It almost makes me want to get that XJ220

A few things I heard from a mechanic, who has worked on an XJ.


No shop manual
You cannot order parts from a Jaguar dealer
Their is only one U.S. distributor for parts
$1,200 for a head gasket
With scheduled fuel cells/bags replacement, you have to take the entire car apart
The special oil for the transmission is no longer produced
$25,000 cost for a used transmission
F/L repair bills are cheap, in relation to the upkeep cost of the XJ

I am sure ingenuity can overcome some of these issues.


Other than the maintainance, this is the best hypercar bargain on the planet.

 

Unfortunately, one has to maintain it to be able to enjoy (eg: drive) it.

 

:O !!

 

Where the pic was taken ?

 

Having worked on one of these a bunch of times, I can say without a doubt, it is perhapes the closest thing to an airplane on the street. Once you remove the large under pan, the way the car is constructed is revealed. I have never seen anything like it short of an F1 car. The chassis is an aluminum honey comb, and many of the panels are BONDED with aircraft addhisives. The engine mounting cradle is annodized aluminum and drilled to save weight. All fittlings are areoquip style.

The way the trans and suspension systems are designed and made are all for weight savings. The lower control arms are a composite material I could go on and on. For the price you can get one for now, it is worth it just for the ammount of technology and engineering you are buying into. I can see now why the car cost so much money to build. Ferrari and Lambo look like average production cars in compairison to this thing.

I have a bunch of photos of it, but for some reason my computer won't let me upload them

Driving the car is another story all together. They do not drive that well, and the brakes are terriable, almost to the point of being dangerous. I don't mind the interior at all, I kinda like it in fact, and it is quite comfortable.

Climbing into the car is a bit of a challenge because the doors do not open very wide at all, and me being 6'2 its a bit of an exercise to get in, but once seated is quite comfy.

The gear box is positive in shift, but clunky and the throws are long, not a gear box to be speed shifting with at all.

Engine sound is very disapointing, it almost sounds like a truck at idle, but once in the upper RPMS you can't hear it anyway because of the sound of the turbos spooling up. At this point it sound like a jet, and feels like one taking off on the runway. The thing pulls like a train all the way up to redline, and porduces speed like nothing I have ever felt. Its very stable at high speeds. Around town the car drives like a pig, no power at all and feels huge (well it is 17 feet long after all).

Over all, it is a very cool car to drive, but for anyone to own one and it be there only fun car, it would be a very difficult car to live with. These cars belong in big collections, to be admired and driven a couple of times a year. Parts are non exsistent for them, and working on them is a bit of a pain because of the amount of aircraft grade fasteners that hold everything together. Hell it takes almost an hour just to get the underpanel off!!

Would I buy one? Yes if I had about 10 other cars to drive. I would buy it an display the technology in it, by having it up on a hoist with the wheels and panels removed. That is the best way to admire the car in my eyes. Yes the car looks great, but the guts are even better!

 

I love the car but I dislike it at the same time because of the engine.


There's one here in the Colorado Springs area its nice but unfornately its a garage queen.

 

I went to the garage to get some lunch and couldnt believe it when the xj220 came in. Two young guys got out and one filled her up. Got loads of videos too, as it pulls out and accelerates to the roundabout, thr turco whistle is very loud. Also got five videos of the yellow XJ220S driving by me at night in the rain on the M40. Not sure how to attach vids.

This silver one was seen on the A4 at the BP just after Knowl Hill towards Reading.

Can anyone see this video as i cant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF2Um-KYUe4

 

Can anyone see this video?

If so, can you let me know as its the first i've posted but i've got loads more i can upload from my phone.

 

another one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pzTU2bUU6s

 

yeah i can see them fine, please post the others of the xj220s, thats the car that one of the posters at automotive forums used to own , perhaps thats him driving it.

 

i've created a thread in this section for videos in general. I wont be able to upload the others until the weekend unfortunately as other laptop up north.

Had a massive clip of it and edited into smaller clips so i could send via text. Bummer is i deleted the large one, GUTTED!

Got loads of good ones though. Found an XJ220 abandoned in a Kings Cross yard at 3am, what a sight!

 

I saw an XJ220 yesterday. It was in that maroon color. Very nice.

 

Great vids MattyMouse - looking forward to seeing more...