CarMax doesn’t carry very many XJ8’s. Maybe three or four in the years I’ve been tracking. I blogged about a 2008 Jaguar XJ8 with low miles and a low price tag in January, and it wasn’t until April when another popped in Las Vegas. Been toying with the idea of buying a unicorn for the sole purpose of driving and reselling (with MaxCare Warranty ) and maybe defraying the cost of driving some interesting cars, and maybe turning a profit. So foolishly, and impulsively, I did my guerrilla tactic  to take it off the market – putting it on hold while I figured out what to do next. But when I bought Etta (my 911) somehow my CarMax profile got changed to make my wife’s phone number the primary contact. So yes, she got a call to coordinate HER appointment to see a Jaguar in Las Vegas. I plead the fifth and let the car go. It disappeared for almost a month. Today it showed up in Fort Myers, Florida. Something about these old school XJ8’s I find very appealing. A V-8 without too much horsepower, luxury and room, and above all, style. Of course repairs can be expensive, especially as one reader pointed out – the air suspension, that’s why we get the warranty. Find this two-owner California car now in Florida here – if the link is dead perhaps the car is on hold, sold, or once again being transferred.  
3 Replies to “Another Jaguar XJ8 For Cheap (the car that got me busted)”
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The 2004 and later XJ8s actually aren’t as unreliable as you might expect. You’ll eventually replace the air suspension, but other than that these cars are solid. The 4.2 V8 is smooth and powerful, and doesn’t have the timing guide issues of the previous generation 4.0 liter cars, and the six speed ZF transmission was used in a host of other reliable contemporary high end cars.
The air suspension alone might make MaxCare worthwhile, but if you’re a betting man (and a patient one) you can find a comparable care for half that money sold private party and put a little aside for air shocks. I grabbed my ’04 at an estate sale for 6 grand with 48k miles on it, two years ago. And yeah, I’ve gone through the suspension. Here’s mine – http://partsandprojects.com/tag/budget-baller/
Thanks, Dan. Love your blog – way more mature than mine. I’ll edit the comment on reliability. Was trying to get ahead of the Jaguar bashers and instead probably perpetuated the stereotype that they are fragile. The air suspension was the single biggest thing S55 AMG owners warned me about and sure enough, it failed (twice) and CarMax picked up the tab. There are lots of cheaper cars out there for guys who can either afford repairs or DIY – my blog is more for scaredy cats like me. I like to encourage people who really want an enthusiast car but settle for a reliable one because of the unexpected bills, and wouldn’t think of CarMax as the place to go. Is there a way to sign up for your blog for new posts?
Thanks Chuck! Unfortunately I had a plugin conflict and post update notifications are currently down. You can follow the facebook page for updates if you like…I’ll get around to fixing the post update one of these days. I just discovered your blog yesterday, but enjoyed reading about your finds and look forward to updates!