I left the fold 10 years ago when I moved to Finland after owning a couple of XJ12, an XJC and an XJS over about 30 years. I'm giving serious thought to a 1997 x308. Any comments on the wisdom of such a move would be welcome 😁

 

Welcome to the forums Rolph,

Good to have you with us. Three excellent models in your previous ownership. With the X308, nikasil lined cylinder bores were an issue on the early v8's but examples that have survived this long shouldn't give any blow-by symptoms now. Plastic tensioners are are still a potential engine killer if they haven't been replaced with the later metal type and the cooling system is a weakness with several plastic components prone to failure with risk of overheating warping the heads. If you want reliabilty, the earlier X300 model is a safer bet but if you want the v8 performance, scrutinise the service history carefully.

Follow this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xj-xj8-xjr-x308-27/ to the X308 forum for help, advice and information. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for information on regular issues. You can also use the Europe Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/europe-42/ to find other members in your region.

Please read the guidance for new members ( https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/n...ned-up-241802/ ) which answers many of the most frequent questions about getting started.

Enjoy the forums.

Graham

 

Welcome to the Forums.

 

welcome to the forum - enjoy!!

 

"If you want reliabilty, the earlier X300 model is a safer bet but if you want the v8 performance, scrutinise the service history carefully."
Very helpful and I did wonder. The x308 has had many owners and has been imported into Finland from Sweden but apparently with FSH. I have a very late x300 in mind, one owner with very low km. Trouble is it's in Japan. I've imported a couple of cars from Japan before so I might well go that route.
Many thanks to all for the welcome.

 

Hello, Rolph,
I wish you success in your search for the Puuurrrrfeact next Jaguar.
Welcome to the forums from ElinorB.
(';')

 

Welcome aboard Rolph.

 

Welcome to Jaguar Forums Rolph,

Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.

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With any used Jaguar, service history is more important than number of owners or mileage. If the history on the X308 is complete and genuine, it's definitely worth considering. I don't expect you find too many to choose from in Finland so you may have to compromise on finding the perfect example.

Japanese imports used to end up in Australia or New Zealand but have been arriving in Europe for a while now. Regarding Jaguars, buyers often report navigation and audio incompatability which may not be an issue for you. One regular difficulty is Japanese market Jaguars are assigned VIN's which don't decode in the normal way and electronic modules are market specific so replacement or re-programmijg can be complicated.

Graham

 

Welcome to the forum