X300 Jaguar

Generally a pretty good car overall., the AJ16 engine was the last evolution of the excellent XK6 straight-six engine.
The XK6 engine was first used in 1948, (XK120), and evolved through the AJ6 unit into the AJ16 unit, last being used in 1997 - that's just 1 year short of half a century and emphasises how good a job was done of the original engine design! (Thanks to Jaguar legends William Lyons, Bill Heynes, Wally Hassan and Claude Bailey burning the midnight oil during WW2 to ensure that they had a world class engine to present to the world after the war had ended).

One to look out for is the X306, (XJR) although insurance would obviously be higher but if you're not counting pennies and you can find a nice one go for the X305, (XJ12 / Daimler Double-Six 6.0 litre V12).

Then they went all V8 ...

The one to be wary of is the X308, (XJ8), as it was a disproportionately problematic engine - particularly in supercharged form.
The earliest V8's were the worst, high maintenance & high failure rate.

The X300 derivative to really really really have would be the Daimler Corsica. Unfortunately it was a one-off concept and the only car is with Jaguar Heritage;

The X30x Series Jaguars are pretty good. Both are evolutions of the XJ40 and both for the better. The X308 does look nicer inside it has to be said.

Classic insurance has made all but the newest X308s (as in 02 reg cars) cheap to insure, including the XJRs.

The AJ16 engine is pretty tough. HGs can go (that *may* be an AJ6 issue) but it's quite rare and the signs are obvious ; may in the oil and sometimes misfiring in extreme cases if it blows between a cylinder.

The AJ8s aren't as bad as people think. Remember that Aston used that engine for a while and Jaguar Land Rover still continue to use the basis of the AJV8 in the modern Jags, both in V6 and V8 form (V6 is actually the same block), including Project 8, the quickest 4 door around the Nurburgring. The issues with bores was down to high sulphur fuel which has now gone and possibly extreme overheating. Any that are working well will now be fine. Chains and tensioners can go on pre-2001 cars but updated items get around this issue which quite a few have now had done. Coil packs however can go on them more often than you think.

Any old Jag's issue is now rust, but more what you can't see rather than what can; chassis legs can go with the car looking perfect on the body. Spares are reasonable too. Maybe not Ford or VW reasonable but not a million miles away, and that includes the dealers and specialists like David Manners and SNG Barrett etc.

I'd hear an AJ16 engine then. They aren't the most inspiring straight 6 note IMHO. The AJ6 was designed with fuel economy in mind with decent torque.

One of the best £500 cars I've owned!





I think they're ace. Terrible packaging (tiny interior compared to their tremendous length) but remarkably stout, tough cars. Unloved ones will be trouble, as is the case with any old luxury car, but one that's been relatively well maintained shouldn't give you any grief. The 4.0 is the one to go for, in any case.

Do keep an eye out for rust, though, as well as knackered bushes (heavy car, after all) and duff electrics. Try and find an example with everything working; anything with glitches could turn into a bit of a 'mare. Basically, buy as nice an example as you can afford - it is a high-end car, so anything shonky starts feeling particularly down at heel very quickly.

Mine still went well for its age, too! Hit 141mph repeatedly at Bruntingthorpe. Bought it, beat on it solidly for a day and it just kept on ticking. It's still going, too – and it's even been to the Nurburgring and back, haha.