Jag XJ8 3.2

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Lugy

Active Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
567
Location
Midlothian, Scotland
Car
W140 S320
Yup, another car thread from me :p

I'm having second thoughts about getting the SAAB 9000 Aero now, as much as I love them I fear I'll tire of it pretty quickly, I loved my CSE to bits but it was just missing something, I can't say what but you'll know if you know :confused:.
Now the 190 2.5-16 was almost perfect, aye it had it's niggles but driving it became an occasion, ultimately it wasn't going to be a good daily hack though.
The W140 is, I'll admit, dull, technically brilliant but dull. It can be made to be fun on the right road with the TC off though!

Then last night I spied the W126 500SE in the classifieds, I like it a lot but after a bit ebaying I'm turning towards the baby XJ8 now. My mum has an '02 XKR which is the same inside (obviously smaller!) and it's a lovely place to be, both snug and airy - totally different to anything else I've owned. The AJ V8s make a nice noise too, not intrusive but not too quiet. Up until now I'm sold!
The downside is I've heard reports that they can be unreliable, though my mum's hasn't had a problem in the 2 years she's owned it.

Any thought's?

Oh, and they're good looking too IMO!
Jaguar-XJ8-V8-PSPT-01.jpg
 
I think you'll have a job on locating a 9000 Aero! For what it's worth I find my 9-5 very easy to live with.

The Jag does look tasty though...
 
I've an Aero in mind, only problem is it's almost as far away as possible!

I really don't know what to do, I'm looking at the pics of the SAAB and I want it. If I spend £1500 on freshening it up and adding some special ingredients it'll be a comfortable, good handling 350bhp car. Now that's very tempting!
 
I've an Aero in mind, only problem is it's almost as far away as possible!

I really don't know what to do, I'm looking at the pics of the SAAB and I want it. If I spend £1500 on freshening it up and adding some special ingredients it'll be a comfortable, good handling 350bhp car. Now that's very tempting!

Say the Saab is down in Devon, so what, its a day or two out of your life to get the car you really want.

I'm not a jag man, at all, but probably would have it over the saab for being RWD but if the areo is the car you want, you should make the effort and travel down to see it at least.
 
Wasn't it Saab that said anything over 200 bhp through the front wheels is too much......:confused:
 
Probably.

Although I have been in a 530bhp 9000 and I lived to tell the tale. I have never been in anything so quick in my life, 30-130 was over in a good bit under 10s :eek:, no wheelspin, little torque steer and just the feeling that I was being made to sit in the back seat, of course the 8 piston calipers on ridiculous sized discs quickly changed that!

This one in fact...

2008_0107stuffSaabandKH0119.jpg
 
It's still front wheel drive and it's still a SAAB! There's no way whatsoever that a 530bhp FWD boosted car doesn't have serious torque steer and wheelspin. I've driven a fair few powerful FWD cars (including genuine 300bhp+ T5s etc) and they can't put the power down properly. It's basic physics - as you accelerate in a car the weight transfers to the back and the front end becomes light leading to poor traction. Surely one of the reasons why exotica and cars like 911s have mid/rear engines and RWD at least. Drag cars etc - enough said :devil::D

I know they can be made to go quick, but why not spend the same amount and buy a better (overall!) car to start with.

Not tempted with some of the bargain-performance MBs out there at the moment? C43/E55/C32/CLK55 etc all at £5-10k these days, some even less. All are 300-350bhp out of the box with wheels/tyres/brakes/suspension etc to match - plus the style/solidness/goodies that come with top-range MBs :cool:

Worth a look in :thumb:

Will
 
Lugy you sound like you are really after something with alot of speed so you should follow your heart, how about an XJR? I hear they do about 35mpg as they are so light, and they are soooo nice to look at.
 
The above car has had some serious time spent in mapping sessions, it's somewhere like 10 years in the making, the power delivery is rather smooth if I do say so myself, it'll pootle around in 6th (Quaife upgrade) quite the thing. It is a demonstration car for a local tuning firm so it's fair to say it should be expected to be rather good.

Out of the AMG lot only the E55 interests me to be honest. I like big, lazy, subtle cars that get on with the job quietly, especially when they can be badged as CDIs! The only thing I don't like about them is the clinicalesque interior, though after seeing the recent C63 threads maybe getting the dash trimmed in leather could sort that out...

I may just do without a car for a month or 2, try to avoid the pub and save like mad and see what's available at the time. I fear I may end up jumping into to something though!
 
Lugy you sound like you are really after something with alot of speed so you should follow your heart, how about an XJR? I hear they do about 35mpg as they are so light, and they are soooo nice to look at.

You have no idea how much I'd love one! I pass one on the way to work, it's black and it's stunning, nothing more can be said!
 
The above car has had some serious time spent in mapping sessions, it's somewhere like 10 years in the making, the power delivery is rather smooth if I do say so myself, it'll pootle around in 6th (Quaife upgrade) quite the thing. It is a demonstration car for a local tuning firm so it's fair to say it should be expected to be rather good.

Out of the AMG lot only the E55 interests me to be honest. I like big, lazy, subtle cars that get on with the job quietly, especially when they can be badged as CDIs! The only thing I don't like about them is the clinicalesque interior, though after seeing the recent C63 threads maybe getting the dash trimmed in leather could sort that out...

I may just do without a car for a month or 2, try to avoid the pub and save like mad and see what's available at the time. I fear I may end up jumping into to something though!

Any amount of development and mapping etc can't change the laws of physics though :eek:

A 9000 is no lightweight car and I would put money on a front wheel drive 530bhp 9000 having serious difficulty putting that power to proper use. That is ignoring the normal requirements in a road car for a suspension setup that is good for road use as well.

I've been to some of the Volvo/Saab FWD 1/4 mile days at Avon Park and driven some of them down the strip - even the stripped out, non-road legal T5s with slick tyres, Quaife LSDs etc can't put the power down.

300-400bhp in a usable (RWD/4WD) chassis is much more useful :)
 
I've not seen it doing a standing start, I can imagine it would be very messy, but a 3rd gear roll on is very tractable with no sign of any wheelspin!

You've got me looking at '55s now :eek:
 
I'm with Will here. If you're after a large, fast, lazy car it's easier to start off by buying a car designed for all those functions rather than trying to turn a 'lesser' car in to one. I get the feeling though you're after something a bit different, so how about:

Audi A8 4.2
Daimler Six 4.0
Lexus LS 4.0
Lexus GS 3.0/4,3
Subaru Legacy 3.0
MG ZT 260 4.6 V8
 
How about one of the supercharged Jags - seems an obvious choice if you're looking at XJ8s! :cool: ;)

Will
 
I'm with Will here. If you're after a large, fast, lazy car it's easier to start off by buying a car designed for all those functions rather than trying to turn a 'lesser' car in to one. I get the feeling though you're after something a bit different, so how about:

Audi A8 4.2 I like them though repair costs actually make me scared
Daimler Six 4.0 Hmmmm
Lexus LS 4.0 I don't think they wear well, unlike a W140 they show their age
Lexus GS 3.0/4,3 As above
Subaru Legacy 3.0 Not my thing :eek::p
MG ZT 260 4.6 V8 Now that's something I forgot about

How about one of the supercharged Jags - seems an obvious choice if you're looking at XJ8s! :cool: ;)

Will

:cool::cool::cool:, it'd definitely feel special.....
 
I'm with Will here. If you're after a large, fast, lazy car it's easier to start off by buying a car designed for all those functions rather than trying to turn a 'lesser' car in to one. I get the feeling though you're after something a bit different, so how about:

Audi A8 4.2
Daimler Six 4.0
Lexus LS 4.0
Lexus GS 3.0/4,3
Subaru Legacy 3.0
MG ZT 260 4.6 V8

The one in bold is a cracking piece of kit....so unsuspectingly good....

Lucas mentioned earlier a 211 500. My mate is in a car hunting mood and £8-£12k buts you in V8 E60 5 series and 211 E500 money.
 
Lugy you sound like you are really after something with alot of speed so you should follow your heart, how about an XJR? I hear they do about 35mpg as they are so light, and they are soooo nice to look at.

My friend tells me they do between 12 and 16mpg....

It's a lovely, lovely car though and I could spend a lot of time in there.
 
My friend tells me they do between 12 and 16mpg....

It's a lovely, lovely car though and I could spend a lot of time in there.

+1 on this. I worked with a guy who had one and had family in Spain. He reckoned that on a fast commute through France (before the prohibitive speeding fines) he was lucky to see 14MPG:eek:
 

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