16th Feb 2005, 01:02

My advice - Get over your "need" for flashy luxury cars (and get over yourself), and buy a Suzuki or a Subaru. They don't have all the bells and whistles (read- attention getters), but they have something your jag doesn't - reliability. For the hard working, "average" man, who simply can't afford to repair his vehicle weekly, there are little foreign cars.

25th Nov 2005, 16:38

A nice Lincoln Town Car, Mercury Grand Marquis or Ford Crown Victoria is a more sensible car for North America. These cars are not so thirsty, considering their spacious interior and high mass. And maintenance costs are reasonable.

You can't really take advantage of the superior dynamic qualities of the European prestige brands such as BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S-Class or the bigger Jaguars, in North America.

Of course, if your ego needs a boost such that you need to show the world you can afford a very expensive car, that's another matter.

The only two millionaires of my acquaintance drive a Town Car and a Grand Marquis.

They have nothing to prove.

Of course, if you live in Germany and want to drive fast on the Autobahn which have no speed limit, a Jag, Merc or BMW makes some sense.

29th Dec 2005, 16:14

Just to be clear here. You and your father dislike Cadillacs, but own three of them and use them as daily drivers, and you and your father are suddenly shocked at the running costs of a Jaguar you partially rebuilt so therefore want to sell the car?

If you wish to retire someday with money in hand I suggest you test drive your cars FIRST and then do some Internet research before buying a car (or three of the same brand) and then deciding you don't like it.

18th May 2006, 15:22

I have a 98 XJ8 (4.0, 32 valve) and it needs an engine. I read that its possible to retro fit. I would like to retro fit with a 350 Chevy engine or other reliable foreign engine. Does anyone have any advice, suggestions or leads on doing this. I live on the East coast and I am open to all ideas?

Thanks!

24th Jun 2006, 20:44

I have a Jag 99 XJ8 with 50k miles. It locked up. Put in a new crankshaft, new main and connecting rod bearings, new oil pump. Problem is after running for ten minutes, the oil pressure drops to 5psi on idle. Is the chain tensioner run with oil pressure, or is it spring loaded? Is there somewhere else the oil can be going? John.

19th Jul 2006, 16:38

I also have a friend, with whom I am working, who is trying to get answers as to why his 1998 XJ8, well maintained, failed.

It is the same issue as everyone else - the chain tensioner. It has been to the dealer to see what can be done. We were told by the local dealership that there were no recalls on this car, and since the car has about 65k miles on it, it would be out of warranty.

Now the car sits in the garage waiting for resolution. I have emailed and called Jaguar, and was told there was nothing they could do. The problem was not the result of manufacture.

Anyone have any ideas of what can be done to resolve this issue. I have contacted my zone rep. as well as Jag. social groups. Everyone seems to say the same thing. Jag. will not do anything, but that was early this year.

Any help would be great. I hear that there are owners who are getting together to file a class action law suit. At this point I feel it is a good idea.

30th Aug 2006, 12:57

Any further info on this potential class action law suit regarding the xj8? I am an attorney in Florida and have several clients who need referrals out for this same problem. thanks.

14th Oct 2006, 06:57

I have a 98 XJ8 Vanden Plas, which is fun to drive, but has had numerous mechanical problems and may need a new engine at 94,000 miles. Lots of people put General Motors V-8 engines in older XJ's through 1987 and a few in the 1988-1994 cars, but I can't find anybody who does a similar conversion in this series. Any ideas? Love the car overall, but it is not practical and reliable for daily use. Thanks.

18th Dec 2006, 05:45

Well it appears this is nothing new on this site, but my Senior Citizen In-Laws have a '98 XJ8, which now has a dead engine. It failed in their driveway when trying to start the car one morning... no indications of impending failure prior to that morning. They are at just over 60K in mileage.

Nice car, I am recommending they buy an S500 like I have -- at least when it breaks it is something you expect from normal wear & tear. If anyone has any recommendation for replacing the engine with a different type, that would be helpful. Their old XJ6 ran like a champ, and beyond the issues that those cars had with minor rust around the windows and other areas it was a solid car.

Jag has a known problem... I surprised nothing has come of it. I guess Mr. Spitzer doesn't drive one, or there would be a lawsuit. HA!

5th May 2007, 19:54

Hello all, I have a 99' XJ8 with 106,000 and I am concerned with possible nikisil lining failure. it starts and runs great, however gets 22.4 miles per Gal. on premium fuel. I believe this engine design should achieve around 25 or better. Please email me with any suggestions at lee3393 at yahoo com. I have broken up my email to prevent the spam bots from getting it.

21st Aug 2007, 09:35

Lee:

You should not develop problems with Nikasil at this point, assuming you are in N.A. and use premium gas- The sulphor content is now below the level that caused the problems. My XJR has 195,000 and is still showing low oil use and good power.

12th Sep 2007, 16:24

I have a 98 XJ8L Sovereign. It is a lovely car to drive. Has had a fortune spent on it the last 2 years and is in very nice straight condition. New box. Engine replaced under warranty, I am told the engine has steel liners?. Then at 73000 miles it had new timing chains and tensioners fitted by Jag main agent. I have full Jag history and all bills. The car has now covered 89500 miles. When started up it is quiet. Say I drive for 10 miles then park up for say 2 hours then start the car to go home, just "turn the key" I can hear a quiet tick-tick-tick-tick with the bonnet up. Then if I give the engine a slight rev up I can sometimes hear a very short and slight "rattle" for say 0.5 of a second or less, then the engine is silent with no noise at all on tickover and drives like a good Jag should. Fuel consumption is poor around town, but improves greatly on a run. It consumes no oil or water and the bottom end is quiet. Any comments would be appreciated especially for prognosis. Thanks, MIKE. Southampton UK.