Faults:

Not much while in my short ownership. The car was more or less fully restored (cosmetically) before I bought it. Engine and transmission are in great order having been looked after with no expense spared since new.

General Comments:

Always loved these cars. Dream come true for me as I finally bought one last year. Won't say how much I paid but... these are surprisingly cheap practical classics!

Of course, you should use an XJ8 as a second car only. It does 19 miles per gallon, not great even back in the 1990's, and truly awful economy now.

But the car is powerful, buttery smooth, and whisper silent, and I love it. That V8 is the one to go for in 3.2 form.

Beige leather inside is still in great shape after over 25 years. Exterior perfect also, beige/silver.

Classic XJ shape still gets admiring looks when I take it out on a nice day.

When Jaguar was Jaguar and when cars were cars! I love this car and never want to part with it.

Faults:

Stalling.

General Comments:

I had the "stalling" problem with my Jag, and the fix was easy. Here is what worked for me, go buy a can of carb/throttlebody cleaner and get a small sponge (like what you would use to clean dishes, preferably with the abrasive mesh on one side). The issue is the throttle air-intake valve gets stuck against the side of the throttle body intake pipe. Remove the black plastic air intake, so you can see into the throttlebody and the valve that controls the air into the intake manifold. My car had black gunk built up around the sides of the intake pipe where the valve was. Hold the valve open, and spray in the carb cleaner and scrub off the sides of the intake pipe.

Once the pipe was good and clean, I reassembled everything, and I haven't had a problem since - 50K miles ago.

Faults:

The transmission totally blew after 85,000 miles.

I had to replace it at a cost of $4000.

General Comments:

This is still a beautiful luxury cat, however, they need to address the transmission issues.

I love how smooth it is, but I think it's more suitable for a woman.

Faults:

At 129,000 I had just had the car serviced for a major tune up and oil change, in which case I changed the oil religiously. I drove it home, it ran great, and I gave it a wash, detail and took it for a drive.

Stopped for gas, turned it off, went inside to pay for my gas, and returned to start the car, and it made a sound like King Kong was taking a nap inside the engine. I immediately blamed everyone. I blamed the cashier at the gas station for selling me bad gas. I called the repair shop for leaving a wrench in the engine. All wrong, the fact is, Jaguar designed a piece of %#@* that should be the target of a class action lawsuit.

I called the Jaguar dealership in another state, and before I could say "I have a 1998 XJ8" he says, "Your timing chain is broke, happens all the time with the "98s" Plastic tensioners!" Are you kidding me. My kid has plastic cars. If anyone knows of a class action lawsuit, give me a holla. I want to join the team.

General Comments:

I think Jaquar should have placed a disclaimer on the 1998 XJ8s: "Warning, this car is equipped with a self-destructive device.... Plastic chain tensioners." Or a Cereal Box disclaimer like Captain Crunch, "Toy tensioners inside".

Now I have an outstandingly detailed piece of junk with a sign in the window, "Will sell for parts". You gotta be kidding me.