I have been driving my 1996 XJ6 since the year 2000 so, i am quite familar with her issues since many have reared their heads. This car has been quite reliable and now has nearly 300,000 on the clock. However , i am now being told that the parts i need to fix her again ($7500.00 this year so far) wont be here in Chinada(toronto) for 2 more months. This is the end of the road for my xj6. I have found an exceptional 96 xj12 with only 75000 on her. My question is, what should i be looking at in terms of reliability issues? Are these cars fairly reliable? 75000 in 24 years makes me wonder if it spent a great deal of that time on a lift.This particular car has a good carfax report and appears to have been maintained by a few different dealers but well maintained. It is a california car and looks almost as new in appearance. I have heard that the v12 is a nightmare, so I'm here to get the goods from those who know...is it a nightmare?

 

Not owned one, so I could only give read option, but I will own one someday.

This is a great video for the car, but be warned, it will make you want one........

 

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/a...yers-guide.doc
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...6/#post2183605

The rest you should be aware of already. These cars are 25 years old, have a LOT of stuff, and are VERY low production. None of those attributes is going to be conducive to a low total cost of ownership.

 

G'day Mr Trainer,

I've had my XJ12 since early 2006 and apart from the usual stuff failing in an old car it's been pretty good and it's now got over 350,000 kms on it.

What has failed,
1. A couple of relays packed up but it was only dirty contacts and I managed to take them apart and clean up the contacts and all is good. I keep a brand new relay in the glove box as insurance.
2. The coolant tank lid separated while driving on a very hot day but I tracked that problem down to a failed thermostat on one head which allowed the system to overpressure while the coolant temp was reading normal. The temp sender is on the other head! I repaired the tank with JB weld.
3. The harmonic damper de-bonded at well over 300,000 kms and I sent it away and had it repaired.
4. The autobox needed a rebuild recently due to age and wear and is now all good. It is a 4L80E so a common GM box and parts are readily available.
5. Sagging headliner replaced.
6. Power steering hosed failed and I had it re-hosed by a hydraulic workshop for about a tenth the cost of the OEM bit.

That's about it really apart from a few minor niggly bits.

The car is great and I absolutely love driving it and any excuse is a good excuse.

Cheers,
Jeff.

 

It's just a car, no different than any other 25 year old high end vehicle. Motor is bullet proof. Everything bolted to it not so much. All rubber bits will be tired. Once sorted, best ride in town. Just read through the posts in the X305, X27 section. All the information you need is there.

 

The V12 is not a nightmare, especially in the X305. Just the opposite... it's a w*t dream (a "wide open throttle" dream)!!

The X305 is the last Jaguar to get the V12 and the only V12 model with full electronic ignition (based on Ford tech). It is very reliable. The V12 is very well suited to the X300 chassis. It is surprising to me that it was such low production.

The caveat is that if you aren't doing (mostly) your own repair work, it will cost you, as in what you were quoted for your XJ6. So just think of it as a new hobby and dig in.

Lowish mileage is no surprise since these cars are often not daily driven. But 75k miles is just enough to show it hasn't collected too much dust. Many do drive them almost daily, like me and Jeff. Just like a regular car!

If you can do an XJ6, most likely you can do an XJ12. It is rare to find a good one available, so don't miss out!

 

Thx folks, your advise was all taken in to account before i ran out and purchased my new to me xj12. Of course im in love right now, even though i did get my first check engine light. P0106. A map sensor i think. Anyway, thx again guys. J.

 

this must be a 95 not a 94 isnt it?

 

For many of us, yes, a 1995

But in some places they go by calendar year so if that fellow's car was built in 1994, it is known as a "1994"

Cheers
DD

 

I believe that a P0106 can be set by manifold pressure imbalance across banks. Make sure throttle spindle bushings are intact and that the linkages are in adjustment.

 

Another successful "rescue"! Always great to see another one in the hands of someone that cares. Good work.

+1 to John on the MAP sensor vs. throttle linkages: If nothing seems wrong, swap the 2 sensors to see if the code follows the sensor, or not.

 

Relevant TSB:
http://www.jagrepair.com/images/TSB/...rivability.pdf