hello all. this is my first post.
i am looking at buying a XJ 2004 4.2l v-8 it has 85,977 miles on it. it has a pretty good carfax
the purchase price is $12,600
i am not that familiar with jaguars could any of you tell me his or her opinions.
for most cars 85000+ miles is a lot. do you think i will be doing a lot of repairs on a car this old?
for the most part i will be using it as a daily driver any advice is appreciated thank you in advance...

 

Jeff - my wife drives a 2005 VDP (~76K miles) and we just purchased a 2005 VDP with about 80K miles for our son. The engines in both are still strong and idle/run smooth as silk. We purchased warranties with both cars when we bought them.

From my experience the drive trains in these model XJ's are fairly reliable. We've used the warranties on both to replace some control arms, and a coolant expansion tank on the wife's VDP. I change the oil regularly and maintain the cars as necessary. We've also not had any issue with the air suspension systems. I know others have had issues with these.

I'd get the car checked out thoroughly, and consider getting a warranty if financially feasible. While they are reliable, repairs can be expensive should the need occur. Since you are in the Atlanta area, if you can get the car to Kuhn Auto in Tucker, they are outstanding Jaguar mechanics and Chris (the owner) has over 20 years experience with Jags. He knows them inside and out. They can tell you what kind of mechanical shape the car is in. Chris is the guy that works on our Jags.

Also, if you contact Henry green at Hennessey Jaguar in Gwinnett and give him the VIN, he can look the records up for the car. Henry is a great guy and will help you any way he can.

Good luck with your purchase!

 

The car you propose to buy will have many, many, miles left to run, but you may have to spend some money on replacements. Parts wear out and need replacing just like tyres and brakes

One hardy perennial on an X350 owners list will be the air suspension compressor. These do not last all that long, (the piston and cylinder wear out), and need replacement once suspension warnings come up. The good news is it's not too expensive, as service exchange ones are available for about GBP (£) 300, and on the internet, even new ones can be got for around that price. Fitting is quite easy too. However, for your purchase, at 86k miles, it will likely have been already replaced.

Suspension bushes also tend not to last too long, and were once a real bone of contention between owners and Jaguar Cars Ltd due to the excessive prices charged. However one thing Jaguar owners benefit from is a very active aftermarket selling the same parts for half the price in many cases. SOme cars here in Europe have got beyond 200,000 miles. Do be aware, though, that these are large luxury cars like Merc, BMW a and Audi, with running costs to match, although I seem to manage it, and I am not a rich man, although obviously not poor either !

I presume you are aware that the car is made of aluminium, and actually weighs less than the smaller Jaguar S-Type. This means fuel mileage is pretty good for such a large car.

 

rscultho thank you for the advice! i think i will take the car over to one of the shops you recommended. i am also going to look into getting a warranty package... thank you again for the advice!

 

Fraser Mitchell thank you! i wasn't sure how long a car with 86k miles on it would last. but again i am buying a jag and not a cheap car. i have done some research on-line and it looks like jaguar has a lot of aftermarket support.
i believe the car has had a new air suspension compressor put on it. according to the carfax info.
i found an old invoice in the car and called the dealership that did the service on the car, the guy i talked to said the old owners took good care of the vehicle. he said that he would not hesitate to purchase the car.
thank you i think you guys for your advice it has helped me make my decision! happy travels see you on the road!

 

I am assuming it is not a supercharged model like the XJR or Super V8. In this case, there will be even less to worry about. Like all cars, these have their little quirks and foibles, with most of these experienced already by our loyal posters on this forum, so if something happens, it will likely already have been discussed on here.

BTW, you will get lots of glances as you drive around, as these are a very elegant car, and there aren't a huge number around

 

12K sounds like a lot of money. I sold my VDP in excellent shape with new tires and all the preventitive services including tranmission fluid/pan change for 8K with 80K miles.

 

This equals £8400, which is about right for the UK from a dealer, maybe a little high. At this mileage and age, its condition, and how the owner looked after the car is everything, far out in front of what goodies it may have.