At $33,000, Is This 2005 Jaguar XJR A Purr-fectly Good Deal? (2024)

Jaguar ended the production of the XJ series in 2019 after a five-decade model run. Today’s Nice Price or No Dice XJR is one of the sportiest of that line and is in tip-top condition. Let’s see if that makes this cat worth its premium price.

Have you ever seen professional pugilist Mike Tyson out of his boxing garb and dressed up for high society? That’s sort of the image of power and panache that was exuded by the 2005 Cadillac CTS-V we looked at yesterday. At $10,900, it didn’t have a price that seemed either fancy pants or all that painful either. That one-two punch took the hot Caddy to a solid 60 percent Nice Price win.

Another car that embodies both brute force and good looks is today’s 2005 Jaguar XJR. It, too, employs the age-old tradition of packing heat under its hood. In the Jag’s case, that’s a supercharged edition of the AJ V8, making 395 horsepower and 399 lb-ft of torque, around the same as yesterday’s Caddy. Almost dainty, the XJ tips the scales at just under two tons due to the extensive use of aluminum (aluminium to you Brits) in its chassis and body panels.

Along with the blown 4.2 V8, the XJR came standard with ZF-sourced six-speed automatic. That has Jag’s weird J-shift selector, and sends the power to the rear wheels for a traditional, if upscale, hot rod feel. Brembo disc brakes provide stopping power all around, while the suspension is electronically controlled for both level and aggressiveness.

But we’re not here to discuss this Jag’s specs in some sort of English drawing room pissing contest (don’t hit the corgi!), but instead to marvel at its lack of use and resulting seemingly excellent overall condition.

According to the ad, this XJR has but 10,189 miles on the clock, and everything about it, from the Leaper on the bonnet to the 20-inch BBS Sepang alloys down below, appears to be in as-new condition. As shown in the pictures, it presents exceptionally well, the Ebony paint appearing to be in fine shape and accented by a tasteful quantity of old-school chrome. The car’s purpose is denoted sublimely by a pair of chrome-tipped exhausts abetted by green and red badging on the fenders and boot.

The cabin is about as Jaguar as you could get, featuring sumptuous leather upholstery and a forest of burlwood that spreads from the dash to the console to the doors and across both the top and bottom of the steering wheel. Much like yesterday’s Caddy, the Jag has been built for those with a button fetish and offers a multitude of comfort and convenience features, making this a very plush ride even when it’s asked to get up and dance. Plus, it all looks like it just rolled out of Brown’s Lane. Heck, I bet it even smells like an English Manor instead of a damp shed, as older Jags eventually tend to do.

Mechanically, the car appears to be in just as good of nick as it is aesthetically. Of course, one might expect that seeing as it has so few miles under its belt. The engine bay is awash in plastic covers with just the ABS pump and alloy suspension mounts offering evidence of the car’s purpose. It all looks clean as a whistle, though, just like the rest of the car. As you might presume, it comes with a clean title. Not quite as expected, it also comes with all the factory manuals and its original Monroney sticker. Whoa, 17 city, 24 highway!

The asking price for this slice of the recent past is $33,000.

OK, that’s a lot of cheddar. Typically, an XJR of this vintage would ask about a third of that. Those contenders, however, would unlikely be in as nice of shape, nor with as few miles as this one. For someone who missed out on these terrific cars when they were new, this may be a great—if pricy—opportunity to address that inequity.

What do you think? Is this Jag desirable enough to warrant that $33,000 asking? It’s certainly nice enough to make it a question. But is that enough going to be… enough?

You decide!

Phoenix, Arizona, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Don R. for the hookup!

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