I am considering buying a beautiful 1990 XJS V12 Convertible but it has 105,000 miles on it and I'm worried that I'm going to get a car that is going to just be getting into some expensive maintenance with that many miles on it.


Knowing what you know about these cars, would you buy this car at this stage in its life? It's in great running condition right now but I don't know what may lie in its near future.


Thanks in Advance for the help!


Adrienne
1990 KJS V12 Convertible

 

Welcome to the forum Adrienne,

I've moved your question from Jaguar Forums Advice / Feedback & Suggestion Center to XJS forum. Members here with the same model you are considering will be able to help.

Please follow this link New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the New Member Area - Intro a MUST forum and post some info about yourself and your vehicle for all members to see. In return you'll get a proper welcome and some useful advice about posting to the forum.

Graham

 

V12's skew toward the skilled DIY'er who has a comprehensive set of his/her own tools. They can be expensive and difficult to have serviced if there isn't a reasonably priced enthusiastic mechanic at hand. Try to find that mechanic and have them check out the car before you buy it.

A vehicle with that age / mileage should have some documented service history. Things like rotors, calipers, pads, oil changes, suspension components, cooling hoses and the like should have been replaced here and there.

A neglected survivor car can be a bargain for a mechanically inclined enthusiast but it can be a nightmare for a lesser mechanically inclined buyer who just wants to drive.

 

How handy are you as a mechanic? The main thing about these cars, is I find that they aren't typical automotive machines. Some things to even a seasoned mechanic can be daunting, due to the fact that they hardly ever see one of these cars, much less work on them. On the other hand, there is a guy in my town, that knows these cars like the back of his hand. I do all my own work, but it gets crazy sometimes. Like replacing the rear rotors. A HUGE job if you've never done it, a big job if you have. Add that to the fact that it is a Marelli car, and that adds even more mystery to it. On the other hand, the fact that it has traveled 105,00 miles, kinda tells me that it has been a good car, and most likely will continue to be. They are rare, but I've see XJSs with 200K + miles, if taken care of decently. The main thing with these cars is to stay on top of it. Fix or service things as soon as you know it needs it. Let things go, and before you know it, you have a car that needs too much to justify its repair. For now anyway. These cars may see a resurgence in price someday, just because so many of them are gone due to neglect.