Hey guys,

Not a Jaguar owner yet but contemplating the possibilities.
I am considering buying a 1996 XJ12 with 60,000 original miles on it. The car has all the keys, books, tools and the maintenance record from the dealer (taken as a trade, one owner car) and other than some yellowish/foggy headlamps does look mint.
My questions are, if you guys do not mind:
- How reliable is the powertrain on this model (engine/transmission/etc)?
- Anything in particular that I should look at when inspecting the car (it does have a 3-month warranty from the dealer)?
- Overall is it an expensive beast to maintain?

Note that I do take a preventive approach with all my cars, always buying the parts I know I will need one day beforehand and replacing things before they break so I have never had any surprises with maintenance.
Also I do not expect it to be cheap to maintain but I do need to get an idea of what to expect with these.

Comments?

Cheers and thanks for any help guys!

CR

 

Since you're apparently a DIYer you might find that it's cheaper to maintain than you think, barring any major component failures. A high-end, complicated, 15 year old luxury car will never be a "drive-it-and-forget it" transportation appliance but I sense you are already aware of that :-)

You've little to fear from the V12 engine itself. As long as you keep it cool it'll never wear out. The 4L80E trans should have another 60k miles life left, maybe more.

Differentials are a weak-ish spot so listen for whines and growls.

Suspension bushings and shock start wearing and making noise at about 100k miles so you have some time left :-)

The Alpine radios are unreliable. Control panel bulbs often go out. Fuel pumps (you;ll have two) don't last forever. Interior lights can flicker. ABS controllers can suffer poor solder joints. Trans mounts are weak causing the wiring harness to tear a bit.

These are basically very good Jaguars with a good reputation but we're beginning to see that age and mileage DO take a toll, even with the best of care, and some problems will eventually start cropping up. Most are DYI territory and the majority of typical repair parts are reasonably priced.

This model was the flagship of the fleet. If you don't mind some tinkering from time to time you'll love it. Not sure what you'll be paying but I can just about promise that you'll never find more car for less money.

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks for the great reply Doug. I can get this car for $6,000 and as I said it does look mint. My other option is a 2001 XJ8 with more mileage (80,000) for around the same price.
I am not really a DIYer but as I do with my other cars, I always have the most common parts at home so when time comes all I am left with is labor. The small stuff I can do but more complicated things I just bring the car to a local mechanic that knows about these and I should be all set.
So if you do not mind abusing with more questions...
- what am I better off doing, getting the V12 that is older but with less mileage or a newer, higher mileage XJ8?
- Is $6,000 a fair price?
- When you say 60,000 left on the transmission what do you mean? Full replacement to be expected or a rebuild? And whatever it is at what cost (ballpark)?
I do not expect the car to be driven more than 8-10k miles a year what for sure will minimize the yearly maintenance.
And I am always fixing/replacing things before they break to avoid bigger issues and surprises. :-)

Comments/advice?

Again, thanks!

CR

 

$6000 sounds good to me for a "mint" V12 with 60k. I'd rather have the V12 than the XJ8, personally, if I wanted a special car.






The 4L80E trans is not famous for ultra long life....although exceptions do come up. IMHO, anything over 120k on one is free usage. It's a fairly common GM trans used in trucks, Suburbans, etc. over 8600 pounds GVW, usually. It would be a routine matter for any trans shop to overhaul one, probably $1500-$1800

My opinion of life expectancy might be jaded because I worked at a Chevy dealer for a million years and we overhauled them quite often at 80-100-120k miles....but in big pickups and such they usually have a much rougher life than in a Jag, I reckon.





My advice is buy it and enjoy it. Some problems....usually minor....WILL crop up. It's a used car, after all. And you'll deal with them :-)

Make sure you have a shop that'll work on it. Some won't work on Jags and the mention of "V12" makes them shudder....even if they're just doing a brake job :-). Find a good Jag specialist and you'll be good to go for the stuff you don't want to handle.


Cheers
DD

 

Doug pretty concisely summed up well
Bear in mind almost everything is doubled in these "double six" rides .
Two air filters
6 x 2 spark plugs
6 x 2 spar plug wires
Two metal cables across the engine cover I don't know why it is for lol