buying

[stypemike2245]

hi all and a happy new year to everyone.
I'm still on the search for a car and I keep switching between the s type and xj 350. I've now seen four s type R's and a 4.2 sovereign xj 350. The general presentation of the cars have all been good, the main concern for me especially on the s type's is rust. The cars I've seen all seem to have evidence of rust creeping in along the sill seem line. I think this is still visible without the removal of the sill covers. (I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong). so will post facelift cars more or less require sills to be replaced?.

so back to xj350 would it possible for someone to confirm the actual width with mirrors out and in of this car. ive prepared my garage and going by the dimensions I have it should fit with enough room for the me to squeeze out. i don't know anybody with an xj so i'm a bit stuck.
mike

[J44EAG]

Almost the sole reason I moved away from 1999> S-type was the sill and other rear end corrosion issues. I got fed up with paying a few thousand for a car and then eight years or so later, finding it had gone soft in the mentioned areas. It would take finding a very good example for me to now go back to an S-type. In anycase, the X350 is a rather model fluid and oily soft drive. Everything feels so much lighter and seemingly better balanced. There is also no movement of the doors withing their openings which was very evident on S-type.

The X350 is in my opinion in another class. The body does not appear to suffer rampant corrosion issues. However, just like most Jaguar models, sub-frame corrosion protection is lamentable. So it is worth getting a prospective car up on a ramp and having a good look around.

The X350 width is quoted at 73.2"/1859mm. The mirrors when folded add about another 2.5" for each mirror unit to the width. Yes, it is quite a wide car.

The best car I`ve ever owned for the money and a difficult vehicle to replace when I eventually move on.

Buy the best example you can and with the highest spec. High spec cars are the ones prospective buyers look for.

Mike

[stypemike2245]

hi mike I'm hopefully viewing another xj at the weekend and I'm hoping the garage will ramp it up for me. just a slight puzzle though in your reply to width dimensions you mentioned with the mirrors folded it ADDS about another 2.5" per mirror unit, should this be reduces the width by 2.5" per unit. thanks.
mike

[Rory4711]

Morning. In addition to joining the forum I've just signed-up for membership, and I'll be looking for - most likely - an X358/X350, probably later on this year - I'll have to sell my 18-month old 5-series first, and that could take a while !

Anyway, I recall coming across the suggestion of creating a spreadsheet to help to get a picture of the market/prices etc.to enable comparisons. Rather than trying to re-invent the wheel here, would it be possible to get a blank copy of such a thing or even an idea of the various headers etc ?

Thanks in advance,

Ken R.

[J44EAG]

I recall I just used an accountancy spread sheet and altered the headings inputting the data I needed to collect. Perhaps I used XL? I can`t remember.

Go to Trovit Cars on the net. Register, then input your requirements for cars that interest you. Enter your email address to receive four or five Trovit up-dates a day. This occurs each time someone advertises a car for sale. You can un-subscribe once you have found the car you were after. Trovit is one of those search engines that harvests ads from many other sources including Auto Trader, eBay, etc. It brings all the ads into one place and saves you having to look at all the other sites individually. It is a great time saving facility. Watched for a couple of weeks, you can easily gather data from what you see. You will also become quite expert at calculating age, mileage, general condition and price. You will be quite surprised how close you can guesstimate a cars value before even looking at the advertised price.

Mike

[Rory4711]

Many thanks; sound advice
Ken R