Hi, I'm new to this site, just signed up. I'm looking into buying a 1995 XJS Convertible. Any kind of information would be greatly appreciated allowing me to learn as much as possible about this model.

 

Hi!

One place to begin might be the Buyers Guide. You'll find it in the "How To" sticky thread at the top of this section.



You've come to the right place. But, be advised, 'as much as possible' might take a lifetime. You can own an XJS for years and still be learning something new about it

Cheers
DD

 

I own a '95 4.0 convertible. My car had 38K on it when I bought it and now has 106K. I drove it every day for six years in Tampa rush hour traffic without one problem. My XJS has proven to be the most reliable and durable car I have ever owned. Ask your questions and I will attempt to answer.


Roger

 

Hi
In the last week I purchased a 1995 xjs convertible with 37,000 miles.
Looked at the usual spots for rust, under carpets, widescreen etc. Warning lights that illuminated, drive and viewed then in dry and wet conditions looking for Leaks. I found buying a classic xjs needs a healthy amount of curiosity and question everything about the condition before buying.
On my ppi the radiator needs replacing, new thermostat, coolant sender, regular change of fluids.
The parking brake is a little temperamental.
Find a good honest jaguar Mecanic to inspect and drive the car as well as run any error codes.
Don't listen to any salesperson that replies to your concerns on the car that 'oh don't worry about that noise, it's a jag it's supposed to sound like that:-)'

 

Why do you say the radiator needs to be replaced?
I'm still running the original radiator in my car.
I don't expect it to last forever but so far no leaks.
Check out having your radiator re-cored rather than buying a complete
new radiator. re-coring is far less expensive than new and just as effective, assuming the tanks are solid.

 

Hi Roger, thanks for your willingness to answer my questions. Let`s start with the following 2 questions.
I see that you drove your XJS for years in Tampa rush hour. Did you ever had problems with some overheating of the engine. Many suggest to replace the thermostat with a cooler thermostat that opens sooner to create more cooling.
Second question what is the fuel consumption city and hwy on cruise at normal speed and what gas octane do you use.
Thanks Marc

 

Hi are you thinking of buying a 6cyl or a V12?

They are as different as 'Chalk & Cheese'

In the event that either one develops a problem of some kind, would you be planning to fix it yourself or take it to a garage, as if so then fuel consumption will be the least of your worries.

 

I never had a problem with overheating or even a climbing temperature.


My trip took me down Tampa's Veterans Expressway. This road (w/I-275) is backed up from St. Petersburg over the Howard Frankland Bridge through Tampa and north to the Suncoast Parkway a distance of about 45 miles. When I say backed up I meet bumper to bumper side by side stopped - 5 miles takes a half hour.


The State of Florida is currently doubling the width of this road to reduce the backup. I would be reluctant to run a V12 on this commute because of fuel usage and the summer heat.


I run a factory temp. thermostat, I'll have to check the temp. setting.
My car is a 4.0 6 cylinder my mileage ran 18 - 22 mpg and requires premium (93 octane) fuel.

 

Mechanic showed my current radiator disentigrating to the touch. Wanted to get it record but couldnt find anyone on oahu so had to go with replacement.

 

Was your car stored close to the ocean?

 

Yes i live in hawaii the xjs has been here from new

 

The reason I ended up buying the 1995 XJS myself was all the research I did pointed to the AJ16 4.0 being such a great well made engine. Not only is the AJ16 a proven power plant but by buying the end of the run XJS' you are benefiting from all the other improvements and money that was put into the car till the very end of production.

Now keep in mind a '95 is going on 20 years old and many of our 1995's are now 20 years old based on the production dates. Any car that is 20 years old can have things come up and this can happen on even low mileage examples (sometimes because they were not driven much).

In the last 4.5 years of owning my red XJS and about 10K miles of driving here are the maintenance items I have had to do on the car. I started out at about 57K miles and now getting at 67K miles.

First thing car needed was the heater control valve that sits behind the engine in front of firewall area. Valve was starting to drip and I was able to get one on Ebay for about $30.00 dollars. It took me about 10 minutes or so to switch out.

Second thing car needed was crank sensor after about a year or so of driving. Car ran fine and after shutting engine off car would not restart-would crank over but no spark. Tach read about 2-3 hundred RPMS when cranking over but no spark. Replaced crank sensor for about $100.00 dollars and took about 10 minutes or so to switch out as it has one bolt that holds it next to crank sensor on it's bracket. This needs to be done about every 10 years or so because the magnets in the sensor start to weaken and will fail regardless of miles on vehicle.

Third thing car needed was transmission cooling lines replaced. They start to seep at the pressure fittings between the rubber and metal sections of the hoses. Strange thing on this is one hose is available from many different sources and the other has to be made to match orig. Since these lines were replaced over a couple of years ago they may now be making the second line but last I heard it is not being made yet. I just took the one line down to a local company that makes these type of lines and it cost around $125.00 to make. The one that is being made and sold is around $100.00 or so. This job took more time then I thought it would as both lines are routed from transmission to radiator and go along the bottom side of engine. Just took some time to pull all apart and then reassemble. I think it took about 3 hours or so to do job not counting the time to take the one line to get made.

I have done regular oil changes, changed transmission filter and rear diff. fluid. I have changed the antifreeze and put new pads and rotors on since I have owned the car-just normal maintenance. I have a few things to do this winter. The steering rack bushings need replacement. This is a common issue on the XJS as the factory rubber deteriorates over time and allows the steering rack to shift in it's holder-I only noticed this at high speed driving but if left unchecked can allow car to wonder inside lane. I understand very easy to switch out bushings and better made bushings are now available for around $ 40.00.

The a/c system on these cars are notorious for leaking and my brake warning light flashes on whenever it feels like it. I have narrowed this problem down to level sensor in reservoir so I will switch that out this winter also. So that is it for a car that is now 20 years old and getting close to 70K miles. The car is very reliable and when I need to do something on it I have found every thing to be user friendly and accessible. I run premium fuel although you can get away with using 91 octane if in a pinch.

Best advice I can give is if you find a well kept XJS with the AJ16 power plant and it fits your budget BUY IT !!!!!!!!! They only made this XJS for 2 years and all combined here are the following productions figures for AJ16 XJS's produced as per the book " you and your Jaguar XJS ";

1995 convertibles with AJ16 produced 2,324
1995 to 1996 coupes with AJ16 produced 3,022 incl. celebrations
1995 to 1996 celebration convertibles 5,490

I focused on the 1995 because I think the 5 spoke wheel makes the car look sportier then the 1996 celebration Aero wheel but that is just my personal taste. There was a optional chromed 5 spoke wheel still available from Jaguar in 1996 so you will find these on the 1996 every now and then.

 

I am looking into a 4.0L six in line

 

That 4.0 engine in amazing in my book. I have one in my x300 with over 200k miles on it. Would drive it across the country and back without hesitation.

 

Dan, to be sure, I totally agree. I wouldn't hesitate to drive either of my cars to California and back.