I'm a "soon to be" member of the Jaguar community. I've read most of the newbie information posted in previous threads. I'm looking at a '98 with about 85K miles. The car appears to be in great condition, but has a new engine. The engine was replaced at a Jag dealer and the seller has invoices to support his story. ($9500 job.. whew!). He says it's the second generation V8 with metal timing belt tensioners. I've owned a Fiat Spider and most recently a Mercedes CLK. Hence, I'm ready for the unreliability and expensive trips to the dealer. However I've never been faced with a complete engine replacement. The new engine has been in the car for 2 and half years and 20k miles. Should I be concerned or excited that the major engine problems have already been addressed? What could I be missing? Any help would be appreciated!!!

 

Thanks H20. One additional question: If I go with a model that has the original 4.0, is it worth the $$$ to have the tensioners updated with the newer/metal part? In other words, do the plastic tensioners really present a significant risk of failure? Thanks for your help.

 

Thanks for the help guys! I guess I didn't really have the stomach for Jag maintenance. I decided to go with another Benz. I'm picking up an SLK this Friday. Best of luck!