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  #1  
Old 03-12-2006, 02:44 PM
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Question Anyone know XJ-8?

Anyone know about the Jaguar XJ-8s? Reliable?

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  #2  
Old 03-12-2006, 03:00 PM
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The newer the better - one from the current (aluminum) generation or the one just previous should be fine, and depreciation makes them good deals. Be careful if you're tall - even though they're "full size" sedans, they're not real big inside. They tried to sell against the S-Class, but the interior space is much more comparable to a W210 than to a W140, and headroom is a bad joke.
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  #3  
Old 03-12-2006, 03:50 PM
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I think hats grandparents have one.

Other than that, my girlfriends mom has an S-Type 4.0, and it has been nothing but problems. They also have other nice cars, including an E55, and even the E55 is cheaper to run than the Jag. There is just something with their electrical systems that just jumps out and shouts "Problems..."
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  #4  
Old 03-13-2006, 10:22 AM
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be wary of the timing chains on those cars. I had to repair an engine where the timng chains broke and it took out both cyl heads and 3 pistons. I dont know if that problem became a recall or if they upgraded with different chains and tensioners. Better ask around about that one with some Jag guys. By the way I think the XJ8 is one of the best looking cars on the road today!
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  #5  
Old 03-13-2006, 10:39 AM
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Friend of mine has a late model XK-8, the electrical gremlin is just as bad as the older cars. When he gets his headlights work, then the tail lights go out, or vis versa. Sometime the markers will be out on one side. He gets to the point he won't drive the car at night, so he doesn't has to deal with the problem. On top the fact that he doesn't want to be stranded in some dark country road in the middle of the night.
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  #6  
Old 03-13-2006, 10:45 AM
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i see alot of XJ-8's around... i wouldnt mine one but i just dont have the cash to fix it if anythin is to go wrong
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  #7  
Old 03-13-2006, 07:36 PM
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I had a 84 VDP it ran great...from 0-35-40 it was a slug but get it over 65 on the highway and it was strong. At the time, before ford was in bed with Jaguar, the whole car ran on hydraulics....brakes, suspension etc...it made my life miserable...I hear the newer ones especially the XJR have a very good ride...
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  #8  
Old 03-13-2006, 08:36 PM
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Here's the basic rundown on these models.. I was considering buying one and this is what I found:

Pre-96 XJ6- reliability is pretty bad
96-97 XJ6- new body style (round headlights) but old style interior. Many consider this 'best of both worlds'. Although the interior looks 10+ years older to me!
98-00 XJ8-two major problems: Nikasil engines that self destruct (BMW and Porsche had the problem also). Search the web for this.. pretty expensive if you have a problem. Second issue is the timing chain as someone already mentioned. This can be fixed ahead of time (before it causes a problem) but I remember the cost was about $2k. I found these cars not worth considering for these reasons
01-04? XJ8-best XJ8 to buy. Has all of the timing chain/Nikasil stuff sorted out
04?+ XJ8-new aluminum body. Some say it's the best XJ8, but I found that the back end REALLY made it look like an S-type Jag. The older XJ6's and XJ8's looked MUCH more expensive and classy to me.

I ended up deciding against the Jag and am back onto looking for a W140 for a few reasons:

-Look at parts prices. Parts for the Jag were easily twice the price. If you look at an R model (XJR, XKR, etc.) wait till you see the parts price! I think front pads & rotors for an XJR were over $800 just for parts!
-No support. There is a Jag DVD service manual, but that's it. There are a few forums (jaglovers, etc.) but they're not busy and are NOWHERE near as good as this forum!
-Not that much cheaper - might as well buy a W140 and have a MUCH bigger, more reliable, and easier/cheaper to maintain car for not a lot more money. Consider the XJ8 to be more of a 'nice E-class' than an S-class type car.

However:
-They're beautiful cars!

So there was really only one reason to buy (beautiful cars) and a whole ton of reasons not to get a Jag.... for me anyway...

Neal
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  #9  
Old 03-15-2006, 11:20 AM
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The 1998-2000 XJ8 has a secondary tensioner issue. They made it from plastic! Guess what? It fails regularly. Jaguar/Ford knew this but did not recall the cars and only offered to update the tensioners if the customer complained while under warranty. The repair is less than $2,000 if you only replace the secondary tensioner. However, you should just go ahead and replace the other crap with the third generation updated tensioners and guides while you are in there. I recently purchased the tools to do this job because Jaguar was unwilling to repair the car and would only replace the $13,000 engine. What a complete pain.

I don't like the single row timing chains, at all. Mercedes learned their lesson with single row chans a long time ago. I'm surprised Ford/Jaguar didn't follow suit.

Other than the secondary tensioner issues, it's a pretty nice car. The interiors are a bit cramped but the leather and wood are out of this world.
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  #10  
Old 03-15-2006, 11:39 AM
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Buy a W140

For not much more money (if any at all) you can get a nice W140 without all the engine hassles of Jag. From what I can tell, they're 5-10 years behind in technology compared to MB (timing chains, etc,etc.)

Called a guy about his 1996 XJ6 that he was selling cheaply. Ad says "perfect condition". This is the third "perfect" Jag that I've called about that has a ton of issues. I have called three owners now and haven't seen one car yet (it hasn't been worth the drive to even bother, considering what they told me on the phone!)

This 'perfect' XJ6 has a check engine light on (he says mechanic can't figure it out but he will consider taking it to the Jag dealer.. yeah right!), is on its third complete exhaust system (car only has 110,000 miles on it!), and has rust holes on both rear wheelwells which he says will cost $500 to fix both (I'm sure it's WAY more expensive than this).

I could take a risk and buy just any W140 out of the paper. Don't even have it inspected, take a shot at it, and play russian roulette with the evap core/Bose amp/door lock pump. But then I could drive it for 100,000mi without any major problems rigth?

I could see spending that kind of money ANNUALLY on an XJ6 which is smaller and not as nice. Why bother?
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  #11  
Old 03-15-2006, 01:21 PM
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I wouldn't get a 140, no way. They have some serious issues with the ac condenser and wiring harness that self destruct. The Jaguar timing chain issue is much cheaper and easier to fix than the 140 issues.
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  #12  
Old 03-15-2006, 01:31 PM
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Really? I found in my S320 vs XJ8 comparison that:

-the XJ8 purchase price was cheaper
-If you buy the right year, wiring harness on a W140 isn't an issue. Only the A/C evaporator
-Timing chain (XJ8) vs Evaporator (W140) is the expensive repair. About $2k or so.
-Jag parts priced MUCH higher (often 2-3x the price of an MB part)
-No support.. fewer indy shops work on Jags than MB's (in my area anyway)
-No online support.. there are NO forums for Jag even close to this one!
-Junkyard parts more expensive for Jag. Check for instrument clusters, mirrors, etc on eBay for an idea. Can you even buy a set of wheels on eBay for the Jag? There are TONS of them for the W140 all the time.
-No 'cheap workarounds' for Jag - For example, some have found ways to reset the door lock vacuum pump, there are rebuilt cruise control units available, rebuilt climate controls, and you can swap ONLY the regulator & brushes when your alternator dies. With Jag, you need to buy complete replacement assemblies.
-Interiors - W140 is very nice, but the Jag is better. However, it is MUCH smaller (more like an E class) and trunk space is a lot smaller.

I have personally found that the Jag looks nicer and if you can put up with the higher maint & repair costs, it's a great car. But in the Audi A8/BMW 7-series/Jag XJ/Mercedes S-Class the W140 is the bargain of the bunch!

Neal
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'90 300SL 140,000km (87k mi) SOLD
'01 S430 260,000km (161k mi) SOLD
'03 SL500 167,000km (104k mi) SOLD
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  #13  
Old 03-15-2006, 03:54 PM
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Quote:
I have personally found that the Jag looks nicer and if you can put up with the higher maint & repair costs, it's a great car. But in the Audi A8/BMW 7-series/Jag XJ/Mercedes S-Class the W140 is the bargain of the bunch!
Just make sure the 140 is '99 or later. Otherwise it's just about junk. I know too many people that had 140's and they said they were the worst cars that they had ever owned. However, the 140 is much larger than the XJ and has more interior room but the fit and finish on the XJ is actually much nicer than the 140's. Honestly, I wouldn't consider either car to be a good option.
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  #14  
Old 03-15-2006, 04:44 PM
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Oh yeah I know them well. If you want an XJ8 only look at 2000+ models.

The 98-99's have weak upper timing chains, and Nikasil cylinder liners that would fail causing the engine to lose compresson.

Having said that you can buy an older one if you are willing to live with the risk. Their is a school of thought over at Jaglovers.com that if you don't use the car around town and use short changes of synthetic you can prolong the Nikasil coating. The upper timeing chains+guides just change.

They are Jags though, parts are expensive, and you need a lot. Grandparents spent about $9k-$10k last year on theirs. $6k for the trans and a bunch of rear end and AC related work. Lots of electrical problems are to be expected like on any Jag.

I'd still buy one though, their was a 2002 XJ8 VDP on ebay with a buy it now of $19k. They are such enjoyable cars to drive and the interiors are so nice you can live with a lot of the British car stuff. The W140/W220 is a better car though from an engineering and quality persepctive.

If you want a good cheap Jag think 95-97 XJ6, nice ones can be picked up for $6k!

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