A reader writes
A reader contacted me to ask if I could find him a Jaguar XF 3.0 Diesel for £7000. The answer was a definite no. At a push, I’d be able to find and buy such a car for that money, but it would have mega miles. A very high mileage on those diesel engines would come with a significant risk. For starters, the timing belts would be due and the DPFS (known to crack on the equivalent S-TYPE) would also be approaching full. EGRS, injectors… they are all Swords of Damocles hanging over you.
Of course, we are also suggesting my time and skill isn’t worth anything in finding, buying and retailing such a car. People frequently assume this – the same people who expect a new car warranty on a tired used banger. ‘Champagne taste with beer money’ as we say in the trade.
I did find a Jaguar XF Mk1 with the relatively bulletproof 3.0 petrol engine on a 58-plate. Finished in silver, this was a Premium Luxury model and looked good. Direct from an Audi main dealer, it had covered just 62,000 miles, which were warranted by eight dealer stamps. The leather looked surprisingly supple, too.
There were three registered keepers in the book, it came with a spare key and an ‘Assured’ auction report, which is all the rage at the sales these days. It noted on the report that the PAS pump had a knock and was noisy – this was a useful bargaining tool and, for once, proved the value of such a report. Other flaws of note were a scuff to the nearside front bumper and the fact that it needed two rear tyres. It was, however, reassuring to see four Dunlops all round, suggesting running costs weren’t an issue for its former owners. Otherwise, the body was a revelation to anyone used to Jags from the Browns Lane era. Reserve price was £6400, close to top trade in the book. However, it went through the auction twice without a single bid.
As the dealer group who entered the car always have a rep attending the auction, and given the power steering issue, I reckon you’d get the car for £6000 + the out with a chat over tea. But would my prospective buyer have been willing to go across to petrol to save money everywhere but the pumps? I doubt it. For that reason, I left it well alone.