Considering a1990 Convertible
#1
03-14-2010, 01:02 AM
Guest
Posts: n/a
Considering a1990 Convertible
I was recently offered a 1990 KJS V12 Convertible. It has 80000 miles on it. It is owned by a car collector so I feel it is well kept. I would like to know what I should look for if I were to seriously consider buying. I'm currently in the process of selling my home and looking to buy a new one so I don't know if I'll actually go for this. If I feel it's in very good condition I will.
I just don't know what problems I should look for, questions to ask, and what problems I can expect to have with the car. I was hoping for a car with a manual trans too, but how can I pass up a Jag V12. Thanks for everyone's help.
Oh and the asking price is $6000.
I just don't know what problems I should look for, questions to ask, and what problems I can expect to have with the car. I was hoping for a car with a manual trans too, but how can I pass up a Jag V12. Thanks for everyone's help.
Oh and the asking price is $6000.
#3
03-15-2010, 01:37 PM
Veteran Member
@palancar
The Link SERE posted is pretty useful.
I think the really big ticket items on these cars are :
1. Does it hold temperature and not overheat
2. Is the top and headliner in good condition, does it go up and down properly and do the rear quarter light windows go up and down too ?
3. Is the paint ok or faded ?
4. Is the front lip spoiler still on it (under the front fender)
5. Are the seats split or worn ?
6. Is the wood cracked ?
7. Does the A/C and heating system work ? (At least check it does really hot and really cold)
8. Does the cruise control work ?
9. Are there any serious oil leaks ? (Most XJSes weep oil from a few places, but there should be no floods of fluids in your driveway overnight)
10. Does it come with a huge thick history file showing lots of money has been spent on it in the past ?
11. You'd probably want to get a compression test done (which is a big job, needs plugs out) as it's very difficult to tell if a V12 has lost 1 cylinder if you are not used to these cars
Which ever way you look at it, this is a 20 year old car, so it's going to require maintenance, time, effort, money, etc
If you do buy it there are a few things you need to do almost straight away (replace fuel injector hoses, inspect marelli distributor cap)
The Link SERE posted is pretty useful.
I think the really big ticket items on these cars are :
1. Does it hold temperature and not overheat
2. Is the top and headliner in good condition, does it go up and down properly and do the rear quarter light windows go up and down too ?
3. Is the paint ok or faded ?
4. Is the front lip spoiler still on it (under the front fender)
5. Are the seats split or worn ?
6. Is the wood cracked ?
7. Does the A/C and heating system work ? (At least check it does really hot and really cold)
8. Does the cruise control work ?
9. Are there any serious oil leaks ? (Most XJSes weep oil from a few places, but there should be no floods of fluids in your driveway overnight)
10. Does it come with a huge thick history file showing lots of money has been spent on it in the past ?
11. You'd probably want to get a compression test done (which is a big job, needs plugs out) as it's very difficult to tell if a V12 has lost 1 cylinder if you are not used to these cars
Which ever way you look at it, this is a 20 year old car, so it's going to require maintenance, time, effort, money, etc
If you do buy it there are a few things you need to do almost straight away (replace fuel injector hoses, inspect marelli distributor cap)
#4
03-22-2010, 08:33 AM
Generally speaking, the Ford years for Jaguar were good ones (1988-2006).
Ford did some long-overdue revamping -- especially in the realm of electronics (Lucas).
The V12 was an engineering marvel and a very reliable engine (despite the bad reputation that Jaguar had which was the electronics and not the mechanical).
Even though this car is coming from a 'collector', thats no assurance that it comes without any problems. As with ANY car you'd consider buying, it's ALWAYS advisable to take it to a mechanic that you know well (and knows these cars well) for a professional assessment of the condition of the car.
80,000 miles is a lot of mileage. There is a near abundance of these cars available with substantially lower mileage. $6000 would probably be the 'high' end of the range for this car unless there was significant restoration work done on it (and fully documented).
All that said, when you find the XJS thats just right for you, it will be the driving pleasure of your life!
Ford did some long-overdue revamping -- especially in the realm of electronics (Lucas).
The V12 was an engineering marvel and a very reliable engine (despite the bad reputation that Jaguar had which was the electronics and not the mechanical).
Even though this car is coming from a 'collector', thats no assurance that it comes without any problems. As with ANY car you'd consider buying, it's ALWAYS advisable to take it to a mechanic that you know well (and knows these cars well) for a professional assessment of the condition of the car.
80,000 miles is a lot of mileage. There is a near abundance of these cars available with substantially lower mileage. $6000 would probably be the 'high' end of the range for this car unless there was significant restoration work done on it (and fully documented).
All that said, when you find the XJS thats just right for you, it will be the driving pleasure of your life!
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