Recently saw a very clean 96 xj12 with 70,000 miles for sale. Heard mixed reviews of the v12. Please chime in if you have any experience with this engine.

 

Random remarks.....


Talk to the man who is married to a gorgeous, jet-setting super-model and you'll get mixed reviews as well. Great to be seen with and fantastic in bed. If you neglect her needs, though, she'll suck up all your money and could care less if you live or die :-)

In terms of durability the Jag V12 is near bullet proof as long as you keep it cool. By the time it was installed in the X300 cars I think all the cooling issues were sorted out. Owner neglect can, of course, obviate any design improvements.

There weren't all that many V12s installed in the X300s so it's a bit hard recognize any reliability patterns. I haven't heard of any chronic glitches but at 15 years old it's fair to expect, or at least not be surprised by, a few problems.

Any repairs in the engine bay are obviously more labor intensive. Repairs, when needed, won't be cheap.

Lots of power and thirsty :-)

I owned a V12 XJS for several years. The part that scared me the most---the V12 engine--actually gave me the fewest problems. The rest of the car, not so much :-).

I think anyone self-described as a "car guy" should own a V12 car at least once. If things go badly you can always get a divorce an marry the girl next door.

Cheers
DD

 

I'm a new jaguar owner as I bought a 95 xj12 almost two months ago. I can't comment on long term problems with the engine however I can say it's alot of fun to drive. It will definatley move for a big sedan. Everyone talks about keeping it cool and the most problems come from overheating. I took a gamble on a possible engine problem but the price was right and this isnt my daily driver. If the one you find is in excellent shape I would say go for it. It just depends on what your going to do with it. To keep it on the road everyday day repairs will be really expensive. However if you do your own labor all it takes is your time. In my case I just like seeing it in the driveway. Besides being a beautiful car there is just a cool factor about the v12 engine

 

Almost everything in mechanical wise is doubled in V12 engines lol

Two air filters, 12 spark plugs, 12 spark plugs lol

BTW, they are called X305 that's why I have moved it off to the proper forum

 

Doug, HOW TRUE.

Waaaaay back I was given that altermatum by the spouse, The MK10 or me.

GUESS WHAT.

Still got the MK10, dont think too hard now.

New wife, (NOT the girl next door), and 26+ years later, and 12 Jaguars later, she looks after hers, and I do the rest, NO mention of who has which one, that would be "divorce material" HAHAHAHAHA. I will be too long dead, so care factor now is minus heaps.

 

To the OP, follow the advice of Doug and Grant, you'll not go wrong.

Maybe's follow Grant's advice in other departments as well, 26+ yrs, he must be doing something right (at 25 yrs I got traded for a younger model, still got the Jags tho')

 

At 70k miles the V12 will be just getting into its stride. As Doug says, though, the car is 15 years old and could have been subject to neglect at some point, so best to check for service records.

One common neglect is not replacing the two spark plugs that sit under the air-con compressor at the front of the V. Air con was not considered when the V12 was designed, so the compressor had nowhere else to go when they came to fit it.

I would have loved to have had a V12 at some point in my motoring career, but the fuel consumption combined with the price of petrol in the UK has prevented me so far. When I tell people I get 28 mpg, they think this is terrible, but when my previous Jaguar, a 4.2 Series 3 got up to 18 mpg, I though I was in heaven.