Hey guys sorry for the belated reply! Thank you Fraser for the support haha I would very much appreciate all the help I can get. I should be getting the car on the 20th of this month so expect another post with the maintenance report on it around that time..I AM SO EXCITED

 

You really should have posted up that "maintenance report" before you bought it.

My $.02 you're in for some trouble and I hope you've got deep pockets.

Sorry to be the doom and gloom...

 

He could be in for a relatively painless experience, but yeah... Enjoy the irresistible urge to turn around and look at it after you've parked and walked away.

Remember that feeling when it's time for repairs.

Welcome.

 

has anyone here had a good experience buying an XJS? i know i havent.

 

I had a great experience. Flew into Sacramento, the seller picked us (me and a co-driver) up at the airport, jumped in the car and and drove 750 miles home. A story in itself, it was a fun and fast road trip and the car never skipped a beat. The only thing that didn't work....that I was aware of...was the heater.

Although the seller had invoices for lots of work I ultimately I did many additional repairs over the next few months.....all the "usual XJS" stuff. My parts bill was big for the first year and dropped down to almost nil for the following 4 years or so when I (foolishly) sold the car. The buyer got a real bargain.

I didn't use the car much for city driving....maybe 20%. It was intended as a weekend highway car (I did lots of tavelling at the time) and it served that purpose wonderfully....fantastic car for 500-600-700 mile weekend jaunts. Rock solid stability, comfort, a satisfying (although hardly prodigious) amount of ooomph, and 20 mpg.

Cheers
DD

 

Mine wasn't too bad. Flew into Jacksonville, TN - test drove the car for half an hour, paid the man, then hit the the highway for Houston.

Less than an hour into the trip, the upper radiator hose blew. Got a tow to a local mechanic who replaced both hoses and bled the system. Finished the drive home without further incident.

Did the silicone squirt on the rotor, and she's been peachy! This is ~ 1.5 years

 

i'm one week in and i already am anxious about when i'll get her up to my liking.

i'm hoping july-august. at least i went in eyes-wide-open.

and youre absolutely right, love looking back at it when walking away--and knowing there's nothing else like it in the parking lot.

 

same thing happened to me. went to autozone and they only had one hose, which just happened to be the upper drivers side.... and i know for a fact that its not something that they normally keep in stock. before i left autozone (long before i ever could afford an XJS) i went through the system trying to find if we carried any parts at all for it, and we didnt.

 

With these cars sourcing parts at the local auto parts chain is a time waster. Usually their product is inferior to OEM and they have to order it. Might as well order a good quality part if you have to wait. Those places are good if you only care about low price. Basically the WalMart of auto parts.

 

I've owned my '91 V-12 (5.3) for almost three years. I've replaced the AC compressor, a few hoses, the coils/cap/rotor, an ABS accumulator, the battery and the front shock bushings. It runs just fine and everything save the rear defogger works. Oh, and it's won four best in class and four second in class awards at the eight British shows in which I've entered it. I paid less than $6K for it when I bought it with 47,396 miles on the clock; I've added slightly more than 8K miles. I may have been a naive idiot for buying such a complicated car, but if it dies tomorrow, I've gotten my money's worth from it.

 

I don't know if I should complain or not? I bought my 83' for $1495 out of a junkyard who didn't want to cut it up. It only had 28,000 on the clock and other than it needed a paint job, the body was near perfect. The V12 was another story. The water pump had seized and the original owner drove it until the head gaskets blew. I found a fellow with a 49,000 mile V12 (had electrical fire) and he sold it to me for $100.

I changed the motor myself (bugger of a job) and as long as I had everything apart, I gutted the extra mufflers and cats (not needed in my state) and removed the air pump, A/C compressor and cruise control. I made my own brackets and put in a GM alternator and then ended up replacing 90% of the under-bonnet wiring.

I still have a few bugs to work out, but nothing serious and although I don't need to, I'm using it as a daily driver. The looks and comments I get are extremely entertaining!

 

Don't worry I haven't bought it yet. I put down a deposit on it a little while ago, I'm drive it around over the weekend and have a couple people look at it before I buy it as well as posting the maintenance report.

 

Sold!

 

It's okay if the report is sketchy but you're in love with the car and want to keep it anyway - we've all been there

 

And as I think about my first XJS experience (also an 89.5, black on black)... flew into Dallas from Amarillo. Drove it back without incident, except a headlight went out midway. Several months later, that car turned out to be a ****ing lemon.

Even knowing what I know now, that car was just bad, bad, bad.

 

my car is near perfect in every way except for electrical issues in the engine bay and with the tail lights and turn signals. not a single spot of rust on the whole car, the paint is a 8/10, the chrome is all excellent, lots of new parts.

still wont run, but the condition of everything else is the only reason im not beating myself up for getting taken on it.

heads up for anyone test driving a car. if the ******* says its almost out of gas, make it quick. F*** him. let him tow it back home when your done thoroughly test driving it.

ive got a fat little chunk saved up for either megasquirt or a Johns 4 speed kit, depending on how this electrical rebuild turns out.

 

Not so long ago I used a '90 V12 totting up 60k km in a few years.

Oil changes, grease points, flushing the cooling system, brake pads, one brake hose (wrong type fitted by PO), front crankshaft seal (engine in situ, fiddly job so left to Jag specialist), AC recharge, AC pulley adjusted with compressor in situ, plugs, coils, plug leads, rotor and cap. That is about it. It was a well maintained car to start with and still is. 185k km on the clock.

In the near future it probably needs new O2 sensors, standard 4 wire a straight refit according to the experts.

In other words, find a good one and as said above maintain it scrupluously.

 

M90, my vote is for the John's 4 speed. PLEASE get some 0-60, 0-100, and 1/4 runs before and after.

 

trust me, anything major i do performance wise is getting dynoed, tracked, and timed.

 

Come on guys, there are good cars out there. The XJ-S was my daily driver before my current steed (XF). Very little needed beyond normal service, 60k km under all kinds of weather, roads, traffic etc.. They are old, so condition is entirely dependent on maintenance history, but a sensible owner using the car regularly can give you a good one even today. Test drive, high speed and idling at standstill for a longish time. try all controls, heater and max cooling, all electric functions, drive over rough roads, listen for clonks etc etc. then look for bodges. All sorts of wiring in engine compartment? Rounded bolt heads or missing bolts? Leaks from underneath? Mayonaise in filler cap? Dirty coolant? Fuel smell under hood or in trunk? Any of these signs: Walk away, there is another one out there for you.