New potential purchase
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 822
Likes: 279
From: Sacramento CA
Mr. Bob -
I'm owner of a 05 Super V8 bought 3 years and 20,000 miles ago with 134,000 miles. I paid 7,200 $. I don't do my own work but have a great and reasonably priced mechanic (90/Hr).
I'll be brief for once. Had I known in reality what I know nor through experience, I would not have paid over $5,000 for my car, especially given the generally low prices of vehicles that have been well cared for or had all the neglected maintenance performed.
Mine had an intermittent suspension fault lite on at purchase. In addition it had worn bushings front and rear, uneven wear on the front tires, bent rims, and alignment issues. I did not have a pre purchase inspection. I don't think it would have mattered, I love the car and bought it away from where I now live.
Over the next 2 years I fixed them all, but started with bypassing the ECATS air system. I wanted to drive the car, not continue to fix the same problem multiple times.
Now that all is resolved ride wise, the car drives like no other, even w/o the air. The only irritating thing is that even after doing all the suspension work and replacing the air shocks with Eibach springs (1,000$) my car rattles over a light rough road so commonly encountered in daily driving. Frustrating but not a deal breaker. The car is finally safe to drive!
And even my American car loving Mustang / Chevy / Dodge Truck driving mechanic now loves my piece of Euro-trash.
FCP Euro sells an entire rear Lemforder kit for $500, and the front parts- wishbones, upper and lower control arms, tie rods, sway bar links, etc are about 1,000 total also Lemforder ar FCP Euro.
My car also had a frozen front caliper, and refurbished were not to be found. So I ended up spending on new calipers, slotted rotors, and Akebobno pads. The aluminum calipers were $700 EACH, so that was a big ouchy repair.
The other big thing to look for is coolant issues, hoses condition, coolant smell, as this is a common issue and can ruin a car. My supercharged version did ultimately have a coolant leak in the "Valley Hose)(underneath the S/C - hard to get at, so costly to repair. The day it happened I drove it on HOT over 2 hours, then again that same day in the same condition 2 hours home. From the comments on this forum, I may be the luckiest Jag owner on earth as my motor should have been damaged.
I do believe that this over heat caused my heater core to get clogged so I now have uneven heat flow even though the auxiliary water pump and door actuators have been replaced.
This last heater core problem is very common as well. My car heats, but flow is uneven. And along that note - I hear it gets HOT in Stralia from time to time, so make sure the car blows cold. Mine didn't this past summer but now that the actuators and H2O pump are fixed I'm hoping its better. It did cool during our very extended hot weather this fall in O-H-I-O.
Get the car checked out and don't buy it if a lot of regular maintenance has been neglected. I have not had to do anything weird repair wise as many people think Jags have oddball problems. I just had to do more neglected maintenance than I thought. It is very expensive to play "catch up" whether you do your own work or not so be prepared to wait for another better example. There are lots of great values out there - a few of which are listed on our forum!!!
And even after all this - I'm looking for an XJS. Jags bite really hard. Be careful out there!
Best Regards
Mike D.
I'm owner of a 05 Super V8 bought 3 years and 20,000 miles ago with 134,000 miles. I paid 7,200 $. I don't do my own work but have a great and reasonably priced mechanic (90/Hr).
I'll be brief for once. Had I known in reality what I know nor through experience, I would not have paid over $5,000 for my car, especially given the generally low prices of vehicles that have been well cared for or had all the neglected maintenance performed.
Mine had an intermittent suspension fault lite on at purchase. In addition it had worn bushings front and rear, uneven wear on the front tires, bent rims, and alignment issues. I did not have a pre purchase inspection. I don't think it would have mattered, I love the car and bought it away from where I now live.
Over the next 2 years I fixed them all, but started with bypassing the ECATS air system. I wanted to drive the car, not continue to fix the same problem multiple times.
Now that all is resolved ride wise, the car drives like no other, even w/o the air. The only irritating thing is that even after doing all the suspension work and replacing the air shocks with Eibach springs (1,000$) my car rattles over a light rough road so commonly encountered in daily driving. Frustrating but not a deal breaker. The car is finally safe to drive!
And even my American car loving Mustang / Chevy / Dodge Truck driving mechanic now loves my piece of Euro-trash.
FCP Euro sells an entire rear Lemforder kit for $500, and the front parts- wishbones, upper and lower control arms, tie rods, sway bar links, etc are about 1,000 total also Lemforder ar FCP Euro.
My car also had a frozen front caliper, and refurbished were not to be found. So I ended up spending on new calipers, slotted rotors, and Akebobno pads. The aluminum calipers were $700 EACH, so that was a big ouchy repair.
The other big thing to look for is coolant issues, hoses condition, coolant smell, as this is a common issue and can ruin a car. My supercharged version did ultimately have a coolant leak in the "Valley Hose)(underneath the S/C - hard to get at, so costly to repair. The day it happened I drove it on HOT over 2 hours, then again that same day in the same condition 2 hours home. From the comments on this forum, I may be the luckiest Jag owner on earth as my motor should have been damaged.
I do believe that this over heat caused my heater core to get clogged so I now have uneven heat flow even though the auxiliary water pump and door actuators have been replaced.
This last heater core problem is very common as well. My car heats, but flow is uneven. And along that note - I hear it gets HOT in Stralia from time to time, so make sure the car blows cold. Mine didn't this past summer but now that the actuators and H2O pump are fixed I'm hoping its better. It did cool during our very extended hot weather this fall in O-H-I-O.
Get the car checked out and don't buy it if a lot of regular maintenance has been neglected. I have not had to do anything weird repair wise as many people think Jags have oddball problems. I just had to do more neglected maintenance than I thought. It is very expensive to play "catch up" whether you do your own work or not so be prepared to wait for another better example. There are lots of great values out there - a few of which are listed on our forum!!!
And even after all this - I'm looking for an XJS. Jags bite really hard. Be careful out there!
Best Regards
Mike D.
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Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 204
Likes: 60
From: Terrigal NSW Australia
My Cobra is almost sold so I am searching for a XJ6 X350 and I have found one (2007) in Victoria (I am in NSW). Should I go ahead with this I will certainly get a mechanical inspection and if all is basically OK then we are off and running. BUT, I have been reading in this forum about the issues with the air suspension.
Question 1
Is there something specific I can ask the inspecting mechanic (he/she may not be a Jaguar mechanic) to look for ?
Question 2
Does the air compressor or air bags fail suddenly to the point of not being able to drive the car? or do symptoms occur that allow the car to be still driven ?
Thanks in advance, Bob
Question 1
Is there something specific I can ask the inspecting mechanic (he/she may not be a Jaguar mechanic) to look for ?
Question 2
Does the air compressor or air bags fail suddenly to the point of not being able to drive the car? or do symptoms occur that allow the car to be still driven ?
Thanks in advance, Bob
Bob
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 943
Likes: 292
From: Auckland, New Zealand
I'm astounded. Less than half that price in NZ.
Couldn't see many for sale though. Carsales . com. au put a value between $14k and $17k but I know nothing about that site.
I was going to get an Aussi insurance quote to see the value range, but they asked too many questions.
Bear in mind that nice as it is, it's a base model XJ6, and for instance doesn't have heated/cooled seats. Just sayin'
Couldn't see many for sale though. Carsales . com. au put a value between $14k and $17k but I know nothing about that site.
I was going to get an Aussi insurance quote to see the value range, but they asked too many questions.
Bear in mind that nice as it is, it's a base model XJ6, and for instance doesn't have heated/cooled seats. Just sayin'
Senior Member
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 194
Likes: 63
From: Columbus Ohio
Bob -
I don't know about values in your country, but if that's $37,000 US dollar equivalent or even close, then that car is either truly perfect and nearly new with super low miles, or it is really just overpriced and the dealer looking to max out profit by finding the right person.
Just my 2 cents.
Mike
I don't know about values in your country, but if that's $37,000 US dollar equivalent or even close, then that car is either truly perfect and nearly new with super low miles, or it is really just overpriced and the dealer looking to max out profit by finding the right person.
Just my 2 cents.
Mike
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 943
Likes: 292
From: Auckland, New Zealand
Yes.
The X351 2010 onwards has air suspension in the rear only, which seemed like half admitting defeat.
P.S. there has been a suggestion that if you change to coil springs, an insurance company might regard it as a modified vehicle. I don't personally know, just that insurance companies will find any excuse...
Also (not sure if it's relevant due to country), but my Autosure mechanical insurance (not really worthwhile IMHO) specifically covers "Active Suspension", but beggar me it does not cover worn bushes!!! (at 89k) Jaysuss, damn near anything could be considered "normal wear and tear" from their point of view.
And in the exclusions - read this twice - "Any breakdown caused or contributed to by a manufacturing error..."
The X351 2010 onwards has air suspension in the rear only, which seemed like half admitting defeat.
P.S. there has been a suggestion that if you change to coil springs, an insurance company might regard it as a modified vehicle. I don't personally know, just that insurance companies will find any excuse...
Also (not sure if it's relevant due to country), but my Autosure mechanical insurance (not really worthwhile IMHO) specifically covers "Active Suspension", but beggar me it does not cover worn bushes!!! (at 89k) Jaysuss, damn near anything could be considered "normal wear and tear" from their point of view.
And in the exclusions - read this twice - "Any breakdown caused or contributed to by a manufacturing error..."
Last edited by ChrisMills; Mar 2, 2021 at 01:13 AM.
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