Thoughts on 2001XJ

Hello, I am new to the forum and new to Jaguar. My previous cars have been 3 series, with most recent being a 2011. I currently drive a Cherokee Trailhawk and am considering selling it. The extensive electronics that insist on doing something I don’t want them to do drives me up the wall. Moreover, the engineers designing cars these days seem to expend as much effort making cars difficult to work on as they do designing them to perform.

So, I have always liked the older XJs up to 358. I love the “clubby” feel of them. I like the III but worry that it would not be a good daily driver. The car I am considering is a 2001 V8 with very low mileage. Could someone please help me with the following

How difficult are Jags to work on?

Are parts readily available like they are for BMWs from Pelican Parts and Bavarian Autosport?

How reliable are these cars?

Anything else I should know?

Thanks!

I had a 2000 XJR for 17 years. These cars aren’t terribly hard to work on (no more so than most other cars of the same era.)

Parts for these cars are readily available from many vendors (SNG Barratt, Welsh Enterprises, XKs Unlimited, Terry’s Jags, just to name a few) not to mention the dealers.

Reliability is generally good, but there are some known issues. Here’s the ones that I know of:

  1. Timing chain tensioners - this is the one known major weakness of the AJ-V8 design as originally produced. Jaguar went through several redesigns of these tensioners before finally developing metal-encased ones that solved the problem for good. If this car has documented proof that the tensioners were replaced after 2004, then you should have the latest design. If not, it’s about $500 in parts and perhaps $3-500 in labor to have the job done.

  2. Nikasil-lined cylinders for 2000 and earlier engines - not a problem for the car you’re looking at. BMW owners of the same era are more than familiar with this :slight_smile:

Other more esoteric problems (but have caused some cars to be scrapped due to lack of knowledge and the cost of repairs otherwise) would be persistent ASC (traction control) errors (cracked cold solder joints in the ABS control module - module is extremely expensive new but the cold solder joints can be fixed with a hacksaw, soldering iron, and a tube of sensor-safe silicone sealant).

Also there’s the dreaded fail-safe performance mode error (bad throttle body sensor, which isn’t available separately.) A new throttle body costs well over $1,000, but can be repaired for ~$400.

However, neither of these last two are destined to happen. They happened to me, but many other owners have never seen them. I was able to fix them all myself for a fraction of what a dealer would charge. But the tensioner issue is the one that is a potential ticking time bomb for all owners without the update.

The cars are fantastic and I would still be driving it if I hadn’t totalled it. I bought a S-type R, wanting a change, but while the S-type is an excellent car and has better measurables in almost every way than the X308 XJR, I find I loved the XJR more. It just had more “presence” and sense of occasion than the S-type for me.

Dave

As a former X308 owner myself I can second everything Dave says and add that yes, these cars are great daily drivers. One thing Dave didn’t mention is the deterioration of suspension bushes on higher milage cars. The rear upper damper bushes in particular gave me grief and are non-trivial to replace.

I have had a 2002 XJR for close to four years now and have put about 30,000 mikes on it. It’s at 80,000 miles now. It’s a fabulous car and has been extremely reliable. I had to do some repairs the previous owner neglected to do after I bought it but nothing major other than changing the secondary timing chain tensioners to metal. (If you buy a 2003 model year, the tensioners will be metal from the factory.) I can’t recommend an X308 strongly enough.

All,
Thank you for the detailed responses. I appreciate it. I need to sell my current car first. I am also considering an XJ Series III in lieu of the X3##. I love the classic styling. I think its likely as close as I will ever get to owning a DB5!