Hi Guys,

As a n00b, I need the benefit of your expertise please.

I am looking at (although not yet been to see) a 2003 Super V8. Here's what I know so far:

155K
Off road for just under a year, not registered or insured (so no test drive)
Zircon blue (rare color?)
Scant service history
Asking price $4.5K

If I go look, what should I look for (other than what is in the Buyer's Guide) and is the price unreasonable? I'm not in the slightest mechanically inclined so idiot-proof instruction would be most appreciated!

Thanks and regards,
Anthony

 

Hi Anthony,


All I would say is that if you aren't knowledgeable or mechanically inclined it is essential to take someone with you who is.
An alternative, here in the UK, is to pay one of the motoring organisations, The A.A. or the R.A.C., to do a check for you. They charge for the service but better to spend a few hundred dollars than waste several thousand.
I speak from experience, having bought a car without even going to see it as the seller had posted over 50 photo's of the car from which it looked immaculate. After taking delivery I found that the bodywork was fantastic but mechanically it was a mess. I have spent as much getting up to standard as I spent on the car.
Best of Luck. They are a fantastic car when running well, but can be a bit of a money pit when they go wrong.


Bill W ( U.K. )

 

The Super V8s are awesome cars, but based on your description I might shy away from this one, especially if I was not in the slightest mechanically inclined.

A couple of questions you'll need answered for sure:
--Does the seller know why it was taken off the road?
--Even if there's no test drive can you at least start it and go back-and-forth in a driveway? (i.e. are the engine and transmission at least basically functional?)

I agree with Heliwilly completely. Since you aren't mechanically inclined, if you decide to pursue the car you should have somebody who is take a look at it before buying, ideally somebody who knows a bit about Jaguars. The high mileage isn't necessarily the kiss of death, but without a full service history it'll be important to confirm that it has been correctly maintained, at least as well as you can with a basic inspection. It might turn out to be a really nice, well-maintained car, but the odds are more likely that it'll need some work to get it back on the road and running well.

If you have your heart set on a Super V8 or Vanden Plas Supercharged (the pre-2003 designation) you might do better in the long run to pay more up front for a car that might need less work once you own it. If the initial cost is the sticking point and you're in the $4K to $5K range, I'd be inclined to look for a Vanden Plas or XJR with considerably lower mileage and a better service history. I loooooooove my VDP SC, but I'd rather have a good running VDP or XJR than a Super V8 project.

 

An older, neglected Jag is a car for the mechanically inclined. In fact, it isn't really a car for anyone, as you'd be far better off getting one that's been looked after. I just paid $6K for an immaculate 02 XJR with extensive dealer service history, with 133K miles.

Here's one tip though : this is the second car I've bought where it seemed to have no service history as such, but the entire history was on Carfax, every 5K miles from new.

 

That's a good tip. It's how I got the basic service history for mine, too, since it got its regular service and maintenance through the dealer. Of course, that probably won't included any non-dealer work, but it might at least indicate that the car was basically well cared for. Another good indicator is if the overall condition of the car is good for the mileage. Have stone chips been repaired? Is the leather in good, clean condition? Etc.? Anybody who is taking care of those items is pretty likely to take care of the mechanical items, too. The opposite applies, too. If the overall appearance of the car looks neglected, the innards have probably also been neglected.

 

This is a very bad sign that something serious and expensive made the current owner park it.

This car has lots of miles too, not a concern if it was well maintained, but sounds like this one was not.

While it could be something simple and cheap, unless you have a lot of extra cash to invest in getting it running, I would pass on this one,

Super V8's are not common, but you can find a nice, running, well cared for XJR for a good price or wait until you find a Super V8 that has been taken are of.

There is nothing more expensive than a "cheap" Jaguar.
Vector

 

Thanks everyone for the advice......I may go take a look (and bring a Jag aficionado with me) just for the "experience" and, who knows, maybe I'll get a pleasant surprise!!

 

A different car.

Is that miles or km?

My car is at 160,000 km. It's an XJR but I think similar enough in principle. I had it from almost new, regular maintenance but now it's time to do tensioners, suspension all round, transmission oil, drive belts, pulleys or pulley bearings, all hoses, water pump, all fluids. That's probably another $4.5k or more. Offer the seller $4.5k less the cost of any of those items that haven't been done, you might get it for $0.

Allow extra for other random items - I just had new fan motors and exhaust manifold in mine.

XJ8 you also need to change thermostat housing. And gearbox is not as robust as XJR.

That's my summary of a month's worth of reading all the useful stuff in this forum. Based on that, and what I'm doing now with my well maintained (mostly) X308 with similar mileage, and not being very mechanically inclined either, I wouldn't buy that one even for $0.

 

Check it out. If had to do it over again I would have went for the Super V8 (XJR too stiff for my taste).

Thus if this one dont check out, try to wait out for a good Super V8. That way no worries about that pesky weak transmission. Which for mechanically uninclined can be PITA, and then finding someone that know what they are doing properly, another PITA. Then finding the right A-drum that is for real and not some mislabeled chinese cheap junk (if ya lucky) or dpending how spectacul;ar that ZF tranny goes, the entire thing may be junk and have to buy new one (that may be OEM still and ready to break again in another 30-50k miles without updated A-drum), another PITA. Hell by the time it's all figured out, with the price of regular XJ8 ya may end up spending more than what a good super V8 would have cost and still have no super charger.