UK newsgroup?

Hi all, Just a guess, but is this group UK? If it is does anyone know of a US group? I'm looking into buying an XJ as a birthday gift for my wife and would like to "talk" to the experts on Jag ownership. Thanks H-S-F

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help-slip-franklin
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This is an internet group. It is a USNET list and is posted by people all over the world. If you are looking for an XJ than either go 1997 or earlier or 2000 and later. The 1998-early 2000 XJ8 engines were Nikasil lined and depending upon how well they were maintained and how high the sulpher content of the petrol that was used was --- you could be looking at an engine replacement. (Same for BMW and Mercedes of the period). You may want to take a look at

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What about the time period just prior to the Ford transition? I've heard that was a bad period for reliability. H-S-F

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help-slip-franklin

Ford started to invest into the Jags around 1990-1991. Like any car, reliability is a matter of owner care and understanding. I have a 1988 XJ40 which was supposedly the worst Jaguar ever made. Currently it has around

210,000 on the clock and I expect it to go another 100,000 to 200,000 before it is all done. I am not alone in that there are '88s and '89s with over 300,000 on the clocks and still going. On the other hand you have '88s which went 50,000 miles and the owners junked them. My personal opinion is that it is a matter of how much time and education an owner wants to take in learning the car. But then again -- that is true of any car.

Another personal opinion is that the best value in Jaguars that is out there is the 1995 -1997 X300. It has the 4.0 liter AJ16 straight 6 cylinder which has been used and refined since it came out as the XK engine in the

1940s (with modifications into the AJ6 then the AJ16). The 1997 XJ has all of the refinements of the years of Jag development and the culmination of improvements to engine and drivetrain and electronics.

If I were to buy a 4th Jag for my stable and I was to go more modern -- I would go for a 1997. You can find REALLY decent ones for under $10,000USD. Then again, my buddy's 2001 XJR is pretty impressive -- but so are the maintenance bills. He only paid $20,000USD a year ago with 59,000 on the clock so there are some deals out there.

Webserve

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Not really, no. Early XJ40s did have problems with their advanced (for the time) electronics. The bad period was during the mid-'70s, under the stewardship of British Leyland. There was a dramatic improvement with the S3 and the return to independence. New model development and investment in improving the manufacturing process then became the limiting factor and it became essential to find a major investor to maintain the continuous improvement. Ford stepped in and provided that, together with a great deal of advanced production expertise. Jaguars are now right up with the best of the Japanese in terms of build quality and customer satisfaction......and way ahead of the declining Germans.

Of course, one must always look at things in context. Cars today are, in general, better built and far more reliable than they were even 10 years ago. The Japanese have forced everyone to up their game They also require far less routine maintenance to stay reliable. On the other hand, when they do eventually fail they are generally a lot more expensive to fix and you are less likely to be able to do it yourself.

It is also important to try and filter out the 'perceived wisdom'. Those things which everybody knows and yet which don't necessarily have a great deal of basis in fact.....like 'it was a bad period for reliability just prior to the Ford transition'.

David Betts ( snipped-for-privacy@motorsport.org.uk) The Classic Car Gallery:

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David Betts

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