and I love this clean engine, as others have said work has been done. Yellow fan - no cracks and I will change that... no not add cracks!



Advertised as 93 V12 - numbers tell me 91 face lift.
OK ... update

Review on what has been done servicing this car after dealer imported for Jag dealer owner... I am told, Which is why they did a lot more service work to it than they would a normal import. He gets bored with cars they said. Unless its a lemon and he wants it gone? Heavy traffic for 30min temp got just over N, see picture above.., once moving it dropped under just, and electric fan works. Normal..I saw it!

64,000 miles on a Jap car which should read Km... yes seem weird but car is in great nic... in 10 years will that be an issue. It will be loved and polished like a 15yr old does his tools.

Parts serviced..

Starter solenoid ,
Antiroll bar bushes x 8,
Rear discs x 2,
Bearing hub inner x 2 (assume rear? the rear cage was removed obviously)
Bush lower x 4,
MTNG rubber x2 (no idea), WTF?
Cross member mount x 1, (why not 2)
Mounting Vee x4
Oil filter x1 - I know what that is!
Pads hand brake x 1
Bush cross member x2
Radius arm bush x 6 (are there 6?)
Rear brake pads x1 (should there not be 2? or is 1 a set)
New battery - 2 weeks ago when I drove it - bonus

work to do before before I drive it / buy it
Rebuild steering rack after fluid leaked everywhere.
Fix the air con..
Compression test and new plugs.

Oh and I am thinking of paying a deposit and leaving it a week or two to make sure the air con goes.. good idea?
What is this work worth at a Jag dealer? any idea? paying 21k USD - after significant work done will make me feel better. Only Convert for sale in NZ for months

Plan is to start a service record from now.. I don't like selling stuff as I get attached to stuff, have to sell two motorbikes to buy Jag, 1 owned 15yrs other 10. 15yr bike went from 6k too 20plus.... So this car will not be sold for many a year unless I lose my job / wife / die. Even a engine pull I would take on..By then it will have a good service record / receipts.

I have read about these jobs that have been done and they don't scare me but time is everything, when you want to buy one and there are no others... I'm not loaded but am buying the best example I can afford. My fun is drink beer in my shed working on stuff, listening to good sounds - that's what I do.
So I need something that needs fixing and spend money on monthly to achieve this. Just not huge bills, they will kill me. Anything that just goes (work car) is boring. I might have to go inside and talk to the wife or kids, beer and fix an XJS sound better.
Saying that this will be my first car to look after, after year of bikes. time for a change. Hitting 50 in a few years, so will keep one bike, Wife does not ride with me so this is something we can do together.. go for a drive and play golf...Oh did I add wife hate my driving as I drive to fast... we live in the country with narrow country roads.

We have one road that is all up hill or down... 4km and 40 corners and I do this road twice a day to get to work. Kills tyres, I get 15k out of front tyres on a Mazda 6.. boss moans, lease car so all good. But to cruise.. which the XJS is all about I say should be OK.

I do not have 1000's to fix this car but no problem spending a hundred or so each month, if a major job like the transmission occurred I would do it my self, I have see Diam's work and was impressed, I said, I could do that! I am a fitter turner now sales man so tools and stuff I have. I NOW like working on stuff, just not when its your job.

Went to a car show, hot rods, classic cars in NZ etc and meet a long time jag club member, nice guy had a XJR on show 190k nice car and I asked him would he buy an XJS? answer was... had 2. I would never buy a V12. Now only a late model 4l...What work have you done to your 90's XJR (very nice car..mint) in all the years? and the answer was bugger all. Been a great car. That would bore me in 10min... have to fix something each weekend!

So long story short..am I realistic buying and maintaining this classic car? Obviously lots to learn but hay that's what life is for.. or is the V12 is really for deep pockets? I don't mind taking a month or two to save and fix things, Rome was no built in a day. Do I sound like the right owner.. to love and enjoys such an magnificent classic car, I could not do the 3.2 or 4l.. as I said to the wife... go hard or go home!

Everyone is telling me I m a fool!

 

I'm in no way experienced XJ-S owner, but what I have read in several places the needle going over N is big no-no. I'd say the cooling system needs immediate attention.

 

By "just over the N" do you mean "just over the middle mark on the temp dial, because that's a facelift and there shouldn't be any "N" on the dial at all. "C" on the left, "H" on the right.
As to it creeping a bit over the halfway mark, I wouldn't worry too much. It's only a bit over, and it drops back down when there's better airflow.
And I don't think you need very deep pockets, especially if you're keen on doing most work yourself. Since you like tinkering and wrenching, you'll be happy with this car. If you're happy with the price, and willing to take a bit of a gamble due to the lack of history, then go for it.
And if worse comes to worst, you can always sell it....

 

Nope. Be careful with making people scared. These engines don't have idiot gauges like the successors do. The temperature gauge will go up and down, depending on speed etc. If it stick up at a very high position and says there, then Action is required. A tad over N can be a slight fluctuation or just a bad contact/bad sensor - which is also common.

Old Volvo saying: drive further and keep an eye on it.

 

The XJ-S/XJS is all about the V12. You don't buy a diesel Porsche, if you have taste and are not a farmer. The same goes for the V12. The I6 is a great engine, but it isn't the engine the XJ-S/XJS was designed around...

Go bonkers. Buy a V12.

 

Nice-looking car. I've seen a number of Japan re-import XJSs and they often are in extraordinary condition compared to UK cars.

That VIN, as you appreciate is a standard Japan-spec car. The mph speedo is not unusual and may have been specced from new. If you order a heritage certificate from Jaguar, it may identify that.

The car was built around November 1991. Send me a pic of the colour and trim code label and I'll tell you when it was built.

Good luck

Paul

 

 

For a Japan-market car, it IS unusual. To demonstrate, a few posts back in this forum I analysed every XJS for sale in Japan (at least on the web), and found only two with MPH, both LHD (and couldn't confirm either were Japan-market cars).
It could possibly have been a dealer option (not mentioned in my catalogues that I can see), who would source a UK- or US-market speedo for those who simply had to have the whole "foreign car" thing, though as Mercs and BMWs are by far and away the most common foreign cars in Japan, and both use KM, I don't think it's all that likely.

 

SOOOOOOOOO did he buy it ???? gone very quiet

 

Still waiting for the dealer to fix the air-con and power steering which was leaking badly after I drove it.
Waiting waiting...

 

What do I need to order a heritage certification?

 

https://www.jaguarheritage.com/archi.../certificates/

 

The Jag shop sent me a picture today... they waited until the end of the month to put it in to the work shop, working for a big corporate I know how it goes.
They cant recover the cost on this thing, work shop time. Long story short air con and steering rack SHOULD be reconditioned, so 3 month warranty i will ask for!
I will get an independent AA dude to check for piece of mind after my second drive and check.
If possible I will send him the small book on buying an XJS, do not buy until you have read this book!.. I will ask for the top dude and offer and extra $100 to read the book when doing the inspection.

The Jag shop will document all the work they have done which is extensive, need to start a positive service record. I only have to look at the engine bay and a lot of work has been done.
I spoke with the wife about waiting for one cheaper but soo much work has been done on this car it still feels right. My dreams say NO... only for the cost. Mean while not one other convert as been advertised.
We live by a moto.. life is short go hard. Pay the mortgage off and be boring or live as you could die tomorrow.

 

Update - owner will not pay to fix the aircon... so I am thinking to wait for another convert.
Disapointed but reading up on an air con fix is expensive and paying $21,000 usd I want it working.

Feeling a little gutted as its such a nice car, they were going to re-gas but no guarantee if it will hold a charge.
Up side is I can get a cheaper one and do work myself... I know get the best but this was very expensive so saving 5-10k would be good.
Just a waiting game... unless I buy it as is... fixed steering rack and no air con.....

 

Very very sensible Duke. For that sort of money everything must be top notch.

 

Yes, that's the right call. Sounds like a very dodgy outfit to begin with. This was a Japan-original import, so you might want to try one of those auction places that can buy cars for you in Japan. Shouldn't be that much difference in price, and you get more choice.

 

Man that stinks! after all that trouble. Well as you stated for the price, it has to be perfect, and obviously it's not. I learned a long time ago to be patient. If it wasn't meant to be, there is a reason. Maybe God's got one saved back just for you. Hey you can always hope. Good Luck

Jack

 

Thanks for the positive words, to scared to import one from Japan unless I had help, worked out I pushed to hard on wanting it perfect, the seller just said I have spent to much on the car to sell for the agreed price. Will fix steering leak but not the air con...
It was being sold on be half... jag shop never said that. Any way an 88 with good history sold for $8000 usd and it looked good, but just when I started to look, to soon for me to buy. Spoke with the seller after and he knew he sold it cheap!
Going to wait for an NZ model.. no cats and more HP. Just do not like waiting!

 

To add, nice knowing I got the OK (just) for the green one (top dollar in NZ) so anything cheaper i will be a star. And to be honest I will not buy a fix up but its agreed spending less, I will be able to spend a few bob. And thats cool.
The green machine was pushing the $$ but those V12 badges where like centre fold playboy to me. End story.. you cant all ways get want you want!
Now its a waiting game, bit like finding the wife... had to be rejected a few times, tell some to **** off, than sell my soul and beg for the perfect one when it showed herself.
Waiting...

 

There seem to be some fairly solid companies doing auction buying for people in NZ/Oz, who would do all the actual work for you. I definitely think it's something you should investigate, at least.
Is there a difference in hp between Japan models and NZ models? I know there is between US and ROW.