Looking to buy, in search of advice!
 

Hi guys! Currently looking into replacing my S550 that got crashed into and I've come across that fact that I want a Jaguar XJ/L Supercharged. Looking to buy used as I don't want to have a car payment and just pay out cash instead. I'm looking to get into a 2012+ as I hear the center display is much easier to use in terms of response and such. What else should I watch for and avoid? Is there anything that I need to check before hand? What frequently breaks? Does Jaguar also have the Land Rover reputation of avoid owning one outside of warranty? Any heads up would be appreciated! Much thanks in advanced!

1800, I would tell you to ask when the last time the water pump was replaced. If there is a weakness to the car, I would say it is the water pump. At a minimum, I would say to open the hood and if you look down the front of the engine, in the center, you should see a larger coolant line running there and you should have a small (1/4" line) coming off of it that runs directly to the water pump. If you see a line running from just under the supercharger to the water pump, then you know you have the factory water pump and that will potentially be your weak link.

The other "annoyance" is the sunroofs in these cars tend to make a popping sound. Find a road that is not flat and drive down it at a slow speed. The car should be essentially quiet. The pops will be pretty obvious.

The last thing that I will caution you on is if you are looking at a 2013 or newer, be careful saying you want a supercharged engine. All the options are supercharged. You are either getting a 3.0L V6 supercharged engine or a 5.0L V8 supercharged engine. Now, what may steer you towards the V6 is that you have the option of getting the car in AWD, where the V8, that is not an option.

Something else that might be of interest to you is the rear seat options. The L's get a lot more rear seat options and if you plan on having people back there a lot, this may be of interest. The big thing being (and is of limited availability) is the airline trays that are built into the rear of the front seats. So, keep an eye out if this is of interest to you.

Thanks for the info, Thermo! I live in Houston so AWD isn't a priority for me as I don't find it a necessity. Also definitely looking for a 5.0L XJ, I will slapping a tune on it and maybe changing out the pulley.

Also I hear the screen swap to an updated 2012+ isn't expensive and its an easy swap. Is there any other reason to look for a newer 2012+ XJ other than that? I found one browsing craigslist that is beautifully specd for a great price. its a 2011, but if the screen swap is cheap I wouldn't mind jumping on it.

in regards to the sunroof, is there an easy fix for the popping sound or will it require an entire new assembly?

Finally, I'm not really concerned about the rear seats as I live alone and maybe friends will ride every now and then. Although I do like the length of the L as my S550 was the same length 207".

No the sunroof popping is just mounts and washers. Nothing expensive gets replaced. Hopefully by now all of them have been fixed and of course not every car suffers from this.
Jaguar is VERY aware of the popping roof!

But the big question on a used Jaguar is can you DIY stuff? They are reliable cars but expensive, complicated and rare so you will pay a lot for service and repairs.
The dealers charge $225 for an oil change here in Houston.
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1800, the roof popping issue can be resolved. In short, what you end up doing is lowering the headliner and then loosening and torquing each fastener to a specified torque (something like 25 ft-lbs, the value is on this site if you do some searching). No new parts are needed for the sunroof.

As for the screen, if you can access the radio, then you have the ability to change out the screen. Not a hard job, but don't be in a rush either. Pretty straight forward to do from what I see.

As for doing maintenance on the car, should everybody do their own maintenance? I would say no (have met some really not-so-mechanically-inclined people in my life). But, is this car so complicated that you can't. No. This car can be worked on by you, but there may be some oddities that make a job more complicated. I have replaced the water pump on my car. I have done the front and rear brakes. Not that difficult. I would probably even tackle doing say a cat back system on the car and doing so suspension work. Would I pull the motor out of the car and rebuild it. Probably not. But, a lot of other stuff, not an issue. This is where you have to know your limits, know what you can do and what you probably shouldn't touch. There are some people here that if you don't feel comfortable doing something, they will invite you over and you can learn from them as you do most of the work and they give you guidance.

One tool that you will find invaluable is an "oil suction pump". There is a tube under the oil fill cap. You attach the pump to that tube, suck the oil out of the engine and then dump in new oil. This is probably one of the easiest cars to do an oil change on. The oil filter is even on the top of the engine. With the engine warm (not hot), you can do an oil change in about 20 minutes and never drop to a knee. I take the discharge of the pump straight to a 5 gallon gas can that I use as a used motor oil can. the only tool I need is a rag to wipe my hands periodically and that oil suction pump.

Sweet! Good to hear its not an expensive fix. I can actually. I have quite a few cars here at home that I wrench on myself, if I can do it here with out having to tear down the entire car ill probably be doing it myself most than likely.

Good to hear on that sunroof issue! I actually already have an oil suction pump! I use it on my cars here at home. Great tool! Also great to hear on the forum lending a hand out, I have a Mustang sitting in my garage and the Mustang community is just as helpful. I've offered help, been helped, sourced help for some one, we all have one passion and its great when there is others that share it as well.

+1 on XJsss' advice. Forget the 2012 and get a 2013 or newer XJL with the 5.0L SC engine and 8-speed tranny.

My 2013 has 470HP and it's overkill unless you have the need for speed and plan to take it to the strip. Don't even think about building up a NA 5.0L; you're better off starting with the SC 5.0L and mod it with a pulley, tune to 575HP, X-pipe and 200 cell cats.

Good luck with your search!