Hello from the triumph board - Looking at a Jag

[jackag91]

Hi,

I am looking at picking up a 2002 - 2005 XJsomething (I haven't narrowed down the model) I just know that I need to get a 4 door since my truck isn't really cutting it for work.

Are there any years or models I should avoid? Anyones to keep my eye out for?

 

[Exotexs]

just my opinion:

X300 up to 2002 or X350 from 2003. Although everybody keeps calling them XJ, the factory doesn't anymore.

I own two old analog Jags, the modern digital Jags are too "sterile" for me so i'm not familiar with them except for what I hear, and I hear to stay away from the V8 (Ford-block) Jaguars. Lots of mucho troubles. Timing chains. I hear to stay away from the X type, a Taurus-clone, Ford's "better idea" to market a less expensive Jaguar for the Toyota/Honda crowd didn't work. Ford threw the towel. Yeeehawww! Now Ford is selling Jaguar. I hear 1993 thru 1997 (Series 5) have lots of engine sensor troubles. 1988 through 1990 (Series 4) lot of dash chip problems. The 1999-on 'S' type is iffy at best.

Your best bet for more reliable, if not easier to repair XJ-6 are the 1983-1987 Series 3. Lot of parts available, lot of knowledge-bases, and the 4.2 liter in-line 6 is mostly a reliable engine. If you can mess with a Triumph, you can mess with a Series 3 XJ.

The 5.3 liter V12 available in all Series is an awesome and powerful engine but too sensitive, finicky, and problematic to keep going reliably. Your typical cat.

you can see all the Jaguar ever made in this link:

https://www.jagclub.net/Jaguarmallit.htm

it's in Greek but what the heck, you're looking at the pictures.

Ex

 

[bmurphy7369]

To narrow your search down some, what sort of trim level would you prefer (sportier, luxurious such as a Vanden Plas, standard luxury as in the standard XJ8 model?) and if I am not mistaken, there are two wheelbases to choose from. The new XJ (2007) has the XJ8L model, and I believe it was produced prior to this year in the X350 (Possibly the L-long wheelbase was re-introduced in 2003, I'll have to check that to be sure. The XJR models are supercharged 4.2 V8's currently, and I believe they have been for a few years. The Vanden Plas top trim level for luxury is on the XJ8L long wheelbase and has the fold-down trays for the rear seat passengers, a bit more chrome usually and is considered the ultimate in comfort. The standard XJ8, available in the standard wheelbase or as an XJ8L will be the most plentiful and are very comfortable, well-appointed cars. I hope I have my facts straight, I just read about the trim levels for the current XJ line at https://www.jaguarusa.com/us/en/xj/highlights/highlights/introduction.htm and believe most of these have remain unchanged for a few years now at least. By all accounts the years you indicated are very reliable cars, any would be a great daily driver.
Best Regards,
Brian

 

[bmurphy7369]

To add to what Exotexs said, the X350 is I believe the best of the new (Ford) Jaguars. I am also certain that the lighter aluminum body was introduced in 2004 or so, and is still receiving high praise today. The most recent redesign is mild, the 2008 that is, but all of the XJ line is still using the aluminum body design.
I tend to agree that a later Series III is a great Jaguar. I have had three in total, but one was a poor example to say the least (not any fault of Jaguar, just not maintained by the original owner). However, if you are looking for a modern Jaguar, I think it best to stay with the X350 range, the reports on the 1996 thru ? X300's were varied, a beautiful car, but with its unique set of issues as Exotexs mentioned. A well-maintained X300 should be a fine car, read the reports on troubles others have experienced and prevent these from happening to you by doing the repairs before the repairs do you... as with any car I suppose.

The X350 is a more solid Jaguar and I believe that the company took all that was great about the X300 and improved upon it (styling, features, the classic lines) and at the same time listened to the owners and redesigned the components that had been troublesome, giving Jaguar its best XJ model since 1987. What I admire about the X350 is the classic Jaguar design, the interior that is a modern progression of the XJ's styling, and the reported reliability of the cars. Do a carfax, check ebay for an idea of the going rates, this should also give you an idea for repairs that need to be completed based on the ebay sellers list of recent work and the mileage of the car. Motorbase didn't give me alot of detailed information on changes in the XJ line, but try https://www.jag-lovers.org/x350.html , this is a great source of information on the various models of all Jaguars. And apparently, 2004 was the first year for Aluminum bodies, according to the information here. Hope this helps!

Best Regards,
Brian

 

[Exotexs]

good info Brian.

I'm not familiar with these new models, only what I keep hearing, like the tendency of people to cross the battery cables in X300 and X350, causing great damage to many components in a fraction of a second. I've read about this in other Jaguar forums. I just don't understand why this is happening to X300 and X350 owners exclusively, could it be the way the cables are located? could it be the length of the cables?

I don't think it can be just because of people's "stupidity", because for example I've never heard of that happening with the Series 3 XJ or the XJ-40, it's almost impossible to confuse the battery cables or their locations at the battery in those models, they almost fall in place by themselves.

 

[jackag91]

Thanks for the info. I will let you know what I decide.