Jaguar Xj40..

[Cooper1]

I really fancy one! 😁 

 

Back in 2003 when I were a wee lad, my Dad bought an Moorlands Green 87 Xj40 3.6 for £600 and ran it for a few years.. 

It was left parked up for a good while, and I wanted to hang on to it. 

 

But one thing led to another and it went,.. 🤨 

 

I find myself Hankering for one myself, in 3.6 or 4.0 flavour of course! 

 

Anyone had one who would share what they're like to live with?

 

Am i mad? 

 

lol

 

Cheers

[sierraman]

Yes you are mad but they’re a nice car. I’d think twice about having one as first string transport, get a good one and keep it garaged. 

A bad one will cost you more to put right than an already good one. Apart from the obvious stuff I’d check the tyres it’s running on, a mish mash of crap part worns suggests someone who can’t afford to run it. Rust is a big one now, has it been plated up to pass the test or has it been repaired properly? 

I’d try to find a good one owned by someone sensible, a lot fell in to the hands of people with bigger eyes than their wallet, you don’t want to be buying something that’s been nursed from one test to another on a shoestring. 

[HMC]

funnily enough I bought most of my xj40s around the time your dad did- I never seemed to pay more than £500 for one with the cheapest being an early e bay job at £289. They are nice to waft about in and all seem to Drink a similar amount wether 2.9 or 4.0 
 

They seem mechanically robust but can rot quite badly in certain places. Not a lot of people know The front subframe is foam filled which is great for refinement but not if it rots and needs welding! Plus later ones (battery in boot) the front and rear bulkheads were redesigned and seem to rot more and it’s more complicated to fix those areas. In my experience they don’t like starting unless the battery is 100% and are better with regular use, like most cars really. Very early ones had metric alloy wheels with £150 tyres which was a problem in 2003 when the whole car had cost £300; probably not now. I used to stick them on later alloys if the tyres needed changing.
 

TL/DR they are great, watch out for rust. They don’t seem cheap anymore. 

[sierraman]

Prices seem all over the shop, some ropey ones about round about the £1500 mark with the usual underseal tide mark and Irish plates on that will make you look like the landlord of a pub with a flat roof. 

Expect to get a bit handy with the spanners, the last one I drove shit it’s diff on the bypass and I can’t imagine swapping the diff is a laugh a minute by the roadside in February.

Have you considered an X300? They’re pretty cheap these days and I can imagine the spares are a bit easier to come by?

[HMC]

Actually Parker’s circa 2003 backs up my experience of similar fuel economy across the engines, v12 aside. For that you’d have to ask @ChinaTom

Interesting also to see the values at the time and the opinion of it vs the x300 and the model timelines

[HMC]

plus @Magnificent Rustbucket is the world authority on these fine vehicles and has long long term ownership experience to boot.

[ChinaTom]

On my long commutes to Germany I would get an average of between 20 and 22 depending on passenger count and whether I was late for Chunnel. Worst I got was 18.6 but that was because I wanted to know what 150mph was like on the Aachen stretch. I got to 145 on the clock and realised I needed better tyres. Most of the journey was at 85 mph otherwise I’d need another fuel stop before home. 

[egg]

I've wanted one for an age. But then RobT's and Dollywobbler's XJ experiences made me think, ah, maybe not for me!

2.9 in fabric trim would be shiter spec - especially if you can find a manual and defeat the whole object of the waft.

[HMC]

I had a 2.9 sovereign first of all. Apparently the rarest model variant of all. Whether the engine was tired I know not, but my 21 year old self was unable to break traction. Basically I was a frustrated yobbo.

[sierraman]

Basest was the 2.9 in flat white, hubcaps, tweed trim, no sunroof, no air, cassette deck, Manual gearbox. That’s the one you want, the one that was about the price of a fully specced Granada. Rubber mats in the back for added poverty in police spec. 

[ChinaTom]

I didn’t buy a Jag to be honest, I fell for the chance of owning a V12. I was actually planning to buy a Midget to do a 2 week tour of UK with g/f at the time. Bought it blind from a scruffy flat in south China, got outbid, but got a second chance offer and the guy agreed to hold onto it for me. The start of a love affair that bled me dry, nearly killed me when the power steering failed (it is one heavy lump over those wheels!), and again when the fuel pump failed as I was approaching a level crossing stranding me on it, and every time it needs an MOT. I’m no fan of XJ40’s if I’m honest. I just love the engine. I would agree with the best one being a 2.9 manual with tweed and signal red paint on cross spokes. A guy on the 40 forum had one. It was delicious. Would have swapped him, but I predictably broke down on the way to the meet and I don’t think he fancied a snotty 528 touring in exchange. My pal Rob has a huge collection of these - Majestics, Insignias, 12’s the lot. Nutter...

[Cooper1]

Thanks gents.. 

 

I defo want one now

[ChinaTom]

They always look good parked outside the house. If you get one, don't blame it when it fails you. Many have been thoroughly neglected while they were bangers. The values are creeping up now and just pay the most you can afford for the car you feel the best looked after, even if it isn't your ideal spec. You can always gently upgrade interiors etc as you go.  Rob Jenner at Exclusively Jag usually has a few for sale, or at least knows where to find a good one. But, he is top dollar for top cars - anything less than that he breaks and catalogues (ready for me to order).

Check out the forum too - it is a little quiet, but very very useful. XJ40.com

[lesapandre]

The post Ford takeover cars were improved quality. I'd buy as late as you can on history and condition rather than a specific model. The Daimlers are better specced and some have had a quieter life and don't have the Jaag moniker so seem a bit cheaper. 

Peter Simpson ran one in Car Mechanics mag. It was an early one and it went wrong a lot...

[Cooper1]

Thanks Gents! 

 

That looks a pucker mota ChinaTom

[ChinaTom]

Thanks!

(caveat, I could have bought a small house for the amount I have ploughed into it in the last 20 years to keep it in that condition).

[lesapandre]

At the other end of the scale is this '98 Daimler Super 8 - which is basically an XJR for people who drink port and live in stately homes...this is from Finchley - so maybe Marge Thatcher was a passenger. 155 mph with pic-nic tables.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284026482580

Looks like good one. Lots to go wrong...but lots of fun.

[lesapandre]

Or this...again it is an X300 body. It's a 6-cylinder. Nasty paint - but it does have 12 months MoT, a Goodwood sticker, cat on bonnet, personal reg, later steering wheel(?),chrome GB and some extra fogs. Who knows it might even have been maintained...cheap as paint is putting off punters.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264881171231

[dome]

My first XJ40 was bought for £500 odd quid after I broke my collarbone and couldn't drive my regular car (a 944)

It was a 3.2s and was a phenomenal thing to waft around in. There's a thread on here somewhere. 

Fast forward to now and I'm in the process of resurrecting this one-locked away in a garage for 20 years. 

She's as ready as she's going to get for an MOT, stay tuned for the results next week!

Agreed on the base model comments. The 3.2s was a base model and showed how good the platform is. The latest one is base too with only leather as an option. I'll fit cruise control to it for long distance wafting and that's it. 

Rust is the killer. Everything else is fixable and they've got a good following online-theres a couple of Facebook groups which are a necessary evil these days. Worth joining.

They're still cheap now so get one while you can!

[Spiny Norman]

51 minutes ago, dome said:

My first XJ40 was bought for £500 odd quid after I broke my collarbone and couldn't drive my regular car (a 944)

It was a 3.2s and was a phenomenal thing to waft around in. There's a thread on here somewhere. 

 

It was indeed. I wafted around in it pretty much trouble free for another few months after Mr Dome could pilot his Porker again.  Sadly the days of picking up even an X300 in any kind of serviceable nick, never mind an XJ40 for a monkey are well behind us, but I can thoroughly recommend owning one at some point in life. It was a box I was happy to tick. 😎

The bonnet was a bit wonky and the back door had been painted by Stevie Wonder but I daily-ed it for a while and it never failed on me.

[dome]

4 minutes ago, Spiny Norman said:

It was indeed. I wafted around in it pretty much trouble free for another few months after Mr Dome could pilot his Porker again.  Sadly the days of picking up even an X300 in any kind of serviceable nick, never mind an XJ40 for a monkey are well behind us, but I can thoroughly recommend owning one at some point in life. It was a box I was happy to tick. 😎

The bonnet was a bit wonky and the back door had been painted by Stevie Wonder but I daily-ed it for a while and it never failed on me.

I'd forgot about the dodgy rear door! You couldn't see it from the drivers seat though!

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I love ‘em , probably because I’ve only driven brand new ones at other people’s expense. Even then they were unreliable.

” My” first one was a Daimler 3,6 in January 1987, I liked the performance and handling compared to the S3 but hated the indicators  and the dash. When people asked about , and every fucker did, I used to describe it as like a Jag that handled and rode like a BMW. The self levelling used to throw a wobbler every week or so and driving it to Marshall’s in Bedford with the back jacked up like Starsky’s Torino was the most regular trip it did.

We kept two S3s, a 3.4 and a 4.2 as spare Directors cars because the 40’s were so unreliable and by August 5 of 8 board members had one. I remember having a loan Rover 3500 VdP EFi  for about 2 months whilst the Daimler was waiting for parts.

One of those 5 was a2.9 auto Sovereigb the others all 3.6 XJ6s with options. the 2.9 was seriously slow but without doubt the most reliable of the lot. TheFord facelift seemed to sort them out and by the time the 3-2 and 4.0 came along they were brilliant cars, alas  the LS400 had appeared and taken a lot of sales though. 
We had a 4.0 manual , loaded with spec by the md of a subsidiary who promptly got fired.As it was manual no other directors would have it, so it became  the chauffeurs pool car!  That was an epic car and would almost show 150 , I once followed a LowDrag E-type from Weedon to Towcester in it and running at double the speed limit behind that E Type ,  the smell and noise was amazing. 
I was also kicked out of a JDC autotest at Billing Aquadrome  for being too quick and dangerous after the first round. It was a bit dodgy as it was on grass around trees and all the Giffers in XKs and E Types were  understandably worried about damaging their cars, whereas the 27 year old yob in a company car not so much- I claim a moral victory as I was way ahead at half time! They shouldn’t have appealed for entrants on the tannoy if they didn’t want people to take it seriously..

I have so many good memories of new ones that I’ve never owned one as I’d only be disappointed by the grotty ones I could afford, I don’t see that changing.

Id agree that an X300 is pretty similar and the 6 cylinder XJR one of my brothers had about 10 years ago really reminded me of that Jreg 4.0  to drive.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

2 hours ago, dome said:

My first XJ40 was bought for £500 odd quid after I broke my collarbone and couldn't drive my regular car (a 944)

It was a 3.2s and was a phenomenal thing to waft around in. There's a thread on here somewhere. 

Fast forward to now and I'm in the process of resurrecting this one-locked away in a garage for 20 years. 

She's as ready as she's going to get for an MOT, stay tuned for the results next week!

Agreed on the base model comments. The 3.2s was a base model and showed how good the platform is. The latest one is base too with only leather as an option. I'll fit cruise control to it for long distance wafting and that's it. 

Rust is the killer. Everything else is fixable and they've got a good following online-theres a couple of Facebook groups which are a necessary evil these days. Worth joining.

They're still cheap now so get one while you can!

Is it a manual ? If not the auto box was an option too, so was that lovely Solent Blue metallic paint and the rear headrests, which didn’t automatically come with the leather.

[Broadsword]

Good luck if you really want to pick up a decent XJ40, not easy at this stage. Bide your time and don't rush, that's the best way. The later the better as production slowly merged with the X300. I had a G-reg 4.0 Sov and it was a pretty punchy thing. That one had no rust but unfortunately someone drove into the back of it and wrote it off. I still maintain the X300 is a nicer thing to look at and much better built, but I respect people preferring the XJ40. The 3.6 is a great engine, but then you have to contend with dubious build quality of pre-Ford era cars. The 4.0 is a marvelous thing, a real thumper.

[paulplom]

9 hours ago, ChinaTom said:

Watch for rust! look at the tide mark up those doors.

[dome]

8 hours ago, NorfolkNWeigh said:

Is it a manual ? If not the auto box was an option too, so was that lovely Solent Blue metallic paint and the rear headrests, which didn’t automatically come with the leather.

Yeah, it's an auto. So a few boxes were ticked when it was new then! I forgot to mention the Jaguarsport steering wheel too!

 

[Rab]

Not that Im much help. 100Euro.RHD. In a forest outside Berlin. 2014.

[chodweaver]

^^^ THAT is a collection thread!

Sent from my BV6000 using Tapatalk

[HMC]

 

That one was a 3.2s with part tweed interior. It had a Jaguar sport body kit (air dam, side skirts, rear apron and boot spoiler)with an egg crate grille and a private reg. £400 if memory serves. At the time (2004) I was mildly embarrassed at the dog bollock red colour scheme and body kit. Very period, I’d probably appreciate its periodness more now. I haven’t seen another in quite the same spec since. It seemed shouty without having the performance to warrant it.

edit- also on the fleet poorly SIII V12 in yellow (rotten and overheating, the bonnet eventually fell off the car on opening it due to rust(!)) and a Morris minor with truely awful woodwork.

[phil_lihp]

It will consume every penny you have but you probably won't care because it will be magnificent.  You'll often think of selling it, mostly every time it goes wrong but as soon as you go for a drive you'll decide not to.  There is no classier way to travel.

 

I would have this bastard back tomorrow, in fact I very nearly did when it came up for sale about a year ago but I was too late.  Definitely one of the best cars I have ever owned despite being quite needy and attention seeking, @Nyphur had some joy out of this after me, that was a while back and they're not easy to find in this condition now for under a grand, it had virtually no rust on it at all and fairly low mileage.  It was a 4.0 with a very rare colour and wheel combo, Jade Green outside, oatmeal and sage leather inside.  Just lovely.

Watch out for brake issues and bulkhead rust, electrics can be troublesome on earlier models and they do not like being sat.  The engines themselves are normally very reliable, low oil pressure warnings/gauge reading zero are pretty much always sensor faults,  I was warned it might happen but still nearly had a heart attack when it did.