Hi. New member here.

I am currently in the market for my first car and my heart has been set on an XJR for several years now. I first fell in love with the XJR when I saw a x350 when I was young (always been an old soul) and after researching the car a bit more I feel in love the the x308, the lower sleeker profile seems much more like a "proper" Jaguar. I a little about me:

30 years old, single with no kids (soon to be 31 next month)
Live in NYC (manhattan) - Part of the reason this car is my first car is because I've never had the need for my own car since I moved here after college.
Well paying job, stable career trying to start a small business ties business on the side (in regards to ability to afford repair/gas costs)
No DIY experience working on cars, so I will have to get the car serviced if something goes wrong.
Car primary use: since I can get around NYC by subway, the car will be primary used as a weekend/fun car. Mainly to see family in NJ and go to events relating to my business. I've always had an emotional approach to cars and have no intensions of reselling the car, I want it to be with me for life.

I was looking for black XJR specifically. I love the understated look vs the excess chrome on the standard XJ8 or Vanden Plas. Though I did look into maybe buying a XJ8 and swapping out the grille (seen a few on ebay). It won't be the same performance wise as an XJR, but I will have the look. But it seems hard to find many x308s XJRs online in my area. I did find this one:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...0847/overview/

Looks to need a little TLC. Purchase price is well within my budget (one of the great things about Jag depreciation), but I understand that undertaking a older Jag is not the same as a new Honda. My philosophy is life is too short for a boring car, and the fact that it won't be a everyday car might "lessen the blow" a bit.

Should I pull the trigger? If the XJR above is a bad buy, are there specialist out there that can help me source a good example? Maybe I will need to get one out of state?

 

Do you have a garage at your residence? These cars are too nice to park on the street every night. Without any DIY skills you'll spend a bit on maintenance and repairs.

 

I say yes. But yeah, definitely will have to wrench on it yourself. If you don't know how, you could learn. If it's not your thing to work on cars, find a good independent shop.

That is a beautiful XJR! Finding an XJR is hard enough. There aren't many of them on the market. The good thing about the xjr is the MB trans. Very stout trans. There are many good things about the xjr. Ask the owner if at least the upper timing chain tensioners have been done. Lookout for coolant leaks. Also, ask for any service/repair history.

 

I would go with an XJR based on your wants. $6k for an XJR w/ 120k miles is too much, unless it has all the maintenance to back it up (ie timing chain tensioners and more). If you're not a DIY type of person when it comes to cars, it's good to at least know about the car in case something goes wrong with it and it's a simple fix, then you can at least make it back home. Also, the 03 XJR's are probably the ones to get.

 

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...ting=219932165

2003 XJR

You will need a good mechanic & best to pay to have it inspected b4 purchase.
Your local Jaguar club will have recommendations for good Indy mechanics.

 

An X308 is a great first car. I have an ‘02 XJR just like the one you’re interested in and after doing some routine maintenance things like replacing bushings, it has been almost trouble free. I bought it six years ago with 50k miles and I have 80k miles now. Like with any car, some people have reported having lemons while others have had great experiences like I have.

The best year to get is an ‘03. It’s the last year and all the issues were sorted out. The biggest issue prior to ‘03 was the timing chain tensioners and guides but in ‘03 they used metal So problem solved. My ‘02 had plastic so I replaced the secondary tensioners with metal. If you buy anything other than an ‘03, you must verify at least the secondary tensioners were replaced with metal ones!

Also like with any car, you should take your time and buy the best example you can find. If I were to do it again, I would have bought an ‘03. I still might at some point. I’d love to have an ‘03 Super V8 but I’d have to sell my XJR.

The car you found needs the driver seat refurbished, which is no big deal. A leather specialist can respray it and it’ll look brand new. Not too expensive. At least one of the wood panels on the door has cracks and that can be redone too. There’s a place in Arizona (the name escapes me but I can figure it out if you want) that does amazing woodwork on cars. I don’t think this car is a “deal” as you can find a lower mileage car in better condition. You’d probably pay more but it’d be worth it. Also, make sure you buy from a good owner with service records. That’s critical. Look all over the country on AutoTrader and Cars.com.

So yes, buy an XJR!!

 

That would be a nice car for a guy with a garage, tools and mechanical ability. A 10 year old Honda Accord or Toyota Camry (purchased in the south and driven back north) would be a way better choice for a first car than a 20 year old Jag.

You are totally correct it would be a great weekend driver and a car to drive to a few hundred miles on those trips, but plan on dumping $1,000's into it shortly after you purchase it.

Stuff like the foam in the suspension goes bad. A Shop will charge you $1000 to replace $60 worth of Foam. If it has CATS shocks, they are $400/Each. Install would be another $1000. The broken Cup holder will cost $200 to fix.

This stuff is all easy to fix, but you need a garage and tools.