Hi there. Well, I guess as I`m a completely new member here and this is my first post (well, this gonna be a biggie) I should introduce myself before asking some dumb questions.

I`m coming from a small country located in Northen Europe (please, pardon my grammar if i`m pronouncing something incorrectly), Baltic states, Latvia. Always been an BMW fan, owned 4 of them. My first car was an E34 535i, then I swapped it for an E30 316i with an 2.8 litre engine from newer bmw. Currently I`m dailydriving my E36 diesel and my weekend/summer car is an patina and fungus posessed BMW E28 520i that I raised back from the dead (long story short - E28 was sitting in the friends yard for some 18 years, last MOT was in `98. Currently running and driving pretty well, passed a MOT with first try). So now you guys will be asking, what the hell is an Luftwaffe pilot is doing in a Royal Air force base?

I`ll try to explain simple and short. My GF is obsessed with Jags. She loved them all her life but theres the story - always wanted never get.
Currently we are looking for a new daily driver, because E36 is just getting old. As she wanted a Jag so badly, I did my research on S Types and we checked a couple of them out. Nice cars but those on our budget was complete crap. See, Latvia is a very small country, we have estemated population of a some 2 million people and Jag population of 10 cars.
People hate Jags here. Everyone`s thinking that they are unrelieable, expensive pieces of crap. So basically If you see some 2 -3 Jaguars on the street per week, it was a good week. And second hand market is completely empty. We`re looking for an S type diesel and here are some 4 cars for sale. 2 of them are already sold, other 2 we checked out and they were rubbish. So, here comes an XJ story. Yesterday we had some talking and decided that maybe for a daily car we will look for something more common here and maybe I should sell my E28 and get an XJ as a weekend car.

As I always loved old, crappy cars and everything that` related with them, an old Jag sounds fun for me. So guys, I`m completely uninformed about them. I guess I`ll be getting some cheap *** one, not completely restored. I`m not hoping that I`ll buy an 20years old car and just drive it away, I know that a lot of work and time, and cash will be needed to keep a car like this on the road, but, as i`m looking for an weekend car, I guess i`ll handle that.
In "mobile.de" advertisement site you can find XJ`s in running condition located in Germany for approx 2000eur (2200usd). My worst enemy is the rust. Everything can be fixed, but a rust is just a killer. Ok, a rusty car I could inspect myself and decide if its worth for me, but which XJ to choose? There are so many of them.. I guess, my budget will get me an XJ40, or XJ 300, or XJ 308. So, which chassis is the best of them? Which engine should I be looking? 3.2, 4.0? V8 or Inline 6? Which one of them is the best and what`s with the spare parts for those cars? We can get some basic parts in auto stores here (brake pads, filters, maybe some bushings and sort of that thingies) but other parts I guess I`ll be shipping from Great Britain. So what would you guys recommend for a new beginning? Ah, please dont offer V12`s and Supercharged ones. Fuel consumption is sorta important,because I would love to drive it, not just look at it.
Big thanks in advance and, if admins are feeling that this post should not be here, please, move it or do as you please. Thanks!

 

Welcome, 2003-2009 XJ8's were the first, almost all aluminum cars, made by FORD, with LUCAS the prince of darkness, long gone. Love my 2004 XJ8, it is a summer, late spring, early fall, car for enjoyment, and a pleasure to drive. Mine had 85,605 miles when purchased last Aug. Looked great but like a car in need of a set of busy hands to bring it back to it's former glory, needed neglect corrected mostly. Has 90,000 on it now, $3,000 a few days of labor, parts, tires, alignment, now it FLY'S as it FLOATS down the road.With care, if not involved in a serious mishap of some kind, kept out of the salt in winter, it should last a lot longer than i me.

 

I think that X350 chassis will be way too pricey for my budget. I`m thinking of more like youngtimer. XJ40 or X300. I guess that Inline 6 engine will suit my needs more,because it`s simpler in the construction and maintenance is also easier. Only one cylinder head and only two camshafts instead of four with the V8.
So what`s more "civil" and easier to take care of? XJ40 or X300?

 

Salt, of course, is a big problem on our roads and metal corrosion is the most common automotive repair.
That`s why I would like to drive this car only in spring, summer and autumn, same as my E28.

 

The x300 is often considered the last classic Jaguar sedan. Its still the sleek body, but it's got the ultimate evolution of the straight 6 engine and associated electronics and would likely give you fewer problems than the 40. I don't know about your local market, but here the 300s and 308s are both fully depreciated and the cost difference between the two models is not enough to worry about. The early 308s had some issues with the introduction of the v8 motor and issues with the common zf transmission, but both are well documented on this forum and can be easily upgraded to eliminate the concern, plus many of the remaining cars have already been sorted by the previous owner. By 2003 model, the 308 4.0L was as bulletproof as any.

Mileage and rust aside, much of an automobile's components deteriorate more with age than mileage, so you'd want to buy the youngest car that you can afford. When people buy much older, classic cars, its usually because of some emotional attachment or nostalgia. Its rarely ever the logical choice.

If I were looking today, my unicorn would be a 2003 Super V8 edition. Alternatively, I'd buy an 03 XJR and swap in the cushier springs from a base model. Some Jaguar enthusiasts didn't like the more bulbous design of the x350, but I thought it was OK. I just kind of waited too long and my next upgrade is going to have to be newer. If you're just going to use it as a weekend car, then its worth considering too, but I understand if the price is too high where you are. They're not quite fully depreciated here yet either.

 

I guess it would be reasonable for me to look for an straight six, so then X300 it is, I guess. If I could find one... Will see, I need to finish some small bits n bobs for my E28 ( Find and install a new carpet, since the existing one is in poor condition, paint some small dingles, etc) and I guess I`ll put it up for sale in the middle of the summer and then I could start my searches for an XJ.

 

I think the you may get more specific help with what to look for in a X300 in that section. You're in the X350 section now. Do you have any idea what's involved in importing a car? It occurred to me that there might be a better selection in somewhere like Germany or Poland? Obviously more work to get the car, but it may be worth thinking about.
Incidentally, my best friend says she's always wanted a Jaguar as well. She's from Riga, so maybe there's something in the water?

 

Over here the XJ8s have depreciated to just a fraction of their original price. A real blessing for me, it's just not worth the money to fix at a Jag shop. Most people who can afford a new one trade them off every few years. They could care less about fixing it for themselves. The next guy pays too much for it, then realises just how much cash is involved in having it put right, too scared to tackle it himself, drives it till it becomes a problem, then lets it go, cheap. Someone can put things right with a fair amount of cash, do their own labor, and have a beautiful car for a fraction of the money it was new. Taken care of should last the rest of your life, as rust can be handled a bit easier with an aluminum car.Your choice, good luck what ever you decide.

 

Somewhat off topic, but I've been wondering about these new aluminum cars comparative longevity. I've been restoring a vintage Corvette that is largely fiberglass, but what few people would realize is that the fiberglass is all riveted to a steel structure with aluminum rivets. I've had to replace every aluminum rivet and quite a bit of steel due to galvanic corrosion, which happens when dissimilar metals are in contact with one another. On a modern Jaguar, aren't all the working parts still largely attached to the aluminum unibody with steel fasteners? I guess it'll be another 25 years before I'm restoring a modern Jaguar (if they'll let me out of the nursing home), but it will be interesting to see how they hold up and what sorts of corrosion problems they present the restorer.

 

They claim to use special coated rivets, with special adhesive (glue) then baked like an airplane frame is. Supposed to be 40% lighter, yet 60% stronger (stiffer). Just know i feel lucky to have stumbled onto this car, for the money spent, and the toy that i now have to play with.

 

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I'll get shot and shipped to Siberia for this, but what about an X-Type? Baby Jag. I drove one as a loan car the other day, not in the same class as an XJ but cute, cheap, and perhaps more practical. Especially when I saw a rare X-Type Sovereign for sale...burl walnut on an X-Type? man that thing looked like an XJ that shrunk in the rain.

 

Best stick with the XJ !

FWIW I have never seen any galvanic corrosion on the two X350 cars I have owned. Where the car is riveted, the rivets are zinc coated and then, (obviously), the car is primed and painted over the top of these, so it is pretty well bullet proof on this aspect. There is, however, the other corrosion process of crevice, (sometimes called filiform) corrosion. Aluminium corrodes where water, especially salty water is in contact with it in the absence of oxygen. Osmotic pressure can draw water through the paint film to keep the corrosion cell active. The corrosion product is aluminium hydroxide, a white powder. If you're looking at a car, run your fingers around the wheel arch lips, if you feel bumps those are the filiform corrosion cells. Also at the leading edge of the trunk lid, look at the underside and then at the top. You may see what seems to be bubbling under the paint. This is another filiform corrosion cell. You'll probably also see it creeping out from the top side of the "Jaguar" boot lid lock escutcheon. It is all fairly easy to cure although a bit time consuming. This involves scraping away the bubbling and the white powder until it is all bare shiny aluminium, and coating it with zinc-rich primer followed by normal primer, then acrylic stopper to make the level. Finally flat off and finish as normal, (base coat and clear coat).