Hey all,

Just purchased my first car and my first Jaguar yesterday... an all white '99 XJR supercharged. It came with 135k miles and isn't by any means in mint shape, but it runs (not well, but can hit 60-80mph before it starts to lurch) and that is all I can ask for when purchasing it for $1000. I've been browsing the forums for a while and am excited to start my adventure on fixing it up and getting her on the road!

Continue reading if you're interested in my hypothetical plan of attack:

The front bearings, timing chains, and rotor need to be replaced... and there is also small leak coming from under the left-hand driver's side which needs to be addressed (I think a coolant issue). I noticed this after I drove it home (1hr drive) and it was parked for some time...there was a small stain on the ground underneath.

I'm prepared to replace the gaskets as well as work on the tranny and do what I need to do to get her as close to new as possible. Some cosmetic things such as rust spots around the wheel arches and a ripped driver's chair that needs to have the electronic adjustment mechanism fixed (currently stuck in place) need to also be addressed.

Many may think I'm crazy for buying a piece of junk but I'm invested in the project and will enjoy the process. I hope to find most if not all of the parts I need online at wholesale price and volunteer my car for repair at Autoshop class at a local highshcool. Once there, students under the supervision of the teacher who is a 30 year veteran auto mechanic will do as much as they can with the resources they have to fix my car (free labour!).

After that's completed I will go to a highly qualified Jaguar restoration shop in my region and get the car checked out by those fellas...there will obviously be some fixes that I would prefer to be done professionally (hopefully not a lot however due to the $).

I expect this to be a lengthy process and one that is far more expensive than I paid for the actual car, but if i can manage to keep the work under 9k I think I will be very happy with a dream car for roughly $10,000.

Feel free to give me any opinions or advice, I am young and relatively novice at this sort of thing. Opinions to scrap the car for parts or abandon the project are expected and probably warranted but hopefully I receive mostly positive feedback haha.

Cheers everyone have a great day!

 

If you want the project and the challenge then by all means have at it.

But for $10,000 you could buy a very nice, low mileage, well cared for XJR in the 2001 -2003 range. Lot of issues were sorted out in these cars over the years and the later model you buy the better.

It is always best to buy the best Jag you can afford and if you can afford $10K to fix this one up you would be better off buying a "cream puff" from an owner who took good care of it.

You may find that after your $10K is gone, the car still needs several thousands of dollars of more work to become your "dream car."

You have the 1st gen plastic secondary timing tensioners unless they were upgraded.

The need for timing chains concerns me. I guess you mean the primary chains and guides. Gotta pull the front of the engine off to do that, not a small job. Why do you think they need to be changed? Mileage? Noise?

You say you have a coolant leak, did the previous owner let the engine overheat? Sure way to ruin an aluminum engine. If this is true you are done. Look for $4-5K to install a used engine.

Is the interior in good shape? You could spend thousands restoring a ratty interior. At the minimum you are going to have to do the headliner and drivers seat, which probably is well worn after 130K miles.

At this point the supercharger may need a rebuild or new bearings.

Water pump upgrade done? Throttle body upgrade done?

Got Nickasil liners? Compression check should tell you if all is OK there.

Suspension bushings, Shocks and shock bushings? Links and bearings? Brakes?

You don't have electronic shocks so that will save you some $.

Rust and paint can also cost thousands.

How is the audio system? Speaker foam can deteriorate, especially on the subwoofer, if you have one. Got a CD player? CD players usually quit at some point and the CD technology of the time was primitive by today's standards.

I could go on and on but I hope you can see the dollars adding up and you will still end up with a car that is worth 4-5K or so.

Good luck, and have fun if you like, but if I were you I would sell it and take the $10K and buy a better car.
Vector

 

Hi Vector,

I appreciate your insight. I currently have no funds to work with and am on a student budget which is why this will most likely be a long-term affair. If I had the capital available I would buy the best base model I could afford but unfortunately this happens to be the one.

It came down to this car vs. an 86' xj in working condition for the same price... but realistically that car would've needed some restoration as well I'd assume.

I gave the 10k budget as a maximum, and that money would have to be invested in intervals over a period of time... however ideally I would want to spend between 4-6k (considering all the free labour).

The interior is in decent shape... the headliner seems to be in good condition but the two front seats have quite a bit of wear. the wood trim panel on the drivers door has a crack through it so I'll probably want that replaced. As far as the speakers and CD player in the trunk they both work, but the antenna has been cut off of the trunk it seems.

I am not certain if it was oil, water, or coolant fluid, however that was just my assumption from reading a couple threads regarding the area of which the drip was coming from.

The paint and exterior of the vehicle is in good shape, other than a few rust spots maybe an inch or two wide on a couple of the arches. They should be fixable without having to get a new body part, but yes the sanding application or welding along with the paint will be an expensive fix ... maybe one of the more pricey fixes of the project.

To be completely frank with you though most of these fixes I hypothesized were assumptions...both the seller and I didn't know much about the true condition of the car. All he suggested was that I replace/fix the front bearings, get an oil change, and clean her and then I'll be good to go...but on a car with this mileage and the way it would stutter when at higher speeds makes me think there could be more to it... Also it stalled on me on the way home when I came to a stop at a light.

I stated that I should get a rotor replacement just due to the age and that the brakes are pretty soft... It's not necessary but I just want to make it as pristine and smooth as possible.

Given my description, as rough and as inconclusive as it is ... do you think that if I really invest my effort into finding the cheapest quality parts, utilize as much free labour as I can, etc. and commit to the project ... Is it realistic for me to hope for a clean, strong running Jag within my 4-6k budget?

Thanks for your help and advice.

 

I think $10k is not enough. It will be a very-very long process but you've got it better than i got in Russia - all the parts you can get in several days and we must wait for 3-4 weeks to get what you want from UK or Germany. Not a lot of parts in stock in Russia and if you got some sellers are selling it 300% price more so if you want something quick it would be very expensive.
Anyway i wish you a luck to get it sorted everything soon.

 

If you do not class your own time in money, then the hours spent trawling the junk yards/ interweb are free.


If on the other hand you put a price on your time, sourcing parts can be very expensive... even before you pay for the part.


Used uprights with good bearings, seats etc can be got from breakers/ junk yards relatively cheap.


Brakes, oil, plugs etc are not expensive new.


However you decide to proceed, good luck with the project.

 

I would go along with Vector: maybe a much newer and better 308 for that kind of money would be a better choice. But . . . your in, so get it repaired.

The water under the car may be condensation from the A/C. No issue, leave it alone.

Why it is lurching after 80 mph would be my first concern: probably dirty throttle and MAF sensor. Maybe old plugs: lots of reasons, but need to be worked off one by one. Try a can of SEAFOAM to clean up the valves and fuel system . . . a cheap fix. Worst case: a bad throttle body. Keyword search on this forum will open up lots of threads on each of these issues.

By all means, pull the cam covers and determine whether you have metal or plastic secondary tensioners. Easy fix to do yourself. While in there peer into the machine and see how the shoes/plastic slips are on the primary tensioners. With luck, they have been replaced.

Then, TST and Water pump, hoses, belts. Easy for kiddies in class to fix, but either watch or assure the instructor is checking (or do it yourself: it's easy to do and easy to screw up).

Then brakes: if it has not been serviced for a long time you are going to have fun getting the wheels off. The front suspension: again, easy and relatively cheap unless it becomes a ball joint issue.

If it has a bad transmission, worn differential, bad ball joints, blown steering rack or blown head gasket, cost rises rapidly. The good news is the XJR came with a better tranny; the bad, there are SC maintenence needs.

You will be surprised how much good (and occassionally bad) instruction available on this forum and on YouTube for repairing this model. If the students get it on a rack, have them search the serial numbers of the engine and transmission: info that will be invaluable in the future and help determine whether either had been replaced under a recall or repair. (The stickies at the top of the forum have threads on deciphering the serial numbers).

By all means: download the drivers' and service manual if they did not come with the car.

 

First, welcome to the forum. Second, it's nice to have a youngster on board, especially one motivated to own a Jag. Third, good luck with your project! Keep updating its progress.

Enjoy!

 

Thanks for the responses, I appreciate everyone's advice and insight.

In response to Andrew, time is thankfully my greatest luxury. As a student I do have studying, part-time job, and other things to do but I also have a lot of free time on my hands. I expect to do all the of meticulous Internet searching and bargain hunting for parts that others may not have the opportunity or free time to do. There is also no imminent need for me to have the car ready to drive anytime soon, with regard to me saving my money and sourcing parts I expect this process to be take over a year. It's good to hear that those components aren't too expensive !

Jhartz,

That's very helpful information, I'll take all of it into consideration. What do you imply when you suggest SC needs... what should I be wary for?

Cheers.

Catenaccio,

Thanks for the welcome. Will do!

 

Just a thought, at about 80 mph the car is lurching?


The supercharged engines have 2 fuel pumps, the second one comes in about 3,000 rpm.

 

I'm not familiar with the rules on posting links but I have found a complete fuel pump and strainer kit for approx. $100. Due to the mileage of the engine/sc would you suggest I invest in this replacement set?

 

I would test the fuel pressure 1st, maybe only a clogged filter!


Although these are complicated cars, don't overlook the simple/ cheap fixes to a problem.


I tend to think of the most expensive/ complicated reason why any of my cars are not working correctly, then start at the no cost/ cheap remedies... be amazed the amount of times a fix costs nothing but time.

 

Yes if you buy a good one for 3-5k and keep this one for spares.

No for the one you just bought. Possible maybe but doesn't sound realistic to me. I'm just going through a 100k reboot of my own XJR and fairly sure I'm up to $5 already. But I am paying for labour.

Invest? You are not making an investment. Apart from whatever emotional and mental satisfaction you get from owning, fixing, and driving a Jaguar, the costs will far outweigh the benefits in this project.

Spend $5 or $10 on a fuel filter first. But apparently a PITA to replace.

From what I could figure out from reading this and other forums, fuel pump and strainer sound to me more like items in the IIABDFI category. Or at least confirm if they really are a problem.

Some things you can try fix by replacing something (e.g. light bulb). Some things you figure out what's wrong first.

Make a list of what you need before driving car, what you need even if driving car, and what you want but don't need right away. Something like this.

1. Absolutely essential
- secondary tensioners. Maybe chains and primary tensioners.
- fix stalling and lurching.
- etc

2. Very important
- check with dealer if you can find service history.
- service anything that should have been serviced (assume it wasn't if you don't have service history).
- etc

And so on. Here's my list for my car ...

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-dubai-142837/

 

Hi guys, thanks again for the help.

I'm definitely going to focus on the lesser expensive fixes first, and I'm not trying to spend money where I don't need to. I will probably tackle it in steps, ie. focus on the engine / other performance aspects and then focus on cosmetics afterwards. An oil pressure check is definitely in order!

In response to "investing" that may have not been the best word to use haha. I'm aware and fully acknowledge that I'm not going to get my money back when it's all said and done, as is the case with most cars unless they are bonafide classics and you drive them sparingly or not at all. I was using the term invested moreso to describe my interest and commitment to the project, not the monetary value of the vehicle. I appreciate the advice and will definitely follow your thread for tips and reference. Cheers!

 

You need to review the differences between SC cars and the NAs. Key differences include the transmission and thermostat housing are better; but it has two fuel pumps and if the second is not coming on above 3000 RPM the car will not be running smoothly (lurching at about 80 mph for instance and hard or no start conditions). As for supercharger maintenance (other than a second belt), maybe someone who has one will weigh in.

One of the problems with older cars, especially those that have accumulated years and miles in snow country (like Ontario) is the degree of rust and corrosion making removal of some parts a hellish job (which you will discover as you try to change out the fuel filter or determine you need to replace the fuel pumps which will require dropping the tank for access).

But once it is up and running, it will be a great car.

 

welcome to our brotherhood, my XJR is also my first time and I also purchased it at a very very fair price from a guy whom is actually a Jaguar car salesman

don't get discouraged but I must not surgar coated it is going to be a very very long journey on owning this car but you will grow and learn a lot from the ownership.

over the years, I can say, everything broken from my jag. I either fix, rebuild, update or even fabricate some thing to keep the car running.

not a car you walk to auto zone that you can get the parts or stop by the gas station that the guy there knows how to fix.

good luck

 

I would suggest before you do anything else to this vehicle, check the secondary tensioners. Be a pretty big waste if you put hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars into it simply to have the tensioners break and require an engine rebuild or worse yet a new engine.

Typically anyone who I see looking for these kinds of cars first thing I tell them is SERVICE RECORDS
SERVICE RECORDS
SERVICE RECORDS
I cannot stress that enough. Mostly because on these cars, they require a special set of patience to work on. Expect many things to go wrong trying to do one simple thing. Especially anything electronic. To be quite honest, for $1,000 for a car with 135k miles for a Jag, that to me, personally raises some red flags, why so cheap?

But as I said, if you can do the work yourself, expect a simple 15 minute job to take at least a few hours. When I did my thermostat, I had to put in the upgraded aluminium housing because the bolts that held the plastic one together were stripped and I had to physically break the housing to get out the old thermostat. This job took 8 hours, most of it was spent trying NOT to break the housing.

And before you do ANYTHING get those tensioners looked at.

I must also say, do NOT worry about the fuel pump at this point if it is working. Unless you really want to spend the time and money on the fuel pump(s) and pulling out the whole petrol tank. Not sure how it is on the XJR but I believe it's the same location as the VDP. Big pain in the ***. Don't worry about it if it works.

 

Agree, except it is lurching about 3k RPM: sounds like fuel flow . .

+1 TENSIONERS!

 

First off; congrats on your XJR! My opinion would be to keep her. Sure; you could buy another Jag for 10k that needs little to no work; but you'll feel so great that you revived a Jag that needed some TLC. For example; the headlight bulb in my XJ8 went out a few days ago; I replaced it myself and it felt so rewarding. It'll be a great project and will give you something to look forward to everyday. Then, when your done with all of the fixes; you have a beautiful, revived Jag. You'll appreciate it much better knowing that you fixed her up and saved her. Trust me; it may take alot of time but it's worth it. Enjoy!

- Pilotman

 

I mean that too.

$1,000 for a supercharged V8 Jaguar XJR with a AMG tough 5 speed trans, double wish bone suspension, disc brakes on every corner with premium leather and burl walnut wood trim on the inside and the best sound system Jaguar could put in it.

What other car could you have purchased remotely like that? So you get to work on it before Winter comes. Big deal. Put on some good tunes, get out your tools (or your friends) and enjoy...

Look around on Craigslist for donor parts. Only buy new when you absolutely have too. Look on ebay, and Amazon.

If you like seeing at night, order on of those cheap $35 HID kits. I've been using them for years. It's a night and day difference. If they die after a year, so what? I've had some last 3 years.

YouTube is incredible for showing and teaching how to repair and replace parts. Members of this, and other Jag forums will be an incredible source of data and how to's and already done it's.

Send me the last 6 digits of your Vin and I'll send you the vin breakdown, showing all the factory options and codes.

Most of all enjoy your Bad *** Jag!

 

It will be a fun project. I have seen that car on Kijiji for some time now. I think he started at like 4 grand so $1000 was a score. Good luck with it, and what is the Jaguar restoration shop in Toronto you plan on taking to get everything checked out?