I wanted to see if I could get some feedback, positive, or negitive. A friend of mine is looking at a 1989 XJS V12 that he was thinking of buying. It's a fixer upper. The body is straight, he said the interior needs some major attention and as for the engine, it runs, and passed emission, but that's all he knows right now. Is there anyone out there that has one of these that could maybe shed some light on if this is a good car, or a problem car, maybe some of its quirks, or if there is good, or not so good model year etc.

 

VERY briefly....

There is nothing more expensive than an inexpensive Jag.

Any XJS is a great hobby car for a DIY mechanic. If not a DIYer, cubic money is required to sort one out.

If your pal wants to bring the car back to its former glory he should bear in mind that new leather, paint, and chrome will be many, many thousands of dollars. If cosmetics are important to him then spending money on an already-beautiful example will be less expensive. Mechanical repairs are generally far less expensive than cosmetics....again assuming DIY labor.

Lots of quirks and tricks that must be learned. XJS enthusiasts spend years learning about them and learn more each day. But that's part of the fun. Internet support for these old Jags is among the best anyone could find. There are few mysteries; virtually every possible problem has an already-known fix.

In the "How to" sticky thread at the top of this section is a buyers guide that might be helpful.

Cheers
DD

 

I purchased an '89 XJS V12 a couple years ago fully committed to take care of any issues myself. It is a great car and I tackle the issue list as time permits. I recently had the pleasure of meeting the previous owner. He loved the car and owned it for over twenty years. The final straw for him was the inoperable passenger side window, he had it propped into the closed position with a piece of wood. He did not work on the car himself, evident by the folder of receipts he gave me totaling into many MANY thousands of dollars. Realistically, the total dollar amount that he spent is several times the actual value of the car. So....don't think you're making an investment. Don't purchase this on a whim. I love our Jag and I'm educating myself of it's eccentricities. I also know a significant issue can come up requiring a chunk of my time to remedy. This forum has been a great help and great read. Unless your friend is very wealthy, make sure his eyes are open to what this car can require, dollar wise.

 

My FREE 94 coupe cost me $15000 over 5 years and I eventually gave it away.

 

I can see that happening with my ‘89 free project car too. It would have been WAY cheaper, and less frustrating to buy a nice running and well maintained car.

 

CSB, I really think that what you should do is just that. Your car willl need a full strip down to the bare shell I believe, having seen your rust photos.

 

This advice is spot on, They are fantastic cars the V12 is awesome, but scared the hell out of me when it came time to do the engine work. It is a really straight forward bit of engineering- its just the complex mass of pipes and wires in every direction takes quite a bit of getting use to.

Best advice I can give is- can your friend afford to go out and buy a brand new Jaguar today and run it normally? if the answer to this is "No" then he wont be able to afford the upkeep on an old one- I have a 1986 XJ6 from new; the cost of parts have continued to rise with inflation and cost as much now as they did in 1990 when I took possession of the car from my farther. Servicing still costs the same, tyres are expensive (avoid anything with a budget tyre on it), and all jags are heavy on the rubberwork underneath so research what to look for when checking the suspension over as the normal suspension checks can prove misleading.

Spend as much as you can on the best example you can find (many still out there), a car is only cheap because it has no value. Remember: the jobs you are avoiding now in the examples you look at. There is a likelihood you will have to tackle them in the future with the car you buy (everything has a life expectancy). The more maintained a car is- the easier it will be to maintain in the future as long as you keep up with it.

Good luck and have fun searching, they're a really rewarding car to own and work on so don't let people like me put you off (I'd remortgage my house to keep mine)