Hey all- I've always loved the looks of the XJ's over the recent generations, and just saw one offered in a private sale up the street from my home. It has 93k miles, seems to be solid mechanically and the body looks good, inside and out. It seemed to drive well in my 20min test drive. There looked to be a variety of electrical features that don't work (various switches don't seem to do anything, digital clock broken, radio doesn't fully shut off and the speakers sound kind of shot with any bass), also the driver-side window doesn't go down and the glass headlight lenses are loose to the touch. The seller is asking $3,500.00, firm.


A little background on me - I'm a 32 year old man in Boston, USA who has never bought a used car before, and is not particularly mechanically inclined. This is a 17 year old used car, and there's obviously an element of "you get what you pay for". I'm apprehensive and really hoping I don't make a bad decision, so I'd love to get folks' advice here.


VIN is SAJHX1243VC795752, if anyone has access to reports that I don't.


Again any advice is tremendously appreciated. I'd love to be a member of the Jaguar family one day very soon!


--Mike

 

Buy a manual on CD-ROM and learn to read wiring diagrams, a good set of metric tools. If you can, get a Jag mechanic or someone familiar with Jag's. Listen for cam rattles, drive it and listen for transmission and rear end noises, squeaks, rattles, clonks. I think there's a thread on this.

 

Can you get some high resolution photos of the interior, exterior, engine, underside, etc?

Good photos can tell a story for those with keen eyes and experience.

 

Thanks gents. I'd read elsewhere on the boards where I can get a pre-purchase inspection in the Boston area. That seems like a good investment, as I really wouldn't know the more fine-points to take a close look at.


--Mike

 

Here's somewhere to start:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/a...yers-guide-doc

Also do a search for the two or three "talk me out of this" (literal) threads. Those have a lot of insight into what to look for, and some good examples.

.

 

Welcome aboard, Mike! Here are a few things to look at on it:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...roblems-46769/


You say you're not mechanically inclined...but do you want to be? Honestly, it is probably not the car for you if you just don't like tinkering and would rather be on the golf course or in front of the TV or down at the Opera. On the other hand, very few of the niggling items that go wrong with the X300 require more than a willingness to work on it and a few tools. The expertise regarding what needs to be done to set it right is almost always found living right here in the forum (via search) or if not, someone will happen along to reveal it within a day or two of you posing the question.

One thing to consider is your tolerance for downtime? I'm not exceptionally fast in the shop, but have a spare, so I can quibble with a problem for a week or a month if that's what it takes, and drive something else. Comes in handy - and I don't have the pressure of having to cram all my repairs in on weekends and hope parts are available late Saturday evening if I break something or find a surprise problem.

 

Hello Mike,

I had 2 X300's, one was a Sport 3.2 and the other a 4.0 Sovereign.
They were both very reliable despite the age and the price I bought them.
The first one I paid 1500 euro, the 4.0 I paid 1200 euro.
So rather cheap I must say but in Belgium where I bought them, Jaguars are not liked (most people here prefer German cars simply because they THINK a German car is more reliable. It is not).

Anyway, what I wanted to say is, try buying private. The cars that end up at cardealers/brokers are usually not the most reliable ones(if they were, they would have been sold for a better price privately, and not sold for a very low price to a cardealer who just hides the main faults and sells it for a lot more. Hiding faults is not fixing them). Just speaking from my own experiences and the cardealers I personally know would even sell their mother. Actually, I believe one did

The 6 cylinders are virtually bomb proof when they were regulary maintained.
Same goes for the automatic gearboxes. Very reliable if oil was changed from time to time.
The XJR and XJ12 even had a Ford gearbox that was normally fitted in trucks, so no worries there.

About the digital clock, in almost every X300 they are broken but that is a cheap fix. Use the fact to bargain on the price.
In my 4.0 speakers only worked on one side, so I believe it is rather common they all desintegrate after time. Nothing to worry about since you can replace it.

But one problem I see on almost EVERY X300 that has not been resprayed, is rust or bubbling paintwork on the rear wheelarches. Very common.

But in my personal opinion, 3500 US $ if too much if so many little things are wrong, like you mentioned if several switches don't work, it seems to me that is just the top of the iceberg.

I have to admit, I know nothing about secondhand prices on these Jags in the USA, but here in Europe, you can find good examples for around 2.000 eur. But only if you buy from a private person.

My advice is: take your time and buy from the vehicle owner himself. Seeing and talking to the person who has owned the Jaguar tells you so much in just a few minutes.

 

I have to echo aholbro1's comments in #6 above, these are beautiful cars and you'll feel like a million bucks driving one, but... unless you enjoy working on them and have space, tools and time you might be frustrated with the car. You can of course find someone to work on them but this is expensive as all get out; not so much because of the expense of parts, but the time involved in digging out the problem and properly fixing them. Taking care of a 17 year old Jag (or any car of that age) is somewhere between a hobby and an avocation !

 

I've had my 97 since 2000 and have had most of the issues that everyone else has had. Some work I do myself and some I let the a local mechanic do. This forum is especially helpful when you are dealing with a mechanic as at least you have some idea of what they should be doing. There are other here that are either ex-mechanics or have that level of skill. Part of the reason I have kept mine and am now in the midst of fixing everything are the engine and transmission are almost indestructible. The electrical stuff not so much, but they are fixable. By the way I had the loose headlights a couple of years ago and one the parts guys at SNG B told me to try marine epoxy, the lights are still tight.