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The hotrod is a 1930 Ford Model A Tudor that's been chopped, channeled, and shortened. It's power by a '68 Camaro 350. Slightly built the Deere is an x310, it gets the job done lol. The Ford Probe next to it is the real machine though, believe it or not.
Nice work, looks like a lot hours and late nights. What about the Probe...did you wedge a Coyote motor in it or go twin turbo?
Nice work, looks like a lot hours and late nights. What about the Probe...did you wedge a Coyote motor in it or go twin turbo?
Probe used to be my dedicated track car, nothing really stock any more I bought it new and turned every bolt. The mods list would take pages. Suspension, brakes, engine, nothing left untouched. It's a Turbo V6, t3, standalone ems, the works.
The X-308's ZF five-speed automatic became problematic as it aged. The transmission fluid was synthetic and according to the manufacturer never needed to be changed. It was "sealed for life." Ha ha.
Problem was, as cars passed 80k miles metal dust accumulated in the fluid to the point the magnets and filters were rendered useless. Eventually the transmission would fail. On one of my 308s, a 1998 XJ, the ZF tranny failed at 83k miles. Repair cost $5000 for a rebuilt unit and $1000 for installation. (This was a good ten years ago.)
Nevertheless I love the X-308; I think it's the high point of the classic XJ sedan. (I love the new XJ too but it's a completely different car.) Apart from its tranny, and after I replaced the plastic timing gear and water pump, my '98 was super reliable.
But I wanted a supercharged version and lucked upon a very fresh '01 VDP Supercharged. Only around 250 of these were built and it was a fabulous car, with the VDP's extra leather and legroom and the blown 4.0's 370 hp.
For some dumb reason I can't remember, I sold it. A couple years later I picked up my current X-308, a 2001 Emerald over Ivory XJR with 80k miles on it. The previous owner was a woman who barely touched the gas pedal.
I'm extremely fortunate to have an honest, non-dealer, Jag-only repair shop nearby (Continental Imports, Oakland, CA), and the owner and chief wrench Juan replaced the failure-prone timing gear and plastic water pump. This time I asked him to go a step further and contemplate preventive maintenance on the transmission. I wanted to keep this car a long time and take it on road trips, and didn't want to be constantly worrying about sudden transmission failure.
As the car broke 100,000 miles, Juan proposed he do an exhaustive cleaning of the transmission innards. Not only would he drain the old fluid, he'd go inside and clean the gunk out of the torque converter and other hard-to-reach places. He'd replace all magnets and filters and top it off with fresh new fluid.
I'm coming up to my tenth year of ownership of this fantastic car, which remains tight and as fast as new and gets more than a thousand miles out of a quart of Mobil 1. At my last oil change Juan checked the transmission fluid and it was still clean. The car now has 152k miles on the clock and runs to perfection. On his YouTube show Matt Farah, noted car journalist, took a spin with a guy whose X-350 XJR had 220k miles on it and was similarly tight, fast, and trouble-free.
Juan tells me his other X-308 owners, people like me who don't have thousands to spare maintaining exotic sedans, are experiencing remarkably low cost of ownership as the years go by. For that reason I would recommend X-308 owners on this board check out their car's ZF automatic as the mileage goes up. Have your wrench drain a sample of the transmission fluid and assess its degree of contamination. A thorough cleaning could save it from premature self-destruction.
Beautiful vehicle. Love the classic British racing green. I have a 1999 white X-308. IMHO, this was the best sedan Jaguar ever made, a combination of classic sleek old school XJ styling on a smooth riding, relatively reliable platform. Also, this was the first car produced after Ford took over Jaguar and the quality control improved tremendously. I had my transmission fail after 100K and the second one only lasted 25K miles. I am on my 3rd transmission. Didn't even think about the option to service the transmission. How much is that costing you?
My new (to me) 01 XJR. After owning an STR 7 years ago, I've been searching on and off for the perfect x308. I purchased it about two months ago from the previous owner, with 46k on the clock. More photos to come!
alexz31ae, Was this purchased in the Columbus, OH area? I saw a similar cat on Craigslist, then saw what I think was the same car in Delaware, OH at a local shop. The shop was closed at the time and by the time I was able to swing back by to inquire it was gone.
About the cost of my transmission cleanup — it happened several years ago and I do not recall the exact amount in any more detail than to say it was a few hundred dollars. Having had no subsequent tranny problems even at the car's current advanced mileage — 152,000 — I consider it money well spent.
I was looking through the photos on my computer for something I took way back in 2006, on the way through I happened upon some photos I took on a holiday to France in 2009. This was a trip I took in my first ever Jaguar, a 2001 XJ Sovereign. I'd only bought the car a couple of months before this trip, but I loved that car. It was top of the range and had everything except premium sound fitted, the engine was 4.0.
I liked these two photos, the view along the bonnet on a French Autoroute and the second is a shot of the car at Juno Beach in Normandy where my Granddad landed during WW2.
Looking dirty in this photo, but that's what 1200 miles round France will do to you.
Have moved by the lake with my XJR as my daily driver while I rebuild the suspension of my M6. Ill drive the XJR till it gets cold and then swap it for my Escalade once the snow falls
OK, you got me ...
The day I first laid my eye on this car, almost 4 years ago.
My very first impression was it was black, and I turned around, only to be called back by my wife ... as usual she saved the day .
[QUOTE=ericjansen;1776396]OK, you got me ...
The day I first laid my eye on this car, almost 4 years ago.
My very first impression was it was black, and I turned around, only to be called back by my wife ... as usual she saved the day .
alexz31ae, Was this purchased in the Columbus, OH area? I saw a similar cat on Craigslist, then saw what I think was the same car in Delaware, OH at a local shop. The shop was closed at the time and by the time I was able to swing back by to inquire it was gone.
Yes that's the one! I had my 77' 911 up for sale at the time, and figured someone was going to buy the Jag before my car was gone. Luckily someone from Minnesota flew in and bought the 911, and I immediately drove down to Columbus that weekend. If you saw the ad, you know the price was just too good to pass up!
You have excellent taste in cars. My daily driver is a 1999 XJ-8 and my other car is a 1989 635CSi.
I love the E24s and I think they're under rated in the USA. Even the M635CSi. I think they look 'spot on' but have come across those who hate the way they look-which always surprises me.
10-11-2017, 08:29 AM
the Deere is an x310, it gets the job done lol. The Ford Probe next to it is the real machine though, believe it or not.
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