Dear Greg, l was referencing the 6.0 exclusively, as the OP was specifically interested in '94-'96 cars

Some people (Lister,etc.) have taken these engines to 700+ hp

 

Paul: We have installed rear sway bars to the late 4.0 cars but it is a hella lotta work

 

Back to original question. You mentioned two kids. How big? The rear seats are very small. If they fit now, they won't soon.

Get the best you can afford, and have a PPI by a knowledgeable source. Look for regular maintenance, especially fluids.

Make sure everything electrical works. Press every button.

V12 or Inline 6. The V12 can be a delight if maintained properly. Its much more expensive to maintain because there's a lot of "stuff" under the hood. Spark plugs for example take a few hours to replace due to things in the way. Maintenance on a V12 can get absurd at regular shop prices, but most is an easy and fun DIY for an enthusiast.

I have a V12 - its lovely, but its not a rocket ship, and its performance advantages over the 4.0 are well above legal speed limits. Its super smooth at all speeds.

Stock is best if you want anybody to work on it.

Ultimate stock spec might be a 5-speed manual 4.0. Only a few of these came from the factory, and there's usually a price premium, but probably less than the cost of a aftermarket conversion.

Coupe or Convertible? Choice is yours! Have fun!

Cheers, Dave

 

Dave,

Apparently none of the 70 Manual AJ16 4 litre Manuals were exported to the US. The last 4.0 AJ6 ones ones being 56 Convertibles and 19 Coupes in 1994. So unless one has been taken out there subsequently, it seems that's not an option. A shame as a manual AJ16 is a great drive!

Paul

 

My older daughter is almost 9 and younger son close to five. So they’d probably fit for a few years. I’ve heard the coupes have a bit more legroom (with the front seats pushed forward a bit), but the convertibles can be a bit more spacious in general with the top down. Is there any real rear seat difference?

With regard to the V12 I’m not afraid to buy a bunch of tools and learn to do my own work, and that would be the plan for either motor anyway. And I’ll call around this week to make sure there is a good mechanic near me that’s willing to work on them. The real worry is how often things break or need fixing, and out of that, how often the problem is something insanely hard to diagnose, or where it would take many months to source a part. Concerns like this are in part why I wouldn’t be interested in the XK8/XKR that followed (besides liking the XJS styling a lot more)—I’ve heard the 4.2 engine at least is pretty solid but the rest of the car has tons of electrical problems and can be very troublesome. In comparison the late XJS is a much simpler vehicle and that definitely appeals to me, even if it being older means a fair number of things will go wrong over time. The more custom computers there are, the harder I think it would be for the owner to keep it going on their own.

 

Dr_Awesome,

I got my Convertible when my daughter was 6 and she lasted fine in the back seat for many years until she started travelling in the front seat. I've also taken 2 adults in the back on occasions, but wouldn't really recommend it for long journeys!

As regards, how reliable this car is going to be and whether it can then be fixed? EVERYTHING will be to do with how it has been maintained and what work / replacement parts etc has been done to it over the recent years, whether V12 or AJ16. I'd rather buy a mid-mileage example that has had upgrades, replacement parts fitted as a result of age and wear, than a low-mileage apparently pristine example with all original parts. Because those original fuel hoses, suspension parts, brake parts, coolant hoses, relays, sensors, alternator, fuel pumps etc etc are all going to eventually break down and need replacing as they are 30 years old, irrespective of how well they've been looked after.

The unobtainium will be the rare trim parts rather than the core mechanical elements.

The right car is out there, you just need to find it.

Paul

 

Hi Paul - There must have been a few 5-speeds here in the USA. I've driven one in LA. But you're right - difficult to find. Shame....

Dr-Awesome - About the back seats. We have a XJ-S Coupe and a Convertible XK8. The back seats in the XJ-S are useful for kids. The XK8 back seats are ridiculously impractical - should have been a luggage shelf. XJS convertible seems a bit better than the XK8 convertible, but smaller than the XJS Coupe. Best to check and see if they fit.

About parts availability: My experience has been great - no waiting for service items (but my XJ-S is the earlier "HE" 5.3 variety, so not as rare as a 6.0) others might care to comment if that makes a difference.

HTH, Dave

 

Completely agree with your sentiment that the fewer onboard computers, the better.....Also, early V8's had alumasil/nicosil cylinder wash issues 😣

My professional opinion: The V12 is actually simpler (older design) than the AJ16 for DIY maintenance, although scrupulous attention must be paid to the wonky Italian Marelli ignition system
We have converted a number of cars back to a Lucas distributor with electronic/optical trigger for this reason

 

I've not researched this but my impression from others is that 6.0-specific parts are becoming scarce. Very few built = low demand for replacement parts = low supply.

The 5.3 was produced is much larger quantities and the opposite applies.

Cheers
DD

 

There is nothing on a 5.3 V12 XJS coupé that can go wrong that somebody on here will not be able to diagnose. No worries there.
As to how often things will break down. the answer is in preventtative maintenance. When you get the car there are things you should do straight off (if thay have not been done recently) if you want the car to be reliable. e.g. : coolant hoses, thermostats, full check of suspension rubbers and replace as needed, fuel system cleanout and old hoses replaced by modern Gates Barricade ones, new fuel pump (easy on earlier cars), new ignition amplifier, new distributor cap, rotor, plugs, coils and HT leads. Oil chnage and gearbox and rear axle fluids, grease wheelbearings and rear axle grease nipples. possibly new injctor loom, if it's insulation is cracking.

A couple of weeks work and all done. If like me you are a fanatic about reliability, new starter and alternator. Then you are good to go.

Finally, look for any oil leaks from the rear crankshaft seal, drive any car for a bit to get it thoroughly warmed up and then look for oil weeps at the gearbox/engine join rear of the sump area. Avoid such a car.

 

I have resisted, but Greg has NAILED it.

Dr A wants a car, Wally Wombat wants to sell his, he wants the car gone and your money, its that simple. Stories will flow, blah, blah, blah.

Learn to walk away, its HARD, but is doable.

My 85 was the 3rd on that day, one stank of fuel, the other failed to start, and the Red one ticked the boxes.

This was late 1994, so the car was 10 years old.

I was working full time, so it took me a year or so to get it RIGHT. Greg spelled out teh basics, read the Stickies at teh top if you are interested, for some of the rest. NOT rocket science, and I kept it as made in Coventry as much as I could.

Then I dropped out, and the wife and I took the beast around OZ, via the coast rod, about 25k kms. Took 18 months. Only failure was the Oil Light Idiot switch. Back of nowhere, but a Toyota Dealer popped up, and a 1970's vintage oil sender fitted perfectly, and is still there today.

Yes, we got looks, and some rather odd questions about support crew and other rubbish. Dirt roads, Hell yes, its OZ mate, and we had a ball.

RELIABLE, yes, BUT, NOT as you buy it, YOU need to do the catch up Wally forgot to tell you about, and then some.

The cars in my Sig are most of them, I forgot a few, must sort that, BUT they were ALL Daily Drivers.
Now is different, as are the cars, and the ability to maintain them.
Back on crutches, and not in good shape has forced some changes, BUT, I still maintain "If I cant fix it, it aint broken", and both my kids are the same.

Take care, look thrice, and pay once.

 

As a bit of an update, I called around to make sure there were mechanics in my area willing to work on a late XJS, and found a couple. One guy, who owns an independent shop that focuses on older British cars, talked to me for about fifteen minutes and strongly recommended the 4.0 over the V12 -- he said in his experience you had to seriously screw up to ruin an AJ6 engine, where the V12 was more trouble prone. And more to the point, in the past few years he's found it incredibly hard to source parts for the 6.0 V12, given how low production was, and while he works on those motors as well from time to time, he often turns down jobs related to them due to the extra difficulty of getting parts. So I think, being realistic about my abilities and free time, an AJ16 would be the right choice for me. I haven't found one nearby yet but they come up for sale fairly regularly so the right car will present itself sooner or later.

 

Dr. Awesome,

let me ask you a simple question……How much were you planning to spend on your vehicle purchase?

Meet my sell price (willing to negotiate). For less than $1k you could have a beautiful 1996 XJS shipped to you!

prior to this beauty I sold my 1989 Mercedes to a person in Germany. It had 300k miles and beautiful!

I just want it to go to someone who really wants a special vehicle and not break the bank!

Just Saying!

Softball60/Paul

 

[QUOTE=... I haven't found one nearby yet but they come up for sale fairly regularly so the right car will present itself sooner or later.[/QUOTE]
I suggest that you open up your search beyond locally. You will have a MUCH better selection and have a better chance of finding the exact car you are looking for. Even when I lived in SoCal (car capital of the world ) I bought quite a few cars, thousands of miles away, on the internet. Some I bought sight unseen, others I flew out to look at. Some I shipped, some I made a nice trip out of the drive home. I have never been disappointed with my internet car purchases. If nothing else looking at AutoTempest, Autotrader, and/or BringATrailer you will get a better idea of what is out there and what people are asking for the cars in various conditions.

 

Quick pic sitting out front of the house. For sale signs taped on front and rear with document list of everything I have done to the CAT in the twelve years I have owned. The only other person that has touched this beauty is the tire installer!

Softball60/Paul

 

Paul, that looks really sharp! Is the red convertible roof stock from the factory, or aftermarket?

David, I'm willing to travel somewhere I have close friends and family to get a car (which would be much of CA, Ohio, Chicago area), but not buy one without driving it first. I'm somewhat picky about cars and while I've sat in various XJSs a few times I've never had the opportunity to drive one.

I should add I'd also be willing to get a '94 if it had a 5-speed manual (no AJ16 manual gearbox cars made it over to the USA, sadly). A stick shift I6 would probably be more entertaining at road-legal speeds than the extra power of a V12! I used to own a Volvo S60 T5 with the 5 speed stick, which I adored, but it got really expensive to keep running once milage got to around 100k, so we sold it. That car was a ton of fun I still miss it.

 

Dr Awesome,
My post asked what you are planning to spend…..any idea?

It is a duplicate of the original color, wine Burgandy. I still have the original but it was aging and the stitching was starting to separate so I installed an exact copy!

This replacement has been on for two (2) years. According to a few highly involved jaguar people , this is a rare color combination. No creases etc……but then again the top has only been down a handful of times over the last 12 years!

my wife didn’t like her hair blown around on Sunday drives!! Air condition works great!

Southwest flies out of Denver… I think direct flights for cheap to Sarasota. My daughter just flew in from San Francisco and both legs went through Denver. She said it was cheap!

Softball60/Paul

 

Dr_Awesome,

Even if you're prepared to compromise and get a 1994 AJ6 instead of an AJ16, you're still very unlikely to find a manual car for sale in the US. According to the records only 56 manual Convertibles originally went to the US in 1994.

Cheers

PAul

 

As an update, I’m likely going to go check out a ‘96 4.0 convertible this weekend or early next week. It’s carnival red with 87k miles and a coffee leather interior; the owner described both as in very good shape with minor imperfections. He said nothing is wrong mechanically aside from a clunking noise from the front suspension when going over bumps; he said he had it inspected and the mechanic told him this was a common issue and not necessary to fix. He wants $12k for it which sounds reasonable if it’s in as good shape as he says. It looks really nice in pictures and while all things considered I’d prefer green, dark blue or black, I like the deep red color and think it suits the car well.

Assuming it looks good and I like how it drives, I’d of course have it inspected by an independent mechanic before buying. Is there anything in particular I should watch out for or focus on, when looking at it and during the test drive?

 

Clunk might be upper suspension bushes on the damper. Easy fix and minimum labor. Clunk due to worn control arm bushings is straightforward, but much more labor to fix.

Check headlights for fading, cracking. Headlamps are difficult to get new.

Drive for long enough to get warm. Press every button to make sure everything electrical is working OK.

HTH, Dave