Hi i recently sold my XK8 and would like to purchase an older model convertible XJS, perhaps early 90's. Any advice on the 6 cylinder model compared to the 5.3 or 6 L 12 cylinder model? I am leaning to the 12 cylinder model....thanks for any advise i just really admire the look of the XJS...

 

Search through the forum and you can find a lot of advice. IIRC there is a buying guide in the FAQ thread sticky. Also find and read over Kirby's book (also in the said sticky).

The facelift models ('93ff) will probably be what you are looking at. They come with the AJ16 (AJ16 in '95 and '96) as the straight six which is a good engine. It's what I have. The V12 would be the 5.3HE model in all but the '95 (or very, very rare few in '96).

Big thing to look out for is RUST. Common advice is to get the best you can afford and not look to get a rough model back to par. Good luck and I'm sure there will be more knowledgeable repairs coming up.

 

@Canada

These are 2 very hard questions to answer (XJS or not) and 6 cyl or V12, and comes completely down to personal taste and what you are wanting from the car. I sat in my first Jaguar when I was a spotty 14 y.o. and have been hooked on the cars ever since. I finally got my XJS V12 (1992 Conv) 3 years ago and it has produced the highest of highs (Cruising down Route 1 into the sunset with the top down) and the lowest of lows (nearly lost it in a Marelli cat fire, as well as my house and my XJR it was parked next to)

I bought a very sad, rough car that probably shouldn't have been brought back from the field it was sitting in, but you know how it goes with cars.... you get emotional with them. If I was to do it again I would buy the best car I could afford and have it thoroughly, thoroughly inspected by someone who really knows these cars.

6 cyl or V12 aside, the youngest car you can get is still going to be over 16 years old, so it comes with all the usual "old car" challenges, then you add on some Jaguar specific challenges, then you top it off with a very select set of XJS specific challenges.

You don't say the year of your XK8, but it is in general a much more modern car than any XJS and would hopefully have been relatively trouble free for you (except timing chain tensioners probably)

Rust was mentioned before, and for sure thats a huge challenge if the car has been anywhere near a lot of rain, salt or snow.

Another area that can consume a huge amount of money to put right (I know from experience) is the interior. Wood tends to be faded or cracked due to sun. Leather seats are easily ripped. the later 2+2 Convertible cars have a tendency to rip the rear seats when the top goes down. The headliners tend to be weak and the top itself will hopefully have been replaced at least once or twice. It's getting difficult to find certain parts now, so if the car you are looking at needs interior work, make sure you know if you can find the parts for it or not. The heat & A/C systems are quite complex and can take a lot of sorting out if they are not working properly.

As long as you are aware of what you are getting yourself in to, you can have a rewarding ownership experience. These are not drive it and forget it cars...... likely you will have to spend some time and money getting the car back into the best shape as it's rare to find an XJS that truly needs nothing. I have strongly recommended 3 friends NOT to get an XJS just because I knew they were not the sort of people who would tolerate the "unique" requirements an XJS would put on them.

I would suggest you read up on the FAQs here, or even just read a selection of the forum posts on a quiet evening...... there is so much useful info here.

If it's not an emotional decision thats moving you towards a V12 car, at least test drive one of each to make sure you are going to be happy. They are pretty different characters. To be honest, the 6 cyl cars are perfectly fast enough and I personally think they handle better than the V12 cars, however, there is something just magical about hearing the turbine like V12 start up and settle into a silent idle.......

 

I've had both a 6 cyl. XJS ('95 current daily driver) and V12 ('83 coupe). The AJ16 makes a terrific DD much easier to live with on a daily basis. The XJS rides and handles beter with the 6cyl. engine - you aren't pushing all the weight of the V12 around and the car feels entirely different.

If your heart is set on the V12 go for it with the understanding that upkeep is more time consuming and expensive. I personally think the 6 cylinder motor is more suited for the XJS than the V12.