Howdy Folks,

I am a brand new forum member of this morning and this is my very first post.
I seek your straight up guidance and sage insights please.

Help me make some good wise choices with this potential new purchase please.

Looking to buy my very first used Jaguar.
I would be the vehicle's third owner.
Is the 1993 XJ6 4.0L -- a good year of the XJ6's?
I think this year starts some of the Ford influence into this model, yes?

Got an option on a 1993 Jaguar XJ6, 4.0L Automatic with Sport transmission with 89K odometer miles.
Black on black leather, sunroof, new'ish tires.

History: Over the life of the car, it seems to me, this XJ6 has NOT been garaged and has some rust bubbling at trunk lid chrome edge area (no perf.) and in engine bay at L shock tower with various other degrees of salt air mist corrosion/surface rust on the parts in the engine bay as well. (I live in a coastal area where this type of general car deterioation from the ocean breezes' salt mist would be typical for any car left outside.
General overall condition: Fair to Fair plus.
Interior and trunk are good ; rubber and chrome trim good.
Would need many weekends of TLC, cleaning and polishing for the paint, door jams and engine bay etc. to come to life and look sharp, but I think the car's cosmetics can be addressed and will recover with a lot of loving care and elbow grease.

Seems solid mechanically (engine -- no blue haze from the exhaust) and driveline seems solid with no audible differential noise with a very, very slight, ooze, residue leak on the power steering hose in the R-side engine compartment.
New'ish fuel pump.

There seems definitely a need for the original front and rear shocks to be replaced: front are too springy and rear also spongy with squeaks when pumping them from over the fenders. At highway speeds steering seems very (maybe too) responsive and this may be from the 'bad' shocks too with the suspension not stabilizing the weight of the body when you tweak the steering wheel slightly to the left and right in a straight line.

What would be some ideal choices for the front and rear shocks?
Open to consider any and ALL the suspension and ride response options.
Upgrading the factory ride and maybe even giving a little sport feel to the car might be nice.

All things jaguar are new to me.
Do not know what is 'right' for the 'feel' of this car... the XJ6.

Help me out please with your any and all of your collective guidance and wisdom.

Many thanks for any thing you might be able to offer in the way caveats and of my learning before I make the purchase.
I have heard, I should definitely avoid this model car of 1993 and that it is also quite a solid car too.
What say you please?

Many many thanks for any and all of you comments.

Cheers!

BigBlackCat3

 

Hi BigBlackCat3,

Welcome to the Jaguar Forums! It's great to have you with us.

As the owner of a 1993 XJ6 Vanden Plas (Jaguar factory project code XJ40) for the past 16 or 17 years, I can tell you that it is a wonderful car to drive and own, and with proper maintenance can be a daily driver. The car you are looking at is a low-mileage example, with only 89K miles. In contrast, we purchased ours around 1998 with 60+K and it now has done 197K.

There are lots of known common issues on these cars, but most are relatively easy to deal with and not too expensive. Probably the biggest jobs you might face in the next 30K miles would be the head gasket and installing a rebuilt differential if yours develops a whine at the pinion bearings (the output shaft bearings can be replaced relatively easily without dropping the independent rear suspension).

The original shocks were made by Boge, a premier German brand that is now owned by ZF, the German company that made the transmission and steering rack in the Jaguar you're considering. I once tried Bilstein shocks in either our '88 XJ40 or the '93 we still own, but I found them too harsh, and went back to Boges. Our '93 currently has Boges in front and Sachs in the rear. Sachs is another premier German brand that is also now owned by ZF. If you get the impression that Jaguar has a history of using German transmissions and shocks you would be correct. If you don't mind sacrificing some ride quality, Bilstein shocks will tighen things up a bit. Some owners have installed other brands such as Monroe and KYB, but I don't personally have any experience with those.

In the suspension, virtually every part is isolated from its neighbors by rubber bushings (or bushes in Brit lingo). Even though the car you're considering has low mileage, age will have taken its toll on some or many of those rubber bushings. Most of the parts are still available and are not too expensive, but the most effective way to swap many of the bushings is to use a hydraulic press.

The AJ6 straight-six cylinder engine in the XJ40 is typically bullet-proof. It is mostly over-engineered and under-stressed, and some have exceeded 300K miles on the original bearings and rings. Head gasket failure is probably the most common "serious" issue, but it rarely causes permanent damage and replacing the gasket has been done by many DIY owners, including me (three times now, once on our '88 and twice on our '93 about 90K miles apart).

The ZF 4HP24 transmission is also virtually bullet-proof, with the most common problems being electrical, with components such as the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) and electrical connectors, which can usually just be cleaned.

The hydraulic-brake boost and ABS system is more complex than in most cars and if it malfunctions you will either have to learn how it works so you can diagnose the problem or hire a mechanic familiar with the system.

Some parts are no longer available new from Jaguar, especially interior and trim items, but most mechanical parts are available from either OEM or aftermarket sources and other items can be usually sourced from salvagers.

For a good overview, see the XJ40 eBook at the Jag-Lovers forum (jag-lovers.org). You will have to join the forum to view the contents of the eBook, but it's free and well worth it, and there are also several XJ40 experts who are active at that forum:

Jag-lovers' Ebooks Book Index

There is a mountain of literature available, including the original Jaguar Workshop Manuals on DVD-ROM from the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust (jaguarheritage.com), and a lot of resources available for free such as the Electrical Guide, Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs), etc.

See the HOW TO quick links here:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ck-links-5911/

And see the TSBs available here:

JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource

I'm sure others will have input as well.

And since we're a friendly group, please visit the New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum and post an introduction so we can learn something about you and give you a proper welcome.

Cheers,

Don

 

93 is a good year,these cars are far and away better than other used cars out there for the money.
Parts are cheap and plentiful,just look carefully.These are coach built,made to be repaired.

Cheers,Jim.

 

Dear Don B and manwich66,

Thank you both very much for your time and thoughts, gentlemen.

It is a lovely looking car, but with it all being new to me on the XJ6 mechanics, it is really great to hear from you all as the knowledgeable ones for guidance pre-buy.

I will continue reading and learning.
So much to learn. Open to any and all further thoughts.

Many thanks,

BigBlackCat3

 

Dear Don,

Thank you so very much for your cordial reply which is very helpful and encouraging.

Yes, on the dash the ABS orange light is 'on' and does not go off right now and I'd don't know what that means.

Sounds like stock shocks are maybe the best choice.
I have Bilsteins on other vehicles and they do a great job for those vehicles, but maybe XJ6's are a breed apart.

Good to know about the head casket issue and I new about the rear differential, but not the specifics.

My biggest fear with the XJ6 is getting into a money pit of endless large and small repairs.
I do like everything working right and in good cosmetic order to have the full enjoyment of any car's design and potential.
Know that it is solid and reliable.

I will follow through and become a good student.

Thank you for all your great suggestions and your time.

Cheers!

BigBlackCat3

 

I agree that as long as you take some care about it you should have a really nice ride. I have used Monroe shocks on both mine and would say the give a firm ride. They are not hard to change but pay attention as you undo things. Be sure to check for rust in the floor pans and rockers. Good luck

 

Thank you, Jerry.
Much appreciated.

 

Hi bigblackcat3:
Welcome to the forum! Lots of good advice above from a lot of great XJ40 owners. I didn't see much about cost. The car you describe doesn't to me sound like much more than a thousand dollar car, and you'll be putting a lot into it--both money for parts/supplies and man hours. If you're really keen on doing all of this work yourself, you could have a fun fixer-upper. Nothing wrong with that! But for a couple thousand more, my sense is that you could find a rust-free example that has been garaged and taken care of, particularly in CA.

The XJ40, particularly the later ones, are great cars. I love mine. But two points of general Jag wisdom certainly apply. There's no such thing as a "cheap" one; and, always buy the BEST Jag for the money.

Let us know how it goes! Cheer,
Scott