Possible purchase of a 350(?)

[bobthomas911772]

Hello, I am a new member to the JEC and I have been looking for an XJ8. I have seen one on the Autotrader website, namely a 2006 Sovereign model. My problem is I know next to nothing about the Jaguar Marque (my wife would say most other things as well...)
Therefore I am asking what would be the best way to proceed?
I recently put a request on the 308 forum and was guided by Peter to ask here, and in addition he was kind enough to give me some sites to go to for information.
If anybody can help me with the relevant questions to ask the garage who are selling this vehicle it would REALLY be appreciated.
Sorry if I'm waffling on too much...

[Thixendale]

Hi and welcome.
There are the usual things to check like service history and maintenance records including gearbox oil and filter change.
Roof lining can sag so look at that.
Check everything electrical works, that the car locks and unlocks with the fobs, air con.
These cars don't rust as such but can suffer from oxidation so check for bubbling of paint especially at the door edge bottom and boot lid.
Carpets are dry.
Does the car sit level.
You don't say if the car is petrol or diesel but both should be smooth running and the drive also.
Start reading.
Look through the threads in this General section and others. There is a lot of information here.
Also contact your local group. There maybe someone in the group willing to check the car for/with you. Or the local group where the car is.
Good luck.
These are great cars and can be reasonable in running costs, but also some jobs can be very expensive.
Keep the group informed on how you get on.
Tony

[ptjs1]

bobthomas911772,

Can you share a link on here to the car? Then perhaps we may be able to offer some opinion from seeing the car and description.

Cheers

Paul

[bobthomas911772]

Hiya, First, thank you to Paul and Tony for your ultra fast replies!
Now, if I said I had a dinosaur level of knowledge of computers etc, I would be complimentary to myself... Therefore Regrettably I have no idea how to share a link...
If it helps the car is for sale with Primoris garage at Shipston-On-Stour for £5,695.
If you could offer any help it would be appreciated. I live in East Devon and to go to see this car would entail a journey of about 300 miles, which I don't mind doing. but not if it has glaring fault/s that I wouldn't see due to my lack of knowledge.
I have noticed the rims will need refurbishment.
Thanks again.

[bobthomas911772]

Sorry, forgot to add, the car is petrol.

[ptjs1]

Here's the link:

https://www.primoris4x4.co.uk/vehicle/j ... 024ec903d4

Paul

[cafcpete]

That looks a nice car, but like all older Jaguar the headlining is starting to sag. This gets annoying, but can be fixed, but does cost around £350 if you get it done by a trimmer. You can do it yourself but better to get the dealer to ether give you the money off, or better still, do the repair before handing over the car.

This is a link to someone who advertises in the magazine who could give you a price for the X350
https://jec.org.uk/classifieds/index.ph ... es&id=3652

I like the fact it has a tape player. This enables you to use a tape adaptor to play music through a line in, because (as far as I know) it would not have had bluetooth for music as standard!

[snaefell]

Beautiful looking motor,but then I am biased,externally it is pretty much identical to mine,the wheels will come up nicely after a refurb,I have just had mine done.
You have a similar problem to myself distance wise,during my search I was finding examples many miles away,having been an AA member for many years I went down the route of asking them to inspect the vehicle,they accepted the booking then contacted me to say that they couldn't touch such a fast car,really impressed,I hadn't joined any Jaguar clubs until after I made my purchase,getting somebody from the club seems a great idea.
Good luck,hope it turns out as well for you as it has for myself,I love my big cat,it is a beautiful car!

[ptjs1]

The big 3 issues to consider on a 4.2 X350 are always:

- Alloy Corrosion
- Suspension Bushes
- Gearbox maintenance

From a quick look just at the photos, the bodywork seems quite good, but we are just looking at photos. There's a mark near the top of the front right wheelarch which I would want to examine to see if it's alloy corrosion, and on on the rear lower edge of that same wheelarch. And again another one at the bottom of the front left wheelarch to sill join. There's also a strange misalignment of the front left corner of the bonnet to the front wing. With any x350, you really need to check all the typical alloy corrosion points on the body. There are a lot of places where they go.

As regards Suspension bushes, you won't be able to check those fully without a drive and possible getting the car up on a ramp. Any knocking over bumps or waywardness is an indication of wear. There are a myriad of bushes that wear and in a number of cases, it's easier to change the arm rather than the bush. They ALWAYS wear and there's a huge difference between a tight compliant x350 and one with worn bushes.

The gearbox HAS to have it's fluid changed regularly or else it's a very expensive incident just waiting to happen. If there isn't absolute documented evidence that it's been done within the last 20,000 miles you HAVE to budget to have it done immediately. A 100,000 mile x350 with no gearbox fluid change history is a liability, Fact. I ran my x350 to 145,000 and changed the fluid at 70, 90, 110 & 130.

The headlining has been mentioned and will quickly deteriorate further. The rest of the interior seems in good order on first glance. The drivers seat looks as if it could do with some recolouring and possibly the drivers door armrest.

Check all the electrical items. Parking sensors are prone to failing and require the bumper to be dropped to replace. Also check that the door mirrors fold and open properly, another failure area.

With the car warmed, check carefully that heat is coming out properly from sides of the car, face-level, screen and under-dash vents. It's a particular problem on x350s to lose heat on one side and an absolute pain to fix.

You'll have noticed the absence of wheel centre badges. Those split rim wheels are lovely but can leak at the join and can be expensive to fix. Check also for evenness in the tyre wear, another possible indicator of worn bushes.

I'm sure others will have thoughts. Any other questions, just post back here.

Cheers

Paul

[bobthomas911772]

Hi Paul,
Having just read your really detailed reply all I can say is WOW!! I realise now that when buying a Jaguar knowledge is everything...
What you noticed I never did, so, at the risk of sounding obsequious I'd like to say a big "thank you"!
I'm collating all the relevant information but I'm wondering if I really should see this car, as it has done about 110,000 miles and as I've mentioned before it's a 300ish mile trip. Not too bad if it's a members car but it isn't...
I would like to say I do really appreciate the time it has taken you to write all the (valuable) information by way of a reply...
Perhaps I should continue looking...
As an aside I'm wondering what your other car is that has a 4.2 supercharged engine. but isn't a Jaguar bodied car...
May I ask what it might be? A Cobra replica perhaps??

[bobthomas911772]

Beautiful looking motor,but then I am biased,externally it is pretty much identical to mine,the wheels will come up nicely after a refurb,I have just had mine done.
You have a similar problem to myself distance wise,during my search I was finding examples many miles away,having been an AA member for many years I went down the route of asking them to inspect the vehicle,they accepted the booking then contacted me to say that they couldn't touch such a fast car,really impressed,I hadn't joined any Jaguar clubs until after I made my purchase,getting somebody from the club seems a great idea.
Good luck,hope it turns out as well for you as it has for myself,I love my big cat,it is a beautiful car!

Thank you for your comments, I hope you get this message as I appreciate your reply but not sure if you will get my response. Fingers crossed...!!!

[ptjs1]

bobthomas,

Please don't read my post as indicative that x350 Jags are any more trouble-prone than any other large saloon! Or that the particular car you've seen is a bad example!

In fact, I would say that a well-maintained x350 is a superlative car - fast, comfortable, capable of huge mileages and reliable. My 4.2 was probably the most reliable car I've owned and it 145,000 miles, it looked like a 3-year old car.

It's just easier for those of us who have a little bit of knowledge to point out what you need to look at. I've sure if you were looking at an Audi A8, a Mercedes S-Class or a BMW 7-Series, there are knowledgeable enthusiasts who could give you a comparable list of items to check.

As regards that car you've seen, nothing would stop me going and looking at it. It's just better that you're forewarned as to what to start looking at. X350s are capable of big mileages if well-maintained. On the mechanical side it's the gearbox you need to check. And on the running side, it's suspension bushes.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Paul

Oh, when I sold my x350, it was because I wanted to get back into a Range Rover following some back surgery. So of course, I had to get the one with the Jaguar supercharged engine!

[snaefell]

Bob,as mentioned by Paul they are just photos,to expand on my earlier post after the AA let me down I ended up with an independent inspector looking at 2 cars for me,both private sales,both looked like new in the photos,the inspector's photos showed a rather different story,both had corrosion problems & enough other problems to make me very glad to not having travelled hundreds of miles to see them,after chatting to him when I found one at a dealership not too far away from home with just 35,000 miles on the clock I felt confident enough to go & see it myself,the rest is history as they say!
As for the wheels,wheel centres are easily obtained via the likes of Amazon in various colours,the Sepang alloys look superb,take some time to clean properly,even though mine looked ok at first glance closer viewing showed that they had been refurbed,of sorts,somebody had painted over the rust & damage,there aren't too many wheel specialists in my neck of the woods,there is one very expensive guy who quoted a starting price of £700 with a warning of possible further costs,luckily another guy has appeared nearby,he did a great job,took a week to strip the wheels of what was on them,break them down into their individual parts & reassemble them all for £450 & they look superb,the guy is very passionate about wheels & can talk about them for ever,I get the impression though that his interest in the business isn't quite so intense,I dread damaging a wheel as I don't know how long he will be there!

[bobthomas911772]

bobthomas,

Please don't read my post as indicative that x350 Jags are any more trouble-prone than any other large saloon! Or that the particular car you've seen is a bad example!

In fact, I would say that a well-maintained x350 is a superlative car - fast, comfortable, capable of huge mileages and reliable. My 4.2 was probably the most reliable car I've owned and it 145,000 miles, it looked like a 3-year old car.

It's just easier for those of us who have a little bit of knowledge to point out what you need to look at. I've sure if you were looking at an Audi A8, a Mercedes S-Class or a BMW 7-Series, there are knowledgeable enthusiasts who could give you a comparable list of items to check.

As regards that car you've seen, nothing would stop me going and looking at it. It's just better that you're forewarned as to what to start looking at. X350s are capable of big mileages if well-maintained. On the mechanical side it's the gearbox you need to check. And on the running side, it's suspension bushes.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Paul

Oh, when I sold my x350, it was because I wanted to get back into a Range Rover following some back surgery. So of course, I had to get the one with the Jaguar supercharged engine!

Hi Paul, No, I certainly did not take your comments in any way negative at all. I just really appreciate all the time you have spent in posting what I can only describe as very valuable informative replies, which are greatly appreciated. Now if it were a Porsche 911 I'd know what to look for... The answer is big fat wallet... Ho ho ho...

I've put together a sheaf of notes, yours included, so I now have a "check list" to follow. I have to do this as I will see a Jaguar, love the colour and my hands will go to the wallet to pay for it, then wonder after as the same wallet starts to scream at me "What have you done!!"
As you have said, "if well maintained..." and like Porsches they need to be well maintained, even the older ones.

Thanks again for your help, I will certainly let you know, and the club as and when I make a purchase!!

Best regards

Bob

[bobthomas911772]

Bob,as mentioned by Paul they are just photos,to expand on my earlier post after the AA let me down I ended up with an independent inspector looking at 2 cars for me,both private sales,both looked like new in the photos,the inspector's photos showed a rather different story,both had corrosion problems & enough other problems to make me very glad to not having travelled hundreds of miles to see them,after chatting to him when I found one at a dealership not too far away from home with just 35,000 miles on the clock I felt confident enough to go & see it myself,the rest is history as they say!
As for the wheels,wheel centres are easily obtained via the likes of Amazon in various colours,the Sepang alloys look superb,take some time to clean properly,even though mine looked ok at first glance closer viewing showed that they had been refurbed,of sorts,somebody had painted over the rust & damage,there aren't too many wheel specialists in my neck of the woods,there is one very expensive guy who quoted a starting price of £700 with a warning of possible further costs,luckily another guy has appeared nearby,he did a great job,took a week to strip the wheels of what was on them,break them down into their individual parts & reassemble them all for £450 & they look superb,the guy is very passionate about wheels & can talk about them for ever, I get the impression though that his interest in the business isn't quite so intense,I dread damaging a wheel as I don't know how long he will be there!

Hi there, Ahhh yes wheel refurbishment. I've been there. I have a classic car with 18" Speedline 3 piece wheels, in fact they are 5 piece. I needed to get them refurbished and got them back but had to replace the 7mm bolts. Couldn't get them at that time so had to drill for 8mm cap head SS bolts (marine quality). Now there are 40 bolts holding the 5 pieces together, times by four...
Then my poor long suffering wife and I put them together... They do look nice now but like you I wonder how long the "decent" guys will be out there, passionate about their own small business.
I will continue looking. Watch this space as they say...
Many thanks again for your input.
Best regards

Bob