hi all, new to jag - i've owned well over 50 cars - never a jag. presently i drive 20-40 year old cars as daily drivers - my saab 900 classic hatch 5 speed has served me well this past year and i NEED a jag. i'd like it to be old as possible but still usable as a daily driver. i drive a fair bit as a real estate agent - mostly city. is a well documented and cared for series three a car that fit my requirements? i live in chicago but likely would not drive it in the winter. it's interesting cause the 2004 +iterations are so cheap but hey are too modern and the later xj6's are very inexpensive to buy. am i better with a 4 liter later example. all opinions are welcomed. thanks. r2

 

Firstly, welocme aboard.

The S3 6 cylinder is just fine.

If you plan on DIY the maintaining, even better. Relying on a mechanic may be an OOPS.

Any S/hand car, no matter how well cared for etc, WILL require a level of "catch up maintainence", and that can sometimes dull the excitement.

People in your market will most certainly give you a better heads up than me from way down here.

I would go for a 1995-1997 XJ6 (known as an X300), if you are not a hands on owner.

 

look for a 1985-1987 XJ-6 in well cared condition. no rust, preferably a southern car.

I also owned a Saab 900 Turbo from 1979 to 1986, they track like a tank but their engines wear out too fast, being a 4 cylinder, mine took a lot of abuse.

 

I drive a Series 1 XJ6 every day. Even from Brisbane to Sydney (2000km return), never gives me any problems. But as Grant mentioned above,there was a lot of catch-up maintenance required.

 

What!!!???? Saab engines wear out???? Wash your mouth out and pray forgiveness form Odin!
Plenty have covered over 250,000 or more!
I've got two c900 (relative youngsters though) verts (and a hatchback). I used to drive a 9000 (same engine but T5'd). It covered over 270,000 miles and the engine was still not burning oil.

Apart from that, agree a series 3 can be a good daily driver, depending on the condition as any car. Rust is the killer.

 

the Series 1, 2, and 3 XJ-6 up to 1987 were "analog" cars, easy to repair compared with the later Series 4 XJ-40 and later Series cars which have a lot of "digital" electronic systems, expensive to repair.

A well maintained Series 3 (1980-1987) can be brought to a point of daily driver and reliability after any pending bugs are fixed. Parts are plentiful and parts prices are low compared to many other brands of cars.

 

The 2004-2009 XJ is the last traditional, Sir William Lyons style Jaguar, and would suit you better for daily driving. If your fixed on a Series 3 then try to get a post 83 car, they were made a lot better. Jaguar really worked hard on sorting out the problems up to the XJ40 year.

 

S3 XJ6 as daily driver...... no problem. Did it for a year and had absolutely no issues. Just plugged away steadily at preventive maintenance during the weekends.

Now doing the same with an XJ40...... so far so good, although I was concerned about the complexity but so far it's been fine. Still miss the S3 but at least it didn't go far (to fellow member Rhett) so I still get to gaze at it from time to time.

 

Not to miss my cue, the '84 SIII SARC refers to is still going strong as a cherished daily driver. There's maintenance but nothing to break the bank or can't be managed over time. Hasn't failed me once and, thanks to SARC's excellent care, everything works as it should. It's not pristine but it's a special car that makes every commute a joy and earns my trust daily.

As an aside, my wife and I are traveling and, rather than put the miles on one of our Jags or roll into some impoverished town looking like the King & Queen of England or some such, we rented a 2015 suv and it's shocking to me how much better a car is the 31 year old series III sitting in my driveway is than this modern stuff. Sure, there are about 10 air bags in the thing but the way it handles, I fear we may need them.

PS: My wife's daily is a '95 X300 which is also an excellent car but it doesn't have that old Jag vibe you may be craving.

 

1984 was a very good year for Jaguar, I have owned mine for 25 years now !

25 years?? yes, 25, that thing has lasted me more than my first marriage, and my next "relationship" after that. Jaguars are more reliable than relationships. Same engine, same transmission, being a pack rat, I have a box with all the parts I have ever replaced in the car in case I get accused of lying. The box is not big at all. It still has the 4 rear Girling shocks, they're still good. I replaced the front two shocks with Boge shocks and blahh, hogwash if you ask me, fortunately I kept the original front Girlings.

I like my '84 XJ so much I bought another Jaguar, an even older Jaguar, and I was not dissapointed, actually the old S type is a lot more fun to drive though not as "refined" as the XJ-6.

 

Yep, I've had my XJ6 for 25 years, and until 10 years ago she was an everyday car. She was also a wedding car (she's "IJ" on the right in the picture).

When the block needed some attention I didn't have the money available to fix her (due to my PITA business swallowing cash like a mad thing), so she's been in deep storage under 2 car covers for 10 years now, but looks like later this year or early next she will get some work done and get back to living in the garage next to her younger sister (the red XJR in my signature)
I originally bought her from one of Australia's top 200 "Millionaires" (there weren't many Billionaires then..).

One day coming home from the South Coast I went round a corner and the wife says "Will you slow down a bit.... (with that look)". I looked down at the speedo and I was doing 150 km/hr. Had no idea. Was fully loaded with
holiday gear and both the daughters. Gee I'm looking forward to getting her going again.

 

Jose:


Hmm, some judgment issues. Better on cars than gals. My daughter is that way. Quote
from her to a gal pal< " I don't do that men thing well". As to cars, does a bit better. No Jags, prone to VW's. presently a Passat wagon. And before that a Ranger pickup. Best suited, tough as nails. Going strong wild driver creamed it. I could've fixed it. but, too much on my plate at the time.


I lost my mate after 54 years of wedded bliss. I, good judgment. I guess her's wasn't all that bad, either. She considered the jaguar that we selected together, her car. Loved it. Although, German born, she loved all things English.


Gotta get it back on the rod this week!!!


Carl

 

i want to thank everyone for their insights and i am impressed with the community. going forward i am leaning towards a slightly newer car for better performance. what are your thoughts on a later xj6 with a 4.0 power plant?

 

my thought is: you are jumping into digital quicksand.

 

Rhett:


Well, everyone has their opinion on things, and that is the way it should be.


But, SUV's and touring sedans are different animals with only a resemblance to each other.


And, there are SUV's and there are SUV's differing as well from each other. The big Escalades, vs the smaller mostly Asian versions.


No 2015 model of anything here. But, a clean, strong and shiny 94 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a neat 83 Jaguar S3, albeit a lump! One low to the ground, the other a tad tall. But, fold down the rear seat and the cargo capacity is impressive. Never mind the roof rack. When on a local winding road, I drive each totally different.


Oh, gee, the Jeep features four wheel drive, should I need it or chose to engage it. Rarely needed around here. But, a trip to the Sierras in winter... Which would I choose????


The Jeep's ride is not up to the smoothness of the Jaguar. But, not all that bad on freeways.


The lumped Jaguar is exponentialy faster. But, the Jeep is fast enough to get me a ticket. Luckily, it's been a couple of decades since I got one. The last one undeserved, but, a couple before well earned. None in either of my present conveyances.


Carl

 

Based on my experience with my '96 XJS (AJ16 motor), I would think that a late XJ6 would be a wonderful car. I've had hardly any trouble with that XJS in 70,000 miles (had 30,000 when I bought her). It's been much more reliable than the '93 Lincoln Continental she replaced.

-mB

 

Depends on your love of the series 1, 2 or 3 shape. If you love it enough it's worth the extra hassle.

If you are not that in love with the shape/ classic-ness or not into mechanical work then a later XJ (preferably an XJR!!!!) would be better, still the same sort of lines but more modern (negatives and positives). One of the AJ16 engine cars( same complexity as the AJ6 but better performance/ economy) would be ideal in that case.

But as I said earlier it all depends on the condition of the car, whichever one you choose.

 

I should have been specific. It's a 2015 Chevy Trax. My issue is not with its SUV-ness. That's why we rented it. It's that, in the 31 years between my series 3 being produced and this car, there have been improvements in safety features and wireless technologies and computer involvement, but the quality of the actual driving experience has not been improved upon, at least not at this level. I'd have expected better, even for a budget-mobile.

 

As I said, we have one and while it's bigger than the S3, it's a magnificent car that strikes a good balance between refinement and sport. People will think you're rich.