I'm considering picking up a 1994 6L convertible, and I wanted some general advice. Per a conversation with the seller, the car's basic condition is as follows. It's got a bit over 100k miles, but has had a lot of work done in the last 5k miles:
* Major engine tuneup including plugs/wires/cap/rotor, replacing many hoses to fix vacuum leaks, rebuilt harmonic balancer, new radiator
* New brakes (pads and rotors) all around
* 6 new Blisten shocks all around
* New convertible top (top raising and lowering mechanism is in good shape)
It has the following things wrong with it:
* The little rear corner windows don't roll down when the top goes down, and are frozen in the up position. I doubt I'd care much about this to be honest unless there's some unforeseen problem with road noise at speed or similar.
* AC compressor leaks and needs to be repaired or replaced (heat works fine)
* The blower motors only work at max speed. Per the seller, and what I read online, this is very likely due to circuit elements in the control boards having shorted and can be fixed by soldering in new resistors.

Otherwise the BRG paint is "presentable but not perfect," and the interior leather has a little wear but no tears, and the seller described it as driving smoothly and confidently with plenty of quiet power. The seller claims there's no rust anywhere. Price is negotiable and I'm hoping to pay around 5-6k USD; I aim to go check it out in person next weekend. My hope is to get a solid cruiser/hobby car and of course not a daily commuter.

My questions are, first, assuming it's all as described, does this sound like a good deal? Second, I can live without AC for a while but would want to repair the interior blower motors pretty quickly for safety and comfort; how difficult are these to get at, and how hard is this job? I'd describe myself as fairly mechanically inclined but don't have a ton of experience fixing cars besides simple things like replacing broken mirrors and interior trim, filters etc. And finally, is there anything I should watch out for when inspecting and driving it? Thanks folks! I've wanted one of these for years and this seems like a decent opportunity.

 

Lots of "plus factors". Desirable model (6 litre V12, new top, no rust, fair amount costly work already done, reasonable price range).

Verify the "no rust".

Blower motor removal is difficult. I've done the job once on an XJS and wouldn't want to tackle it again. I was sore for days.

Leather that isn't torn or severely cracked can be re-dyed to hide minor wear.

I would be most concerned about the "presentable" paint. How bad is it? And can you live with it? Speaking for myself here but I'd really have a hard time owning a Jaguar without really nice paint and chrome. My Ford F250 has "presentable" paint and I'm Ok with that. It's just my old truck. But on a Jaguar? No way. I want my Jag to look like a million bucks. Otherwise what's the point?

Here's the thing: a quality paint job nowadays is gonna be $10,000 or more. If you want a your Jag to be something you can really be proud of, budget for new paint. Or seek out (and pay extra for) and example that already has really nice paint

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks for the advice! With regard to the blower motor, do you need to have the car up on jacks or a lift, or is it accessible through the top of the engine compartment and/or glove box (or other interior locations)? What's involved in getting at the control boards?

And as to the paint, I agree... it looks very nice in pictures but I'll have to see it in person. I think these days a wrap is a lot cheaper than a full paint job so if I buy the car and am unhappy with the paint I'd probably go that route. If the paint and/or interior are rougher than I expect though I'll probably pass. My understanding is if these cars are well taken care of, 100k isn't necessarily a lot for the motor and gearbox, is that correct? The gearbox is GM of course, and the V12 is fundamentally a pretty solid design let down by a couple weak points (ignition, cooling) that are fortunately easy to regularly repair/replace.

 

Yup, the drivetrain is stout and durable

Blower motors (there are two) are removed from inside. It's all awkward under-the-dash work.

Cheers
DD

 

Torn Lester can be easily fixed with super glue. If you’ve ever superglued your fingers together you’ll understand ( so wear gloves) then re-dye . Once that is finished treat the leather to repeated coats of a good leather conditioner. I rub it in, wait a day and hand buff it out. Followed by another coat and another etc. until the leather is buttery soft.
I’ve even filled holes with pieces of scrap leather. ( doesn’t matter what color, you’ll be re-dyeing . It does matter where the patch comes from. If on a Jaguar use leather from another Jaguar
Those glued joints last a long time if done right. If you’ve ever superglued and made a little mistake? You’ll need to re-glue Sand all the glue off the edges to re-glue , Otherwise it will just keep popping apart.

 

A wrap is going to be cheaper but the best wrap job still needs to come apart. Plus a proper lacquer paint job will look deeper ( if you can find a painter who works with Lacquer). Base coat clear coat painting? Knowledgeable people will know.

 

The blowers are accessed from under the instrument panel, and the circuit boards are mounted in them. There is a Darlington transistor and diode on each board. I did both blowers on mine, cleaning connections and removing all of the accumulated debris in an afternoon (but I have a lifetime of auto repair). The job basically sucks, there is a rubber duct on each side that defies installation, and the fasteners are found only by feel.
Google “Kirby Palm Experience in a Book” and read all 700 pages, it is by far the best introduction to the XJ-S. Pretty much every problem in that book you will experience.
But I’ll tell you, my XJ-S is by far the favorite of all the cars that I have owned and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

 

Appreciate the feedback guys -- it sounds like the blower motors are really annoying but fundamentally doable.

I figure if I drive it and love the car, but decide this example isn't the right one, I'll keep looking. A couple other quick questions-- first, is there a meaningful difference between the coupe and convertible (facelift models) in terms of rear seat room? I have two small kids (8 and 4) so a strict two seater isn't an option for me, simply because they'd be so disappointed to not be able to ever ride in dad's fun car! Second, is there a real world difference in V12 engine power between the 1994 and 1995 models? Different sources quote different figures (278 vs 308 hp, US models) and it's hard to tell, particularly because looking into key part numbers seem to be the same? To my mind, if it's real that's not a big enough difference to be worth passing on a good 1994, but if I end up looking for a different example I guess I'd try to find a 1995.

 

Those are British numbers versus American numbers. England didn’t have to conform to our smog rules. So that’s the. Power difference.
Same heads cams engine block etc etc.
That V12 is absolutely the best built, strongest engine I’ve ever worked on and that includes a very large bunch of engines.
For what it’s worth. 1994 is the last year the crankshaft and connecting rods were forgings after that batch was made ( engines are made in batches to control costs) later engines were made in Germany from sintered iron rather than British forgings made from EN 30 steel that following all machine work they are heat treated to make the bearing surface even harder.
Something that is only done on race car engines.

 

Convertibles have no rear seat, coupes are hard pressed for toddlers in the rear. Your 8 year old would find a coupe rear seat claustrophobic.

 

Facelift convertibles have very small rear seats as well; I wouldn’t be considering it otherwise. Earlier convertibles just have a luggage compartment there.

 

Some might call it that, but no one over the age of 6.

 

Haha, fair enough. At least once my older daughter is too big for the rear seats, it'll be safe (and compliant with laws) for her to ride in the passenger seat. My son's got a few more years yet until this might become a problem.

 

Not sure I agree about the rear seats. I bought my 94 2+2 Convertible after putting my 6-year old daughter in a friends Convertible and driving around for a day. She then travelled in the back when we were 3-up until she was 13. I've also had 2 adults in the back on many occasions. Yes, you need to move the front seats forward a bit to get some legroom. But perfectly ok for short trips. As regards longer trips, your 8 and 4-year olds will be fine. Go and try one out before you dismiss it. Coupes have a different rear seat which has slightly more room and comfort.

Coupe or Convertible is a very personal choice and really quite different cars imo. I'm a Convertible person (although I do also have an early Coupe).

There is no difference at all in performance between a 94 6 litre and a 95 6 litre,

Good luck in your choice.

Paul

 

The pre-facelift coupe have, I believe, more rear legroom than the facelift coupes. If rear legroom is becoming a concern that is at least something to be aware of.

 

I think that’s probably true. But the 6L is a lot more powerful, 4 speeds vs 3, outboard rear brakes, and so on… I think the facelift would be a lot better to live with and keep running. I’d prefer a coupe because I love the styling but they’re so rare here it’s not really an option.