I've been trying to bone up on the vitals in these cars for an eventual purpose. I hear good things about the reliability, and yet people must be scared because the 2nd hand values are in the crapper!

If you ask me about a Volvo 960, I can tell you in detail what to look for when purchasing, and what is a good price, but the XJ6's are all over the map for the few years between '95 and '97!

I'd like a fully loaded (I like gadgets, unless they are extremely trouble-prone) XJ6, and I understand that the LWB is the same as the VDP, so that's where I'll go. Most of them around me have about 100K miles on them and run anywhere from $2800 to about $5000. I usually try to buy my vehicles in California due to less corrosion, so I am not foreign to that idea either.

So in your words, what would be the things that YOU would look for when buying one of these? Are there leaking air vent bellows? hoses under the hood needing replacement? Timing belt or chain that *need* replacement?
Interior puckering or cracking on doors/seats? Electronics that are particularly troublesome?
Bushings? Bearings? Driveshaft? Are they prone to leaks?

Like I said, I know the Volvos fairly well what with transmissions to avoid and in what years, and interiors and parts that like to fail, so I am looking for the same sort of ideas about these cars.

I expect to be like a child , asking a thousand questions, so please bear with me.

 

Hmm, it looks like the 1995 Vanden Plas was only SHORT wheelbase. The '96 and '97 VDPs were all LONG wheelbase. Then the "L" version of these were also long wheelbase.

What were the options on these cars? What did the VDP have over the regular one? I only see "Harmann Kardon Sound" as an option.

Is there a particular mileage one should stay under?

 

100k is no problem for the engine or trans. Just broken in. No timing belt to replace. Sometimes the chain tensioners make noise over 100k miles.

Differentials are and rear wheel bearings, though, are more trouble prone....listen for growls and whine.

Suspension bushings and shocks seem to start showing wear at 100k+ so listen for clunks.

The Alpine radios are notoriously troublesome.

Climate control as reliable as any other similar car.

No notorious leak problems. No notorious cooling system problems except thermostat sticking open.

Interior trim generally high grade and long lasting. Watch for neglected leather. Wear on driver's seat outboard bolster is unavoidable.

"Memory" system for seats often goess on the fritz although the electric seats themselves seldom give trouble. power windows, cruise control, etc generally reliable.

Tilt/travel columns give trouble...the drive cables break.

Overall these are very good cars and vastly better than 70s-80s vintage Jags. However, age and mileage eventually take a toll on *any* car so don't expect miracles. As the value drops owners are less likely to keep on on the repairs and servicing.

Most repairs are within the range of a decent DIYer. Most parts readily available and not shockingly expensive...as high end luxury cars go.

Shop around to get a feel for the cars and the market. The values are so low that an exceptional, pampered example is still affordable...and worth waiting for.

In the USA all 95s were SWB. In '96-'97 the LWB cars were offered. LWB could be the standard model of the VDP.

Others will chime in with more.

Cheers

 

In a nutshell the VDP has upgraded interior trim, minor exterior trim changes, and different wheels. The upgraded interior was the major part of the VDP model.

On the standard XJ6 you paid extra for Harman Kardon stereo, CD player, heated/memory seats, traction control, etc. Most or all of these items were standard on the VDP, XJ12, and XJR. The V12s had the best of everything.

I'm speaking in terms of the USA-market cars. The equipment/option lists varied quite a bit from market-to-market.

Cheers
DD

 

Excellent, thanks! I guess a '96-'97 VPD would be nice, or an XJR. On a side note, did the XJR come with a long wheel base and all the goodies? As in - was it higher on the totem pole than the VDP?

 

With all due respect, Rev....NOTHING's higher on the totem than VDP! lol...It is the very pinnacle.

Not really sure if they offered a supercharger in the LWB in 96/97. I'm sure someone knows. I know later, in the X308 range (98-03) you could get a "Super V-8" which had the SC...but I'm not sure if it had the other goodies from the "R" line, brakes, etc.

In '95, Traction Control was an option on the VDP, but standard on the XJR, likewise the LSD.

Do a search, there were a couple of threads running toward the end of last year on common problems and what to look for during purchase. In addition to what's already mentioned, there are more than a few instances of clear-coat failure, headliner, oil-press sending unit (scary when it happens to you in first week of ownership, but absolutely a non-event and an easy/cheap fix)

Best of luck in your search, keep us posted and put up pics when you find it!

 

The 95-97 XJRs were all SWB and, for the USA, came with all the goodies (Trac control, HK stereo, etc) ...but not the VDP interior.

Cheers
DD

 

Heh heh...except the flagship-of-the-fleet XJ12....which has the VDP trim plus 6 more cylinders :-). I think the USA models were about $75-80k. That's quite a bit even in today's money, much less 15 years ago.

Cheers
DD

 

Just a note, LCD clock is also troublesome . I owned X300 too , mine never had a problem with the clock though
Our friends added nicely so there is nothing left for me to say anything about it lol

 

I LOVED my 97 VDP especially since I got it in 2007 with just 38K original miles on it. I enjoy my 07 XK convertible but sometimes I miss the big red cruiser. She wasn't fast off the line and lacked many of the newer gizmos and gadgets but I could drive her daily and on road trips with complete confidence and comfort. Gorgeous car, lovely to drive, a CLASSIC.

 

I posted this in the new user intro post, but it was probably meant for this post.

First, it seems like searching on "buying xj6*" with the asterisk yielded better results! Not only the regular rear-end/diff/bearings, headliner, radio problems, but then also this page;
Go LPG - Common used X300 faults which seems pretty comprehensive.

I also looked up cars in the Midwest and Eastern areas and man do they rust - the rear wheel wells seem to be the first to go. It seems that people neglect these cars and then issues arise quickly. Maybe it's because they depreciate so much so fast that when it's a $5000 car and you pay 20% of that to replace the lower radiator hose, people just don't care anymore?

Anyway, you'd think CO is perfect motorcycle country, but it takes you forever to GET to any good riding, and the canyon roads aren't all paved nicely like in Los Angeles, so my riding dropped to basically commuting. *sigh*


Alas, I found a nice-looking (from the ONE picture?!) blue/grey with tan interior locally. I'll take a look, but it seems like under $5000 is where you find the 100K miles cars with sagging headliners and other problems. Then you have the crack-heads asking $5000 for similar crap condition cars, and then in the $7000 you have the criminally insane, and a smattering of perfect cars.

I'm not sure I want to get in an XJ6 for more than a couple of grand for my first one to dip my toes. If it's an amazing car with lots of issues, I can dump it and spend more on a really nice one. Which of course doesn't mean I don't want a '97 VPD with 30K miles and showroom, always-garaged condition... but I want it for $4000.