I recently bought a 98 XJR for $4000.00 with the following things already done.

•Engine was reworked in 2005 by Jaguar, they replaced the valve seats and valves, and honed
the head surfaces, cleaned the carbon on cylinders and piston heads etc.
•New tires Eagle GT's, 4 weeks ago.
•Rebuilt rear differential.
•New brake pads.
•New fuel tank and sender.
•New seals on valve cover, done just a few months ago.
•New computer under drivers seat.
•New bearings on front and rear wheels.

The rocker panels are rotting in front and back areas but does not show from the outside. Needs EGR and front seat (ripped leather) with a few quarter sized rust spots.

My question is, Is it worth fixing/replacing the rockers, rust and a paint job? or should I cut my losses and sell? Are there other inherent problems that I do not know about?

 

Basically it is down to if you like the car or not ? If you like the car, get the tools out and start welding ( or get the wallet out and get somebody to start welding ) The seat should not be too expensive from a salvage yard, Again the paint, if you can do it yourself is not too difficult, even easier if someone else dose it, but more expensive.
I am not being much help here, but if it were mine I would be getting the tools out!
As to what problems lie in store for the future ??? ( apart from verifying if it has the metal timing chain tensioners fitted or not ) A second hand car is always a bit of a gamble, admittedly considerably lessened with a bit of due diligence.
As I said, if it were mine I would be getting stuck into it, because when they are sorted an XJR is one of the best kept secrets in the motoring world, stunning to look at, comfortable to drive across continents, and an almost indecent amount of get up and go.

 

Assuming your on the east coast (since i saw this car for sale) the rust spots your describing are relatively normal for x308s. The front portion of the outer rocker, the lowest portion of the front fender where it meets the rocker, and you may want to check the posterior rear wheel arches and the portion of metal that gaps the rear bumper and tail lights. If your car was ever a winter daily driver on the east coast most likely your suffering from rust in at least one of those areas. All my bad areas were cut out and new metal has been welded in. I had also wanted an x308 xjr since '98 and would repair every spot again if i had to years down the line. Its all about how much you love it . Good luck!

 

I would say that the value of the list of work that has been done on the car is worth more than you paid for the entire car. If it has also had the metal tensioner upgrade, I would fix the EGR and the rust spots and keep it. But that's just me ;-)

 

I agree with Badger. Take advantage of the equity that has been invested so far. Clean or replace the EGR. Make sure the water pump, TST and housing, and secondary tensioners are new versions and drive it until the wheels turn square. Nobody will notice the rot in the fenders or the leather: if it bugs you, get it fixed. The rest of the car sounds like a jewel.

 

With the low cost of perfect examples spending much money on body work or other major cosmetic work normally is not worth it.

 

Yes you can buy pristine examples body wise, fairly cheap, BUT have they had the amount of new mechanical parts and very recent servicing that this car has ?
The amount of work done would pay for a fair bit of paint work / welding. Example just had 4 new Pirellis on my XJR, nearly Ł1000s. That alone is lot of welding.
I also know it is almost impossible to properly evaluate any car by description alone, and photos tend to make cars look better than they are, you idealy need to see, hear, feel, and yes even smell how it is, but as this is all being done via a computer, all we can do is offer our own opinions to a fellow forum member and hopefully guide him/her in the right general direction

 

Next time you come across a low cost perfect example, let me know please - I have not had much luck in that area.

 

Thank you all for such inspiring responses. You are right, I should keep and repair it like I originally intended.
I was discouraged by Veloce Imports Ltd out on Londonderry NH.
I brought the car to them for a complete check up of what I needed. I was given a
$ 3500.00 quote for welding, rear end seal replacement and to replace all rubber brake lines, they said they were all cracked.... After 3 days, they charged me $$174.00 and they expected me to leave my car. Well, I checked and none of my brake lines had any cracks, The welding that it needed was not as extensive as they had said and the leaking rear seal was not leaking. They did not even mention the EGR needing replacing, That was an additional charge they were going to get me with before I picked up the car which would have added another $800.00 dollars. Very deceptive and dishonest. Those are dealership tactics... So I wanted to get rid of the car if that is the kind of repair people I was going to have to deal with..... They also charged me for an inspection sticked which I did not ask for, no, I did not get a sticker because they wanted to do all the work before they gave me one... SO, I got charged twice for checking my car out... Needless to say I got my car and ran..........

 

Badger2196 -- I see them all the time? What is your definition of low cost?

The OP did not speak of miles ... but I was just looking at an 8k 2001 XJR with 74K on it ... and that was the asking price.

Any car with rust is a "no go" with me .. I have learned the hard way. I keep my cars for a while .. and I know the rust will come back.

The OP will be in for $7500.00 .. the rust will come back and he basically has a set of tires and brakes. Why did the car need a new fuel tank or diff rebuilt?

I'm not wanting to be hard on the OP .... when you buy a use luxury car hunting for the best or at least better will be the cheapest in the long run. No money in fixing interiors or bodywork when you can get them almost perfect for 4k more in cost.

 

I spent $5,000 on paint. There was no rust or body work to do. These cars have exceeded their economic life. Do it only because you REALLY like the car. Me, I would
just go ahead and fix it or find a donor car and make one really good one out of both.
I do most of my own work, but painting isn't one of my skills. Good luck