Talk to me about V8 Jaguar XFs

[xxlukexx]

I'm hankering after an early XF V8, my budget is ideally £10k but could a little higher for the right car. There are basically four options, older 4.2NA, 4.2 supercharged (SV8), newer 5.0 NA, and 5.0 supercharged (XFR).

I can't afford an XFR, and don't want the stiffer suspension. The 4.2NA is a little slow given the fuel economy, so it's between the SV8 and the 5.0NA. Similar performance, slightly better fuel economy in the 5, both very rare.

All being equal, I'd get the 5.0NA, but I've been scared by forum horror stories of timing chain tensioners causing very expensive repairs, or even totalling the engine in the worst case. The 4.2 in the SV8 is older, without direct injection, and apparently well sorted by the time it got into the XF. However, a lot of the SV8's on auto trader are dogs.

I know nobody can read a crystal ball to tell me how reliable each choice might be, so I'm interested in your opinions and experiences on what you would do in my position.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Krikkit]

The 4.2 SC engine is the one to have if you have any reliability concerns - this one is basically bulletproof. The only thing to get done is a fresh thermostat housing as can be troublesome, but it's not a big or especially difficult job.

The early 5.0 engines suffer with timing chain/tensioner issues, they can be retrofitted with the later ones (and a lot of them have been done), but even then there are occasional reports of the ones with revised chains failing, usually the XFR or XKRs with more stress on the timing system.

[xxlukexx]

Thanks.

Krikkit said:

The early 5.0 engines suffer with timing chain/tensioner issues

This is what I keep reading about on Jag forums. And I definitely can't afford the later ones, so it would be the 2009-2011 cars that I'm looking at, and I'm fairly sure these are the ones with the older chains.

[ZX10R NIN]

The 4.2SC SV8 is the pickthe drivetrain is nigh on bulletproof & it has a nice amount of go:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301313...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302033...

[xxlukexx]

I've been looking at that first one. Any view on the price? It seems a bit high to me, given that there are some on autotrader for nearly half that (albeit they look a bit st).

Also the leather is bubbling on the dash of that first one, which puts me off as I'm not sure there's a particularly cheap fix for it.

[ninjag]

There's a good bit of reading here and that forum in general is a gold mine for anyone wanting to enter into Jaguar ownership. There are some niggles and inherent design flaws with the x250 XF and it's worth reading up on them to make sure you are comfortable. Most are pretty inexpensive and easy to do, especially if you can do the preventative fix.

https://www.jaginfo.org/threads/5-0-supercharged-t...

[ZX10R NIN]

It does seem high but I do see the price as a bit high but in comparison to the second one which looks a bit lowered.

Maybe look at the first as a guide then maybe look at some of the cheaper.

[xxlukexx]

ninjag said:

There's a good bit of reading here and that forum in general is a gold mine for anyone wanting to enter into Jaguar ownership.

https://www.jaginfo.org/threads/5-0-supercharged-t...

Thanks, that thread really is a goldmine. It's these stories that have got me worried about the later 5.0 V8's (NA and SC). On the other hand, we all know what forums tend toward negative experiences, so it's hard to get a grasp from them of how much of a risk I'm taking if I buy one.

ninjag said:

There are some niggles and inherent design flaws with the x250 XF and it's worth reading up on them to make sure you are comfortable. Most are pretty inexpensive and easy to do, especially if you can do the preventative fix.

I'm reading a lot about door locks, and general electrical issues. I know the SV8 has adaptive suspension that wasn't used on any other models, so the shocks are more expensive to replace than the ones on the XFR. Is there anything else you're aware of that I should be looking into? Thanks for the advice, btw.

[xxlukexx]

ZX10R NIN said:

It does seem high but I do see the price as a bit high but in comparison to the second one which looks a bit lowered.

Yeah, I thought that. Also no mention of service history. One does not simply buy a 13 year old high mileage V8 Jaguar unless it has FSH.

Here's a brief rundown of all the four (4) SV8s currently on autotrader:

- £11.5, good but pricey, peeling dash, 4 owners (https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301313783635)
- £8.5k, not a great colour, lowered, no SH (https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302033917185)
- £8k, FSH but the worst attempt at fitting an aftermarket "black kit" I think I've seen (https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109237706423)
- £6.5k (which along rings alarm bells), no SH and I'm sure the bonnet has been modified cos I don't think SV8s ever had grills in them (https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303135186106)

Massive range of prices and quality, which does kind of put the first £11.5k one into perspective.

ETA: And at the same time, for £10k here is a beautiful 5.0 NA, aka the brave pill engine: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302284...

[Krikkit]

The one up at 11.5k is tippy, but considering it's a nice colour scheme, looks well kept and not silly miles, I'd probably have that one and go in with a big haggle as it's been about since January

[anonymous-user]

Someone near me had one a few years ago. The sound alone makes me wanted on and I've always found them a good looking car.
If only they made an early V8 estate...

[NortonES2]

xxlukexx said:

I'm reading a lot about door locks, and general electrical issues. I know the SV8 has adaptive suspension that wasn't used on any other models, so the shocks are more expensive to replace than the ones on the XFR. Is there anything else you're aware of that I should be looking into? Thanks for the advice, btw.

The xfr also has adaptive suspension

[xxlukexx]

NortonES2 said:

The xfr also has adaptive suspension

Yeah but I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) that the XFR had a more advanced version that ended up on more cars, so the shocks aren't as expensive or hard to come by. The earlier (CAT, CATS?) system was only on the SV8.

[xxlukexx]

EVOTECH3BELL said:

Someone near me had one a few years ago. The sound alone makes me wanted on and I've always found them a good looking car.
If only they made an early V8 estate...

Oh god yeah, even the facelift saloons look much better IMO, but I love the estates. As with everything, you can pick up a diesel for not too much money now, but the petrols are way beyond my budget.

[xxlukexx]

Krikkit said:

The one up at 11.5k is tippy, but considering it's a nice colour scheme, looks well kept and not silly miles, I'd probably have that one and go in with a big haggle as it's been about since January

I'm actually waiting on the dealer to give me a price on a PX for my current car. If it's reasonable I'll make an offer on that one. Just need to decide what my maximum price is!

[Krikkit]

xxlukexx said:

I'm actually waiting on the dealer to give me a price on a PX for my current car. If it's reasonable I'll make an offer on that one. Just need to decide what my maximum price is!

I reckon if you can get it for £10k or less you'll be doing OK, assuming it's in good fettle of course - the matching set of OE-spec Dunlops on it is a very good start.

[xxlukexx]

Krikkit said:

I reckon if you can get it for £10k or less you'll be doing OK, assuming it's in good fettle of course - the matching set of OE-spec Dunlops on it is a very good start.

Yeah that's what I'm thinking but asking for £1.5k off feels like I'm taking the mick out of the dealer a bit!

[ZX10R NIN]

xxlukexx said:

Krikkit said:

I reckon if you can get it for £10k or less you'll be doing OK, assuming it's in good fettle of course - the matching set of OE-spec Dunlops on it is a very good start.

Yeah that's what I'm thinking but asking for £1.5k off feels like I'm taking the mick out of the dealer a bit!

The thing is that there isn't another in that condition or with the low miles, I think a sensible offer will be somewhere in between so maybe 10.5-10.8k would be a good price.

[xxlukexx]

ZX10R NIN said:

The thing is that there isn't another in that condition or with the low miles, I think a sensible offer will be somewhere in between so maybe 10.5-10.8k would be a good price.

Spoke to the dealer earlier and he said no discounts, PX is all they're willing to do. Apparently because of post COVID price rises.

So I need to decide whether it's worth 11.5k to me, or whether to walk.

I've been doing a bit of due diligence looking at alternatives, even much slower cars like early 528i's, and e350/500 merc's. I'd buy a c350 estate but they're even rarer than SV8's in my budget with reasonable miles. I'm struggling to find decent alternatives that aren't also serious performance compromises. Like the V6 XF, which gets pretty poor mpg whilst not being very fast, and often poverty spec.

[ZX10R NIN]

xxlukexx said:

ZX10R NIN said:

The thing is that there isn't another in that condition or with the low miles, I think a sensible offer will be somewhere in between so maybe 10.5-10.8k would be a good price.

Spoke to the dealer earlier and he said no discounts, PX is all they're willing to do. Apparently because of post COVID price rises.

So I need to decide whether it's worth 11.5k to me, or whether to walk.

I've been doing a bit of due diligence looking at alternatives, even much slower cars like early 528i's, and e350/500 merc's. I'd buy a c350 estate but they're even rarer than SV8's in my budget with reasonable miles. I'm struggling to find decent alternatives that aren't also serious performance compromises. Like the V6 XF, which gets pretty poor mpg whilst not being very fast, and often poverty spec.

The pick of the alternatives is the 5.5 E500 it's actually quicker 0-60 than the SV8 (with a conventional suspension setup & n/a, which means lower bork potential) & a smidge over 20lb/ft less than theSV8, it's a car I'd have a good look at,

If you can live with a coupe you'll get one at sensible money, the saloon/estates carry more of a premium.

Coupe:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206237...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207278...

Saloon:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209159...