Good Afternoon everyone!

Been in the market for a gently used '94-'96 XJS for a few months now (Currently driving a 2008 Chrysler Crossfire and 2011 Volvo S80 V8). Will be used as a weekend cruiser. Certainly not a daily driver. Ive attached a link below to the vehicle in question. It is my ideal color combo and appears to be clean. New top, front tires and brakes all around. All electrical components work. 92k miles.

It is currently registered Historic...so obviously the seller is not obligated to have it inspected (all though I did mention to him it would certainly put prospective buyers' minds at ease if he did) and he is selling as is. He claims the only issue is it needs an alignment. So my question to the experts is...what should I do? I am going to view it Friday and he is very uncomfortable having it taken to a shop but is OK with a mechanic coming to the house to check it out.

At best...Im looking at an alignment. At worst....what am I looking at and what kind of cash?

Trying to put my mind in the right place before seeing it in a couple of days. Any thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

Thank You!
1994 Jaguar XJS Convertible

 

when i've bought (or considered buying) a used car, i've always test driven at least 3 other cars as close to the same spec as the one i'm interested in. try to get a range from an overly-pampered, probably out of your price range car, to a beat up wouldn't take it if they paid you car. it might be difficult due to the rarity, but do your best.

if you haven't spent time in an xjs, this'll at least give you a sense of how the cars are "supposed" to drive vs what happens when they aren't taken care of. if you dont know... you could end up chasing your tail for a while.

i'm sure some other folks will add the specific pain-points or potential issues that are readily checked with a visual inspection.

 

No doubt. That's usually how I go about it. BUT. There are only a hand full of XJS' within my general area and most are '80s V12 coupes. They are not plentiful around here. My parent owned a 1996 and a 1997 VDP up until recently... so I'm familiar with that model's quirks but the XJS is a whole other deal.

 

Welcome to the XJS board

I had such a mistrust of (most) mechanics during ownership of my first XJS, that I know where he's coming from. You're downright paranoid of the car coming back with more (or different) problems than it left with. You should be able to find a mobile mechanic to check it out onsite. Call around to some of the independent Jag specialists in the area. Make sure they are familiar with the XJS.

My first thought is that there will almost certainly be something else wrong other than the alignment. That is a relatively inexpensive fix (unless some components are seriously worn out), and then he could advertise the car as needing nothing. This is the approach I would take when selling.

In any case, at best you're looking at an alignment. At worst? he heh. At worst it could be an insatiable money pit.

So what should you do?

- https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/a...1&d=1288027216
- show up with an XJS mechanic
- let them crawl all over the vehicle
- take it for a long drive - half hour minimum - check for overheating
- never owned a convertible, but check the operation of the top and windows
- take lots of high resolution pictures and post them here

Will check back on this thread later. Good luck!

 

Go to the top of the forum and look for the sticky with the buyers guide in it.

Lots of useful info in there.

That is a great color combo.

I assume it's a 6.0 V12 car? (judging from the wheels)

That mileage is no issue for a V12. The single most important thing about an XJS is the care and attention that previous owners have given the car.

How long has he had it ?
Is he a Jaguar fan ? Does he know a lot about Jaguars ?
Has he done any work on it ?
Does it have any paperwork/history about whats been done ?
Does it actually get used ? (XJSes hate to sit and not be driven)
Why is he selling it ?
What does he mean by "alignment" ? and why hasn't he already had that fixed/adjusted ?
Does the A/C work properly ?
Does it hold temperature with A/C on at idle, hood closed ?

From bitter experience, I think the most important parts on an XJS are actually the paint, the interior and the roof/headlining. If those are "great" then I would be willing to accept other areas being less perfect as the mechanical stuff can all be easily sorted with time, patience and this forum

And as others have said..... don't buy the first car you see. Don't ask me why I know that :-)

 

OK so my pennysworth...
1. Servicing - Evidence of care, attention, and maintenance, like service history, bills etc
2. Appearance - Does the car look cared for ? Paint, chrome, trim all in order and match the mileage ?
3. Test Drive - How does the car drive ? Anything not quite right ? Does everything work as it should.

As for alignment, the front suspension is fully adjustable with shims to adjust camber and caster angles, plus the usual wheel alignment via the track rod ends. Rear has a lot less, and is only adjustable for camber. There is no wheel alignment adjustment on the rear.

 

Very nice looking car. Worth looking into some more, and the price is right.
I'm pretty sure it's the straight six 4 Liter version (because it does not have a rear spoiler).

Let us know how it goes.

Bill

 

I agree it looks like a 4.0 with some really nice later 20spokes. That said, mine was only a little less and in similar visual shape. ( 95 2+2 'vert) +1 on the maint records and DEFINITELY drive the car!

Good Luck!

 

Did they fit the spoiler on 94. When was the 6.0 with spoiler sold ? Ive seen pictures of some of the last ones and they had the spoiler and a v12 sticker on the fenders (wings)

 

According to the 1994 Model Year Update, "the V-12 is distinguished by the rear spoiler". It goes on to say that it was an option on the straight six.
The 6 Liter for regular XJS's was introduced in '94 (actually 93.5, that's when mine was built). And as far as I know, the V-12/spoiler combination was kept through '95 and '96.

 

nice pic. I see that your spoiler doesn't have the antenna breaking hole. is your antenna infront of it ?

 

Thanks.
Yeah...the antenna.... it's just forward of the spoiler. I have to make sure it's retracted before I open the trunk/boot. I'll just blame the nicks on the front part of the spoiler on the previous owner!

Bill

 

Here are a few suggestions that I would pay close attention too when checking this car out:

A. Check the underside out for signs of rust-I would look closely at suspension and floor as this car is being sold on the East coast so something you will want to pay attention to. Very costly mistake if over looked. You have to wonder why someone put new brakes etc. on this car and did not have the car aligned. Could be a sign that seller found out something is going on suspension wise that is very costly to get car aligned correctly and by stating the car needs to be aligned absolves the seller of this issue.

B. Does the A/C blow cold. Another costly issue if over looked.

C. Test drive the car to make sure does not over heat or run warm after getting to full operating condition. The 1994 4.0L is known for having head gasket issues if engine has been over heated or cooling system neglected, so something to watch for and after you test drive pull the engine oil filler cap and check underside of cap etc. for any signs of foaming or milky oil.

D. Look closely at the bottom edge of front bumper cover to make sure not cracked up or missing any sections- from the photos you posted of the car I do not see a problem with this but a wise seller would leave a picture of this issue out of the mix.

E. Look closely at all the trim etc. on the car. A wise seller can hide a lot but little bits of rubber ,seals on doors etc. can be over looked when detailing a car and let the buyer really see how the car has been taken care of. From the looks of the pictures you posted of the car the headlamps look very clear. This is a good sign because if the car had been parked out much in the sun the head lamp lenses will show this as will the trim, interior etc.

F. The red metallic on this car is hard to hide touch ups and can be difficult to match if say car had been in a accident so look closely for spots that look dark as this is usually touched up areas or say a fender that does not quite match the door next to it. If you see this look closely for signs of poor workmanship or repairs on the inner edges.

Good luck with your search and if any thing does not feel right with the car trust your instincts and wait to pull the trigger. These cars are not something you see often but that being said there are still many nice examples out there. Because cost to fix a car up with this level of trim, leather etc. keeps going up do not under estimate what something may cost on this car to bring it up to the level you would be happy with. The good thing with the photos you posted is that for a car with 92K the photos indicate a car that has been well taken care of at least cosmetically. My experience is with a car like the XJS is that if the car cosmetically has been well maintained chances are it has also been well maintained mechanically. This is not always full proof but I would not even waste my time looking at a XJS that is rough cosmetically. If you find your self looking at a car in person that does not look like the level of car that the pictures indicated be very, very careful as this is a good indication the seller is not being straight forward. You can take 20 digital photos of one area of a car and quickly pick out 1 or 2 photos that does not show the true condition of that area of the car ( this is why I would not buy a car sight unseen and have it shipped to me ). Many people and I mean many people have made this mistake so buyer be aware.

 

Yeah, although mine hasn't got the spoiler, or thank god, that horrid third brake light. . . . l've had to change the antenna. (not really hard to do..)Thought l'd listen to a CD while in the car wash.....Doh!!


All l can add to luv'a post above is check also that all electrical items work. All the gauges, windows, especially the rear. Radio and the antenna. Make sure that the key fobs and alarm/locking work. Etc...

 

Tomorrow's the big day - I'm excited for ya!

 

At 92,000 this car will need a IRS overhaul soon (within 10K), if it doesn't need the overhaul now. You can use this as a point of negotiation.

 

The v12 cars also had painted mirrors to body color, along with the rear spoiler. The 6 cylinder cars are pretty bullet proof. On this car, the brakes are outboard on the rear, so chances of it needing a IRS rebuild are greatly diminished. I too, have a great distrust of mechanics on the XJS, unless they are VERY familiar, AND experienced with the XJS, Jaguars in general. It would be nice if you could get a fellow enthusist to go with you, hopefully someone with one of these cars.

 

Well, after talking to the seller several times since my initial post, he became a bit....irritated... that I was insisting on either bringing a mechanic or taking it in to be inspected. I had contacted someone in service at EuroMotorcars in Bethesda..but he was unrelenting in his not wanting the car to be out of his site. Plus, I have not been able to move past the idea of replacing the top, tires brakes etc....yet he knew it needed an alignment and didn't just pay the extra $100+/-??? One of out last exchanges included the sentence "that's why I'm selling it As-IS". Game over for me. Just didn't feel right. Ill keep looking and hit this thread again soon. Thanks a ton for all of the insight! If only some of you lived close!

 

Sometimes you gotta walk away, sometimes you gotta put up with a pain in the *** seller to grab a gem.

You'll find the right one, they aren't rare yet.

 

Kudos to you for walking away. It can be really hard to do...

I recently acquired a 1987 XJSC, and I'd been looking for about a year before picking this one.

The second-to-last one I looked at before sealing the deal on the 87 cost me $300 for an inspection before I walked away. But... the inspection caught about $7k worth of work that needed to be done. So well worth it. But hard to walk away, especially if you've already invested time/$$ into it.

Just wait, the right car will come along. A word of advice about finding a knowledgeable mechanic in an unfamiliar area.. I called up the local JCNA Regional Director, and they were able to put me in contact with an EXCELLENT indie. So that can be a good way to go..

Best of luck in your search!