Like the title says. Just bought this '03 XJ8 a few weeks ago. Had 99k miles on the clock and is very much like a new car. Nice and tight and excellent physical condition. I do not care for the low end aftermarket wheels and will get rid of them as soon as a find other stock wheels or XJR wheels for it. These cars are an absolute steal in the market place. $6500 for a car like this????

Any issues with the '03 models that I should know about? Any preventive maintenance things that should be done to avoid future failure? Thanks for any help guys and gals.

 

Looks real clean, nice buy!

 

Congratulations! The car looks great (minus the wheels - though they could be much worse)! I'm in the market for an '03, as well. From all of my research and discussion, it is apparent that the late 2002 and 2003 cars are pretty much fine, as far as reliability/dependability. The chain tensioner issue may still exist, but doesn't seem to be a real problem for these later ones. The thing that concerns me the most is the ZF transmission. Many people claim that theirs have not lasted long, however, some do. I think you'll be fine. Oh, has the suspension been reworked? These cars with that kind of mileage tend to require quite a bit of suspension work.
Good luck!

 

Suspension feels fine, don't know whether or not it has been reworked. Anything out of the ordinary with these suspensions? I hope I do not experience and transmission problems. What year transmissions interchange with the '03? I'm thinking about buying and older model just as a parts car.

 

I have an '03 XJR and it has been remarkably dependable. Just one hint. Stop using the cupholders. I'd say they were the weakest part on the 02-03's

 

Great looking car! And welcome to the forum.

It's not a bad idea to change the transmission fluid in the ZF 5HP24 transmission, especially with the miles you have. Jaguar claims that it is 'sealed for life' that is the transmission's life, not yours. While some have run a very long time there is too high a percentage that have given up well under 100k miles. You should check out the FAQ sticky on the XK8/R forum. It has discussions on just about everything you can think of, and specifically the ZF issues. The ZF was used in all years of the XJ8 through '03.

By '03 the suspension issues had gotten much better but keep an eye out for uneven tire wear.

 

Nice ride ,congrats
Speaking of the cupholders, I noticed you can fit those bottles in your holder but in my case I can't fit such bottles but tin Cola Zero lol

 

Looks great! Best of luck. I actually like the wheels, At first glance thought they were the r performance wheels. Nice gray piping as well. Enjoy it! +1 on tranny oil.

 

The wheels are actually growing on me as well. I just put two new tires on the front wheels. Looks like I'm gonna keep them. I need to find some Jaguar center caps. I have driven this car over 2k miles since purchase. Driven it through rain storms and much highway travel.............could not be happier at this point. It was one HELL of a deal!

 

very nice car!