Looks like a nice one ! Wish I was a bit more flush with cash....I'd be bidding against you :-)

Baby seat would be awkward but doable

XJSs are great highway cars but many do use them as daily commuters. Poor visibilty and low roofline are a little awkward for daily around-town use in my opinion....but that's just me.

Hours could be spent discussing XJS quirks. In a nut shell, they are fantastic cars but they DO need care and attention to be reliable. They are not "drive it and forget it" type cars. If you like to spend some weekends tinkering you'll have a lot of fun. If you have to pay a Jag guy to do your tinkering it could get expensive.

Make sure the cooling system is 100% up-to-snuff. Overheating is about the only thing that can hurt the engine

A 1990 will have Marelli ignition. Unless there is proof of recent replacments, you'll want to replace the distributor cap, rotor, plug wires, and spark plugs. If the system fails the results can be serious----like engine fire serious. Keep the system serviced and you won't have any problems.

Plan on replacing fuel hoses unless it has recently been done. This is critical.

Make sure the climate control is functional in all modes. Repairs here can be tricky.

Ask if there is fuel odor in the trunk. Its a common problem with XJSs but it would be a real "plus" if you got lucky and didn't have to deal with it....as it can be hard to fix

Rear brake discs, rear brake calipers, and axle seals are labor intensive to replace so assurance that they are OK or proof of replacmeent would be another plus.

That covers most of the high points.

If you get this car, plan on spending some time/money on repairs and servicing....even though it looks like a very nice example. Its a very rare to find a used XJS that doesn't have a few bugs to sort out or routine service work that needs catching up on

Cheers
DD

 

As an alternative take a peek at the 95-97 XJR.

Lots of power (faster than an XJS V12), more reliable/less upkeep, great cornering and handling, and four doors....for easy baby seat use. It'll do everythng an XJS will do, and do some of it better.

Of course, if you REALLY have your heart set on an XJS, which would be understandable, nothing else will fill the bill. :-)

Cheers
DD

 

Don't know what the rules are in the US but here in the UK you can get forward facing booster seats/cushions for ages 2-3 upwards that fit the back of the XJS

 

I have a car seat in my 95 XJS, course it is the 2 + 2 Convertible. And, I use it as a daily driver, or every other daily driver, alternating between my XJ-6. My 3 year old son rides there. Its tight, no doubt. You can't put the passenger seat all the way back, so a small passenger up front is a plus. Its a little bit difficult swinging him into the seat with the top up, but a breeze with the top down. The coupe would be like my top up, a little awkward, but never keeps me from taking the XJS just because of the kids. I'd have to look to see what the seat model is, but can tomorrow if you like. Its not the standard "hugh" seat, more of the tall, thin type. The big ones with arms and drink holders will difinately not work. The seat is behind the front passenger seat, I'd never fit in the drivers seat with it behind me, so, if your considering two car seats, you may be in trouble, or have to be very small. With the 2+2 the rear seat belts work fine for fastening the seats in, but the early two seat cars would require some special belt anchors to attach the seat. As far as reliability, the later facelift cars might be the better way to go, they truely are, almost, drive and forget cars. But they all need maintenance attention. Hope this helps, and if you need any more help, please contact me. Keith

 

Makes you wonder what happened to the "good old days" when you just put the kids in the bed of the pick up and told them, "Hold on!"

Seriously, if you're set on the XJS, combine Doug's advice with your wants. They are hard to find, but look for XJS 94 and up with the 6 cylinder engine. They are very reliable and will help with the gas mileage. And, a great looking car to boot! I would give my eye teeth to have a 4.0 liter XJS coupe.

 

Totally agree with all the great advice given here.

They are extremely special cars when they are going properly. That one on ebay looked gorgeous. The 4.0 6cyl is a great comprimise and is really the sensible choice but there's something magical about the V12.

After driving mine for a few days in a row, then getting back into a 2000 XJR, I have been convinced a few times the XJR is running roughly. It's not, but it's simply nothing like as smooth as the V12, however the XJR murders the V12 it in terms of performance.

@Keith

I am soooo jealous of your 6.0. Any chance of posting some pics of it in the gallery ? (It's in my favourite colour too)

 

Hopefully this link will work, and you can see several groups of pictures of it. Not very good at posting pictures on this web site.

http://www.jag-lovers.org/snaps/snap...lpbGBMk68KE%3D

 

Hi Keith

Thanks for the pictures. It's a cracker for sure.

I have a 92 which was basically a basket case when I bought it 3 months ago, but it's starting to come together now (some $$s, mostly my time)

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/a...hp?albumid=309

I see you mentioned maybe re-dying your drivers side armrest. I did the whole interior (see "before" and "after" pics in the above gallery) and I used this product which I was quite pleased with

http://www.leathermagicpro.com/Pages/dlxlthrrepkit.htm

You can cut a sample from under your seat and send to them and they'll colour match it. I did this but I can't really comment on how accurate the match is because I redid my whole interior so there's no "old" surfaces to compare to. You would probably be best to do the whole armrest.

You also mentioned about getting other floor mats. I ordered some custom fit mats as you can see in the pictures. They fit the rather strange floorwell shape perfectly. You can go crazy and choose special edging colours, embroidery, etc. You can also ask them to send you free samples so you can get the colour right. Those came from this site :

http://www.qualitycarmats.com/ViewSamples.asp