No, this is not a political thread.

While doing some Jag-related research I came across the article at the link below from 2008. One has to wonder if the sad owner account quoted from Jaguar World was the only research conducted by the author, one Rob Sass.

New York Times: Mediocrity Killed the Cat

Did the XJ40s have known pattern failures? Of course. So did the contemporaneous cars from Mercedes-Benz and BMW (see the W126/W140 and E32 forums). As an example, I have replaced more window regulators on BMWs than on all other brands combined.

Were XJ40s "...thoroughly rotten cars" as Mr. Sass contended? Having put some 170,000 combined miles on the two I owned, I wholeheartedly disagree.

Cheers,

Don

 

Its like movie critics, they never get it right

 

Had to register to read NYT article, so missed it Don, oh well

..and of course I don't agree with the "rotten car" assessment ..if so, why do I keep getting the "is this car for sale please call me" notes left on my old buggy?

Larry

 

I don't know why you would have had to subscribe to the NYT to read the article, but obviously it would not be worth the trouble.

 

Here's a cut and paste of the article.

COLLECTIBLE CARS | RUST IN PEACE: 1988-94 JAGUAR XJ6

Mediocrity Killed the Cat

By ROB SASSFEB. 17, 2008



WHAT WAS IT? 1988-94 Jaguar XJ6

WHAT WAS THE POINT? The Jaguar XJ was (and still is) Jaguar’s flagship sedan, intended to compete with the best from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. A new version of the car made its debut for 1988, replacing an XJ6 designed in the 60s that had nearly become part of the fossil record. (While brilliant when introduced in 1969, the XJ6 still had an engine from 1948; by the late 80s the car sorely needed a comprehensive redesign.)

REALITY CHECK The all-new XJ6, known internally as the XJ40, was the second major Jaguar designed after the departure of the company’s founder, Sir William Lyons. Following up the XJS grand tourer, which many people at the time thought was oddly styled, the XJ40 sedan cemented the opinion of many auto publications that Jaguar had lost its way.

Photo


The Jaguar XJ's unreliability was unlimited.

A CAT OR A DOG? Lyons was fond of saying, “It costs no more to make it pretty.” Clearly the accountants disagreed. Gone were lovely details like the sculptured hood, quad headlights and radius corners at the back of the passenger cabin. These all showed up again in subsequent XJ6s.

IT DIDN’T PURR To make matters worse, the first XJ40s were thoroughly rotten cars. Some owners contended that the only thing that an XJ40 could reliably be counted upon to do was to break. The September 1994 issue of Jaguar World magazine, ordinarily a booster of the marque, recounted an owner’s futile experience with an XJ40. In less than 25,000 miles, there was little that didn’t go wrong: dropped valves; a bad radiator, clutch fan, transmission and rear end; dropped valves again; instrument panels; window motors; a failed radio; a replacement aerial and all four door handles; shock absorbers; air-conditioning compressor; and replacement brakes, wheel bearings and power steering pump. If the XJ40 were simply unreliable, Howard Hughes was merely eccentric.

THE ADS SAID A 1989 XJ6 advertisement boasted about pleasantries like fleecy throw rugs and walnut picnic tables, then fully a third of the copy detailed Jaguar’s Service-On-Site roadside assistance plan. Although wordy, the discussion was vague as to what services a tow truck driver could offer. (Perhaps he could point the way to the nearest Mercedes showroom?)

THE MARKET SAYSXJ40s seem no more welcome than a stray cat. Recent sales on eBay Motors have ranged from $850 to $1,325 for early models. It appears that the word is out that these are the mangiest of felines.

 

Really? I doubt that! Journalistic license (fake news) no doubt.

Oh - and Don I didn't have to subscribe, just had to "log on" or "register" using existing ID's ...e.g. Facebook (which I don't do) or Google ID (which I prefer to not to use on sites other than the big G's) ..
So sites that require me to do something other than just read them ...don't get read.

What nonsense! Can't even get his facts straight.

Incidentally, Rob Sass is Vice President of content for Hagerty Insurance and publisher of Hagerty Classic Cars magazine .. as well as being a Porsche fanatic and editor and content director of Panorama the journal of the Porsche club of North America.

Never owned a Jag AFAIK.

Biased much Rob?

Larry

 

While I will readily agree about the rear ends and electronic tomfoolery, my white one has 180000 and my red one - on a rebuilt title is up to 153000 .... when the break it is usually in my driveway and is often my own fault.

 

"Fake news" likely because you don't agree with it. The article was a feature published 14 years after that model was out of production. No one said the NY Times was a car magazine. Strictly speaking, the Series I XJ6 was the last car that was designed under Sir William Lyon's leadership before retiring in 1972, although I am well aware that he remained as a consultant on the cars until his death in 1985 and "approved" the final design of the XJ40. I've seen the photos of him inspecting the car at Wappenbury Hall. If Rob Sass prefers Porsche, whatever. I love my XJ6, it is a car I followed from the spy photos circa 1984, and am indifferent to other's opinions. As Packard advertising once challenged, "Ask the Man Who Owns One". Think happy thoughts, everyone.