Hello all,

I am getting ready to purchase a new (to me) Jag and wanted to get everyone's opinion, and make sure I am not avoiding any major pitfalls.

The car i'm looking at is a 2001 XJR 100. I've read up on them, one of 500, special wheels/brakes/interior/exterior/transmission, but seems that the motor is the same as the regular XJR.

The car has approx 55,000 on it. It acquired mileage normally while it was new, then apparently was off the grid for 5 years, and now is around again.

I am fairly mechanical, (rebuilt motors, did a head gasket on my old E28, and on my C230 Kompressor) so i'm not afraid to get my hands dirty, but i'm also not very knowledgeable about these cars.

I have put a couple hundred miles on it. Everything works as it should, I presume the secondary tensioners are original and will need to be replaced.

The amount of air that the AC blew at me on a hot day was extremely disappointing, but after reading here, it seems that maybe there is a blower motor issue, as it was nothing more than a slight breeze. With the motors working as they should, will it move a substantial amount of air?

-Anything in particular I should look for, or be careful of?

-Also, they are asking around $7k - a reasonable price?

Thanks, Doug

 

Doug- The price is on the high end, I would say, but as you know the 100 is a special car. If the interior and paint are good, then I would think you are OK.

I would plan on doing the tensioners immediately for peace of mind if nothing else. I would scan the OBD port and make sure that in addition to no codes, it has passed the "readiness' test, or drive it for 25 miles or so to see no codes turn on the CEL.

If you decide to pass, I am sure there are others here who might want to take a look!

 

Thanks for the input Ross.

Interior and exterior are both 9/10 given the age and mileage. Rides well, and has fresh tires, which are rather $ from what I presume.

My main concern is the AC fans - when working properly should they be moving a significant amount of air into the cabin?

Also, it was represented to me that I was getting an 'excellent' deal on the car, as it would normally retail in the ~10k range. Not so much?

Doug

 

Two Comments: it's a 2001 so the metal tensioners would've been installed originally. It's an XJR100. And if it's in as good of shape as you say it is, I think the price is reasonable. (After a minor accident it looks like I'm going to get $8K from my insurance company for a 1998 XJ8 VDP with 54k on it).

 

If I could buy a low mileage XJR 100 for $7k I'd be doing it right now. I'd leave work and go get it.

 

That's a suspiciously low price for an XJR 100. That would be good price for a standard XJR with that mileage, in California.

 

Let me 1st say I'm new to Jags as I just picked up a 99 XJR that my wife uses (unless I get there 1st) last spring. The main reason I was looking at XJ8's was the fact that they are pennies on the dollar compared to new. It doesn't hurt that they are beautiful, powerful, luxurious cars to boot (win, win, win, win, win!). I agree $7k sounds like the high end. The thing that I find funny about these supposed 500 XJR100's that were sold here is how often you can find one. A while back someone out in Calli found 3 or 4. IMHO the 100's are more an exercise in badge engineering and unless you want to hang onto it as an investment (bad idea with almost any car) I wouldn't pay a premium for something that's really an XJR with bigger wheels. This is your deal to make though so that's your decision. If there's a way to check whether it's real by the VIN that would be a good start. I will say that having the big brakes would be nice and they seem to go for about $1.5k a set used so if this car has them (I believe every 100 did) and they're in good shape the premium over a vanilla XJR might be worth it. It would be nice to know why it sat for 5 years as well, regardless of what car it was. Sitting never seems to help any mechanical device...

 

just looking at autotrader in Canada, 2000 XJR with 121km (75k miles) listed for $12,000 CDN ($9,000 ish USD)

So seems like a decent price.

 

alternatively, also a 2002 XJR100 with 23km (13k miles) listed for $24k CDN (17k USD).
Understandably, very low Milage, but boy does your situation sound like a decent deal.

 

How does Canada do model years? I know in the US, 2002 was the model year for the XJR100.

 

The XJR100 is the 2002. the 2000 is an XJR i was using as a comparison. I suspect the model years are identical both sides of the border.

 

This is not entirely accurate - the metal tensioners were used by Jaguar midway through the 2001 model year, and the only way to know for sure without popping the rocker covers is to check the engine number (not the VIN) against the known cutoff date (you can find that somewhere here, or someone may chime in with it?).

A large number of 2001 MY XJ's have the plastic tensioners (mine for example).

 

Mine did too. Assembled in May 01

 

I guess the price is just about right - some people say its a great price, while others say it is high.

My friend owns a used car dealership, and he bought it at an estate sale from the family of the deceased elderly woman who bought it new. He has used it as his personal car for the last few months as he has enjoyed it.

He is offering it to me to basically break even on his purchase price (about 5.5k) and the $1.5k he put into it (tires, ect).

It seems like a fair shake to me.

I have driven several XJR's and XJ8's over the years, and always wanted one, but it was never a good time. I have always loved the body, performance, interior, and over all personality and handling of the cars. Finally it is the right time, and seems like a good price.

From what I can tell, the 100 also has a Mercedes transmission, which is an upgrade from the standard XJR?

I will plan on pulling the valve covers and inspecting the tensioners either way. My main concern is the AC blowers do not seem to move much air....and i'm hoping that is not a permanent problem, and that I don't have to pull the dash to repair it.

Either way, will update the thread once I take possession.

Thanks, Doug

 

"From what I can tell, the 100 also has a Mercedes transmission, which is an upgrade from the standard XJR?"

Both the standard XJR and the XJR 100 have the Mercedes transmission.

If the car is sound, you'd be mad not to buy it at that price. The low asking price should not prevent you from doing your due diligence, though. Check out the history and the mechanical condition of the vehicle.

 

My 2002 XJR had 2nd generation plastic tensioners so the 2001 certainly would as well unless they've been replaced.

Regarding the amount of air flow from the air conditioning vents - there should be plenty of air flow. These cars do a good job cooling the cabin when everything is working correctly. If your air flow is slow, there's probably a bad fan as you suspect.

 

Well, I picked it up. Will post some pics, and get the project list in order.

 

Here are some pics from this morning. The car is dusty from the drive home. This is my first dark colored car, and i'm finding it will be difficult to keep clean. Overall i'm very happy. Several things I will need to address quickly:

1. Amount of air the HVAC system moves, fan is noisy with minimal air. I'm going to go hunting for foam.

2. 3rd brake light is hanging there - is that a common problem?

3. No spare tire. Did the 100's come with a matching spare, or a different type of rim to fit over the brakes?

4. There seems to be a missing trim piece where the windshield molding hits the fender?

5. Secondary tensioners/timing system.

Glad to be part of the club! My wife and I have enjoyed our C class Kompressor you can see in the background so glad to bring another FI car into the fold.

The XJR will be replacing my Lincoln Mark VIII that you can also see in the garage - anyone interested?

 

Looks good, nice buy. If the door markings are correct, this is really a 2002.

There are quite a few junk yards in SoCal with XJ8s. These can provide parts your missing for peanuts. Quite possibly a replacement wheel for the spare as well (although they are available from some of the suppliers -- i.e., MotorCar LTD -- at a price).

Looks like the upper brake light is in good condition (be careful, the plastic is very brittle): use epoxy (metal to glass) in a tube at your local parts store. Be careful, it is fragile; but while you have it off, check the bulbs.

While at the auto parts store, get a can of AC Pro -- AC might just need some freon.

 

The AC actually works really well - it is just a lack of air flow.

I did some poking around today, hoping to find foam in the fan cages. I discovered that my passenger blower motor is not working - at all.

I'll probably make a separate thread to troubleshoot.