Buying an older car (02-03 XJR) will be new territory for me. In the past I've had cars that were either new or less than five years old. I've relied on new car, CPO and extended warranties (or service contracts). However, I've been a very hands-on enthusiast. Ive done brake jobs, suspension work, service interval maintenance, etc. One of the reasons I'm getting out of my current ride is because my service contract ran out on a terribly complex Passat W8 and I'd rather not pay more $$$$ to renew.
Could I consider this a reliable car and go without a service contract?
How confident would you be buying an older Jag and how much would you keep in savings for mech emergencies?

 

Welcome to the forum squish I don't know about service contracts or how much they cost, or even if you could get a good one for a car of that age.

I would guess that with a good one you could probably cover the annual premium without trying on one of these cars.

The XJR is quite a beast and repairs can be expensive.

Have a good look at the XJR forum and see what the guys think.

 

Welcome, if you can find a decent XJR a non abused one you will enjoy its power band .As Translator said check out the forums and learn a few good tips for it

 

Hi Squish
As the owner of a lot of old cars I can tell you this with a high degree of certinty "They're gonna break". I love them anyway. I hope you will as well. Good luck.

 

I'm one step closer to getting an 03 XJR with 60K miles. It has the R Performance option, and yes, needs brakes! I dug under every rock and found rotors and pads for a total of $535. Been negotiating with the owner for a week or so and have it down to $11K.

 

Hey squish, welcome to the site
Thats one beast of a car you're looking at and yes repair bills can be high, but look after her and I'm sure she'll look after you. Depending on what condition she's in you may have to get her where you want her to be to start with though.
Please check out the relevant section and also the FAQ threads, ask the members in that section for their thoughts and basically get as much info as possible before you commit.
Ether way, we're here for you.....Good luck

 

I'm going for the 03 XJR. I had an independent Jag mechanic give it an almost clean bill of health last week. There were three things wrong: needs new R1 brakes, broken side mirror, and broken speaker grill. I'm flying up in the morning to bring her home. In celebration my wife took my small boys today to pick out a black cat too! - the kitty kind.
With the good deal on rotors, pads, and the other minor parts, I will be able to get her in excellent shape in no time.
Driving her 600+ miles home tomorrow. Wish me luck!