Possibly one of the few Cars that you might buy in pairs, because you may need one to drive while your other one is broken down, except you're having so much fun, that fixing the First one may take you longer than expected and so of course you then might buy one to replace your replacement

At which point you then find yourself surrounded by broken down Jaguars that never seem to get fixed quite as quickly as you may have planned but then when you are living the dream everyday of your life, little details such as that rarely seem to matter

As every drive in your XJS even to go for a 'Pint of Milk' is truly an adventure, from which you can never be sure you will ever return but then again you only live once so who cares about the epic fuel consumption (compared to most normal cars) that might give many normal drivers Nightmares!

The XJS is a 'Cult Car' and an Icon in its own right and if Steve Mc Queen were alive to day he would buy one

 

So, to summarise:

All XJ-S are prone to breakdown (and those that aren't, are transvestite Toyota Supra dressed as XJ-S - from a friend owner). You usually need to own two as, being quintessentially British, one plays the role of Harry. Fuel consumption is not just terrible, it's​​​​​​ worst than terrible. Every model has some form of congenital fault, that just cannot be avoided. If one of these problems befalls your XJ-S, then the cost to fix it is, usually, astronomical. Finding one in good conditions in Great Britain is rare because the majority were sold to the US. If you do find a good one, it's probably going to cost an arm and a leg.

Yes, I want one 😁

 

Tommaso,

A subtle suggested alternative to your summary:

- XJ-Ss never break down.....but only if they are diligently maintained without any expense spared. They are capable of huge mileage if properly maintained. My two have never left me stranded on the road.
- Fuel consumption is reflective of an era when fuel cost was not really a consideration. But there again, in smiles per gallon, the consumption is really very efficient!
- Any minor problem that they may suffer is always resolvable, at a cost comparable to any other make of car, BUT only if you roll up your sleeves and fix it yourself. The advantage you have is there is a huge wealth of knowledge amongst owners. And you will never encounter a problem that hasn't already been addressed by other owners.
- They can get expensive because we all suffer from "Whilst you're in there.." syndrome. So a minor replacement of one part ends up becoming a full refurbishment of the rear axle! But, there again. that also contributes to the first point of why they never break down!
- Rust is the one to try and avoid. Firstly because it's nearly always worse than it first appears. And secondly, because its resolution is outside of our typical mechanical skills, so that's where the cost lies.
- Even if you buy the most expensive example you can find, it's still going to be a fraction of the price of an E-Type!

You won't regret it. Even a friend of mine who bought an accident-repaired, rust-riddled example that ended up being broken for spares, said that every time he drove it, it made him feel special. And that's why we love them!

Paul

 

Thank you, Paul,

I love the facelift rear lights & rest quarter window, but I dislike the plastic bumpers.
Looking through listings there were facelift XJS without the big plastic bumpers.

https://www.cargurus.co.uk/Cars/spt_...1/NONE/DEFAULT

This seller offers this car with zero mechanical faults. He put in writing that if an AA/RAC or independent inspector of my choice, will find any «non-cosmetic» fault, then he will either reimburse the cost of the inspection, or fix the fault, at his choice.

What do you think?

 

Hi Tommaso

That looks a very nice Car that has been at that dealership for a very long time, quite possibly because most people are scared of the (presumed) high cost of maintenance and how much Petrol She is going to use

But if you don't intend to use her as your 'Daily Driver' and have her in mind for a Summer Car for 'High days and Holidays' then it won't be too bad, as with mine when we go 'Tripping' I usually plan on Spending around £50 per day on Petrol alone and sometimes I even get change! enough to buy 'Chips'

Though nowadays I'm passed Caring what She Costs to run and I also do my own Maintenance which has literally saved me a Fortune!

Price Wise I'd say that is pretty 'Spot On' although one of the reasons She's probably still up for sale, is that people are sold on the Narrative that all Petrol Cars will be banned in the very near future (which I don't think is ever going to happen) or at least for quite sometime yet

So if I were you, I would do what I did and put 15 Grand in £20 notes in a Flat Leather Briefcase and then Open it on the Dealers Desk right in front of him and say give me the Keys with a New MOT or I'm 'Walking!'

And if he says Yes! and I'm sure he'll say Yes!

Then let him keep the Briefcase, just like they do in the Movies!

She's Regency Red the same Colour as mine with a Cream Hide Interior which is the Best Colour Combo and She Looks a 'Cream Puff' to me from what I can see but get her up on the Dealers Ramp so you can Check that the Rotors will not need replacing (or the IRS rear Axle may have to come out)

Which can be expensive unless you do it yourself, as that may not be a job for the 'Faint Hearted'

So if they will take 15K and its within your Budget, then I can't see that you will ever find yourself a better Car than that

Good Luck with whatever you decide

Alex

 

Yes, "Facelift" doesn't mean "Big-Bumper".

Facelift cars start at VIN 179737 in March 1991. As previously mentioned, the Big-Bumpers were introduced in 1993 at VIN 188105.

Paul

 

I am sorry, the ones that break down regularly aren’t properly maintained or maintained by mechanics who prime focus is to have you regularly return.
A little tug on that wire, or a tap with a hammer over there should have him back next week.
People who seem to have reliable ones also tend to do their own service work and know what they are doing.
Nothing and I do mean nothing about a Jaguar needs to be unreliable. Yes as they left the factory particularly during the 70’s and early 80’s Labor was focused on things other than quality. The components themself really were to a high standard. But a radio that didn’t work because a ground wire wasn’t properly tightened or other problems resulted in a new radio install which paid more than simply tightening a wire.
Wires were tighten by little girls to come loose quickly. In the early days of EFI even the factory engineers were learning. So hoses weren’t up the standards later adapted. The wires in between heads were cooked and shorted out.
Then there is the whole issue of neglect and deferred maintenance. Extremely common with subsequent owners who really couldn’t afford them.

 

Tommaso,

That car has not been used at all for 12 years! And its big money. Be very, very wary of it.

Look elsewhere, in my opinion.

Paul

 

Current daily drivers are carburettor petrol V8s: a 1965 6.25 litre and a 1984 6.75 litre so, I'm probably going to improve my overall fuel economy by adding a 1993 5.3 litre V12 daily driver.

This I cannot do, although I wish that I could! In Italy I have space and a lovely set up, but here in England my garage is... well, rather short!





Good, this is the information that I was looking for.

I am Italian and I wonder if you might not be a little Italian too ... unfortunately your government & banking system has become more and more socialist and illiberal and it's challenging to withdraw that amount. If you know of any banks in England that will allow unlimited and free ATM withdrawals, please do recommend! I calculated that, with Wise, It would cost me £497 in fees, and 6 months in time, to withdraw £15,000

Update: inspection is scheduled for Feb 21st - I'll update you all! Pray for me! And may St Joseph look down upon me, with grace and mercy!

Tommaso

 

Hi Tommaso

Although I'm not Italian I've probably watched too many Al Pacino Movies! where they do that kind of thing but having said that I think you are right, as the World has changed so much that they would never let you do that kind of thing today

But when you go and see the Car and if you get the 'feeling' that this Car is for you, then I would probably offer 12K and set myself a maximum of 15k and then be prepared to walk away after that

You never know you might get 'lucky' so its always worth a try, as with the Credit Crunch we have and all the talk of 'Net Zero' many just don't have the money to spend anymore, which could be why the Dealer has had the Car for so long

Wishing you the best of Luck and really hope you find the Car you want

Alex

 

Dear all,

What would be a fair price to pay, considering today's circumstances, for this 35,000 miles XJS: https://www.cargurus.co.uk/Cars/spt_...1/NONE/DEFAULT if it were truly faultless after an AA inspection?

 

Hi Tommaso

I think I've just found your Dream Car!

Sent you a PM

Alex

 

Tommaso
XJSs need to be used regularly and driven hard regularly, otherwise they deteriorate, so low mileage while it has advantages, principally bodywork and wiring, has many downsides:

• Any XJS that has done no mileage and has sat around for 30+ years will need some or all of:
• Shocks all round
• Suspension rubbers checked
• ALL hoses
• Aircon recharge, new dryer, expect the compressor to not last long even if it does work,
• Depending upon antifreeze having been regularly changed, radiator and even heater core
• Tyres will be out of date and hardened and dangerous
• I think that this car will have the TEVES early version ABS which is a nightmare
• Brake calipers will go home soon after you start using the car as the rubber seals will be hardened, so count on new calipers. Renewing these parts is a very careful proceudre given the TEVES situation
• Ditto brake flexibles
• Steering rack highly likely to leak as soon as you start using the car frequently

The plusses should be that the wiring is fine and the body is fine. But budget for 10,000 UKP garage bills on top of whatever you pay. This will give you an excellent car; but remember, we have all gone through this exact process with our cars. Mine was a one owner 30,000 miler, bought in 1998 when it was 13 years old, FMDSH etc etc. The above is the reality, I promise you.
If you could find a car regularly used and fettled by an enthusiast (JEC adverts spring to mind) it would be a FAR better buy.

 

Offloading a bit of stock Alex ??!!

 

Hi Greg

Nooooo!

I've just found Tommaso a 6Litre Dream Machine for around 10 Grand!

 

Tommaso,

If you're considering that 1993 6.0 Coupe (It will have been made in 1992. Get me the VIN and I'll tell you roughly when it was made), do please look at it with extreme caution.

I have looked at the MoT history and there are a number of aspects that would make me extremely wary of the car. The most recent MoTs are detailed below:

26-Oct-21 PASS 35,888 miles

25-Oct-21 FAIL 35,887 miles
Offside Front Seat belt installation anchorage insecure (10.1 (d)
Offside Headlamp aim too high (4.1.2 (a))

08-Aug-18 FAIL 35,887 miles
Nearside Front Service brake excessively binding (1.2.1 (f))
Offside Front Service brake excessively binding (1.2.1 (f))
Nearside Rear Service brake excessively binding (1.2.1 (f))
Offside Rear Service brake excessively binding (1.2.1 (f))
Offside Steering rack gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (ii))
Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction (8.2.1.2 (h))
Exhaust Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (8.2.1.2 (c))

(Additional Advisory defects)
Nearside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))
Offside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c)
Rear Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material On both inboard calipers (1.1.11 (c)
Nearside Front Coil spring corroded (5.3.1 (b) (i))
Offside Front Coil spring corroded (5.3.1 (b) (i))
Nearside Rear Coil spring corroded (5.3.1 (b) (i))
Offside Rear Coil spring corroded (5.3.1 (b) (i))

16-May-12 PASS 35,883 miles

11-May-12 FAIL 35,883 miles
Nearside Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)
Offside Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)
Nearside Headlamp not working on dipped beam (1.7.5a)
Offside Headlamp aim too high (1.8)

25-Aug-09 PASS 35,270 miles

03-Sep-08 PASS 34,339 miles

29-Aug-08 FAIL 34,332 miles
Nearside Rear Suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)
Offside Rear Suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)
Nearside rear brake recording little or no effort (3.7.B.5a)
Offside rear brake recording little or no effort (3.7.B.5a)
Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7)


For example, as you can see, it has not been tested since 2021. Therefore, it hasn’t been driven on the road for over 2 years. So, how well can this trade vendor really know the condition of the car?

It failed on a number of items in 2018, with an additional set of advisory items. It then wasn’t successfully tested until 3 years later. Why was that? Why was it left off the road for 3 years? And how did it manage to then undertake a test 3 years later with not one additional mile being recorded?

Prior to that significant fail in 2018, it hadn’t been tested for over 6 years prior to that, and only apparently covered 4 miles in those 6 years.

So, it may superficially now be in good condition, but it certainly wasn’t 6 years ago.

And the complete lack of mileage would make me be concerned as to whether the following have been changed in many years, if at all.

Engine oil and filter – When were they last changed? This year? Or 15 years ago when the mileage was 34,000? Or even longer before that?

Automatic Transmission Fluid & Filter – Have they ever been changed at all?

Differential Fluid – Has this ever been changed?

Brake Fluid – This needs to be replaced every 2 years, especially on this Teves System. When was it last changed? Recently? 15 years ago? Or even longer? Look at the other stock of the vendor. Is it likely that the vendor knows how to bleed the rear brakes on that Teves system? I suspect not!

Coolant, Distributor Cap, Spark Plugs, Air Filters etc etc – Is there evidence that these have been recently changed?

Tyres – Have they been changed in the last 10 or 20 years? And those old Pirelli P600s are prone to sidewall cracking. I suspect they need replacing immediately.


If you are serious about considering this car, you absolutely must go into it with your eyes open. You don’t want an AA inspection, you really need an inspection from an XJS specialist. The car COULD be fine, but there are many warning bells ringing for me.

Please be careful,

Paul

 

Thank you Paul for this thorough research that confirms my a priori view of low mileage unused cars.

 

Nooooo. It's not his car. It's near me.

So you would prefer a 4 owners, 140,000 miles, XJS used as a daily driver @ £11,000 rather than a two owner 35,000 miles car that has been sitting for 5 years @ £15,000?


Yes, I am considering it. But, it's not a 6.0 but a 5.3 with my preferred bumpers. However, Alex found me a much cheaper 6.0 but with the plastic bumpers.

The vendor agreed, in writing, that if I give a £1,000 deposit, and have an an inspection report (AA or RAC or engineer of my choice) then they will either
a) fix any non cosmetic fault, or
b) reimburse the cost of inspection
I believe that I can bring that 35,000 miles XJS down to £15,000 because it has been listed for 5 years now! The dealership has been trying to sell it for so long that they might lower the price, again (originally they were asking £25,000).

However.... Greg (who earlier helped me avoid many mistakes with my 1992 Daimler Double Six) suggested that, perhaps, a higher mileage car is better, if it has been in continuous use.

Now, this IS concerning. Thank you for pointing it out.

Yes, a full service, as only 1992 Daimler would certainly be necessary. Of course.

Yes, I tried to find a Jag specialist. KWE Knowles told me that his garage will undergo many changes in the next month and, therefore, it would not longer offer that service.

Does anyone know of a good Jag inspector west of London? North of London or in the area or Horsham?

 

I just spoke with the owner of the blue, 1994, 140,000 miles, 6.0 litre 1994 XJS.

He is retired, and drives it into London, once a week, some 50 miles. He has done a lot of repairs, and has shown me invoices in excess of £8,000 in the last 6 years that he has owned it, including:

• removing the sub-frame (rust)
• powder coating it and sealing it
• new shocks x 6
• brake pads (all around)
• tyres x 4
• etc, etc

The invoices also show that he changes fluids & filters, once a year, in January (just done) regardless of mileage. A £300 invoice/year.

Before I could ask for an AA/RAC inspection, it was he who suggested it, as not only he is very confident of what he is selling, but wants no complications afterwards. At the end he asked me to not waste his time, in a really polite way (*)

He will be gone for the weekend, and I will fly to Italy on Monday for half term. We agreed that I will send a specialist to inspect it and he will not entertain other offers until I decide, if I pay for the inspection.

Honestly, what would I do without this forum, thanks for all this precious advice and help!

(*) I love how English people know how to tell someone to F --- OFF with such elegance, that one feels happy to be insulted by you


Which of these can you consider trustworthy to perform an inspection?

• Just XJS, Derbyshire 07940 998 199 justxjs.com
• Clarke’s XJS World Kent 01435 863 800 clarkesjaguar.co.uk
• David Manners Birmingham 0121 544 4040 jagspares.co.uk
• KWE, Berkshire 01635 300 30 kwecars.com - No longer available !
• SNG Barratt Shropshire 01746 765 432 sngbarratt.com
• XJS Panel Shop Northamptonshire 01327 341 321 xjspanelshop.co.uk
• XJS Workshop, West Midlands 01527 893 733

And which of these clubs organises more events?

• Jaguar Drivers’ Club jaguardriver.co.uk
• Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club jec.org.uk
• Jaguar XJS Club xjsclub.org

 

Tommaso
You wrote:
"So you would prefer a 4 owners, 140,000 miles, XJS used as a daily driver @ £11,000 rather than a two owner 35,000 miles car that has been sitting for 5 years @ £15,000?"
UNQUESTIONABLY the 140,000 miler. That pretty much describes my car, except only 2 owners, and it is one of the best handling, riding and reliable cars out there.

So I say go for the "the blue, 1994, 140,000 miles, 6.0 litre 1994 XJS."
The engine will be perfect still, absolutely no worries. Careful checks for rust under any plastic body panels though, and round the bottom corners of the windscreen. Look at the colour of the gearbox fluid on the dipstick too, it should be a nice clear pink.
Most of the places you mention do not do inspections! I would ask the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club for a recommndation. There is a top place on the south of England somewhere, and I think the JEC section leader is involved, one David Randall, from memory. PTJS1 will know. You must find the right guy, though the seller sounds very fair and the price it too.
Thhe JEC is the one to join, by the by.