XJR with 88k on the clock. The owner inherited the car from her mother so it will be interesting to see what the paperwork discloses.

I am excited to sample an XJR as I havn't driven a supercharged Jaguar before. I will let you all know what I find when I get back.

Vector,

I wanted to thank you for pointing out the link to the checklist along with the other tips. This will be helpful as I look at the car.

Thanks,

Jason

 

Jason,
I'm glad I could help. The "thanks" button is on the lower right of each post, lol!

Good luck in your search!
Vector

 

So went to look at the car in Diamond Bar and it was a bit of a pig. Apparently the car has been in multiple accidents and was subjected to a poor paint job.

When I got to the car it was already warm as if it had been driven so no way to tell if there was a grinding when started but then there were so many other noises to listen to.

At 30 MPH there was a drive shaft noise and thumping that could be felt in the center of the car. I expect these are carrier joints or possibly mounts that need to be replaced. Then there was the smell of burning antifreeze that my wife smelled after running for 10 minutes. Power steering pump that was causing notchy feeling coming through the steering wheel. Warnings about low coolant, No ASC or Traction Control and ABS warning lights.

A strange grinding noise from the supercharger and many of the windows/locks power accessories were either non op or worked by were hanging out of the sockets.

As we were walking around the car, my wife (who usually doesn't spot these things) noticed that left rear door was no aligned properly which then led to the discovery that a motorcycle had made contact with car.

All in all if I had the space, I might have give $2000 to part the car out. It had a lot of good pieces and brand new chrome wheels and tires so there was money to be made on the car but as a driver I think it was too far gone for my skill level.

So the hunt will continue and I appreciate everyone's advice as it really did help me as I tried my first XJR. Now I would kind of like to drive a nice one for comparison. Hopefully I will find one soon.

Thanks,

Jason

 

Jason, come and look at my XJR. When you drive it, you'll realize how wonderfully these cars drove when new. I'm not too far from you.

 

There is a *very* clean 1999 in San Dimas with a little higher miles (156K) but in VERY clean condition- I almost bought it but we couldn't quite agree on a price plus I ran across a sweet deal on an XK8.

It is worth checking out, and has been taken care of as far as I could tell.

 

Tirefriar,

Thanks for the invite to look at your car. I will PM you to find out where you are located and when you can show your car.

Again thanks for your input.

Jason

 

Dsnyder,

The milage is a bit higher than I prefer to go. Ideally I would like to stay 100k or under. It is just a personal hang up about mileage.

Good luck with your XK8. They are fantastic automobiles.

Jason

 

Definitely look at Tirefriar's R, it is very well kept and is a good example of what you are looking for.

 

I would love to but unfortunately my budget is about $7,000 and Tirefriar's car deserves ,the $10,000 he is asking (from what I can tell). To clarify, I would love and R but at this point I would be willing to settle for a good XJ40, XJ300, XJ308. To be honest, I havn't entirely ruled out an S-Type 4.0 or even an X-Type.

I can make a good argument for a smaller nimble Jag like the X-type and I can also appreciate the size and pleasure of driving a full sized XJ. I guess the S-Type I just kind of dig the retro style design and if I (dare I dream) could find and S-Type R, I think I could love that too.

Maybe I just need to shake some coins out of my couch cushions and take a look at Tirefrier's R. Perhaps $7,000 is not realistic for a quality car.

Thanks,

Jason

 

It never hurts to look!

 

"They" say when shopping for a puppy, before you leave the house to go "window shopping only" make sure you have everything you will need for that puppy when you bring it home that day.

 

You are probably correct. Plus there is nothing more expensive to maintain than a cheap Jaguar.
Vector

 

Well, I am happy to look at it and am hoping I might have a chance in mid April at the Queens english car show in Van Nuys.

The main reason I didn't just want to "kick" Tirefriar's tires is out of respect for Tirefriar's time.

It would be easy enough, I suppose; to just smile and take the car for a spin but why waste his time, if I know I am about $3,000 short of his asking price. I like people to be honest and straight forward with me and I try to give the same courtesy to others.

I would like to think that I will have an opportunity to meet some of the people assembled here and I would hate to develop a reputation for misleading others.

Its all good. I am pretty sure with everyone's help, I will find the right car (or cars....How nice to have a couple of Jaguars in the garage). I am similarly certain that Tirefriar will find the right buyer for his Jaguar. If I have to, I will have to wait a couple of months and increase my budget. That is the nice thing about having the luxury of time. I can wait till I either find the right Jag or the right budget for the right Jaguar.

I do appreciate the support though. I just couldn't "joy ride" in someone else's car if I am not fully prepared to buy the car.

Thanks again for your help. It is always appreciated.

Jason

 

When I was shopping for my 928 I once had a friend tell me the question a perspective buyer should ask when looking at 928's is not how much does it cost but what is your budget for maintaining your 928.

I am getting the idea that the same might be true for a Jaguar. As your signature states the caring for the vehicle is part of the joy.

I agree that a "cheap" Jaguar is a mistake. I am trying to get a sense of what Jaguar is the right one for me at the moment and Tirefriar has actually made some excellent recommendation for possibly an XJ6R. I have not ruled this out as option as I am also considering a normally aspirated Jaguar as well. I have even looked at and XJ40 that was very compelling. In truth, it was the very first car I looked at in this particular search and I just felt it was not possible to appreciate the quality of that car without testing a few others. It is kind of like choosing the very first house you look at. It happens but sometimes, it is nice to sample a few other options before committing to a particular car.

Thanks,

Jason

 

Look for an 02 or 03 XJR... they are bulletproof. I've got 148k and it still retains its power, and has only giving me issues with the rubber bushings/hoses wearing out

 

I certainly will keep my eyes open. The biggest issue for me has been making time to actually look for a car. As it happens I got slammed with a couple client engagements all at once so other than scouring the online ads late at night, it has been hard to make time to look at cars. The next issue is finding a quality ride with in the budget I have allotted.

Either I will find my dream ride or I will use the time not finding the right dream car to increase the budget.

Part of the thinking is that I am only thinking about keeping a car for a couple of years. I may keep it longer but I kind of feel like my goal for a used car is really 24 months. Anything longer is bonus and if I can enjoy the car for 24 months and then let someone else enjoy the car then I am a happy camper. If I can salvage half my investment at the end of the ownership experience then I feel like the purchase was a decent experience. In my case I am looking using a car for about 20K. So really the question I have to address is can I keep a car reasonably road worthy without costly repairs for a couple of years. I am not looking for a free lunch in my next car purchase, I just don't want to have a permanent art exhibit in driveway either.

The XJR that I looked at last week would have been so labor and cost intensive, I don't think I would have enjoyed the next 24 months with car. It just had too much wrong to begin with.

Anyway, I will certainly look at the 2002-03 XJRs. Also considering Tirefriar's advice to look at the later versions of the XJ6R as a good introductory alternative. The merits seem to be, similar body style, fewer electronics and lower cost of entry. The down side is less grunt, older car. All in all, still Grace, Pace and Space. I could be a pretty happy Jaguar owner.