BritishJagLass,

Having read everything that all my wise colleagues have written, and your own observations over what you want to use the car for, I would buy a late 4.0 litre car with the AJ16 engine (all 6 cylinder XJS after VIN 194775 have that engine).

I have both V12 and 6 cylinder versions. But if you want a nice XJS convertible with a really reliable engine that will require far less engine maintenance, you really can't beat the 4 litre. You'll get every bit the great XJS convertible experience, except a little bit of the V12 power. In day to day driving the 4 litre is really good and you'll sleep easier at night! And they are much more plentiful to find a good one.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Cheers

Paul

 

Welcome to our addiction!
I don't do XJS's but I am knee deep in V-12's. I have owned multiple 4.0 litre jags also regular and supercharged. Let the car speak to you and don't get hung up on which engine it has. They are both great power plants and very reliable when properly sorted. The 6.0 V-12 is bullet proof allot like a Harley Davidson, you want to start a drag race at 40 miles an hour, not quick but fast. The 4.0 supercharged is about as quick but working allot harder. The 4.0 N/A is just plain a wonderful engine with plenty of giddy up and reliability off the charts.

What ever you buy everything above that has been mentioned will have to be done regardless of mileage or engine to be reliable. 25 years is far too long for rubber bits and pieces. So engine doesn't matter as workload is the same. Well it obviously does matter... just not to everybody.

Buy the car you like and whatever power plant you end up with will be fine. After all it's a JAG!

 

The straight 6 is harder to find for a reason. Just look at classifieds. V12 is glorious, I6 is dreamy. I6 owners hardly ever have issues that put the fear of God in you. With that said I want a V12 but I love having a sixpot that runs and runs.

 

Brewtech,

Surely in the US, a 6 litre V12 convertible is way harder to find than a 4 litre convertible?

Worldwide, there were only 1,700 6 litre convertibles produced compared to 12,000 4 litre convertibles. Late 4 litre convertibles are way more numerous in the UK and, I suspect, in every territory.

Great cars, either way.

Paul

 

Looks like we're picking up a jag this weekend! So we decided on a completely different car. It was more my husband's influence. He really wanted the manual. So we've bought a 1993 XJS 4L convertible with original manual transmission. The body and interior is immaculate - 2 owners were a brother and sister. It has around 60k ODO. It has some mechanical issues which my husband thinks are fixable.

Thank you everyone for all your input. My husband couldn't pass on the manual. Secretly though I still have my heart set on a 94/95 V12 and will keep my eyes out for one of those - especially if it's a coupe. I had to pass on the OP of the car because sadly, as I'm a girl, color is all too important for me and it was the wrong color!

 

Well done!

That must be incredibly rare in the US - a 4 litre manual convertible. There were very few made anyway and for one to go to the US sounds very unusual. I bet it was absolutely the only one for sale! It's definitely an original manual , is it? (If you give me the first 11 digits of the primary VIN (the one stamped on the "shelf" of the firewall just in front of the windscreen wipers, I can confirm)

Really good luck with the car. You'll love it!

Paul

 

Keep us posted, show us pics.
I may be able to help with some things....

 

I have a 94 4.0 convertible and love it. almost everything under the bonnet is accessible. Mine sat outdoors in New Mexico for a couple of years and is just getting ready for paint. The previous owners were not car people so getting stuff like the US emissions system up to par was a challenge. First thing I had to do was find the wire used to access the DTC codes as only the last one is displayed on the onboard computer. (briefly ground that wire gives you all the codes for that event) Once that was found it was short work to solve performance issues. The car is not a tire burner but I do like the ride, especially at high speeds, and I love the loss I get when cruising around town.

 

Hahaha. I was just in Santa Fe for vacation and saw a jade or light green XJS in need of a repaint! Maybe that was you !?

 

HI.

Thank you! The VIN is SAJNW4784PC187857. We are very excited and we managed to get it home in one piece after an incredibly long day of driving. It's been in a garage now and we will have our mechanic take a look at it, hopefully tomorrow.

Thanks everyone for all your advice. I will keep you updated with our progress but probably on a new thread as it's a different car to the original posting.

 

 

Car looks great!

That is the secondary VIN that was added on for US exports. The primary VIN is stamped on the firewall ledge. However, even from the secondary VIN, it decodes as being an original manual LHD car. Well found! I bet you won't see another one ever in your travels in the US!

Good luck

Paul