It has for long been established that the V12 XJS is not a mechanical walk in the park. I mean, it has been mentioned, discussed, warned, etc. that it's either going to take lots and lots to LEARN before you can start tackling it as a DIY, or it will simply be a guaranteed annual drain in your wallet. This is reality, regardless of how much a person likes the V12 for whatever reasons.

I am not going to volunteer speaking about the V12 for no specific reasons. I don't need to aggravate myself doing that, especially if it may bother a fellow V12 owner/enthusiast, but I will say something if the thread has been started by an enthusiast-to-be who clearly pointed out from the very start "The problem is, I know nothing about cars (I've always leased cars), so this would be my introduction to the world of cars and its mechanics".

Being convinced that the V12 is a must does not justify selling it to such a newbie who has clearly expressed his mechanical limitations and no, the straight six is not the same thing, not the same risk; heck, it is as easy as taking a look at how often (% of) owners of either power plant come here asking for mechanical help.

Not my intention to incommode anybody, but the guy should be warned about this.

 

Nevertheless if he is going to own an XJS economically he will have to do most of the work himself, he may as well get the best version - the V12. That should put the preverbal cat (Jag) among the pigeons.


And honestly an inline 6 is not the place to start with zero mechanically knowledge either - he should buy a 3 pot Spit or something simple to get a solid grounding of how everything works - IF that is his main goal.

 

All used cars need work... These are not any different then any other used/collector cars that I have owned through all my years. Just buy the best one you can and just stay on top of the maintenance. I do a radiator drain and fill every year with conventional green coolant and also a synthetic oil/filter change every fall. That's all I ever have to do with a V12, V8 or whatever...

 

Reinaldo,

I tried to point this out in post #6. However, for me it's not a question of how much easier one engine is to work on than the other. In truth both engines are pretty reliable. Most of the issues that are a common problem occur irrespective of engine choice. Does it take longer to get to certain items on the V!2? Sure but it's a time issue not really a technical difficulty issue. There are however, significant differences in the driving experience between the two engines choices.

My main point to the OP was that buying a 20+ year old car, no matter how well maintained, will almost certainly require significant work at some point. If you are not doing the maintenance yourself it can be VERY expensive. Again if the money is not a concern then go for it, it's a great car!!

I'm reminded of a quote from Top Gear when discussing maintaining a Jag at a specialist. "The Jag will eat £50 notes like Smarties"