Hi, I'm seriously considering the purchase of my friend's mother's 2001 VDP with 111000km (69000mls). I briefly saw some recent invoices from the local Jaguar Dealership that noted the car had recently had the tensioner upgrade. It apparently also had a rebuilt transmission at about 80000km. Brakes were done, and a bunch of other things, plus brand new Michelin tires. The car has some minor body rust near a rear fender that my buddy (who has very close connections to a good body shop) promises to have repaired for free. My friend's mother doesn't really care how much money she gets for it and she's letting her son keep the money for a new house. He really just wants to get rid of it and is selling all of his cars, so he said he'd sell it for $5000-$6000. The car needs a good detail, but is in overall good shape, including the leather and wood.

My questions are:
-Is a transmission 'rebuild' something to be concerned about?
-About how much do front bushings cost (labour, parts)?
-Is there a quick way to know whether the new tensioners are the 2nd or 3rd generation? I would think dealers only install the metal ones when people come to have them replaced.
-How do I know if this is a Nikasil or Alusil car?

Thanks very much!

 

Transmission rebuild and tensioner replacement seems to have eliminated two of the largest, most expensive repairs common to mid mileage X308 series XJ8s. Sounds like a nice opportunity to me!

 

pezzonovante88: Quad pretty well covered it. With regard to nikasil, you'll need the engine serial number, located left lower rear of engine block on ridge above power steering rack, locate and post, if before 000818xxxx it's nikasil. 00=year, 08=month, 18=day, xx=hour, xx=minute. Either way, I wouldn't worry about nikasil. Unsure on bushing replacement cost, what you may need is stabilizer bar bushings or shock bushings (search threads), instead of conrol arm bushings. For this price I would seriously consider purchase. Of course, I can't see the rust, and that would scare me. If the rust doesn't bother you, write the check! I paid 6k for a 99xj8 with 110k miles and thought I got a steal. Good luck & enjoy.
Ralph