im considering getting an xjr as a second car so it wouldn't be used daily. im looking at late ones, from 2000 to 2002. my budget is top 3500
whats peoples advice? how bad is fuel?
what are they like to drive and things to watch out for?
im only 22 so this will be very different from what I normally drive

 

Danny on the years your considering at I'd be looking for anything later than August 2001. They have the engine updates that earlier cars haven't that can cause major issues (plastic timing chain tensioners).
Fuel, 15 to the gallon with average driving, 19's with granny foot and 10-13 the way I like to drive mine Motorway you'll see low 20's.
Opinions vary on how they drive but if you test a good one it'll blow your mind. the 80-110 performance is still shocking to people who don't know about supercharged Jags.

You've already done a good thing looking in here, just read as much as you can before you part with cash, deal hard as they're like selling tickets to see Rolf Harris....

 

If you are a competent mechanic and can budget $1000/yr for maintenance it might work out, but a used Jag often needs upfront expenditure of $3000 or more for engine, suspension and drive train repairs.
As to the exhaust cam tensioners, engines built after 8/13/01 have metal tensioners, but cars assembled months after that date could have earlier engines, so only the engine number of 0108130000 or later is safe. If you are a mechanically inclined, you can change the tensioners yourself for a little over $200 in parts.
These cars should really be considered a hobby for those capable of maintaining them. If not, the repair bills will overwhelm you.

 

I can speak from my personal experience with my 02 XJR. I purchased it with 90000 miles on it in very good shape last year. So far, I have spent $6000 on bring her up to snuff. These cars are great as long as you have the money to repair them. Everything that I've done is mechanical for example bearings, pulleys, water pump, thermostat, alternator etc etc. About $700 was for personalized things. You may find one in the price range that your looking to pay but to get it as bullet proof as possible, you will be laying out some cash. By the way, $3100 was labor cost since my skills are lacking.

 

If you cannot do basically all the work yourself, it's not a good idea. These are fairly maintenance intensive cars I've come to find. There are many things that simply WILL go wrong with these, and if you have to pay someone else to do the work, it will eat you alive. If you can do the work, they are actually quite cheap to maintain. But several things are basically guaranteed to need work.

-Tensioners. If it doesn't have the metal tensioners, this will need to be done ASAP. My late build 2000 USDM XJR came with the metal tensioners, so they are out there, but finding a 2002-2003 will guarantee it. This is a cheap repair, they are about $90 a piece for the metal tensioners. But the repair is not for the faint of heart, although it's not horribly difficult. This is $1500 in labor if you can't do it yourself.
-Supercharger. In the price range you're looking for, it's gonna have miles. This means the supercharger is GOING to have problems with the coupler and/or bearings. Budget around $600 for a rebuild or to put on the X350 XJRs updated version of the same supercharger, if you can do the work yourself (it isn't hard at all with basic hand tools)
-Heater hoses. While you have the supercharger off, replace the heater hoses that go from the front of the engine, underneath the supercharger, to the back of the engine. These WILL eventually fail if they aren't leaking already. There are two and they are only about $15 each, but getting to them is a pain because you have to remove the blower. Cheap and relatively easy if doing it yourself, $500+ in labor if you have to farm it out.
-Blower belt tensioner. These are a common failure point. About $100 to replace, easy to do with nothing more than a (3/8" drive? 1/2" drive? I can't remember) ratchet.
-Transmission harness coupler. This WILL eventually fail, letting your trans fluid drip out and making the transmission act goofy from the wet connection. There is an updated coupler that solves the problem. It's only $30, and doesn't require special tools to replace, although it's not fun to replace.
-Headliner. These all eventually sag. I repaired mine myself for $70. Took about 4 hours, wasn't ridiculously hard to do.
-Front suspension. There are several things here. The upper shock bushings WILL fail. You can put in a $60 set of urethane bushings that fix the issue and improve handling. It took me about 2 hours to change them myself, going to a shop to have the old ones pressed out and the new ones pressed in. If you can't do the labor on this yourself, the parts are $300 each side (the bushings are integrated into the upper shock mount plate and only sold as a unit from Jaguar) and about $200-$300 in labor from a shop. The lower shock bushings are a common failure point. Usually easiest to just replace the shock, it could probably use them anyways. About $100 a corner for the stock Bilstein green shocks, pretty easy to do yourself. The front swaybar bushings are a common failure point, especially on something with miles. The are only $15 a piece and easy cheesy to replace, but figure on $100 in labor to get them replaced by a shop.
-Wheel bearings. Common failure point at high mileage. Fairly cheap (~$40 each corner), but a real pain to replace because it requires a specific tool. You can rent this tool from a couple places for ~$50.
-Water pump. Almost certain to need replacement. It's ~$150 for the updated/improved pump Jag released in 2006, easy to replace yourself.

In summary, these have a bunch of common small failure points that are not expensive to repair, IF you can do the work yourself. But if you can't do the work yourself, they require a specialized shop to do most of the maintenance and they will eat you alive in labor costs. If you have confidence in your skills and a good assortment of tools, they are a spectacular bargain.

Oh, and on fuel economy. I've been getting ~15-17 in town, ~22-26 on the highway, ~19-22 combined. Keep in mind this is on premium. They do surprisingly well for their size, but this is a big, powerful car, it's going to be pretty thirsty. But they are wonderful to drive when they are working right. One of the best balances of ride comfort and handling ability I've ever experienced in a car. Stunningly fast for a large sedan. Excellent brakes. They are a wonderful car when properly maintained. But don't jump in with rose colored glasses on, these are complex vehicles and do require quite a bit more love than your average car.

 

If it will be a second car then it should be fine. I got mine a year ago and I love it to death but it has been a real pain! I've had to do something to it almost every month. It takes up more of my time and money than my girlfriend! Thats saying alot! I have not been able to thoroughly enjoy the 375hp because I'm in constant fear of something breaking!! Every part for this vehicle is pricey OEM so unless you have a good income be prepared to get crafty! Also I would recommend going around with a can of WD-40 and oiling all of your door handles, and latches. They are notorious for breaking the cables. If you can get past the little (super expensive) repairs that will be sure to come then this car is awesome! It is super classy looking, fast, and a real head turner! It is the car that all other car manufacturers try to make their cars look like!