Hi all, just drove this car in the Atlanta area and thought I'd ask for feedback on it, and let others know it's out there. I'm not really looking for a white one, but if the price was low enough...

Used 1999 Jaguar XJR For Sale | Atlanta & Union City, GA | SAJPX1849XC864532

VIN SAJPX1849XC864532, $5995

Carfax the dealer pulled showed 7(!) owners, but no problems other than reported damage to the right rear, which is probaby what you can see in one of the photos. Besides that, there was a scuff to the left front bumper cover, a pea-sized paint chip in the driver's door, and the windshield was cracked under the mirror, 6-8" long. I thought the interior was really nice, the only cosmetic problems being the wood panel on the driver's door had some cracking, and the headliner was stapled up in the back and loose under the visors. The driver's seat switch module was pulled out but still worked, and none of the window/lock/mirror buttons on the driver's door worked. Other than that every control seemed to work, and the antenna worked. CD changer is in the trunk, even had a magazine in it.

I started her up from cold (45ish) and there were no unusual noises or smoke. It drove out nice except for a shimmy at 50-55mph and a slight pull to the left. Seemed to shift alright and the brakes worked well and the car stopped straight. Maybe some minor squeaks and rattles, but nothing that alarmed me, and no wind noise.

The tires are 245/40R19 Goodyear Eagle F1s (not a lot of tread left), and the wheels have Jaguar centercaps but I don't know if they're necessarily Jag wheels. Underhood was clean, and the trunk was clean, with a full-size spare but it didn't match the 19s on the car.

I told the salesman I'd probably pass on this one because I was looking for a black or grey one, so he put the sales manager on me and when he asked if there was anything he could say to get me to reconsider I replied that if he said something crazy like he'd take 4k for the car then I'd have to reconsider. He didn't laugh me out of the office so that got me thinking and led to this post.

What do you all think? I doubt he'd really go 4k on the car, but what if he went 4500? 5k? Thoughts? And if anyone wants to jump on this feel free.
Thanks,
Mike

 

Meh.

They changed the wheels to aftermarket (WHY?)
It's a 1999- probably nikasil lined
No picture of the engine bay, so hard to see if there has been any poor workmanship or sloppy work

I think you could find a 2000-2002 in the color you want for that price. (4500)
probably with lower miles- maybe 90-100K.

 

Hello Mike,

please make use of the Request more info button and try to get a history of maintenance services, changes and repairs.

Reading about the damages so far I fear that the previous owners not left cosmetic problems only, though it seems to drive well.

If possible let the car check by a car expert, if not a Jaguar expert, before you buy.

 

XJR gearboxes are strong so that should be ok

Need to check service history for any evidence of secondary timing chain tensioner replacement. If not then put aside around $1000 for tensioner replacement-unless you can do it yourself?

Also worth checking if the original Nikasil engine was ever replaced.

Other than that, it's down to gut feeling & the usual used car mechanical checks/inspection. Are the tyres worn evenly?

Or you could just wait for a late model 2002-2003 car to turn up. These are the safest bet mechanically-even with a high mileage-as the 2 biggest worries won't be there. The later X308's had the steel-linered engines & metal tensioners, so are relatively immune from catastrophic failures that beset the earlier X308's.

 

"There is nothing more expensive to maintain than a cheap Jaguar."

Spend some $ and buy the best one you can find, otherwise you might just get what you paid for.
Vector

 

Sorry,....I would pass on a car that had SEVEN owners. If you buy a car from the original owner (the one that dished out 70+K for it!), you are getting a car that had ALL SCHEDULED maintenance performed.

Once the original owner sold it,.....someone bought it because the car was sexy, beautiful, and CHEAP,....so the guy cut the corners, and didn't maintain it. Once the maintenance costs went up, he unloaded it on another cheap seeker, and there you have it (unless one of the owners was a Cat afficionado - unlikely- and went over it with a fine tooth comb!).

If my Cat would ever be on the market (unlikely, and WHY?), someone would get a CHEAP and BULLET PROOF Jaguar, that someone (yours trully!) went over with a fine tooth comb, and the car that WILL last another 200K without any issues.

Seven owner Jag is a PASS for me, no matter how "good" it looks.

 

Thanks for the great insights, they were exactly what I was looking for. I'm definitely going to pass on this car.

To Ralf: I asked the salesman if they had any records on the car and he said no (after allegedly checking). The Carfax had many pages of service records, but I didn't see anything about engine or timing chain swaps.

On a related note, this is the second time I've posted a car for feedback and been told that a 2000-2002ish model might be had for under 5k. My question is, WHERE? I've looked through the Craigslists for most major metropolitan areas (Craig's Helper/SearchTempest.com), watched and bid on eBay auctions, and checked other venues and I'm not seeing that. I'm even able to check the Manheim Auto Auction post-sale prices and not seeing them that cheap at wholesale, at least ones that weren't way rattier than this car. Am I missing something?

 

Look at Inland Empire, Los Angeles, and Orange County. I am looking for XJR as we speak, and out of habbit, I punch in XJ8 also. There is a gold 2002 RIGHT NOW at the dealer for 4995. If I am on the market for another XJ8, I would be all over that one, like a stink on a monkey!

 

You are not going to find a car that you would want to buy for under 5K, at that price they are probably going to need a lot of work. This is especially true of you are looking at an R type. Not that they usually require more work, they just sell for more than that.

Just because someone says it does not make it so. Just because you may find one at that price does not mean that you would actually want to purchase that car.
Vector

 

Ian's top tip: avoid. Aftermarket wheels and
a lot of cosmetic fiddling (those chrome trim
pieces on the decklid and the grille surround are
supposed to be body color) are classic signs of
a bad previous owner.

A slight hunch also tells me that there's been work
done to the left front fender. Getting bodywork
right on these cars after someone else hasn't done
it perfectly is very difficult indeed. It doesn't fit
properly with the headlamps, so it has been in some
kind of incident.

The headliner looks rotten of course, but your local
Jaguar specialist will sort that out for about $300.
For a 1999 the interior looks rather good, the wood is
not cracked nor is the dash visibly warping, which is a
sign of garaged ownership.

Getting new tires is a must, I also recieved Goodyears upon
my Jag's purchase, and they were only good for a couple
thousand more miles... They were secretly plotting to come
apart on me in the end. Getting the visuals back to standard
should cost less than $1000, so don't pay more than $5000,
using this as a negotiation tool. Also, for a car of this mileage
I don't like $6000.
Ian

 

Good recommendation would be to look for a private party car that has service records. Spend an extra $100 to have the car inspected by a Jag specialist. You can start your search with 2001 models and newer. With 2001 you should not have to deal with nikasil but may have to replace secondary tensioners.

Glad you passed on this car. It seemed to have much more body damage. There was work done to the front end. Plus the filthy headliner and seats are good indicators of neglect.

 

@ Mike (theinkdon):

If you badly want to own a X308 then put some more money aside and take the time to find a 2002 or 2003 model with one pre-owner and a complete service and repair history. Sure it costs more than an earlier model and it may be hard to find one for 5.000 $ in you area.

But take into consideration that you will be sparing yourself the costs to overcome the teething problems of the early models and that you'll (hopefully) get a less worn car.

 

I'd pass for all of the reasons mentioned and my guess is some kid racer owned it last time from the looks of the horrible looking wheels.

Keep looking - you will be glad you did!

 

I looked for a year to find my XJR and monitored Craigslist for the same amount of time to find my XJ8- opportunity is all about timing...

If you can, put an app on your phone that will alert you when an XJ8 appears- then call IMMEDIATELY. I have found that when purchasing a car, alot of buyers will try and haggle over the phone but the person who shows up first generally gets the car, especially if it is under value.

And keep in mind 6000-6500 can turn into 5000 when you show up with 50 $100 bills.

 

I looked for 3 years and when I found the right car I paid top dollar for it. I am very happy with my purchase too.

Mine had 59K, complete service records,new tires with alignment, new headliner, flawless interior and paint, a real beauty. You could tell it had been well cared for.

The only things I had to do was the secondary timing chain tensioners, which I did myself for about $200 and the sub woofer repair for $13.

If you are patient, one will come along.
Vector