2000 Jaguar XJR 4.0 litre supercharged V8
Summary:
Hooligan in a Turnbull & Asser suit
Faults:
Not so much as "gone wrong", more so it's what I've replaced due to the mileage being over 200K, as follows;
1. Rear upper & lower shock bushings.
2. Front upper & lower ball joints.
3. Steering rack.
4. Turn signal stalk.
5. Ignition tumbler "exciter" ring.
6. ABS module rebuilt.
7. Various cooling hoses and coolant expansion tank (common).
8. Thermostat.
Not too bad for a 370hp super saloon with almost 220K on it eh?
Granted, the previous owner, who was also the car's first owner, was absolutely meticulous about maintenance, having it in to the dealer every 5K for services, and attending to any needs in a timely fashion. While he provided me with a thick sheaf of maintenance records with the car, nothing throughout its history was that major of an issue. Just a testament to keeping your car maintained properly, and also of the good quality product that Jaguar was putting out with Ford's money behind them. It's widely agreed that the X300/308 were the finest products to come out of Brown's Lane..
General Comments:
Let me preface by saying the following;
1. I've owned close to 200 cars in my lifetime of driving, many of which could be considered 'exotics', such as a few Ferraris, several Bentleys, two Rolls-Royces and a myriad of other highline European cars (Range Rover, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Citroen (!!), etc.), both vintage and modern. I'll also add that this isn't my first XJR. My first one was a '97 with the 322hp inline six -- also a fantastic carriage.
2. I'm pretty fickle about cars -- hence why I've owned so many. I usually get sick of them after about six months and move them along for something 'new' and more interesting. Granted, being in the automotive business (not a dealer though) does help find some of these cars at bargain prices, and it helps that I can fix them myself, else many would not have graced my stable, admittedly, BUT...
For the FIRST time, I actually refused to sell a (as in "this") car, twice now, to two different people who wanted to buy it. I went from a 2005 Range Rover HSE to the XJR, and never in my life have I owned a car that is simply so effortless and easy to drive for long (9+ hour) stretches on end, and get out at the end of the journey, literally feeling as fresh as when I started it. The seats are sublime, and the suspension provides that lovely Jaguar magic carpet ride, while still being able to be agile enough to have fun in the twisties.
The power of the engine is still more than most cars pack today -- even some performance models, and with simple mods (a boost pulley), one can bump the output to nigh on 400 ponies if he or she wishes (I've not done this in the interest of the car's longevity).
All controls fall easily to hand, the profile of the body is sleek, low-slung, elegant and sexy, and you'll never confuse it for anything else on the road. Other XJR drivers will be able to recall sitting at stoplights next to other performance sedans and looking UP at them, as this car sits crazy low to the ground.
I'll also take a moment to mention the air conditioning. We saw many weeks of 100+ degree HUMID heat here this past summer, and even with the climate control set to 72 degrees, I still had to throttle the blower back because it was so cold inside the car! The entire system is made by Denso, so it's very reliable and accurate.
All of the other electrics in the car still work beautifully, and the trim has held up amazingly well over the car's 12 years and 216K miles -- people always comment on how nice the car is inside and out. There is one rust blister just starting to form on the rear edge of the right rear wheel arch, so I'll be having that sorted in short order. Also, I'll be having the timing chains and tensioners replaced as precautionary work, even though they're not making noise; the tensioners are prone to failure, and I'm curious to see how far I can get this car to go. ;) And also I should note that my car has a Nikasil lined engine.
Otherwise, I very much look forward to seeing this car past the 300K mile mark, and might actually pick up a second R to keep in mothballs..
The ONLY thing I would change about this car is the color! Mine is Silver, and I'd much prefer British Racing Green.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 30th October, 2012
12th Sep 2013, 20:15
UPDATE: I'm writing this update on 9/12/13 and the car is now showing 228K miles on the odometer. The timing chains have since been done several months ago now and she got a new set of summer boots, but otherwise the car has been absolutely flawless. I had that small rust blister redone by our local dealer's body shop and the car fully detailed, and it simply looks a stunner and is still as perfect as the day I bought her.
A 2006 Maserati Quattroporte has joined the stable now, and a friend in Florida wants the XJR, but I've been wrestling over what to do with it... sell or not?? On one hand, I think it'd be fun to use the QP as my new daily driver, but on the other, I don't think it'll match the XJR's effortless cruising ability and comfort, so... we shall see, as this is literally one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to confront!!