I am looking at a 2003 XJ VandenPlas with super v8 that seems to be in good shape - except for the mileage. The seller says it is mostly hiway miles. He has no knowledge if the timing chain guides have been replaced.
What service would you perform on a car of this mileage? Do they need lots of maintenance when they get close to 170,000 miles?
thanks,
Todd
Todd:
I have some experience with old XJ8s, having owned two XJRs which I bought each with about 150,000 miles and driven them to 230,000 + miles or so. I also maintain my wife’s 2002 XJ8 which we bought new and now has 160,000 miles or so.
First, let’s analyze all you have actually told us about the situation. You have identified an XJ8 which the owner cannot or will not give even the most basic service history on and… It must be pretty good looking because you are still interested. You did not mention price or what is in good condition and what is not.
In my anything but humble opinion, how an old Jaguar looks is by far the most important issue IF YOU ARE GOING TO DO SERVICE YOURSELF. Paint, body corrosion, upholstery, and interior parts are prohibitively expensive to fix once they reach a certain age and look. The engine and transmission are certainly up 250,000 mile or more service life, but sensors, throttle body, fluids, belts, hoses, tensioners, fuel pumps, and engine auxilliaries are all reaching the potential end of their life at 150,000 miles and this much age, BUT (in spite of what some around here would have you believe) the XJ8 Jaguar is not significantly more complicated or mechanically sophisticated than other high end automobiles. In fact, as I used to point out, my daughter’s Chevy Prizm had variable valve timing, EFI, Electronic transmisison control and so on. You get the point, I assume.
Having the dealer, or even an Indie, work on a Jag IS, however, generally more expensive than the cost for another car because the parts are less readily available, the information is less available, the diagnostic equipment is less abundant and so on. And they can charge more.
So, if you are going to do much of the middle level work yourself, and are able to do without the car as your primary mode of transportation while you figure out the problems, wait for parts delivery, or have time to work on the beast, the XJ8 can provide a wonderful car at a reasonable cost.
If not, assuming you are in the US, I recommend you buy a Taurus or a Crown Vic.
Just my $.02! Other (wrong) opinions might vary.
Oh! I forgot… Don’t worry so much about the tensioners since all MY 2003s came with metal body tensioners and Morse style primary chains.
Are we talking x350 or 308 ? Is it a Daimler I had high milage ones that been better then low mileage ones it’s not milage but age and not being looked after but most people think a low milage car will be better
I bought my 2002 XJ8 VDP in 2014 with 122,000 miles on it. I’ve now got 160,000. I’ve replaced thermostat housing (and thermostat), tires, shocks, battery (a new, undersized one had just been installed when I bought it) throttle body (with position sensor), transmission and fuel pump. The CD changer stopped working at about 150,000 miles but the car still runs so c’est la vie. A week ago, it refused to start (as if the battery was dead) when I left work. I opened the battery compartment and tugged on the cables which seemed to be tight and then it started right up. When I got home, I checked the voltage and it was down to 12.6 V. so I charged the battery overnight and it’s been fine since. I hope that I’m not looking at a new charging system. I really love the car when it’s running well, but it sure hasn’t been very dependable and I’ve put more money into the car than it’s worth…