I am looking at XJRs, and while I am comfortable with what to look for on an XJ8, the XJR is another beast. For example I have heard of pulley issues but can't find the info.
So what do I look for on an XJR? This one is nearby, and the carfax looks ok, but the price is suspiciously low. 2001 Jaguar XJR

 

There is the usual tensioners, but no VVT to deal with. So, easier to service the tensioners.

The hoses and knock sensors under the supercharger are *much* harder to get to.

The transmission is much more reliable.

It has *two* fuel pumps to burn out.

It encourages hard driving in some owners.

In short, the XJR can be more trouble free than the XJ of the same year.

Watch out for the Brembo brake option, parts are expensive.

 

As above-XJR has the stronger Mercedes gearbox & also no VVT to go wrong. Just make sure the secondary tensioners are alright & it should be fine-I have a 2001 XJR with 150k miles on it & it still goes down the road like a scalded ferret

 

The price is on the low side, but not THAT much because:

a) it has over a hundred thousand mi - not a huge deal but makes an impact on the price.

b) the aftermarket wheels are total cheese. every time i see cheap aftermarket wheels on high end cars it raises all sort of flags. obviously this person did not care for the originality of the car and that translates directly to poor attention to service or using inferior quality parts to service the vehicle.

c) take a closer look at the body. i checked for misaligned panels and gaps but its hard to see anything from those photos. however, the right rear quarter panel looked questionable in the area where it meets the trunk lid. the right exhaust pipe is hanging low, could be just the hanger or further relates to the quarter panel question. Driver's door handle is another small but perhaps a significant indicator of poor maintenance.

i was surprised by the interior in a good way. the lighter interiors always look worse than their darker counterparts, but this one seemed pretty good - nothing that thorough detailing wont cure.

clean carfax is NOT the holy grail as there are a number of circumstances when accidents are not reported.

i'd recommend doing your due diligence by taking the car to a jaguar specialist to inspect body for previous repairs and taking a look at the mechanicals. However, IMO given the nature of the dealer and several items I outlined above, I would take a pass on this cat. There was an ad here recently for a very clean VDP for much less money.

Final recommendation: always buy the best that you can afford because with cars, especially those out of warranty you will "pay now or pay later". I'd rather pay now for the cleanest one I can afford than pay later to repair someone else's headaches.

 

I agree the wheels are ugly but I will probably look anyways. I will be in Seattle on business so I might as well look at what Jags I can find.

 

Its not that the wheels are ugly, which they are. Its the fact that they are cheapies. Seeing these on an old chevy malibu or similar vehicle is not a big deal. On a Jag, its an indicator of poor ownership.

Check out this link:
Classic Car Auctions

Its a 1997 XK8 Coupe in beautiful condition. Not sure if still has the nikasil motor or what service has been performed. It is a consignment car so the owner can be contacted. Also, you can negotiate the price. While there, check out other Jags they offer.

 

Spot on! Cheese wheels were (most likely) not put on by the original owner. How many owners is the Carfax showing?

Personaly, I stay away from ANY vehicle sporting "cheese". In some cases it just might be the question of taste (some expensive wheels are just ugly to ME!), but most of the time when you see the cheap wheels, there is a reason behind it (damaged originals, and what else is hiding?). Price is good,.....why? What do they know and not telling? How long are they sitting on the car (if a long time - over 90 days - might explain the low price). If the car is in the inventory for less than 30 days,......CAUTION! They KNOW why they have to unload it quick (hence the attractive price).

Be carefull.

 

Well first off, I am not that serious on this one, but it's a matter of opportunity. I will be in Seattle all week with nothing to do on Tuesday, so it's a good chance to look around at cars. The Northwest is not a good place honestly because the prices usually aren't far off BC prices.
But there's no harm in looking. This one has been for sale for a weeks at least. I'm afraid my budget is a lot smaller now that the roof cost over 8 grand.

As for the XK8, I'd like a coupe, but the price is too high for my tastes in an early one, and like I said, it's about opportunity. When I travel for business I like to look around the local market and see what's out there. Next time I'm in California I'll check out the ads.

 

Amen, amen amen!!! :icon_imnotwor thy:

And I thought I was the only person who immediately discounted a car which had an air freshener hanging from the mirror or 'gangsta' wheels on it. Whew!

 

I went there yesterday. The company has a good collection of American muscle cars and a good sized showroom, so it wasn't a total waste of time.
As for the XJR, oxidized paint was the order of the day, some deep,sharp,dents on one door, a broken muffler, and unpainted door handle surround, you get the idea.
I don't know if the salesman has a sense of humour, but there was a big sign on the window proclaiming "economy car"!

Oh well, no surprise and no harm in looking. I got my Jag from a dealer that was desperate to get rid of it. Much better shape than the XJR and half the price, so not all these cars are junk. And yes, the wheels are just as ugly in person.

 

I'm on my third 308 and, having invested in preventive maintenance have been spared disastrous outlays. Well, that's not completely true. My '98 ate its notorious "sealed for life" ZF transmission at 80,000 miles. This is not unusual. They packed these transmissions with synthetic fluid and discouraged changing it, so the fluid accumulated dust that saturated the magnets and filters, eventually burning out the transmission. A rebuild cost me $5K.

On my current 2001 XJR my shop, Continental Imports of Oakland CA, changed out my tranny fluid at 110,000 miles. We're going to see if we can keep the transmission healthy for the life of the car, hoped to be 250,000 miles, by regular fluid changes. I'm halfway there, mileage wise, and the car is running magnificently. It aces the CA smog tests and it really digs in when I nail the throttle. (But I drive it pretty easy most of the time.)

It has no equal as a road trip car. It's is greeted by small towns in the interior as a true exotic. Those same folks ignore the German cars. Jag owners are viewed as an adventurous lot by small town folk who see them rarely. Even the Occupy types have trouble labeling Jag drivers as 1 Percenters. Our cars are just too cool, so we must be too.

I'm 63 and plan for my XJR to be my last car. I can't think of another car I'd rather have.