First of all thank you all for your time and opinions as I go through the arduous task of finding a solid XJ8.

Today I looked at a 2000 with 108K on it. It also has a year old dealer installed transmission. Overall the car is in only OK condition given it's age miles but the way I see it is I want it to seem well cared for and clean. This car has a sagging headliner which I know is common but the stitching on the wheel is all popped and the left vizor pivot has pulled out from the ceiling, the leather is kind of dirty and cracking on the left side of the drivers seat. Everything appears to work fine but my main issues are as follows:

The right forward spark plug has white all over it. The rest while not identical are in the normal range.

There seems to be a oil leak from the rear of the engine. I can't really see where it comes from but I would think it is some sort of fitting and not the rear seal as if it was leaking I would imagine they would have caught it when they did the transmission. I'll post a photo below.

My biggest concern is there is a fairly pronounced shimmy at highway speeds. I'm not sure if it's a wheel balance issue or suspension wear but I know I really don't have the funds to rebuild a front suspension right now. Besides what would that even cost? I would imagine that it's less complicated/expensive than my 95 BMW 530 touring but still.

Am I expecting or hoping for too much from a 12 year old car that can be had in the 4-5k range?

Thanks

Eric

 

Yes. Wait, what was the question?

It looks like a leak coming down the passenger side of the engine and my bet would be valve cover.

I want a cosmetically solid car with a decent drivetrain for $4K. I will overlook ALOT for 1K and will overlook mechanical stuff for 3K. It's not really a question of is the price fair for the year, it's a question of is the price right for the condition, and are there any deal breakers (cosmetic or mechanical. Noone can tell you if it's a deal- only you can/will make that judgement. If you feel it's only worth $3k, offer that. The seller can only say no.

 

If you are ok with cracked leather- here is one for $3K in Burbank.

Jaguar XJ8 (Vanden Plas)

BTW, if you are patient (3-4 months) you can find some real bargains.

 

+1 to dsnyder586 on the oil leak being from the valve cover which is neither difficult nor costly to rectify.

Where I would be super critical is the trim items. Fixing can chew up $$ unless you do the work yourself and you need to factor this into the final cost if the dealer is not prepared to have the repairs done.

If the steering wander is not balance (which to me would cause vibration, not wander) then the commonest wear on the front suspension is upper wishbone bushes. Again another opportunity to negotiate but a reasonable replacement cost if you can do the work yourself.

Spark plug - the vehicle has probably been shunted in and out of workshop / dealer and never really been thoroughly warmed up. You should be worried if it was showing black with evidence of burning oil but this white deposit is more than likely to clear with a good run.

Graham

 

I am in more of a hurry than I should be as I need a daily driver and I have some time off from work so now would be a good time to find, buy and sort my new car.

The shimmy at 60mph worries me. What will a sorted front suspension run me? Less than a grand?

Thanks

Eric

 

Will the dealer give you the opportunity to check the suspension and, if there is wear, can you do the work yourself? Labour is is big consideration on a suspension rebuild.

Upper wishbone bushes are easy provided the fulcrum pin isn't seized. No special tools required. Lower bushes require the coil spring to be removed and this needs the special Jaguar spring compressor or a bit of invention and bravery.

Graham

 

Those nits can add up to be very expensive. Unless you are a complete DIY'er and really know how to diagnose all the car's faults before you make an offer, you will always be better off to spend more money on a car that runs and drives and everything works like its supposed to. As to cosmetic/luxury items, it really boils down to whether or not you are willing to live with them as is. If you expect to fix every little thing, again you're going to be better off to spend more for a Jag that is completely "sorted". When I was shopping recently, all the ones I saw advertised in your price range were pretty sad shape.

 

Just spoke to the dealer.

2-3 k for the front suspension. They replace the a arms completely.

I can do almost anything myself with the right tools but if the tools are a dealer/specialist only item then I should find a better car.

Eric

 

If the dealer is talking about replacing wishbones instead of rebushing them, it may be sensible to look for another example. Sounds like they may already have done some inspection to determine what's required to bring this one up to par.

Graham

 

Not to speak blasphemy, but if you are a little hard up on funds and in need of a car ASAP, why are you pursuing a Jag? Yeah, its boring, but a honda civic, toyota corolla, or similar car is more wallet friendly.

I understand the want for a "nice car", that's why I bought my S-Type. But I am fortunate that I have the money to blow (and I keep blowing). If I was of sound mind, I would have never bought the Jag in the first place.

Like others have said, sometimes buying cheap means spending more to make the car equivalent to one you could have got for a little more.

I must have wasted 10 weekends and dropped $600 trying to figure out why the idle in a 97 CBR600F3 was so poor. Sure, the bike was beautiful, but the engine had a hard life. I believe the problem with the bike was that the butterfly valves were leaking air through the pivots. It turns out this was a common problem with the bikes. Owners thought the jumpy idle was normal.

 

The dealer hasn't seen the car. The car is being sold by a private party.

I called the dealer to verify some of the maintenance claims made by the seller and asked about the 60mph shimmy. He said they tend to replace the A arms etc as a group. That's why the high number. I know it might be a single small component or everything just starting to wear out.

As far as why buy a Jag given my non bottomless pockets I figure they cars are very well made save some engineering/manufacturing flaws and if you find one that's been looked after these issues have usually been dealt with and the cars tend to last a good long time. Especially if you look after them and are mechanically capable. Which I am.

I'd spend a little more for a really good car or I can spend less and fix some of the issues myself and have a nice DD that I hope will give me a few years of reasonable trouble free driving.


What no one has commented on is the fact that one of the spark plugs was white while the rest were normal, not all the same but close enough.

Should I expect the one covered in white crust is closest to the head gasket leak?

Thanks
Eric

 

I would expect sparkly clean, not white crusty with a head gasket issue. Even so, I have done a head replacement on one- no biggie, just time and a little cash.