Hi!

First.. background. I'm a young guy from the UK who has an appetite
for large engines and big boys toys! I've considered the V8 model BMW
and Mercedes but they are a bit too flash for my liking. I like
discreet power!

I'd be upgrading from a 240bhp Volvo T5, so I do have some experience
of performance!

I'm primarily looking at the 1998 onwards XJ8 3.2 or possibly 4.0.
I've had some very nice insurance quotes (considering my age) and the
interior of the (revised) XJ is simply the best interior I have ever
been in. Ever. I would like to consider the XJR-V8 but the insurance
is slightly costly (!) and I would imagine it would drink fuel by the
bucketload!

I do have some questions to ask, which I would be most grateful if
some of you could answer!

1. What fuel consumption does the 3.2L and 4.0L achieve? (UK MPG). I
drive a mix of motorway & city but am very light on the accelerator
usually! I'm expecting about 17-18mpg town and 25-26 highway/motorway?
About 22mpg average? Am I too far off?

2. What usually breaks on these cars? Any idiosyncracies of the XJ8
that I should be aware of? I'm imagining parts are going to be (very)
costly?

3. What is the best all-rounder? The 3.2L or the 4.0L V8? Does the
0.8L lead to much of a difference in economy/performance ?

4. What are the performance specifications for both the 3.2L and the
4.0L ? 0-60mph, peak power figures and top speed? I cannot find much
on the Internet and I realise Jaguar XJ's are not just about
performance, but I am using the figures as a basis for comparison
only!

5. Any UK Jaguar XJ web-based forums? I can only find JaguarDriver and
the JEG, neither of which seem to have web-forums!

Many thanks,

M.Jordan