Hi all,
This is my first post on the forums, but I'll start by saying that I've spent weeks reading pretty much every article I could find here regarding what to look out for on the X308s when buying. This forum is such an incredible resource to have.

With that said - I have found a 2-owner 2002 XJR a couple hours away from me. Anthracite black paint with a surprisingly clean charcoal interior. Arizona car, claims to have never been driven in the rain. It has been listed for at least 2 months (that I know of). Mileage was 88k when first listed, now 91k. Asking price is $9,000 firm, and that hasn't changed since the car was first listed. I've spoken with the owner a couple times and they are OK with taking it to a nearby independent Jaguar mechanic (that I found) for a pre purchase inspection before I drive out to see it. I have the CARFAX - no records of anything from when the car was new until around 55k miles, besides two passed emissions tests. Other than that, it seems well maintained, serviced and documented. Throttle body cleaned/serviced at 58k miles. Fuel pump, water pump, and drive belts replaced at 67k miles. Serpentine belt, spark plugs, spark plug tubes/seals, and valve cover gaskets replaced at 89k miles.

So I ask...

What are your thoughts on the price? From what I've read in some of the threads here, people have purchased very well maintained XJRs with lower mileage for less $$. Is the period of time on the CARFAX with no documentation something to worry about?

I appreciate any advice or info you may have!

 

I'm assuming this is the car......................
https://prescott.craigslist.org/cto/...844137654.html

It certainly looks like a nice example, and it isn't an unreasonable asking price. Late model-year XJRs are not easy to come by, and this one looks to have been carefully owned......and an on-site inspection and test drive would be needed to verify.

As a SC car it has the Merc transmission, which are fairly bullet proof, and the fuel pump(s) have been done, but it will suffer from the usual timing chain tensioner issue, and at 91,000 they are probably well due for replacement. If you're mechanically inclined you can do this yourself for around $500, if not you can pay a reputable shop $2,500-$3,000.

X308 Jags can suffer from driveline vibration between 50-70mph, so be sure to check this during a test drive, fixing it is pretty easy but will cost around $400-$800.

XJRs in this condition are not easy to find, and this is a western-state vehicle that doesn't have any rust issues. I think his asking price is very fair, but it wouldn't hurt to make a lower offer, but I doubt they will come down much. Conversely you have to be prepared to "invest" some money into the car, the tensioners should be done, and there may be some other minor issues, there usually is, but you can have yourself a VERY nice car for very little investment here.

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Carnival Kid - thanks so much for your quick and very informative response! That is indeed the car. I figured if there is no mention of the tensioners in the vehicle listing or in the CARFAX, they are likely mk2 and should be replaced with the latest version. But I can try to get the seller to confirm. If they aren't sure, maybe the inspection tech could add that to his list.

Any thoughts on the lack of CARFAX service/maintenance documentation for the first 55k miles of the car's life?

 

I think they are sure to be MKII tensioners, but still plastic, and due for replacement. Assuming you are going to keep the car for several years, it is wise thing to do for complete peace of mind. It is a costly "repair", and could/should be used as bargaining power.

The lack of early Carfax info, I don't think I would read too much into that, the early years usually don't have much to report, especially if it is a low owner car like this one, no ownership changes, no changes of addresses, no major repairs etc.

EDIT/ADDITION:
I notice the seller lists that the headliner has been "replaced". Assuming it has been done properly that is a plus point.

The more I think about the repair to the leaking valve cover the more I start to think that maybe they looked at the tensioners while they were there, and the owner didn't want to spend the money to replace them, and that is why he decided to sell? Just some speculation.

How long has the current (2nd) owner had the car?????

.

 

Also, from a buyer's bargaining point of view, you could point out that it is a "base" XJR, it is not an R1 version (Brembo brakes, 18" BBS wheels etc), nor is it an XJR 100 Anniversary Edition (special wheels, Brembo brakes, red stitching etc) nor a Vanden Plas version with the extended wheelbase and more luxurious interior.

It's not much "ammunition" to use, but some

 

Thanks very much for these bargaining points - worth a shot! Interesting speculation about the tensioners. However, at the time the listing photos were taken (I'm assuming this is when the seller decided to list the car), the mileage was about 88k. Valve cover gaskets were replaced around 89k miles, along with the spark plugs. So its likely the seller had decided to sell the car prior to removing the valve cover.

Interesting... looking at the CARFAX, it shows this vehicle is technically a 3-owner car. 1st owner registered vehicle in Illinois with 36 miles on the clock, owned for 5 months. 2nd owner registered in AZ with about 5k miles on the clock and owned for over 10 years, 3rd owner (seller) purchased vehicle with 67.5k miles and has owned for about 6.5 years.

Seller had told me they were 2nd owner of the vehicle. Any ideas what that 1st owner could be? Dealer?

 

Yes, I would assume the initial "owner" was the selling dealer.

Another thing the car will probably be ready for is shocks all around. Good shocks (Bilsteins) can be bought for about $120 each. Fronts are easy to fit, rears are a PITA.

 

Looks like a nice vehicle. That one has the CATS shocks, you can tell by the plastic cover over the top shock mount. I have seen 2002 XJRs with standard as well as CATS shocks, depends when it was built. 2002 was the year they started using CATS shocks as well as the upgraded metal tensioners. I am a little foggy on the exact month but it was either July or August 2001 and a vin of approx. 44### up.

 

Looks GRR8 to me! Carnival kid covered all the important points and the XJR is a great model to own. The price seems a tad high but sure you can bargain. With the right care these can easily cruise past 200K.

 

Thanks for this info on the tensioners, Scotlad! This car's VIN is 46###... so is it possible it already has full metal tensioners? Or does this mean it for sure has the tensioners with both metal and plastic parts?

 

I think at that VIN# you will be ok for the metal tensioners. There is a plate on the drivers door that will have the VIN and the month of manufacture. I have been looking for myself for a 2002-2003 XJR. The upgrade included other things besides the tensioners, the oil pump was upgraded and the primary chain was changed to a morse type chain. If you do a search on the forum you will see and read what the differences are that I have forgotten.

The ultimate check is to pull a cam cover and inspect, the difference between the old style chain and newer multilink primary chain will be very apparent. There is also a # stamped on the engine, that beyond that # the changes were made.

 

Looks like a nice car, I'm always amazed though at how good the tiny CL pictures can make something look. The southwest is very kind to the bodies of these big cats but I know the Texas sun didn't treat any of the rubber and plastic parts on mine well at all. You can evaluate things like sway bar bushings pretty well by looking under the car, ball joint boots and some of the other rubber parts are easy to look over as well. Driving will let you know if anything has deteriorated enough to need replacement. As far as the price goes kbb.com says they're about $3k too high. One of the things I love about these cars is how cheap they are used. The seller might argue that they've put a bunch of money into it, that was their decision and they can keep it. The thing I don't love about these cars is there always seems to be something on my list of things to do. They may cruise past 200k miles but it won't be without doing service. In general I don't mind the work mine has required and they are great when they're right but I've got to believe this is the real reason they're so reasonably priced as used cars.
Don't sell yourself on the car ahead of time, you'll burn thru the $3k you (should) save on the purchase price buying parts over the next couple of years, ask me how I know!
Good luck...

 

In all fairness I don't know of any luxury car that won't need some maintenance before 200K but my XJs have never left me stranded and I do the work myself. If you invest about 1K at the beginning for hoses, water pump, timing chains/tensioners saves a lot of headache down the road. I bought a TX XJR and the bushings are fine, garage kept and regular maintenance are the key. Should be fairly obvious from ride, rubber and interior if the car was left to bake in the sun.

 

Welcome to the forum DJStronkinson,

Good advice already given and I wouldn't even attempt to comment on US values as they are way above prices here in the UK.

It looks a well cared for example and has only done around 5K miles per year. Interesting that the present owner has put on 2K miles in the two months it has been up for sale. However, this can be taken as a plus in that he clearly isn't concerned anything is wrong with it or imminently needing to be done.

The pre-purchase inspection should find any mechanical issues. Two other things to check:
1. 2 x black master keys, 1 x green remote key; 2 x remote fobs (keys are expensive to replace)
2. any damaged or missing trim (plastic trim items are increasingly becoming unobtainable and cost reflects scarcity)

Advice on these is the most regular reason for posts from new buyers.

Graham

 

 

I've confirmed from the VIN that this car has the AJ27S engine. With that info, is it possible to determine if the original tensioners installed on this engine were the metal body tensioners with some plastic parts, or all metal? I thought I read somewhere that Jaguar didn't come out with the all metal design until 2005. If so, then its likely this vehicle has the metal body tensioners with some plastic parts. Am I mistaken?

Sorry just trying to get some clarity on this!

 

Would love it if I could get it for $3k less... but I know I won't. Based on Carnival Kid's comments, it sounds like asking price is in the right ballpark. I agree with anduha that there is likely a small area for negotiation, but the seller knows what they have and I know they won't go much lower than asking.

 

Thanks for including these items to check for, GGG! I agree with you about the mileage the seller has put on the car since listing (actually around 3k miles), which seems high since his miles per year average is closer to 3.5k. Maybe he's sad to see it go so he's driving it as much as possible before it sells? Wish he would have slowed down a bit! Anyway...

This would be my DD, but it still wouldn't be driven an exorbitant amount - probably 4-5k miles per year and I wouldn't go into the purchase planning on selling the car again.

 

Thanks for joining the conversation! Good to hear from someone with a twin. Have you had any issues with the CATS suspension?

At what mileage did you replace the secondary tensioners and what did it cost you, if you don't mind? Were they the metal body tensioners with some plastic parts? Is it common to only need the secondary tensioners replaced on this MY, rather than both secondary and primary?

 

I too have never been able to get 100% clarification regarding the timeline for the different timing chain tensioners. It is my understanding that the initial tensioners were hydraulically operated, but without spring tension, so on start up there could/would be chain rattle until the hydraulic tensioners were activated. Jaguar introduced a new style tensioner that was spring loaded as well as hydraulically operated to cure this cold start problem.

Later, as these cars aged it was discovered that the plastic construction of the tensioners degraded over time, leading to the cam chain being able to jump a tooth. This would cause poor running, and if the chain jumped a second tooth the valves would hit the pistons.

The tensioners and guides were again redesigned and made of metal to cure the problem once and for all, BUT, actually when these metal tensioners were introduced is hazy. I have read that they did not go into production cars until the X350 model, but have also read rumors that they did make it into some very later 2003 x308 cars. I'm unsure what the truth is, maybe a bonafide expert who was working on these cars at the time can clarify the true timeline?

Until then, I would assume that the 2002 car in question has the plastic tensioners, and it should be anticipated and financially calculated that all 4 tensioners and all 4 guides need to be replaced.

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