... for now!
Hi guys and girls, just a quick one to say hi and let you know I'm lurking.
I am new to the site and have not owned a jaguar yet but looking into getting an XJ, Sport possibly.
Will be here in the meantime soaking up the knowledge.
Oh, currently own an Audi S3 and Ducati Monster to play about on.
Catch you all around.

 

Don't count out the R models! Excellent value for money, and very stout and reliable.

Welcome!

 

The price difference between an XJ Sport and XJR is minimal, go for the s/c - it is only a few fractions of a second slower to 60m/100k than an '09 S3...

 

Welcome on the forum, I did the lurking for 2 years before I finally found the right one.
It gave me tons of information which was very useful in rejecting several cars.
You can look for a post from Stu 1986 who is restoring a 3.2 Sport right now, useful info.

Yes, they are beautiful for the money, but not everyone is looking for one.
I myself decided for an N/A as they are easier to work on with less things which can break .
I really do not need the extra power for this car due to very strict speed limitations (and enforcement) here.
After almost 3 years I still stand for that decision, and love cruising around in all the luxury.

 

I don't own the NA cars, purely because of reliability issues. As someone who has rebuilt transmissions, specifically ZF 5HP24s, I on principle will not own an N/A V8 X308. I have only once seen a well maintained 722.6 Mercedes unit fail with less than 250k miles; but PLENTY of well maintained relatively low mile (sub 100k) ZF 5sp 5HP24s fail. You can make them more reliable than factory, but if I had to choose between a ZF and a Mercedes gearbox, I will generally go for the Mercedes unit. I will concede that the 6sp ZF 6HP26 (03+ XKs, 04+ XJs) is a very solid unit and many lessons learned with their 5sp were applied there, and I wouldn't hesitate to own a Jaguar with one.

The extra power is nice, but no VVT and a better transmission are big deals. The S/C related changes to where I have to maintain a supercharger, as well as complexity related to jobs like hoses and injectors, are less of an issue to me than gearbox rebuilds.

 

Thanks for the welcome.
I have been reading Stu 1986 's posts on his restoration and it is a cracking read.