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Hello everyone, I've got a choice to make: for the same price, do I go for a 1999 XJR with about 125k miles and service records, or a 1997 XJ6 with about 70k miles and no records? Do those additional miles really make a difference? Anxious to get some thoughts from the experts!
On the XJR, it depends what those records include. If all it includes is regular fluid changes, then I'd skip it unless you can get it really dirt cheap, like a couple grand because at its current age, if it hasn't already been done, it needs (or guaranteed it will within the first year after purchase):
timing chain tensioners (primary and secondary) - the old, brittle plastic tensioners are like a bottle of nitro glycerin so if it hasn't been done already, tow it, don't drive it, straight to a shop
timing chain guides
fuel pumps (both)
front and rear dampers
front and rear upper shock mounts
ball joints
tie rod ends
upper and lower a-arm bushings
sway bar end links
subframe bushings
engine mounts
water pump
alternator
ps pump
front main seal
rear main seal
valve cover gaskets
suicide hoses (under the sc)
octopus hoses
auxilliary water pump
ABS unit repair
and probably a dozen more things that I'm forgetting
Five years ago, pre-pandemic economic over-stimulus, even a really nice example was only $5,000 and I forget who posted it to give credit, but I loved the quote "These are really $10,000 used luxury cars, just you pay $5,000 to the seller and $5,000 to your mechanic." That's gone up of course now, particularly the part you pay to your mechanic. But that's not to knock Jaguar. Any 20+ year old car is going to need basically all of its rubber components changed (bushings, gaskets, weatherstrip, etc.) and other than some Japanese models, most cars with over 100K miles are starting to need replacement or service of various rotating assemblies. Just need to research and beware of the cost of these things before you commit to buy the car.
I'm not very familiar with the XJ6, but if the seller can't produce any records, we generally tell people that No Records = No Sale. But that tends to apply more as the price and risk increases. These sedans are not very expensive so if it appears to have been garage kept, then they probably kept up with the maintenance too and it just got traded in and disconnected from its history. If you can get it cheap enough to feel like its worth the risk, then maybe. With the considerably lower mileage, it will likely need less in the way of rotating assembly repairs and may still have a little more life left in the rubber components (tho rubber deteriorates with age, heat and exposure more so than mileage). Either way, you can mitigate the risk by paying, probably $200-$300 for a pre-purchase inspection by a competent mechanic. Another forum quote I can't attribute, "The best money I ever spent on a car was for the inspection of the one I did not buy." Good luck.
Thanks for the advice, Phil. On the XJR, the noted work includes:
timing chain tensioners - done timing chain guides - done fuel pumps (both) - done front and rear dampers - done front and rear upper shock mounts - done ball joints - not sure, will check tie rod ends - not sure, will check upper and lower a-arm bushings - done sway bar end links - not sure, will check subframe bushings - not sure, will check engine mounts - not done water pump - done alternator - done ps pump - not done front main seal - done rear main seal - done valve cover gaskets - done suicide hoses (under the sc) - done octopus hoses - done auxilliary water pump - done ABS unit repair - not sure, will check
Basically, full top end, transmission, bits and pieces of suspension/driveline, and anything that is time sensitive for deterioration.
I'm inclined to say I prefer the records and the confirmed newer components despite the higher miles on the clock, though to your point the XJ6 was clearly garaged and maintained and as such is probably low risk. Then the difference maker is down to preference, and it's hard to argue with a supercharger...
Well then, sounds like the most expensive stuff has already been done and just a few left. That puts the XJR back in the running because you can probably buy the whole car for about what all that preventative maintenance would have cost at an indy shop.
Take the price you will have to pay and divide it by two. One half will be for the car while the other half will be for the service records. Doing the math that way will let you if you're getting fair value for both parts or greatly overpaying for one of them.
I was gonna say the XJR hands down, looks like you've already made the right decision though. You will definitely enjoy it!
The other thing to consider with these purchases is body condition... barring an exploded engine, there is an upper limit in cost to going through and ticking off everything on the list above. Body repairs however... that can become a black hole of money.
Fortunately that one looks to be in excellent paint condition!
From what's been posted, it seems you made the best choice (and from the sounds of it chose what you really wanted more anyway which is more important than what anyone else says you should choose).
We flew out and took delivery of our 2001 XJR on Sunday... I hope you enjoy yours as much as we are enjoying ours.
PS. The front plate she is wearing is actually being delivered to her '92 Series # VDP stablemate.
Last edited by Ken Cantor; May 6, 2022 at 12:17 AM.
Advice on an XJR
