You get out of any car what you put in. Jaguars l have owned and driven, all V12s since the late 70's have never left me stranded. Occasionally it would become clear something was not right and l would attend to it and it made them very reliable so l think the unfair rep is what feeds cheap unmaintained cars that feed the unfair rep and so it goes around.
On the gearbox issue, l drove a 4speed O/D XJ12 conversion for many years and loved it but now drive xjrs that l have converted to 6 litre/4L80E combo. Maybe l have just gotten lazy as l aged but l have to say l love the 4 speed auto more and there is certainly nothing the manual is capable of that the auto is not.

 

I don't agree with that at all. Some cars are just divas and very high-maintenance. But VWs, Mercedes and many of the Japanese cars will last forever with very little maintenance. You can literally just put gasoline and drive. Yes, at some point they will break but it will take a long while and may never have anything serious before you decide to sell it.

I'm not saying this is right or advocating this. Of course it's better to do proper maintenance. Specially basic maintenance like oil changes, brake pads, etc. But that's different than having the car in the shop for something every other month. Which is the rep vehicles like Jaguars, Land Rovers and Harley Davidson have.

So I don't buy the notion of you get out of any car what you put in when there are cars out there as reliable as tanks. Believe me, I know people who barely do an oil change in a few years, literally just put gasoline and drive and the cars still run trouble free. I know somebody who has literally beaten a Mazda to an inch of it's life and it will still not quit. And another who has put a 1993 Mercedes 300E to be his farm truck of sorts. Despite being full of dents and body damage it stills runs strong and it has over 300K on the clock with no major work ever needed besides oil changes etc. Not even suspension and if you see where he drives it you think he thinks he has a Jeep.

But other cars will give you trouble every other month. Every other month you have to do something on it. I don't want cars like these. Are Jaguars like this?

It doesn't even have to be literally every other month. I don't want a car where I have to spend a lot of money or time every year to get a MOT because there are a bunch of things to repair. The cars I drive now I basically pay the minimum fee and get the yearly MOT because there is nothing to repair. Unless it's been a couple of years I did the brake pads etc, in other words, basic maintenance.

 

You would be very lucky indeed to have an XJS that didn't require some ongoing maintenance, they are complicated cars and don't like being left standing around too long.
I've spent thousands on mine and it still has a few gremlins although it is much better than when I bought it.
Still wondering whether to risk a 200+ mile run down to Falmouth next week in the XJS or take the X Type.

 

Outch! That is not very encouraging.

What would you say are the worst points?

Would you say the XK8 is better in this regard? You seem to think the X-Type is.

P.S. But it would be my daily driver, so standing around would not really happen. If that's what you meant.

 

There's a buyers guide in one of the sticky threads at the top of this section. it probably has some info you'd be interested in.

I had an XJS V12 for a number of years. Like most others I had to sink a chunk of money and labor into it early on to sort out all the things the previous owners neglected. After that only occasional tinkering was needed. The car was a trouble free joy on many 600mile weekend jaunts...while an XJ6 was my weekday driver.

But, no matter how you slice it, these are not 'drive it and forget it' cars. It takes some commitment.


Cheers
DD

 

I'm only assuming that the X Type is better because it is 15 years younger! Mind you, if you check out the X Type forum there is a massive catalogue of things that go wrong.
The basic design of the XJS is quite good but many of them have suffered over the years (decades) from poor maintenance and ignorant owners.
As long as the cooling system is in good order and things like ignition wiring are up to scratch then pretty much everything else is not much different to any other car.
Rust can be very expensive to fix depending on location especially if it is located around the front and rear windscreens.
Buy the best you can afford and look after it and should be ok; there is nothing quite like driving a well sorted XJS.
All the money I have spent on mine has made it a much better car and the bits that have been replaced will last for many years (he said hopefully!).
I don't really know anything about the XK8 other than the Nikasil and timing chain tensioner problems but it is more modern car than the XJS so should be faster and better dynamically; they still rust though and suffer electrical gremlins.

 

Sorry but what does TLC stand for?


What makes the XJS wonderful? because you like the design better?

I would also say Mercedes is basically ZERO trouble to keep it right unless you get a lemon.

Mercedes parts are more expensive? Maybe in the UK. As to wow factor it's hard to say any of the new Mercedes have less wow factor than new Jaguars. If you mean the XJS only, a W126 AMG wide-body Mercedes Coupe has a wow factor of it's own. It depends on what you like.

 

What do you mean, that he would go down in price?

I would think this is what you meant, if it wasn't for what you said bellow.


Why? Because they are auto only or because the V12s are less reliable?

 

This is what I worry. I'm not in a stage of my life where I can be under a car every weekend or can afford a Jaguar dealership to work on every little problem.

 

So cooling and ignition wiring are the main problems? Or by ignition wiring you mean the whole electric system really? What goes wrong with the cooling system?

But do they rust easy like the old European Fords?


Yeah, but how much money did you spend? Enough to get you an Aston? And you still think a Jaguar is better? Some money is expected with any used car. But once you start spending an amount that would allow you to upgrade to a better model or spending more than you paid for the car then it becomes a problem.

 

It's difficult to know if an XJS is right for you.
I agree with what a number of members have said regarding lack of or poor quality maintenance having potential to significantly effect reliability.
I speak from limited experience of ownership is XJS. I bought 1993 V12 in Oct 2014. It's my only vehicle and hence daily driver. In twelve months I have driven 13,000 miles. It has broken down on two occasions, once was a difficult to track fault, eventually diagnosed as faulty main relay for fuel injection, second time the failure to start was caused by poor earth connection to engine, that was diagnosed and fixed at the roadside by AA man.
It's had one full service just after buying. A few other parts bought and fitted: new battery , starter motor, boot strut, auxiliary air valve etc.
I went on holiday to West coast of Ireland from Lancashire, drove there and back about 1500 miles in two weeks without problems.
Perhaps important to realise that the youngest model is nearly 20 years old and the oldest is now 40 years old so comparison with new or newer models of any make regarding reliability is unfavourable to XJS.

PS TLC is abbreviation for tender loving care.

Good luck with your decision

 

See, I really like the way the XJS looks and love the interior. But stories like these is what make me nervous. In the last 12 months neither of our cars have broken down. Actually the last time one of the cars broke down was a faulty alternator, 4 years ago.

 

Hi CXJ,

I have been following this thread since the beginning. Based on everything you have written it is my opinion the the XJS is not for you.

An XJS can be a reliable car but it is not a Honda. It requires regular maintenance and special knowledge to be reliable.

Very few were ever built with a manual transmissions and doing a proper conversion is a very expensive proposition. The conversion cost will most likely exceed the value of the car and the car itself will most likely lose value due to the non-original configuration.

I would be the first to welcome you to the XJS family but I really think that this is not the car to make you happy.

Good luck!

Mark

 

Thanks for your honesty Mark.

Based on everything I wrote, what would you recommend?

 

Well...I might be a bit biased because I used to own a Mustang business.

Really, it comes down to budget. If you can swing a new/newish car then I think the current Mustangs and Corvettes are the best they ever made. Fantastic performance and reliability for the money.

The Porsche 911 has come a long way over the years and they are currently enjoying upward moving values. Easy to get parts and service.

Many Japanese cars are very reliable but not too many have much style to get excited about.

I feel the same way about most German cars. There are some good ones to be had but the styling does not do much for me. But that's just my opinion. Many folks like them very much.

I'm sure other here on the forum will be happy to make recommendations.

Mark

 

Thanks Mark. I need a back seat, so 911 and Corvettes are out. New Mustangs are above my budget.

Anything else?

 

Have you considered the Subaru WRX?

 

That's a 4-doors. I want 2-doors coupe.

 

my friends 911 has a back seat.

 

Nah, 911 is just the wrong car. Too small, rear engined, it's a sports car.