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The owner of the greenhouse I work at has what I think is a 1990 xj6 sitting in the parking lot (It doesn't say what model on the back, just vanden plas). From what I have been told, it's been sitting there for about 8 years untouched, and i'm looking for a cheap car to buy. I figured he would sell it very cheap considering he's left it there for so long, so I was wondering what I should do? The tires are completely flat, but I will try to pump them up just in case they may not be completely rotted. Besides that, I've been told I will probably need new brakes, probably new tires, and a new battery. I've also been told that the engine will most likely run but will need to be cleaned out and have all new fluids. The bottom looked pretty rusted, and the windshield was cracked but not bad enough to need a new one. Also, the inside looks to be in near perfect condition, besides a crack in the drivers seat leather. So what do you guys think? Should I go for it? And if so, how much should I ask? Thanks!
A Jaguar is not a cheap car to run - a neglected Jaguar can be an expensive car to repair.
If it is a 1990 it will be an XJ40:
Follow this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xj40-xj81-25/ to the XJ40 forum for help, advice and information. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for info on regular issues.
I posted this in the general thread and was told to come here (sorry i'm new). The owner of the greenhouse I work at has what I am almost sure is a 1990 xj40 sitting in the parking lot (It doesn't say what model on the back, just vanden plas). From what I have been told, it's been sitting there for about 8 years untouched, and i'm looking for a cheap car to buy. I figured he would sell it very cheap considering he's left it there for so long, so I was wondering what I should do? The tires are completely flat, but I will try to pump them up just in case they may not be completely rotted. Besides that, I've been told I will probably need new brakes, probably new tires, and a new battery. I've also been told that the engine will most likely run but will need to be cleaned out and have all new fluids. The bottom looked pretty rusted, and the windshield was cracked but not bad enough to need a new one. Also, the inside looks to be in near perfect condition, besides a crack in the drivers seat leather. So what do you guys think? Should I go for it? And if so, how much should I ask? Thanks!
Note that if the car you're looking at is a North America-spec model, it will probably have four round headlights. The large rectangular headlights on the gold car in Graham's post were not introduced in North America until the 1993-94 models.
It sounds like this car should be free,or very cheap!
Look around at other examples for sale in your area,but around here,a clean
good running,low miler,can be had for between 1000$,and 4000$,depending
on service past history.
If it's a Jag you want,YOU will be required to do at least some of the work it takes to keep one of these cars purring sweetly!
Do a little forum research,and let us know what you find!
The large rectangular headlights on the gold car in Graham's post were not introduced in North America until the 1993-94 models.
Don, it is humbly and with fear and trepidation that I offer the following correction--especially because I am a mere Jaguar plebeian compared with thine automotive deity! But… I'm pretty sure the square headlights came on US cars throughout their run. Here's a '91 currently listed on Ebay: Jaguar XJ6 Sovereign Sedan 4 Door | eBay
Or this '89 from carsforsale.com: Used 1989 Jaguar XJ-Series for sale
Meanwhile, wapey: the old adage always applies - 'there's no such thing as a cheap Jaguar.' The car you describe sounds like a parts car to me for which I wouldn't pay more than a couple hundred bucks. Let us know what you decide! You will find support here no matter what!
The boys are right. You would be spending to much money fixing her up. If anything your boss should just give it to you to see if you could bring it back alive. If you have that kind of relationship with him and he is one of the good guys.
Don B. couple members up set me straight in buying a parts car for my Jag.
Bought it for $1200 has new tires, 93000M, engine was top notch and would make a great beater if someone else picked it up.
Its defiantly to bad about the interior though.
I'm pretty sure the square headlights came on US cars throughout their run.
Scott,
I'm always happy to be corrected - that's how we learn!
I just took a glance at jaguarclassicparts.com, and it appears there were two designs of what Jaguar called the "styled" rectangular headlamps. The first design was available in non-U.S. markets from before VIN 619276:
The second design was available in the U.S. beginning with VIN 594576:
For some reason I have in my head that these were not available in the U.S. until the 1993 models, but they must have been at least optional prior to that. Perhaps '93 is when they became standard? I replaced the rectangular lamps in our '93 with quad headlamps from a U.S. '92 car. Our '88 Sovereign came with quad lamps.
And I shouldn't have lumped the U.S. and Canada together into North America - I forget that Jaguar treats Canada as an ongoing extension of the United Kingdom....
Well, my normally decent memory must have failed me on this one.
In the mid-to-late ‘90s, there was a lot of discussion on this topic at the Jag-Lovers forum among early second owners of XJ40s (of which I was one). We shared information, trying to sort out the nuances of our various models. Some guys with styled lamps wanted to convert to quads, and others with quads wanted to convert to styled (or "Euro" lamps, as they were called by some). At this point, I’m sure we can’t rely on any eBay or other for-sale listing as a reliable indicator of originality. One way or another, I got it into my head that, at least in the U.S., XJ40s did not have styled lamps until 1993.
But even Jaguar seems to be confused on the issue. A quick glance at the Electronic Parts Catalog and jaguarclassicparts.com shows that only the quad headlamps were available in the U.S. on the ’93-’94 cars, and we know that is definitely incorrect. Most if not all of the late U.S. cars I’ve seen have had styled headlamps (our ’93 came with styled but I converted them to quads).
Checking with jaguarmerriamparts.com, they show only the quad lamps available on ’88 and ’89 models, but either quads or styled available from ’90 to ’94. There’s no indication as to whether the styled lamps were standard on higher trim models, for example, so if both styles were indeed available simultaneously, it is not clear whether the owner got to choose, or the headlamp design depended on the trim level or other factors.
My collection of original Jaguar sales literature is limited, but here’s a summary of what I have for XJ40s:
Jaguar 3.6L Maintenance Guide, saddle-stitched manual printed in U.S.A. 1987, cover illustration of XJ40 with quad lamps (no other front end views).
Jaguar 3.6L XJ6 & Vanden Plas Technical Introduction, spiral-bound manual printed in U.S.A. 1987, all front view illustrations show quad lamps.
Large format Jaguar XJ40 sales brochure with jungle background, printed in U.S.A. 3/87, all front end views have quad lamps.
Jaguar sales brochure, approx. 8.5X11 inches, growler on green background, printed in U.S.A. 10/87, all XJ40s photographed have quad lamps.
Jaguar XJ40/XJS sales brochure, approximately 6X6 inches, growler on black background, printed in U.S.A. 12/87, all XJ40s photographed have quad lamps.
Advertisement, Gourmet magazine, September 1988, photo of Solent Blue XJ40, quad lamps.
New Model Introduction Media Kit for 1989 XJ40, from Jaguar Cars Inc. Leonia, New Jersey, with various specification sheets and two XJ40 images, 1 each black-and-white print and 1 each 35mm color slide. Both the gold and blue cars have quad lamps.
Advertisement, Gourmet magazine, July 1989, photo of silver XJ40, quad lamps.
Jaguar sales brochure, approx. 6X6 inches, growler on black background, “The 1993 Jaguars,” printed in U.S.A. 10/92, all XJ40 front views have styled lamps.
Jaguar sales brochure, approx. 8X10 inches, growler on black with gold border, “The 1993 Jaguar,” printed in Canada, all photos of new XJ40s have styled lamps, but two XJ40s shown on the spread for “Pre-Owned Select Series Jaguars” both have quad lamps.
Jaguar sales brochure, approx. 8X6 inches, grille emblem of a red XJ40 on cover, “1994 Jaguar,” printed in U.S.A. 10/93, all XJ40s shown have styled lamps.
Jaguar Media Kit, “Jaguar 1994 Model Year Range,” (no indication of which market the kit was produced for), with four b&w photos and four color slides: XJ12 with quad lamps; Sovereign 4.0 with styled lamps; Daimler Double Six with styled lamps; XJ6 3.2/4.0S with quad lamps. Since both the XJ12 and Daimler Double Six are included, I assume this was not a U.S.-specific kit - I dont have the original press documents that would have been included in the folder, only the photographs.
I have several books on the XJ40, but a quick scan of them doesn’t turn up any explanation of the use of styled lamps in the U.S. (I think all the books I have were printed in the U.K.).
Does anyone have any sales brochures or other literature from the ’90-’92 model years that might shed some light on this subject, especially to explain whether the use of styled lamps depended on trim level or some other factor?
All: We now have a highly esoteric question that I wonder whether can even be answered. What was the rhyme or reason for the use of quad vs. styled headlights in the US market? I always thought that the quads came on base models (such as my '91) and that Sovereigns and VDPs came with the "upscale" styled headlights. Don's homework above seems to prove that wrong. I also have a few of the XJ40 books, but they don't do anything to answer the question specifically pertaining to the US. At the end of the day, perhaps it was just buyers choice. Hmmm…
I was happy to learn about the two designs of the styled headlights. I'm a rare bird, I suppose, in really liking the square look - and the earlier non-US version seems even more jeweled and handsome.
Thanks Don! And wapey, we still want to know what you decide!
Scott
PS- relatedly, perhaps one of these days someone can also explain to me why this car came with two different shaped dash boards - one where the facia went straight across and one where it angled down a bit surrounding the console.
I'm in your camp too and wouldn't EVER consider quad lamps on my 40 - they just don't look right - I'd even venture to say that the original design was for the XJ40 to be fitted with rectangular headlamps as they suit the lines of the car far more appropriately than the quads.
I think a lot of the conversion hysteria over the years is founded in the non-US/Canada "fishtank", single element affair.That lamp isn't quite wide enough for the car and uses a filler section next to the grille - (I can sort-of see the appeal of dual headlamps or "quads" in that case) however, the US/Canada twin-element/reflector "quads in a fishtank" headlights are by far the superior setup on any XJ40 and are perfectly suited to the car's overall rectangular shape. Even the tail lamps are rectangular!!
If anyone has a copy of Andrew Whyte's "Jaguar XJ40 - Evolution of the Species", it shows quads on the cover but on pages 112/113 there is a reproduction of the original specification sheet for the UK model and guess what ....square lamps, fellas!!!
According to "Jaguar XJ40: Evolution of the Species" by Andrew Whyte, both quad and styled lamps were considered from very early in the design process. Here's a photo of a 1979 prototype. I personally prefer the quad lamps (as did most customers, judging by Jaguar's return to them on the X300), but I'm thankful the XJ40 production design didn't look like this:
Wapey, if its not too far a drive I'd come look at it with you--- Not sure what good it would do. Also, At first I didn't care for the blank stare but Ive grown to prefer it since it Is after all what I have.
Sitting eight years? Rust? Its not a cheap car its a very expensive car. Run away. Buy one of the many good xj40's you will find on ebay and the jaguar drivers club facebook site. under 100k miles, just find one with no rust that runs smooth and your wallet may survive. May.
Help with deciding to buy a 1990 xj6?
