Hi. I'm Jack. I'm from beautiful Cleveland, OH, and I'm thinking of buying a 1991 XJ6 that only costs a few hundred dollars and needs a battery. It appears to have been sitting for a while, but the seller swears that all it needs to be driven is a battery. I plan to use it as a winter beater. Here are my questions:

I've never owned any European car before. I'm used to the bulletproof reliability of my Miata and Infiniti. Realistically, how much trouble are these cars compared to a Japanese car of the same era? Can I depend on it to get me to and from work here in the city?

What are some common problems to watch out for when looking it over?

How bad is a XJ40 to drive in the snow?

What kind of gas mileage does it actually get? I know that no car typically gets its EPA estimate in the real world.

Thanks.

 

Welcome to the forum Jack,

Your best bet is to head over to the XJ6 section and see what the guys have to say.

 

Jags can be very reliable but it takes some money and effort to make (and keep) 'em that way. They are not drive-it-and-forget-it cars. I can virtually promise that a 20 year old Jag for a few hundred dollars is gonna need some repairs....which makes it just like any other 20 year old used car for a few hundred dollars. Perhaps it needs only a battery to RUN, but what about brakes, transmission, climate control, electrics, etc etc?

I've never owned an XJ40 but my other 3 Jags have well in the snow....but "snow" in Longview Washington is just a few inches a year, not the deep snow you are accustomed to.

I'd guess your fuel econonmy to be 12-14 mpg in city driving and low 20s on the highway.

Cheers
DD

 

Welcome to the forum Jack, I only have one set of summer tyres for my XJ40 and it is undriveable in the snow.

 

Welcome to the forum!