1998 Jaguar XJ (X308)
Discussion
Always enjoy reading threads in here but figure I never really keep a car long enough to do one. Big plans on this one though: I’m hoping to hold onto it for a full rotation of the sun.
Car history is a few Peugeot’s as a younger man, a lot of BMWs mostly when they were E numbers, an E30, 34, 36, few 46s, 39, 65, 87, 91, 92 and most recently an F11. Few oddities in an MK4 Golf, an old Fiesta, A4 etc when I tried my hand at cheap motoring. Then a few more interesting ones in an Aston V8V, Z4C and a C5 Corvette. I lost count how much stuff I’ve had but at 32 its prob a car for every year I’ve been alive. So yes, tall order keeping this for a year.
I’ve just got rid of my 64 plate Panamera for this BRG 1998 Jag XJ. It’s a sport model so 3.2 V8 with 240hp. 110k on the clock having one previous owner from new with it serviced every year without fail. Certainly the first time I’ve seen a full service book. It’s in great nick but there are some little bits to fettle with and tidy up, which I’m looking forward to as the Porsche wasn’t much fun for tinkering given it didn’t need anything. The idea is cheap motoring for a while but something still interesting.
It drives as you’d expect, like a total yacht. My last couple of cars were 300hp+ diesels with 8 speeds so while the lower power and gearing is taking some getting used to, the smoothness and silence of the thing are very welcome. I’ve only done about 500 miles in it but I can answer two questions at least: does it work in the snow? No. Is it good on fuel? Also no. That’s fine though, always fancied an old Jag and this does fit that bill very well indeed.
Car history is a few Peugeot’s as a younger man, a lot of BMWs mostly when they were E numbers, an E30, 34, 36, few 46s, 39, 65, 87, 91, 92 and most recently an F11. Few oddities in an MK4 Golf, an old Fiesta, A4 etc when I tried my hand at cheap motoring. Then a few more interesting ones in an Aston V8V, Z4C and a C5 Corvette. I lost count how much stuff I’ve had but at 32 its prob a car for every year I’ve been alive. So yes, tall order keeping this for a year.
I’ve just got rid of my 64 plate Panamera for this BRG 1998 Jag XJ. It’s a sport model so 3.2 V8 with 240hp. 110k on the clock having one previous owner from new with it serviced every year without fail. Certainly the first time I’ve seen a full service book. It’s in great nick but there are some little bits to fettle with and tidy up, which I’m looking forward to as the Porsche wasn’t much fun for tinkering given it didn’t need anything. The idea is cheap motoring for a while but something still interesting.
It drives as you’d expect, like a total yacht. My last couple of cars were 300hp+ diesels with 8 speeds so while the lower power and gearing is taking some getting used to, the smoothness and silence of the thing are very welcome. I’ve only done about 500 miles in it but I can answer two questions at least: does it work in the snow? No. Is it good on fuel? Also no. That’s fine though, always fancied an old Jag and this does fit that bill very well indeed.
Edited by forrestgrump on Tuesday 19th January 16:42
Great things, I had an XJ Sport 3.2 over a decade ago in black. Despite being a Sport the ride was still very wafty and comfortable, it glided over speed bumps.
Mine had half cream leather and some weird cloth pattern down the centre someone paid extra for. I have never seen another XJ with it.
Mine had half cream leather and some weird cloth pattern down the centre someone paid extra for. I have never seen another XJ with it.
paradigital said:
forrestgrump said:
I’m hoping to hold onto it for a full rotation of the sun
I hope you mean you'll be keeping it for the time taken for the Earth to travel once around the sun? Otherwise enjoy the Jag for the next 27 days 
Oatmeal interior in this one. Just waiting on a sunny day so I can give it a proper once (maybe twice) over. I'll stick up some of the docs that came with it in a bit for full bearding, I've even got the original VHS 'welcome to owning a Jaguar' tapes, it's pretty cool.
Some light reading material until the storm passes and I can get some detailing under my belt. Sadly we don't even have a DVD player nevermind a VHS, so waiting for that tech to come back into vogue and see what the customer handover is all about.
Love stuff like this, just a pity there isn't an original sales invoice in there.
Love stuff like this, just a pity there isn't an original sales invoice in there.
bungz said:
Nice. Half an hour well spent, learnt at least 2, maybe 3, things. One of them being I miss the 90s terribly.forrestgrump said:
bungz said:
Nice. Half an hour well spent, learnt at least 2, maybe 3, things. One of them being I miss the 90s terribly.Always liked this one, none of the wideboy spiel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRG12_9w-3M
Chrome grill might be on the cards, although it wouldn't really be true to it 'Sport' trim there was some previous Geralding by way of a county flag grill emblem which has left a mark on the paint.
Think I will be arranging for a midbox to be welded out shortly. I like the quiet but it'd be nice to hear the V8 when under load.
Think I will be arranging for a midbox to be welded out shortly. I like the quiet but it'd be nice to hear the V8 when under load.
You'll ruin it 
It's a Jaguar As it's got black window surrounds etc, I kinda think it's a shame to bung chrome bits back on - a Jaguar doesn't have to look like an octogenarian specced it.
I'd be getting rid of the last of the magpie-esque shinyshinychrome if I could. OP can of course do as he likes (that's kind of me to say so, isn't it).
Any interior shots OP?
I'd be getting rid of the last of the magpie-esque shinyshinychrome if I could. OP can of course do as he likes (that's kind of me to say so, isn't it).
Any interior shots OP?
KnackeredOldBanger said:
Lovely car. Where was the second picture taken? It looks really familiar but I can't put my finger on it.
Golden Fleece pub oop North.So I'm certainly not a professional detailer by any stretch but I do have a DA polisher and some old stuff laying around, so while it was a non frosty and non rainy day took the opportunity to do some paint correcting.
Could've used with more of this stuff, this was from half the boot lid. Find it amazing how much dirt comes off a car after literally just washing it.
Lots of folding and finding clean spots on this and then onto some polishing. I use Menzerna stuff, and I'm pretty sure this one is the equivalent of those shower gels that are soap, shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste all in one.
Started with the boot lid. Always wanted to do one of these 50/50 shots, but mainly so I could see if I was actually doing anything or ballsing it up further. Fortunately, the latter.
The paint isn't in bad condition at all really; the car has been with the same guy since new for 22 years and clearly looked after but I imagine this is a couple of decades worth of sponge and chamois cleaning with a hose pipe. It does look like its had paint at some point in its life, the rear arches are almost suspicious in their condition and there was a couple of flat spots, this one being the rear wing.
Rear flag had to go:
Long car so took a while but finally got round to the bonnet (some bits on here look like lacquer peel but it's just reflection of some filler in my ceiling...). Not sure if the badge being able to turn is some safety feature for pedestrians or so one can polish easier, but a pretty neat feature that I discovered when the cable got caught round it:
Some pitting on the chromework still survives, but most of it came up OK. Bit of a spot on the rear bumper that'll need a few more passes or some wet and dry to fully correct, but overall an improvement:
Lost light by the end so don't really have a complete shot other than the ones halfway still under the garage lighting:
Think I'll leave this one:
And that's that. Didn't get a chance to touch the interior so tune in next episode to see more dirty things becoming less dirty:
Edited by forrestgrump on Tuesday 26th January 07:59
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