Hi,
Is it just me, or does the 03 XJR look a bit more smooth than the 2004s? I have not seen many in person so going off pics.

I've read up on some of the issues to look for on 98-03s. Do 03s have that tensioner concern as well, or was that corrected by then?

Do 04s have their own set of issues, given it was the first year of the new model?

Thanks in advance!

 

I like them both, but think the '03 is the more "classic" Jaguar shape/curves, etc. The '04-up have slightly larger passenger compartments and definitely more room in the rear, whether or not LWB. I fear that the aluminum body on the '04-up will lead to higher insurance premiums as aluminum is expensive to repair (Audi A8s suffer from this too). '03 and older would have the additional wear & tear from being older in general. From what I know, the tensioner issues were resolved by '03.

 

Do the back seats fold down in the 98-03s?

 

Agree with everything Loboy said. the '03s had all of the previous issues fixed (water pump, tensioners, nikasil) So they are a good buy, but they lose out to the Al bodied 04 cars in terms of interior space.

The rear seats don't fold down in the '04 cars either.

The other difference is looks, which is a purely personal thing. I like my X308 ('98 to '03), but you can't say the X350 ('04 onwards) is not attractive. Let us know which way you go

 

Usually big jump in price from '03 to '04. Lots of things changed.

 

The 04's and up are much more modern cars. Dual-zone (or quad-zone!) climate control, all-aluminum body, modern navigation, air suspension, xenon lights, 6-speed automatic, more interior space, on and on. The styling is subjective--they're still attractive cars, but they seem a little big and bloated to me.

Our x308s are lovely but are practically antiques in the auto world.

Check your insurance rates--USAA quoted me a premium about 33% more for an 04 over an 03, the aluminum body does mean expensive collision repairs.

The biggest negative thing about the x350s I've found is the exterior door handles, which I think are flimsy and cheap-feeling. I'm not sure why Jaguar skimped on something that you touch every time you get into the car.

TTYL
David

 

just to add my two cents

Having looked at and driven both cars- I like the 03 better. I feel like the x308 cars are the ultimate refinement of the classic jaguar "look".

The x350 was an attempt by jaguar to make a more modern car, and it its improved in many ways such as interior room, quietness and ride quality, but the proportions inside and out are a bit clumsy to my eyes and lack the elegance of the earlier cars. That being said, the earlier cars can look a bit...classic. I had some one (admittedly not an overly bright someone) in my car the other day that asked the year and was surprised to learn that the car wasn't from the 1970's.

I hope this doesn't offend any drivers of the newer cars, I still think that they are beautiful vehicles and will probably own/drive one in the natural progression of time.

 

Air suspension are the issue on 04 and up, tensioners not really an issue after 01. The door handles on 04 and up are not cheap, thats supposed to be that way( the rocking) it was designed into them so that you can rock the handles up and down to break ice that in Northern markets tend to freeze door handles and keep you from getting in the car. The 04's are faster even though bigger(lighter) But I too like the lines from 95-03 XJ's