Greetings most awesome forum! Though I introduced myself here a few weeks ago, and posted a couple of times, I thought I would share my story on how I came to buy this Jag and what I have found.

I am presently unemployed, living off of some investments that allowed me to walk away from corporate for a year and figure out what I want to do with my life. I have put money into a start-up business here in Denver, and am now seeking work again, but that is another story.

In my signature you can see the vehicles I own, nothing too special or expensive, but fun. My Jeep gets along on the trails and through the heavy snow of these Colorado winters, and in the summer, top down and doors off, a fun vehicle to tool around town in. The Magnum, with its supercharger and other mods, is a screamer. At sea level it is an 11 second car and can fit a single bed in the back with the hatch closed. Both cars are modified on the outside; they look unique, which is what I like.

For decades, I have wanted a roadster, and have followed kit car replicas of the legendary Cobra as well as the Caterham. The Jaguar E-type has always caught my eye as well, so when the XK8 was introduced it was lust. Back then, in the military as an enlisted guy with two kids, I was driving an older Jeep Cherokee and thus the Jag was the stuff of dreams.

Fast forward to today, and I found myself setting up EBay alerts on the XK8, deciding that life is short and now that the price is under $10K I might as well treat myself. Tough, from a practical standpoint, to justify three cars as a single guy with a now empty nest, and NO JOB, but then again, I could get hit by a bus tomorrow and might have never had the Jaguar experience.

I bought my 1997 from what was a reputable dealer in So Cal who specializes in exotic cars. He had a 100% positive reputation and so yes, without driving it or checking it out, wired the money and flew out there to pick it up.

I was shocked when he pulled the car out of the garage. It was dirty, the interior was dirty, there were bits and pieces missing, the headliner was moldy, seats worn and cracked, paint really faded. I almost cried, but was stuck. Was it worth the drama of trying to get my money back and fly back, or were the issues with the car minor enough for me to deal with?

I got in the car and headed home. The turn signals were sometimes working, sometimes not. One headlight was out. I could not figure out how to operate some of the controls, as there was no owner's manual. On top of that, the prior owner had vanity plates: "GBLADE" I immediately thought "Gay Blade" and sure enough I had people point and laugh at gas stations and even on the highway. I am straight, and not judgmental on how people want to live their lives, but really, it was embarrassing.

Cosmetics and electrical issues aside, the car did get 26 mpg on the highway, and I did enjoy many hours of top-down driving on the two day trip home.

Six miles outside of Denver, at 65 mph, there was a clunk and then everything lit up. No power steering, no alternator, yet the engine was still running. I knew it had thrown the serpentine belt. I decided to keep my eyes on the gauges and try and make it home. I just barely got it into the garage before it overheated.

I was so pissed off, I let it sit there for four weeks while I argued with the seller and tried to get some of my money back. That did not work... so I had a choice, deal with it by either fixing it and selling it or fixing it and keeping it. I dug into the car and found the following:

Exterior - passenger headlight assembly looks new, hood repainted (poorly) as well as the fender; even though CarFax showed no record of an accident. There is some black paint peeling from the trim around the windshield. The wheels were at one point chromed, and the chrome is bubbling and peeling.

Under the hood, which would not stay up on the gas struts, I found the idler pulley was shredded. I ordered and installed a new pulley/tensioner assembly and belt and got the car running again. It took two quarts of oil, but I do not know if it was low when I picked it up.

The problems on the inside are numerous. The day/night mirror does not work at all. The steering column reach motor runs, but it does not move. the slightest bump to the center console causes the cup holder to open and pop out of the lower tabs. Sometimes I have to cycle the brake pedal or use the override to get it out of park. In the manual mode, the transmission gets confused and stays in an upper gear and gives me a transmission failure warning even though it still drives. I keep it in auto mode for now. The turn signals give bulb failure warnings now and then. The Jaguar and horn/airbag emblems are missing from the steering wheel. I already mentioned the overall wear and dirtiness of the seats and headliner.

There was no boot cover for the top, no owner's manual. In the trunk, I found both tabs of both taillight assemblies broken; these assemblies would flop out into the trunk.

In the past week I have purchased a boot cover, it looks really nice now. I washed and buffed out the paint with a home orbital. I found the turn signal problem fix here and added a ground wire to each, which corrected that problem. I drilled out a couple of holes to screw the assemblies in so they would not flop out into the trunk. Not as elegant as the original tabs, but better than duct tape.

Now, all of that said, I have fallen in love with this car. This past week, with it all shiny and new looking, top down cruising around town, absolutely fantastic. It is a sexy older lady, a bit worn around the edges, but a thrill to be with. I have my own tags on it now, and it passed the emissions test with huge margins. It does not have the acceleration of my Magnum, but the steering is tight, it carves up the curves; the ride firm but smooth. It is so low to the ground, and so open with the top down, it feels like a roadster. The car's lines are so unique, and I have even had a few complements at traffic lights and gas stations. The interior, wrapped in leather and wood, is such a different feeling than that of the bland plastic expanses of the Dodge.

In the coming weeks, as I work through the issues and get her where she should be, I know I will bond even more with this Jaguar. I now have no regrets on the purchase, and am thrilled to have found this forum where I can learn and share.

Some of my friends and family do not get it, do not understand why I would buy a third car. I ask them, "Do you employ your car, or enjoy your car?" They think of cars as transportation, me, I think of them as an experience.

To motoring -
John

 

With your determination, you should be able to overcome any further problems.

This forum has a unparalleled supply of expertise and helpful participants, especially considering the relative rarity of our unique cars.

 

Bravo. And being able to fix the little stuff (or not so little stuff) yourself will go a long way towards continued enjoyment.

As another '97 owner I've learned that some of the "standard" things to fix don't necessarily apply. Consider your VIN when looking at some things and understand that there are some things you don't need to be concerned with if you have an early one. Convertible top hydraulic hoses apply here.

The car will grow on you more. How many miles on it?

Mike

 

Sounds like you got bitten by the Jag bug.
Good luck with getting her back into shape and I'll look forward to hearing, and seeing, your progress.

 

Leave a negative review on ebay... and if he is really a dealer with a business license, leave a negative review on resellerratings.com, Yahoo, Google and Yelp review sites. Once you've fixed all the problems, total your costs and submit a complaint to the BBB. That's about all you can really do. Sorry to hear about the condition of the car.

 

Check the tensioners asap, water pump, shock mounts, trans fluid, convertible pump fluid. Enjoy it!!!

 

An epic enthusiasm , you must be into a jag bug in high values . I appreciate that
May you enjoy your ride

 

Awesome feedback, thanks all! I think the forum has most of the issues covered, however.. where can I find the emblems for the steering wheel? Do I have to get a new airbag/horn cover? It just looks so trashy, every time I get in, to see this steering wheel with shadowy dirty glue remnants of the center badge, horn symbol, and ABS tag.

OregonJag, thanks for the heads up on the VIN and early build. Yes, mine was born August 1996; I gather from your post that my convertible top hoses should be fine. I will look for a comprehensive breakdown of problems by build date, if there is such a thing.

The plastic tensioners do worry me. I will look (or maybe someone can post) for a way to check to see if they are still there.

Much to do, but happily so...

 

The only way to verify the state of the tensioners is to remove a valve cover.

It would appear that your airbag deployed. Was it replaced? I thought it was illegal for a car dealer to sell a car without a functioning airbag.

There are several Jaguar specific recycling companies but I have had good success with Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market

There was a discussion recently on that subject: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...started-55673/

You will only appreciate the car more by doing the repairs yourself. Welcome to the wonderful world of Jaguar.

 

I, too, just recently joined the Jaguar universe. And I purchased your exact same car (model, year, color). My wife and I love it.

Any ideas on seat covers or car covers that you know of?

 

Welcome to the forum tdlaney,

Don't forget your intro in the new members section!

 

John, I thoroughly enjoyed your narrative, thanks. I'd like to recommend a franchise that will come to your house and clean, dye, and repair the interior. Google " Fiber New". My 2000 XK8 had a drivers seat that was showing its age, and this guy did both seats and the console for $270., seven hours of labor. It came out super, so he did my neighbor's Corvette too. I've been able to locate several parts on E-bay,most everything is available. These guys on the forum are the best resource of all. Their depth of knowledge is limitless. Best of luck, and enjoy the X-BLADE... Bob

 

Thank you, Bob, I will contact them for an estimate. My 1997 is actually going up for sale, as the need for speed and something with fewer miles has me purchasing a 2005 XKR, showroom condition, 42x miles, all the options (I think there were only three) and black on black. I will let the '97 go for very few dollars if anyone is interested. It has been a regular driver and I have most of the issues worked out.