The time has come to begin writing up the project which has taken up much of my time in the past 5 months.
I shall start by thanking forum members for their help and advice to tackle the task at hand.
In March this year, I bought a 3rd hand XJ350 with 176000 km on the clock. It was the smallest V8 engine (3.6) but it is still very powerful- nothing like any private car I have driven. It is LHD European model. Though I do not have the exact numbers, very few Jaguars (x350-358) were sold in Israel. It is a very rare car here indeed. If anyone has these numbers please send them.
The three previous owners were all businessmen. The car had been regularly serviced and generally well maintained. The last owner had invested a lot of time and money in refurbishing the car (ceiling, sunroof, air suspension, blue tooth, telephone, c.d) but had become derailed with other issues and disillusioned with his ability to fully tackle the suspension fault light and other faults which shall be mentioned below. He no longer had time for it and was garaged for 6 months. He was paying for storage.
For the last year or so I was considering importing a vintage car (30 years old) and very nearly signed off on a 1991 x's V12 convertible from Florida. The deal was called off by the seller when she was offered cash in hand by a dealer on her doorstep. I was negotiating for both cars simultaneously and was about to tell the x350 owner that I had decided to buy a different car when she phoned and told me the deal was off. Luckily he had not been able to take my call and when he phoned back I agreed to view his car with the intent to purchase it.
At viewing the seller attested to several known problems with the car:
1. Air suspension fault light. He said he had changed the entire system with original parts after the car had sunk but despite his efforts, the light came on after 10 minutes.
2. Central locking not working. Only the driver's door opened with the fob.
3. Very little heating (not that it is needed here very much)
4. Whirring sound from air vents on ignition
5. Car cranked over on the second or third attempt (steering wheel lock release)
6. temperature gauge showed below normal (under half) when on high roads with no traffic.
The car drove beautifully despite the air suspension light coming on.
The paintwork was good except for some swirls and dings here and there mainly on the bumpers. There were two noticeable "dents", one on the bonnet and one on the boot. The interior needed a little attention. For a 17-year-old car, it was in good general condition. alloys needed refurbishing. Pirelli tires are in good condition. No rust.
I agreed to buy it subject to it passing the MOT due in a month. It did, and it was bought.
Cost-11000 pounds. Here there is a luxury tax (20-30 percent) on cars so this is reflected in second-hand car prices. Moreover, these cars are very rare indeed. In retrospect, I paid about 1000 quid over the market price here. In the UK I've seen these cars go for between 8 and 14000.
When I came to pick it up and drive it home the air conditioning was not working!
You cannot drive a car here without air-conditioning. He said he would pay for fixing the air con. It turned out that it only needed gas and a new valve. The first crisis is over.
He told me "whatever you do not go to a Jaguar dealership for repairs. I'm done with it, Good luck".
So I'm home with the car...
Who's gonna fix it up? Not Jaguar dealership.
Need a miracle in the Land of Miracles...
To be continued.....
I shall start by thanking forum members for their help and advice to tackle the task at hand.
In March this year, I bought a 3rd hand XJ350 with 176000 km on the clock. It was the smallest V8 engine (3.6) but it is still very powerful- nothing like any private car I have driven. It is LHD European model. Though I do not have the exact numbers, very few Jaguars (x350-358) were sold in Israel. It is a very rare car here indeed. If anyone has these numbers please send them.
The three previous owners were all businessmen. The car had been regularly serviced and generally well maintained. The last owner had invested a lot of time and money in refurbishing the car (ceiling, sunroof, air suspension, blue tooth, telephone, c.d) but had become derailed with other issues and disillusioned with his ability to fully tackle the suspension fault light and other faults which shall be mentioned below. He no longer had time for it and was garaged for 6 months. He was paying for storage.
For the last year or so I was considering importing a vintage car (30 years old) and very nearly signed off on a 1991 x's V12 convertible from Florida. The deal was called off by the seller when she was offered cash in hand by a dealer on her doorstep. I was negotiating for both cars simultaneously and was about to tell the x350 owner that I had decided to buy a different car when she phoned and told me the deal was off. Luckily he had not been able to take my call and when he phoned back I agreed to view his car with the intent to purchase it.
At viewing the seller attested to several known problems with the car:
1. Air suspension fault light. He said he had changed the entire system with original parts after the car had sunk but despite his efforts, the light came on after 10 minutes.
2. Central locking not working. Only the driver's door opened with the fob.
3. Very little heating (not that it is needed here very much)
4. Whirring sound from air vents on ignition
5. Car cranked over on the second or third attempt (steering wheel lock release)
6. temperature gauge showed below normal (under half) when on high roads with no traffic.
The car drove beautifully despite the air suspension light coming on.
The paintwork was good except for some swirls and dings here and there mainly on the bumpers. There were two noticeable "dents", one on the bonnet and one on the boot. The interior needed a little attention. For a 17-year-old car, it was in good general condition. alloys needed refurbishing. Pirelli tires are in good condition. No rust.
I agreed to buy it subject to it passing the MOT due in a month. It did, and it was bought.
Cost-11000 pounds. Here there is a luxury tax (20-30 percent) on cars so this is reflected in second-hand car prices. Moreover, these cars are very rare indeed. In retrospect, I paid about 1000 quid over the market price here. In the UK I've seen these cars go for between 8 and 14000.
When I came to pick it up and drive it home the air conditioning was not working!
You cannot drive a car here without air-conditioning. He said he would pay for fixing the air con. It turned out that it only needed gas and a new valve. The first crisis is over.
He told me "whatever you do not go to a Jaguar dealership for repairs. I'm done with it, Good luck".
So I'm home with the car...
Who's gonna fix it up? Not Jaguar dealership.
Need a miracle in the Land of Miracles...
To be continued.....