Hi all,

I am testing the waters a little bit regarding my 98 XJ8 Vanden Plas.

I bought this car a few months ago with only 3400 miles on it. It was owned by an older couple who drove it once a week to go get the mail in their small town.

The car now has 7200 miles on it. It runs and drives perfect with absolutely no problems. Everything works properly and the car still smells new. The interior is like new and the car is immaculate.

The paint is flawless except a small scratch on the rear right door. Original P4000 tires.

I also have original "monroni", sales literature, owners manuals and service records.

It has had the throttle body replaced as well as fuel pump and filter. It has the H/K stereo upgrade with changer and it does not have the heated seats.

So...the question. What should I ask for it?

It is topaz with light interior, two sets of lambswool mats.

Any thoughts?

 

That 98 will need the later timing chain tensioners, later water pump and replacement of those 12 year-old tires. The final selling price of the car will have to reflect this.

Doug

 

Thanks Doug. I do intend to replace the tensioners and water pump. With the miles what they are, I have gotten mixed opinions on the time frame. When I called Jaguar service, they laughed and told me that they don't even consider the car broken in yet.

Having said that, and assuming it had new tensioners, new water pump and tires...what would be a good place to start with price?

 

Where are you located?

That makes a difference in the perceived values of vehicles.

 

After tensioners, water pump and tires are replaced, I'm thinking about $12,000. Just My opinion. There is not much to compare with on this age of a Jag with those miles. It does have the nicasil coated cylinders but that might not be a big problem these days as long as the engine is never overheated. They can be a bear to start when shut off while cold.

Doug

 

Sinister...I'm in Oregon near Portland.
Doug...I really thought through the nikasil issue as that was my biggest concern with this era of Jag. After reading most of the compiled research, I figured since the car only had about 1,000 miles worth of the "bad gas" of the late nineties I figured that I was pretty safe considering the linings. Naturally, I was watching closely for hard starts, blow-by and oil in intake.
The car never overheated according to the previous owner.
I'm wondering if you meant to draw a correlation between it overheating and the nicasil? I'm curious how they are related. Does the nicasil respond differently to getting hot?

I just changed the oil today to full synthetic and flushed the coolant. I am going to do the brake fluid next week and new tires tomorrow.

12,000 is what I thought could be the high end.

Thanks for the thoughts.

 

The early water pumps had a high failure rate which lead to overheating. Overheating the engine damages the nikasil, which in turn contributes to its failure.

Now that the sulfur fuels are gone, overheating is the last major threat to nikasil.

TTYL
David

 

Thanks David. Do you think the water pump at 7k should be replaced? Probably a safe gamble compared to a new engine, huh?

 

Book on that car is around $6000. The adder for the low miles is $3100. So book is around $9000.00.

It's going to be a narrow market above that price since it's going to be tough for someone to finance this vehicle unless they have a relationship with their bank.

If it's the right colors it could bring $12K. Like they say in the dealer sales meetings, "There's a butt for every seat".

 

Sinister...I'm curious as to which "book" you used. KBB.com? NADA? A "real" book? Also, when you use the term "book", do you mean trade-in, wholesale, private party, retail, etc.

thanks for the help.

 

It's a real book called the Black Book. I quoted the retail price. Remember, it's just a book. Same goes for KBB NADA and others. They are reference only not gospel.

Either way, price it at the $12K and see what happens. You never know what the market will bear until you put it out there.