I'm in trouble: '04 Jag XJ8

[Benzadmiral]

When I say, "in trouble," I mean I'm seriously tempted to buy a second "fun" car. My local mechanic has a long-time customer with a 2004 Jaguar XJ8, one owner, 60K miles, deep steel blue over light gray leather. His father rode me back to my office in it just now. Verrrry smooth car, silent, isolating from the horrible roads (the way I like it).

Now I haven't driven it yet -- or done much research, though consumer reviews on Edmunds indicate that with its light aluminum body and chassis, it can get almost the same gas mileage (albeit on premium) as my Buick does. My regular mechanic works on these and while he admits the parts are no cheaper than a Mercedes, he likes 'em. In fact he encouraged his father to buy it!

The guy is talking about $9000. Tell me about yours.

 

[tig1]

Have plenty of money for repairs.

 

[Ausfahrt]

Go for it!

You say that it's a fun car and not a vehicle that you rely on for daily transportation. If you like it and it floats your boat, heck yeah.

 

[HerrStig]

As PT Barnum once said: "There's a 'devotee' born every minute". The cost of fuel will be the least of your expenses. Body work on AL is very expensive.

 

[JHZR2]

Didnt you say in another thread that you have to finance the purchase of the CDI or whatever car you were looking to buy as a DD?

Fun toys shouldnt be financed. If you have the cash, and can handle the upkeep and repairs, go for it.

 

[cptbarkey]

give your buick some love. detail it, buy a new stereo, floormats, wash it. then come back and think about that jag again.

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Didnt you say in another thread that you have to finance the purchase of the CDI or whatever car you were looking to buy as a DD?

Fun toys shouldnt be financed. If you have the cash, and can handle the upkeep and repairs, go for it.


Agreed, UNLESS you have the cash and simply want to credit boost of paying off a loan with minimal incurred interest.

Most, however, finance and find themselves selling the car not-running, because more than one minor repair bill was more than they could afford. This is nothing against the OP, since I don't know his financial situation, but generally good advice - thanks JHZR2

 

[eljefino]

What are the specs for suspension travel on that jag?

IIRC they were around 11 inches on my w123 mercedes. That rode pretty awesome.

I say go for it, life's short, I want to read about your trials and trevails, etc.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Oh, no; this would be a cash buy, esp. if I can get the guy to come a little lower. $8K or so is not a problem. My insurance will go up -- how much, I don't know yet -- but if it's a second car, as it would be, I'll get a discount.

As for the Buick's condition, Cptbarkley, it already looks detailed! Maybe it could use some new floormats, sure, but I'm putting a new OEM grille on it and plan to replace various interior lights that have burned out.

Don't worry, I'm not going to make a snap decision today or anything. Remember, I haven't even driven the Jaguar. But if reliability is good, if the insurance isn't too horrifying, and if I like driving the big cat, it's worth considering, no?

How about oil changes -- can they be done from on top with a Topsider?

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
What are the specs for suspension travel on that jag?

IIRC they were around 11 inches on my w123 mercedes. That rode pretty awesome.

I say go for it, life's short, I want to read about your trials and trevails, etc.

It rode very sweetly on the fairly smooth river road, but with great composure on the cracked streets around Kevin's garage. I was hardly aware of bumps. Now I never get to ride as a passenger in the Buick, so I can't compare apples to apples until I drive the Jag, but it seemed a fine ride. (Air suspension, I've read -- a red flag, as surely it would be $$$ to fix or maintain.)

 

[The_Jake]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Have plenty of money for repairs.


+1 When does your mechanic move in?

 

[MichiganMadMan]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Have plenty of money for repairs.

^TRUTH!
Save yourself the trouble: Pile $1000 up on your grill and light it on fire, but don't buy an almost 10 year old Jag.

Why do Jag owners have nice shoes? They always end up walking to their destination.

 

[rslifkin]

Those Jags aren't the most reliable things out there, but there not exactly the worst either. If it's not your only dd-able car, I wouldn't be too nervous about it.

 

[expat]

A buddy of mine bought one last year, I asked on this site about the wisdom of his purchase and got the typical $$$$$$$ Fear stories.
But todate he has had a great deal of trouble free enjoyment from the car.

I have driven it, and have to admit, although it's not my style, it's one heck of a lot of car for a few $

As a second car, go for it.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: rslifkin
Those Jags aren't the most reliable things out there, but there not exactly the worst either. If it's not your only dd-able car, I wouldn't be too nervous about it.

Right; my plan is to drive it work only 1 day a week, and cruise it some on the weekends. The highway mpg is apparently quite good, so maybe small road trips, too. As expat just wrote about a friend of his who bought one, "But todate he has had a great deal of trouble free enjoyment from the car."

That's the idea.

 

[rjundi]

If a year latter it is a disaster and loosing $3000-$4000 selling it does not bother you. Go for it.

If a $1000 is really concerning or impactful definitely pass.

A close friend drove a well taken care of $6000 540i wagon with manual transmission for 3 years/50k miles trouble free with just changing the engine oil. Something serious broke down and dumped it for $3500. $2500 for three years of a DD is good deal. Just know when to leap.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I'd hate to write a check for $1000 for a single repair, true, but I can without it being a disaster.

If I could land this one for $8K, drive it for 3 years, say 3 days a week, not get hit with major repairs (remember, the car has only 60K miles), and then sell it at not too much of a loss -- while enjoying myself and keeping maintenance and repairs up on the Buick -- why not?

Again, I'll need to drive it. That was the killer on the MB CDI Bluetec. If I don't enjoy it as much or more than the Buick, then bzzzt, never mind.

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: Benzadmiral
.... Tell me about yours.


I bought it new, for my wife, British Racing Green with Biscuit leather

At 10K, I had the dealer change the "filled for life" ATF in the ZF. They did this for free. It got a rattle in the front passenger seat belt tensioner that was replaced under warranty. It had a lazy fuel level sender that was replaced under warranty.

That's all I can think of at the moment. Still has the original battery and tires. We don't drive it that much - it has a little bit over 31,000 miles on it right now. There is an open recall for corrosion on the rear brake lines, but I've been watching those and haven't taken it in yet, mine show no corrosion.

Some cars develop a fault with the air compressor not pressurizing the system to spec within the default time. This has no effect on the suspension, but will throw a MIL. I don't like the feel of the brakes on the '04's. They have plenty of stop power, but I like a hard pedal, and the '04 does not have that. I think they went back to Teves brakes in '05.

They do ride great - the CATS suspension works superb and since the car is glued together (except for the front fenders - they're bolted on) they are far more rigid than other cars in this price class. And that is very obvious when you ride in one.

It's the most fuel efficient car in our fleet. Aluminum, very small V8, six gears equals good fuel economy. It gets 30ish on the highway. It does require premium fuel. It's only 290 HP, but feels stronger due to the light weight.

Could some major snafu hit and cost me a fortune? Yeah, I guess so, but the same could happen with one of the Pontiacs or anything else. I don't lay awake nights worrying about it. If it happens, I'll handle it. I doubt it will happen.

Yes, you can change the oil with an extractor, but you have to get the filter from underneath, after removing a huge shroud. I change the oil annually and the filter at every other change.

Most of what you read about Jaguars will be peanut gallery nonsense. PM me if you have any specific questions - I'll try to answer them.

edit: oh, insurance is no big deal, about the same as one of the Pontiacs. It gets a large car discount.

 

[bigjl]

I am glad somebody posted up a sensible opinion about this vehicle.

From '03 onwards they were much improved.

I would not even contemplate defending the reliability of the XJ 40 shape though.

They deserve a reputation for lack of reliability.

If it drives as it should and has been looked after correctly and you like the way it drives then go for it.

Jaguar engineers are very good when it comes to ride and handling.

Take the X Type for example, a Mk3 Mondeo with a dress.

But the input from Jaguar means it is a much more desirable vehicle, not just because of the much improved interior and 4wd.

They seem to ride better.

I don't think the OP will be able to find a car for that kind of money that has the ride and handling of that model of Jaguar.

 

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted By: bigjl
I would not even contemplate defending the reliability of the XJ 40 shape though.

They deserve a reputation for lack of reliability.


Interesting... I've always thought of the XJ40 as quirky, but fairly reliable (and heard that they were one of the better Jags for reliability, certainly better than a Series I/II/III XJ6 or any V12 Jag). I've got a family member with an 88 XJ40 Vanden Plas (3.6 / ZF auto) with 77k miles. It still runs and drives great (despite being a little under-maintained other than oil changes). It handles a lot better than I'd expect for a 4000lb land yacht on 205s too. It had an AC issue and a rear suspension issue that were resolved under warranty when it was fairly new.

Other than that, it's been pretty good. The only real issues are as follows: The brakes are super-heavy due to a dead nitrogen bladder in the brake system (not a hard fix, just haven't done it yet), and one of the displays on the digital dash only works sometimes (just a cracked solder joint, another easy fix). The ABS doesn't work, most likely due to the nitrogen bladder issue (and that's pretty much a non-problem anyway).

The X-type and S-type were just pieces of [censored] from everything I've seen. The X308 XJ8s seem to hold up well though.