when you were searching for your jag,were you more interested in the year,location(texas-florida) or milage? I found a 2000 dark green metallic with cream,60k $11,000 ( southeast) and a 2002 xjr-100 (northeast) 70k for $13,000. 2003 charcoal,84k $12,000 ( maryland) I am looking for your reasoning on your purchase. Which is more important? These are just for examples. Just trying to get a good thought process going.

 

Just answered this in your introduction thread

 

If the condition of them is about the same -- the 100 nice. Except the brakes and wheels are much more expensive to fix on the 100.

The 14k mile difference is worth the 1k price difference -- IMO.


But --- you can not tell unless you go and take a look. The 2000 may be a one owner car always garaged kept and in perfect condition.

Newer and lower miles is normally the way to go -- but IMO -- older with low miles and kept in a garage are the best value.

There are many well cared for Jags floating around -- you just have to look and buy it when you find it.

 

The reason I'm asking is I worry about the salt that is used on the roads in the winter, not that I expect to many jaguars are driven in the snow-just the issue of rust.
I would think that very low miles on an older car would be worse-ie leaking seal etc-than one driven daily.???

 

Around here, Northeastern NJ, most of the folks who buy Jags, Bimmers, and Benzes, are buying cars, and they drive them as such. They don't use them as weekend vehicles but commute in them. I see them every day during my drive to work

As far as leaky seals go, newer cars don't suffer as much from lack of use nearly as much as they did back in the day. Seals are no longer oiled organic materials but, silicon and other synthetics, and they don't dry rot from lack of use nearly as much as the old organics used to. I've seen early 1990s cars with only 4 digits on their odo not leak a drop of fluid.

 

thanks again Barry. I'm really interested in a daily driver.I'm not in a hurry -just want to find one that has been taken care of. I would really like to have the XJR-100 but for what I'm looking for I don't know if I could do it justice. I put about 10k a year on my cars. If you are able to check it out I would apriciate it. great suggestions guys.

 

I'll try to get over to take a look in the next couple of days...
But I can't promise you I won't buy it...
We're looking for pretty much the same thing you and I

 

Most modern cars are quite good with corrosion -- thats not to say I would be looking for a car out of Boston. The early x300's (1995) did have some issues with the rear wheel arches -- but the later ones are fine.

If you look you can find some very nice XJ's. These are not bought by the same people who purchase C class MB's and 3 series BMW's. Many are second cars that spend life siting in a garage. You can find some with surprisingly low miles on them. Low mile cars are not necessarily never driven -- my 02 XJR has less than 50k on it -- I drive it all the time - but I work from home ...... No commute. And I have multiple cars.


The design of the suspension is such that at some point around 100k you will have to basically rebuild it to restore the car to the way it drove when new. Other than that -- and the tensioners -- the cars are very well built with quality components.

 

We've been answering this question on several threads in many different ways. I bought mine in March and my search was nationwide. I have purchased cars off of eBay in the past and shipping is pretty good and reliable so I don't limit myself by geography. That allows you to shop markets where prices are lower which will pay for shipping or you flying out and driving it home. That being said, I was looking for a 2000-03, but I allowed my search to include '99's and that's how I found the one I bought. Between the mileage, general condition, location, carfax/autocheck, and conversations with current owner, I decided I could live with a '99 and give up the park sensors and rear heated seats (I never sit there anyway :-) and lousy NAV. You really have to keep every door open and go for the best overall car for the money. The only thing you have to stay true to is your budget if you are paying cash like I do. I have probably paid another $1000 in basic repairs and detailing to get it to the point of where I would have been with my original budget and MY preferences. In the end, mileage was important to me as I put on 90 miles per day, so a low mileage, mechanically sound vehicle is worth a lot to me.

I hope this helps a bit.