I am looking at buying a used XJ but have a couple of questions.

If there is no record of tensioner and A drum replacement, do I want to drive it home and dive into that right away? Most cars I have been looking at are between 120 and 150K miles.

What is the difference in the model numbers and should I be looking at one over the other?

What is the upper limit on mileage that I should consider when looking at this car?

 

If there are no records of repair made, the get it done. Even though I have a XJR with the Mercedes transmission, there is no A drum issues. I drove my for 2 months before the tensioner started to act up and I purchase my with 99K miles.

If you quite handly with tools, the tensioner job is very easy, 20 mins each side.

The 1998 to late 2000 XJ had the Nic sleeve and was a problem, but again I have a 1998 with no signs, I haven't perform a compression test yet. I have put well over 8000 mile on it since owership and the engine is fine.

I choose the XJR over the XJ8, simple because it has the supercharger, but basically everything else is the same, except for the suspension and cosmetic differences.

I would rather gotten a later 2001 to 2003, but couldn't find one in the color I wanted.

I don't mind mileage to a degree, meaning I wouldn't buy a car with 200k miles on it, I
purchase a BMW with 150k and took it up to 250K. It would still be going if it wasn't totalled.

 

Thanks for the reply! What is the Nic sleeve problem, I haven't seen that one in the forums I have looked at.

 

I am looking at buying a used XJ but have a couple of questions. That's what we are here for!

If there is no record of tensioner and A drum replacement, do I want to drive it home and dive into that right away? YES You can check the tensioners easily- just remove the valve covers. The A-drum is a crapshoot- some go at low miles, some high- it's work to replace so you have to weigh out the decision to do preventatively or after it breaks.

Most cars I have been looking at are between 120 and 150K miles. Go with the lower miles, higher if you have ALOT of service records. I drove my 120k miles XJR on a 1000mi trip, no worries, no problems.

What is the difference in the model numbers and should I be looking at one over the other? XJ8 regular sedan, XJ8L- longer car, XJR- supercharged regular sedan, XJ8 Vanden Plas- super fancy XJ8L. They are all great- I prefer to drive my "R" over my XJ8 as it accelerates effortlessly.

What is the upper limit on mileage that I should consider when looking at this car? It depends on price- I wouldn't buy an XJ with over 250k for more than $500. That's not to say it wouldn't have many more miles to give, but that's where I would expect to see major overhaul necessity. I would expect to pay over $5000 for one with under 90K in mint condition though.

 

I paid around $9k for my '03 XJ8 in April -- 63k miles and no service records, but it tested out (I drove it hard for a while) fine. I bought it and took it on a 1,500 mile trip the very next day -- worried about it the entire time, but had to make the trip and my other car had died so I had to get something. I now have just about 78k miles on it and haven't had any major issues.

I have come to a conclusion, however. The XJ8 is not a car for the weak! :-) In other words, when things "go wrong," you have to be ready to trouble-shoot it a bit yourself rather than running straight to the dealership for million dollar service. I've had a few minor issues, nothing that I couldn't fix myself. The first thing that happened was it wouldn't start when I came out of a store -- I called AAA, he tested the battery - it was shot. I put a new battery in it and it's been fine ever since. I've had a few CEL issues, but they've never turned into anything major -- mostly simple things like tightening the gas cap.

I did clean the air intake, etc. and changed the plugs. It runs like a top now. I want to replace the valve cover gaskets and plug seals, too -- that'll be a Saturday job.

My recommendation is to get one that is a late 02 or 03 with lower miles than you're looking at. I wouldn't get a car with no service records that has 120k miles on it -- too many potential problems, in my opinion.

Bottom line -- if you're handy with tools, not afraid to tackle some simple maintenance issues, and can afford the major problems (i.e. transmission) if they occur, then go for the higher mileage car, but that would be a real gamble in my opinion.

Good luck.

By the way, there's a great list of things to look for when shopping for an X308 -- look in the sticky section of the X308 forum.

Let us know what you decide. These are great cars, not the pieces of junk some haters want you to believe. For the most part, these are V-8 powered cars much like every other one out there, nothing to be afraid of.

 

thanks OldMike.

I can't believe I missed that buying guide in that thread. I guess I saw "how to" and didn't pay attention. There are definately some things I didn't think of that I will pay attention to now (like radio unlock code, I would have disconnected the battery and been really pissed that I didn't have the unlock code for the radio).

 

Glad to help. I hope you find the right car, there are a lot of them out there.

BTW My radio doesn't have a code -- don't know which ones do, but I know mine doesn't because I've disconnected the battery several times.

 

A helpful official Jag. service shop can give you the radio code by the car's chassis number.
It was working for me by email to them.

 

You don't need a radio code for US models.

You may want to put your location in your signature/info line so we know where you are.
Vector

 

Nic = Nikasil sleeves that was put in the 1998 to early 2000 XJ V8 engine. When the Nikasil sleeve and high sulfur fuel is bad, it deteriorate the sleeves very fast and the only fix was to replace the engine.

Some of the XJ has the newer engine, the way to verify this, I believe is by a green tag locate on the passenger engine block.

But again, my XJR has the original motor, with no signs of any problems pertaining to this. Buying a 98-2000 XJ is rolling the dice hoping for the best, but that with any used car.