Opinions: 2001 Jaguar XJ8

[IXXI_carrera]

Friend at work is willing to nearly give me her Jag. It is the base sedan and not the Vanden Plas, or with supercharger or anything special.

I haven't seen the car, but understand:

The good: she is the original owner, car has approx 77,000 and was well taken care prior to her no longer driving it.

The not so good: has sat in her driveway for several years. Not because of a problem, rather, her kids became busy with sports, poor gas mileage, etc. Likely still has gas in the tank, does start (suspect bad battery), etc. so there are some unknowns.

Anything problematic for this generation Jag? I believe this was during the Ford ownership period. I've read about the plastic chain tensioner, potential problems if equipped with air suspension.

Should I run away or spend some time getting it running and flip the car?

Appreciate your input.

[HardDrive]

You better take a deep look at everything that could be out of whack. Its like a 928. You can sink $10k into an $8k car, and end up with an $8k car. I'd like to see it at least run.

[Moses]

Let the sleeping cat rest.

[IXXI_carrera]

Good input!

May do some initial, simple work (i.e., get a new battery) to get it running. Concerned about draining the fuel. Don't suppose there is a drain plug for the gas tank?

[HHI944]

Ooooh, Lucas electrics and a plastic timing chain tensioner.

[Dixie]

I owned, or rather my ex owned, a 2001 XJ8.
It's a magnificent riding car. Handles with aplomb for it's size. Issues with chain tensioners and Lucas electronics are way in the past. When it was running right, I loved that car.
When it wasn't? It was Lucifer's curse. The interior bits are spindly. They will break at the thought of removal. The wood trim delaminates as fast as the door panels of a BMW E34 shed their vinyl. There are 5 computers that interface with each other. They run propritary computer protocols. And parts? They make Porsche and Ferrari parts look cheap.

The net? A great car that will consume copious dollars.

[HHI944]

2001 is the beginning of the chain tensioner issues.

[Nostril Cheese]

Jaguar's reputation as a POS is well deserved. Even when Ford owned them.

If they made a good car, the United Kingdom would crumble overnight.

[Scott R]

The XJ8 that I owned went though two throttle bodies, they were very expensive. Other than that it was a nice all around car.

[GG Allin]

I'd love to dd a 2005 or so XJR, but I know better.

[HHI944]

Originally Posted by GG Allin

I'd love to dd a 2005 or so XJR, but I know better.

The biggest issue with that generation is the stupid air suspension and an xkr doesn't have air suspension.

[aigel]

Dude - SEVERAL years in driveway. That's scary. You'll have an interesting fuel system to deal with. Syphon the old crap out, put fresh premium, borrow a battery and fire it up. See if you can get it to run. Then commit to taking it.

I love re-surrecting dead cars, so I would at lest want to play. A borrowed battery and some gas is all you'll need to find out more.

My resurrections were all earlier models - carbureted - which is fairly easy. I don't have much experience with fuel injected modern cars. One I did was a 93 Pas****, but it didn't sit that long and still started, albeit intermittently. I tossed about 1.5k and a lot of time at it and sold it for 3800 a year later. It cost me $700 to buy. This was when it was only 7 years old!

Have fun, but know when to pull the plug! Before you buy tires, which would be the next step ... also don't be shy to flip the darn thing and share some of the proceeds with your friend. It likely beats owning it long term.

G

[FLYGEEZER]

Everybody I know that ever had a Jag, also had remorse.

[VincentVega]

nearly give me her Jag

If you can get it to run, even just for a few seconds on starter fluid I say go for it. I'm assuming you are getting it for scrap value and dont mind a little effort and $$ to make it reasonably reliable. Could end up being a cool car to get around in until it's not. Then you move on.

[Tidybuoy]

My mom used to have an 1987 Vanden Plas which had about 18k miles when they acquired it - basically mint condition and only a few years old whey they purchased. The car was beautiful and a great touring car.

After about 5-6 years of ownership, my dad took it away from my mom and made her sell it. This was because in the 5 years, they had accumulated 28k in maintenance and repairs (she's still mad at him).

The point is, if you are not able to do some of the repairs yourself, be prepared to pay premium prices as the are expensive to fix (anything).

[jhynesrockmtn]

87 and 2001 were completely different cars. I've had both. When well cared for, the Series III cars could be really nice. They took a lot of regular service though and when ignored, they could be a nightmare.

I bought a used 2001 or 2 for my ex back in probably 2003. It had had a factory engine swap prior to our ownership at 20,000 miles. Nikasil issues maybe? Can't recall. Had also had the rear end swapped out. Anyway, fairly trouble free and great driving car until she had wrung up about 70,000 miles. Then the non serviceable trans gave up the ghost. I think she had it repaired but by then it wasn't worth much. That was post divorce.

What is nearly willing to give me her Jag? You get it for $500 or $5,000.......

[McLovin]

80% of Jaguars made are still on the road.



















The other 20% actually made it home!

[diverdan]

As a diy guy, my xjr 6 has been virtually trouble free with the exception of a $200.00 steering racknrebuild. The tranny is the same as my dually diesel which did 260,000 miles often with trailers up to 20,000 pounds before it needed a rebuild. Rebuild kits for the lighter jag trannies are dirt cheap. The early v8s timing chain problem is real, but my 6 is bulletproof. Alas, its still a sedan, but a pretty decent car for a pitance of an investment. Go for it if your handy. If not run fast.

[Scuba Steve]

Much like aigel, I'd at least play around with it for a while. If it cooperates it could make a DD for a while, otherwise there's always Craigslist.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I had a 2000 XJR that was actually a great car. The timing chain tensioner issue is potentially fatal, as is the Nikasil cylinder walls eroding. I don't recall the year that Nikasil ceased to be an issue, but it's in that 2000 timeframe.

That car on a good day would maybe bring $4k in mint condition. Sat for YEARS? Better get it cheap.