Another new owner - X300 3.2 Sport

[david_b]

Seems to be a few new owners on here at the moment, thought I'd bung up a few pictures of my new daily driver too Had my old Alfa 156 V6 written off a couple of months back, so thought I'd try something a bit different - fancied a proper old barge, and found this lovely '97 X300 through a friend-of-a-friend. It's a 3.2 Sport, 131k miles but drives beautifully - came with full history which suggests it's been very well looked after, and the interior is in lovely condition as well.

Loving it so far, it's a great place to be when wafting home after work, and it's managing to be almost as "economical" as my 156 (~25mpg for daily motorway commuting, and a bit better than that after a long run). Very comfortable ride, surprisingly decent around corners, and it really encourages a nice relaxed style Makes an excellent contrast to my other toy too



Jaguar XJ Sport 3.2 (X300) by david_b, on Flickr


Jaguar XJ Sport 3.2 (X300) by david_b, on Flickr


Jaguar XJ Sport 3.2 (X300) by david_b, on Flickr

This is now relegated back to weekend fun:


Lotus Elise 111S by david_b, on Flickr

[varsas]

Great pair of cars. That X300 looks very tidy indeed, liking the wheels.

[david_b]

Cheers - from a conveniently-timed feature that was in the JEC mag this month I believe the wheels were OEM on the XJS, but I'd assume they may have been available from the options catalogue for other stuff as well?

[Markymark69]

Nice one that does look well

[PaulXJ8]

Looks very nice I will watch out for you.

[jw golf mk4]

that Jag is one beauty if you dont mind me asking how much did you pay for it?

[david_b]

Thanks, I'm really pleased with it Paid 1700 quid, which is probably towards the top end but it has history I trust, no rust, no faults, and is exactly the spec I would have chosen (Sport, "black" wood & full grey leather, cruise control) - it's only a few hundred quid either way when it comes down to it, so happy to pay a tiny bit extra to get a car I can trust [touch wood!].

Edited by david_b on Monday 22 November 22:35

[Nitrodamus]

Always worth paying a little extra to get a good example, and it's amazing what a nice Jaguar you can get for under £2k these days - looks lovely.

Edited by Nitrodamus on Monday 22 November 22:44

[jas xjr]

Bet people think it is really expensive !
Looks like a really nice example

[noodleman]

Great combo.

Elise + XJ6 for me too.

[jw golf mk4]

david_b said:

Thanks, I'm really pleased with it Paid 1700 quid, which is probably towards the top end but it has history I trust, no rust, no faults, and is exactly the spec I would have chosen (Sport, "black" wood & full grey leather, cruise control) - it's only a few hundred quid either way when it comes down to it, so happy to pay a tiny bit extra to get a car I can trust [touch wood!].

Edited by david_b on Monday 22 November 22:35

same spec i would go for! hope it gives you years of fun mate!

[david_b]

Ta, still enjoying it Has coped with the snow pretty well, not had an auto before so not sure what it would be like but has been fine (definitely notice it's got a bit of weight behind it when the back wants to slide though ). Would recommend one to anyone who's thinking about it, they're lovely old things!

[david_b]

noodleman said:

Great combo.

Elise + XJ6 for me too.

A fine choice of cars sir

[dbdb]

It looks good! It is always best to pay "slightly over the odds" for a properly maintained Jag; bargains can turn out to be a moneypit which burn through your money with fearsome glee. A good one will be suprisingly cheap to run!

The 5 spoke wheels were first available on late XJ40s as far as I know, but were also fitted to six cylinder XJ-S cars. I don't think they were available on the X300, but they suit the car well.

Hope you enjoy your Jaguar as much as I do mine, they are great cars and (like your Lotus) they are like nothing else.

[pete5570]

They are a quality car.I've just sold my 1996 3.2 executive and i'm already regretting it. I don't think you've paid too much for your car really, it's all about condition when it gets to this age and value. I ran mine through spring and summer, sold it in October and made 350 quid on it. I think i'll be looking for an XJR next year.

[Tomoose85]

So, how are you getting on a few months on...?

I'm seriously considering a similar car (X300 3.2 or 4.0) as a daily driver. Budget up to £2k and hoping to find a peach for that!

[Simpo Two]

The interior looks very much like an XJ40. I remember the reviews would bang on about how 'unergonomic' it was, yet I found the switiches more logically placed than in BMWs.

[iain_thornton]

loving this
I'm hoping to get myself an X308 series XJR soonish. I do prefer the interior on the X300, but can't get away from the pace of the X308 XJR
if it was possible for me to have more than one car, I would probably go for a lower powered one and then something else
but I have to combine the two

[david_b]

Tomoose85 said:

So, how are you getting on a few months on...?

I'm seriously considering a similar car (X300 3.2 or 4.0) as a daily driver. Budget up to £2k and hoping to find a peach for that!

Still loving it! Not had a single problem, it wafts along just as happily as ever and I love being in it Only "fault" is that the sender for the oil pressure gauge & light is a bit temperamental, I knew from my research before buying that this was a common issue - will get it fixed at some point.

Simpo Two said:

The interior looks very much like an XJ40. I remember the reviews would bang on about how 'unergonomic' it was, yet I found the switiches more logically placed than in BMWs.

I thought the layout was a bit odd when I first got it, but it's all very intuitive and I really like it now. It's not modern-looking but the dash has a certain style about it that I like a lot.

[Tomoose85]

Glad to hear you are enjoying yours. I've looked at 2 now and unfortunately they were both dogs. I'm keen to get a 4.0 XJ6, but they seem few and far between. Going to look at another at the weekend...