Hi Everyone, I just joined this forum so thank you in advanced for your warm welcome. My dad just purchased a 2001 XJ8 and after driving the car I have completely in love by its presence, uniqueness and especially the interior. The XJ8 looks like nothing else on the road, and its graceful elegance demands attention and respect. I'm now thinking about buying an XJ8 vanden plas for myself. The only thing that's holding me back is the notorious reputation that Jaguar has for reliability and cost of maintenance. I currently own a 2004 BMW 325i that I love dearly and I've been blessed that my car hasn't had any issues, except for routine maintenance despite me putting on 70k miles within 2 years of owning the car. I've also owned an Acura NSX in the past so I understand the higher cost of ownership that comes with a higher end vehicle. So I'm looking for feedback and honest opinions from jaguar owners who have dealt with the good, bad and the ugly. What should I expect with repair costs..is it not too bad or should I wait until I'm a millionaire before i buy one? Thanks so much and I look forward to becoming a jaguar owner.

Will

 

Well, I bought my one-owner, 112,000 kilometres, dealer maintained '99 VDP in February of this year and other than an oil change I haven't had to do a dang thing to it (yet). I'd say that, as long as you buy a well-maintained vehicle, you shouldn't have too many problems and it shouldn't eat a massive hole in your wallet. Make sure that it's had the tensioners done on it if you're buying one that's got the 4.0L engine and make sure that it's not using any appreciable amount of oil due to Nikasil liners. Personally, I'd avoid anything prior to '99. Good luck.

 

I'm a bit more pessimistic than 99jaguarvdp. These cars have well known engine shortcomings (for pre-2002 and especially pre-2001) which may cause failure and expensive repair. Sometime past 100,000 miles it is common to have to rebuild or replace worn suspension parts. The automatic transmission has a design flaw ("front drum") which may let go. Then there are numerous gremlins arising from leaky hoses, failing sensors, and corroded electrical connections which can all be vexatious.

If you are NOT mechanically inclined, and have repairs and service done only at a Jaguar dealer, you could easily spend as much in repairs as the car cost you, to get from 75K miles to 150K. If you like to do car repair work yourself, the cost comes way way down. Of course, there is always the chance that if you have never sinned and have led a clean life, your car will sail into old age without any significant repairs. But people like that have no reason to read this board!

 

id suggest a 2003 xj8 because it was the last year for that particular body style and all the major problems common in 98-02 models had been solved. my wife and I love ours and have so far had nothing major happen aside from a couple leaky coolant lines and a new water pump was installed. went to an independent jaguar specialist, he was 40 an hour cheaper than the dealership and he did a great job

 

I'm a bit more optimistic than Boomer. ;^) But, if you are a dealer service type guy, I wouldn't advise an X308 either. From the sound of the cars you've owned, you may be a good candidate. You do need to know your car. Know what the common issues are, and be able to take care of at least the small stuff. Things like the secondary cam chain tensioners, waterpump, thermostat. I would go for the 2000-2003. The engine changed when Jag went from the AJ27 to the AJ28 V8. Personally, I don't have any problem with Nikasil, unless of course a problem actually is present. The wood and leather are very nice, but a little more delicate than in a Lexus or Merc.

 

Welcome aboard mentalist!! I graduated from a '91 XJ6 to my '03 XJ8 back in May of this year and have put nearly 10K miles on it. The folks at this forum are great and with a little patience and a well worded (meaning lots of detail) question you can solve just about any problem that you may encounter with your Kitty. Within the last 3 months I have repaired the ABS module solder joints, the "mysteriously disappearing coolant" plastic thermostat housing (which I upgraded to aluminum) and found a good used security and lock module due to the funky brake light problem. I did all of this at very reasonable cost and, thanks to the forum members who take the time to do these great write-ups with very few surprises. So go ahead and start searching for your new dream car. Just check the sticky section at the top of this forum and you'll find a great pre-purchase inspection check sheet already made up for you. Enjoy!

 

I always wanted one myself. Last year i run into a nice clean 2003 XJ8, and i had to buy it. I had put about 10,000 miles on it so far, and nothing had gone wrong. I read here to change the thermostat housing from plastic to an aluminium one, so i did, and the new one started to leak, so i went back to a plastic one (a new one). Other than that everything looks good( car has 80,000 miles now). I asked my friend, who has a transmission shop to do a transmission service just in case, and put new fluid in it,
The only issue that i have with the car is that the smal sunroof panel is not attached to the main one. Also the headliner started to sag just a bit over the rear seats. I suposed that they had used the same material/glue as some of the europeans Ford use - had that problem with couple of them. I will give it to a sunroof shop, so they can do both jobs at the same time - sunroof and headliner.
Great car, and smells like nothing else

 

Will:
Notice that most of the raves are from relatively new owners. Heed what Booner says. If you do most service yourself, these cars can be a relatively good deal. Otherwise, keep as much in the bank for potential repairs as you spend on the car. That said, my wife and I own 3 X-308s.

 

I would say it's a magnificent car. I've only had one mechanical issue (which is sporadic, resulted in an MAF so far), in 10,000 miles of ownership. My car was made in 09/01, so it's great. It had a spotty maintenance history when I bought it at 40k with sludge rather than oil! it had only done 90 miles in the whole of 2010 (bought it in September), but I knew it was a good car.

I'm not a new owner, it's just a well made car. It won the Top Gear survey (for owner satisfaction), #1 in 2002, and #2 in 2003, of all cars in the UK. Great machine.

 

Thanks for all the great advice guys, I think I'm going to postpone my purchase and see how my dad's newly purchased 2001 XJ8 holds up and luckily he enjoys driving my 3 series so the opportunity for trading cars and driving the jag is always available. I must say that after driving Jag a few times, my 3 series no longer gives me a sense of occasion and that feeling of being special when I get into it.

 

Yes, thats what I bought in March this year. I have done some simple repairs myself, and my most expensive repair was the fuel pump, which was 880 with the tow.

I also had the rear shock isolators replaced thinking it would eliminate the sound of loose lumber in the trunk every time I ran over a tiny pebble.

WRONG!! that was a total waste of money. Some day I will determine what the noise is, just not now.

Overall it drives fine, a bit a whining in low gear.

Good luck.

 

I have a 1998 vdp and I am in love with. It has 140k miles on the odometer. The previous owner was meticulous about the service records so I know exactly whats been done to it. When I got it the only thing that was wrong with it was the drivers window wouldn't work but that was an EASY fix (hard boot). I would definitely recommend a 1998 & I disagree w/those saying otherwise. That being said The previous owner had the tranny & ac rebuilt @ a pretty penny. Other than that the only breakdowns were things you would expect on any other car, i.e: water pump, wheel bearings, headlight, etc. I have had one breakdown since I got it a month & 1/2 ago. The tensioner pulley for the serpentine belt went bad. $581. If you were to get one I would definitely suggest having a detailed service record of everything that's been done to it.

 

Kevin:
You did not mention if the secondary chain tensioners had been replaced. If not, I recommend you look into the archives about the potential engine failure that can result.

If you believe my post as saying that the XJ8 is a bad purchase, you are wrong. My poit is that it should be purchased with your eyes open to the potential problems. And you are a little presumptuous to rave after a month and a half with one breakdown, methinks.

 

WOAH NELLIE!!!! $581 for a $24.00 pulley????

I don't think the book even gives them that much time.

 

While I appreciate Kevin's enthusiasm for the car (I love mine, too) he is apparently a pretty tolerant fellow.

 

The key is to get one that has been properly maintained -- the early cars (2000 and older) will have needed more work done to them. I see many like my 02 R that has spent its life in a garage and has covered 50k. Be careful of the third owner selling his car after 4 years with 125k on it - often they need a lot. Jaguars reputation is not deserved after about 1992 -- and especially after the x300 of 1995.

Spending the extra couple of thousand dollars will save you dollars and frustration down the road. Like any aging luxury car they are best owned by someone with a little wrench ability - otherwise you will be at the mercy of a mechanic ......... and many are not well informed with the x308.

They will all need the front suspension work at 90-100k and eventually the headliner work --- and I never use the vent position on the sunroof.

 

you mentioned a sunroof shop - where? is there one in Houston? Thanks

 

Hi all. I'm new to the forum. I about to pull the trigger on a 2003 X308 with 200,000 miles on it. Has decent maintenance history. Recent repairs include: 1. Water pump replacement. 2. Oil pan gasket replacement. 3. Thermostat replacement. 4. Wheel bearing and hub's replacements. 5. Rear axle seal replacement . 6. Oil changes done religiously every 6K miles. 7. Wheel bearing seal replacement. 8. Valve cover gasket replacement 9. Drive belts changed. All service documented on Carfax. I checked for rust (none) and she drives exellent. I'm fairly handy with cars but relatively new to Jags of this vintage & leery of the V8. I've heard great things about the straight 6 and test drove one but this V8 is intoxicating I must say. It's a cheap buy ($1700). Any thoughts/advice?? Wasn't sure if the plastic timing guide still existed on the XJ late 02/03 models and would like to confirm if these are still steel bodies. Thanks guy's. Great forum!

 

You should not be disappointed in that car. $1700 is truly a steal and as far the engine
in these cars....with even sparse maintenance they are practically bulletproof. The only
issues you might encounter concern the hoses and other rubber parts that are now 20
years old and can be brittle. The timing and tensioners on that model are the upgraded
ones and are fairly trouble free.

 

There is always plastic on the chain guides. But the tensioners and guide body are metal. Somewhere 2002 came the last upgrade to the timing chain setup. Remember that parts are still expensive as they were when new. So even the car is cheap, parts aren't, always. Past owners makes huge difference how good the car is after 20 years. Ownerships starts to show greatly. This era jag was a bit complicated when new and it is now same thing. If buyer has been working on simple cars before. These could be overwhelming for starters. My car has upgraded secondary tensioners. But I think primary stuff is not touched. 160 000km and nothing wrong with the engine. Clearly valve stem seals are a bit worn. Car has had some troubles yes, but troubles with 20yo car is nothing new. Price and or difficulty to diagnose is next level when compared to the cheap cheap cars. But easily cheaper than same age S series MB or 7 series Bmw. And maybe easier too. If buyer can and is willing to do basic repair by itself thereby learning what has been bought, it is always cheaper.