Hello fellow forum members,

I am new to this site but I have been a lurker for a while. Everyone should research this site before buying a Jaguar.

I have been a hardcore BMW fan ever since my college days. I have owned four BMW's in the last 15 years.

I always flirted with the idea of owing a Jaguar but never pulled the trigger until recently. Last week I bought 2003 XJ8 in excellent condition. To say that I am impressed would be an understatement.

The car is gorgeous inside and out and the ride quality is second to none. The stock V8 really purrs and one can reach very high speeds almost without feeling it.

The only drawback I see is that the steering is too soft even in sport mode. I do miss the precise road feel of a BMW steering but I can see getting used to it in due time.

I hope to spend some time amongst all of you to keep my cat running as good as she looks for a long time.

 

Welcome to the forum LACat,

Congratulations on the XJ8. Research first is definitely the best way to buy a Jaguar.

2003 was the update year from the steel bodied X308 to the aluminium bodied X351. Both models are 'XJ8' but, as you've been lurking for a while, you'll already have found the right tech section for help, advice and information.

Remember to add vehicle details to your Signature to help others to give relevant advice. Go to the User ID button on the left of the top menu bar, then Settings & Options under Your Control Panel. Select Edit Signature and enter the details.

You can also visit the US Western Region section by following this link Western US - AK CA NV OR UT HI WA ID - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to find other members in your region.

Enjoy the forum.

Graham

 

Welcome to this friendly Forum, always good to see a BMW convert - no going back now.
Enjoy your car and membership.

 

Hi Graham,

My 03 is a steel body one. I think it is a short production MY 03 before the updated 04 came to the market. It has a late 02 production date with Model year 03 on the official records.

 

Welcome to the forum LACat,

Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.

If you haven't already done so you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.

 

That's the X308. Great car. I had an XJ8L before switching to my first XK8 in 2001.

Not surprising Jaguar use these factory identifiers after they called so many different models 'XJ6' between 1969 and 2009 and followed up with two entirely different 'XJ8's!

Graham

 

Hi there LAcat & welcome aboard, Its good to have you here with us here at Jaguarforums.

Thanks for the kind words on the site...
Any useful site information you may need such as how to post pictures, edit signatures, add videos, use the search facility etc, can be found here
within the following link Helpful_information


Please also take the time to check out the regional section for your area!
There are lots of members local to you with the same interests with info on local dealers and possible meets.
Regional - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum

I've manually upgraded you to full forum access so you can better view the whole site and all its features.

Please Jump on in and enjoy the site.................

 

Congrats on your Cat, its perhaps the best of the X308s. Like you, I have been drawn to the Bimmers most of my concious life, from 1602 in my university days to an 08 E60. My wife does drive a leased E90. The upkeep of X308 will not bleed you dry, unlike the BMG (Big Mean Germans)). I love taking my XJR when I go out to the West Side. It looks fantastic sitting among tons of MB, BMW, and Audi cars. Congradulations and welcome!

 

My Jag also welcomed me to the club last night by giving me a sunken heart feeling. I had just started the car at 2 a.m with unusually cold and foggy weather outside, just as I put it in drive and started crawling, the trac not available, ASC not available messsege came on and the car went into the limp mode. Turning it off and starting it again solved the issue but now the feeling is ever present during the drive.

I came running back to the forum to educate myself about the issue. From what I have gathered here, it could be a slew of possibilities from a dirty wheel speed censor to a temporary ABS module malfunction.

What do you Jag guys think I should do next?

 

Get your battery tested.

 

Welcome fellow SoCal Jaaag owner. +1 on the battery, tomorrow morning, go to an auto parts store and get a hygrometer. It test each cell in the battery and I'll bet 1 or more are weak. If so, just replace battery and most, if not all, symptoms will disappear.

 

Hello LACat,

welcome to the forum!

Giving a +1 to the battery tip. As it grew colder here my cat also gives me the No Trac warning from time to time while starting. As long as these messaging only appear before ignition and won't reappear during the ride probability is very high that the battery reaches its end of life. I'll replace it in my car in the upcoming weeks.

Congratulations to your XJ8! I'm another one who shifted from BMW to Jaguar. In my case it was a BMW 523i E39.