is this 2003 XJR worth buying?
#1
is this 2003 XJR worth buying?
Hello. I found a local guy selling a 108,000 mile clean title 2003 XJR for $1,800. He told me the car overheated and now it needs a new head gasket(s). I don't have a problem buying the car and rebuilding the engine or even getting a replacement, but is $1,800 worth paying or should I offer him something lower? I been looking around at 2003 models and I find them going any where from $5,000-$8,000. I will be doing majority of the labor work.
#3
If that car was in Canada, I'd buy it sight unseen. Still even in the States, if it was really clean you could get it going for about 1500-2000 dollars to replace all the tensioners guides and chains and headgaskets PROVIDED it wasn't so badly overheated that the valve seats dropped or badly warped the heads.
That's how I got my XJR so cheaply (relatively speaking).
EDIT: that car in good running condition would go for $12,000-15,000 Canadian, 11-14k USD. in my area.
That's how I got my XJR so cheaply (relatively speaking).
EDIT: that car in good running condition would go for $12,000-15,000 Canadian, 11-14k USD. in my area.
Last edited by avt007; 12-20-2013 at 01:39 PM.
#4
Hello. I found a local guy selling a 108,000 mile clean title 2003 XJR for $1,800. He told me the car overheated and now it needs a new head gasket(s). I don't have a problem buying the car and rebuilding the engine or even getting a replacement, but is $1,800 worth paying or should I offer him something lower? I been looking around at 2003 models and I find them going any where from $5,000-$8,000. I will be doing majority of the labor work.
You need to give this car a really good inspection to see what it looks like and see if there are any service records etc. Why it overheated in the first place could indicate a sloppy and careless owner , on the other hand it could have just been bad luck.
#5
The engine starts, but it's shaking like it has a misfire. No unusual noises though. I bought it for $1500 and it will be towed to my house tomorrow. I am 2nd owner and pretty excited to repair it. I have plenty of goodies to fix this car in my garage although most of my experience is from big Diesel engines. I found a used long block engine with 71k miles for $2000. I maybe able to bargain the price and I will change the tensioners and timing guides prior to putting back in the car. The problem can be something simple, but the owner said the "shaking" occurred after it overheated. I won't know exactly what's wrong with it until I hook up a scan tool and perform further diagnosing. I am fairly new to this jaguar scene and only have experience with our 1995 XJ6 and 1997 XJ6R.
Last edited by Ericbilt25; 12-20-2013 at 04:26 PM.
#6
Good luck with your project. $1500 = £940. Here in the UK, you'd get more than this just selling the parts on eBay !
It'd be nice if you could keep us informed on how you get on with the car.
Actually, if it's a 2003, is it the steel or aluminium car ? I suspect you have the X308 car not the X350 (which is aluminium), hence the low price.
It'd be nice if you could keep us informed on how you get on with the car.
Actually, if it's a 2003, is it the steel or aluminium car ? I suspect you have the X308 car not the X350 (which is aluminium), hence the low price.
#7
Good luck with your project. $1500 = £940. Here in the UK, you'd get more than this just selling the parts on eBay !
It'd be nice if you could keep us informed on how you get on with the car.
Actually, if it's a 2003, is it the steel or aluminium car ? I suspect you have the X308 car not the X350 (which is aluminium), hence the low price.
It'd be nice if you could keep us informed on how you get on with the car.
Actually, if it's a 2003, is it the steel or aluminium car ? I suspect you have the X308 car not the X350 (which is aluminium), hence the low price.
Last edited by Ericbilt25; 12-21-2013 at 08:06 PM.
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#8
VINs start with G00442, at least that is quoted on the air spring units. If you don't know the styles here is my aluminium car. A key difference is you can look in the trunk water channel and you'll see lines of rivet heads, because the aluminium cars are riveted and glued together like an airframe. Under
the hood you'll also see the suspension towers are big aluminium castings riveted to the body.
the hood you'll also see the suspension towers are big aluminium castings riveted to the body.
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VINs start with G00442, at least that is quoted on the air spring units. If you don't know the styles here is my aluminium car. A key difference is you can look in the trunk water channel and you'll see lines of rivet heads, because the aluminium cars are riveted and glued together like an airframe. Under
the hood you'll also see the suspension towers are big aluminium castings riveted to the body.
the hood you'll also see the suspension towers are big aluminium castings riveted to the body.
house. The owner is out of town for the holidays and didn't have the title on him when I purchased it.
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No, not all, only the XJRs, I think. Mine are pretty standard, non-Brembo, and thank goodness for me because Brembo stuff is very expensive. All cars have the electric hand-brake, of course. This can be expensive to fix if it goes wrong.
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I don't know what my car has for brake pads, and I thought my C5 Corvette had good brakes, but the ones on my Super V8 would stop a train.
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I scanned for codes and the car has 11 codes for cylinder 1-8 misfire & multiple misfires. The car starts & runs, but very rough.. almost on 4 cylinders. I took the coil plugs off & spark plugs and found a puddle of oil on the coils and spark plugs. I think it has CATS suspension? There is a plug on the front shock. These are the best pics I can provide at the moment. I went ahead and ordered 2 valve cover gaskets, spark plug rubber o-ring gaskets, new thermostat, and 8x spark plugs. I'm not sure if they sell individual coil plug boots, but I may remove the old ones and clean them well before re-installing.
FRONT
REAR
Here is a video of how much oil can be heard on top of the spark plug...this same issue occurred on the 1997 XJR and It's obvious lack of maintenance.
View My Video
FRONT
REAR
Here is a video of how much oil can be heard on top of the spark plug...this same issue occurred on the 1997 XJR and It's obvious lack of maintenance.
View My Video
#20