A genuinely luxurious flagship saloon, surprisingly affordable on the used market today — but one where the engine page's timing chain tensioner checklist should shape your entire buying decision.
The XJ's aluminium-intensive body construction was genuinely advanced for its era and keeps the car lighter than its size suggests — a comfortable, unstressed load for this V8 mechanically, which makes the engine page's tensioner concern a factory design issue rather than a consequence of this application.
Given how depreciated these cars have become, the timing chain tensioner upgrade's cost relative to the car's purchase price is proportionally much larger than it would have been when the car was newer — budget accordingly.
This is about the car itself — for engine-specific failure points, see the dedicated engine page below.
This XJ is a defining application of the 4.2L AJ-V8. The timing chain tensioner checklist on the dedicated engine page is essential, not optional, before buying.
FULL ENGINE BREAKDOWNJaguar 4.2L AJ-V8 — Reliable or Not →This is non-negotiable: ask whether the timing chain tensioners have been proactively upgraded, and get documentation if so, per the guidance on the engine page.
If the car has air suspension, cycle it through its settings and confirm it holds height overnight.
Find a Jaguar specialist rather than a generalist mechanic for any pre-purchase inspection, given this era's documented complexity.