what advise, tips or recomendations would you give for a potential buyer? looking at getting a 95 or 96 XJS convertible. I6 not a V12. i have heard that by 1995 a lot of the quirks had been eliminated but would like some thoughts from actual owners.

thanks

 

Everything is pretty straightforward in the AJ16’s. I am tempted to say that the condition of the exterior and interior is more critical.......If a high mileage car looks like it’s showroom new inside and out, it’s almost certain that owner has spared no expense maintaining the car mechanically. On the other hand a low mileage car with a rough aesthetics has probably also had poor maintenance. Proper paint jobs and new leather are more costly than mechanical work.

Other than that, if on a test drive make sure the car idles properly and that there are no misfires. Either of those indicate problems.

 

Ditto Spikepaga. My ‘95 AJ16-engined XJS was abandoned as a parts car at 200,000 miles because it looked like hell, not because of any mechanical issue. Original engine and transmission simply could not be stopped. Was cheaper to get another than repaint it and upholster it.

 

The biggest issue with these cars is simply age. Parts are going to die. And the cars need to be driven. Fluids need to be changed. Electronic gremlins? Most of them were eliminated during the life of the XJS, so with a 95 or 96, you are getting the very best iteration.

Like any car, a northern car experiences different climates than a southern vehicle. Northwest vehicles see a lot of rain. Understand these issues will be exacerbated on an older car. Budget accordingly knowing things will need to be addressed. But once you do those, you'll be good for a while. If they've already been done, good for you.

There will always be little things that will bug you about a gauge, or a switch, etc. I consider myself very picky and fastidious when it comes to cars, but I have owned my '95 since '98, and have experienced little to no problems. Front bushings were changed a few years ago. Just wear and tear. Good as new. Fit and finish is pretty good, but some of the plastic parts will deteriorate over time, and they are a pain to find. And can get expensive. Not crazy. But like $30 for a little plastic trim piece or $50 for a knob. Stuff like that could eat you alive if you have a lot of them. Mechanically, I'd say these are better than most cars of their era. The AJ16s are proven and go for a long time with proper care.

You will be stopped, questioned, and waved at by others. There just are not that many of these around anymore. Driving these on an open road with the top down is a stress reliever. With the top down and the boot cover on, you'd be hard pressed to find another more elegant vehicle at any price, save perhaps the E-Type, and thats a completely different ride, definite step down in creature comfort, etc.

Find one you like in an acceptable condition to you, write the check, and never look back. One of the best things you'll ever do.

 

High fishbait1. I live close to you just outside of Boise so wanted to welcome you to the XJS forum. Bought my first '95 about 9 years ago and would do it all over again in a heart beat. Just want to echo the importance of finding the best condition one you can because the cost to bring a tired example up to an acceptable condition will far exceed the cost to purchase a better example right now in our market.

If you are able to attend this I highly recommend checking out Jags on the green which will be held on Saturday August 3rd, 2019 at the LeMay Museum in Tacoma. Usually have a good turn out of XJS' so a great chance to see a good variety and chat with the owners etc.

Had to travel to get both my XJS' but happy I made the effort to get the examples that I wanted. Good luck with your search and hope to see you in person this year at Jags on the green.

 

Hi Fishbait1,

You are correct that the later cars have had a lot of sorting (outboard rear discs etc.) which is why I spent a lot of time looking for one. However, couldn't find the right car so end up with a '90 pre-facelift that just seemed so correct having had a lot of past love.

Key thing is, be prepared to compromise. Have your shortlist but if a car falls just outside this and still feels and looks good then don't be too rigid.

As LuvmyXJS says go to shows, see as many cars as you can and talk to owners.

Suggest you search out many of the free maintenance / buyers guides on the net to see what can go wrong.

Cheers,
LeeP

 

i'll be in the Tacoma area on that date. I might have to make time to see the cars.

 

I've owned my '96 since '99, added 75,000 miles, and still (knock on burled wood veneer) have not had any major issues (although she's been fussy just lately). There are a few electronic gremlins that seem relatively Jaguar specific- the Fan Modules that fail and leave an AC fan running permanently until the battery dies, the headlight module, the temp sender for the aux radiator fan. But these are mostly the kind of thing that requires patience more than money. I would say that you had better be the type to do your own work or know a good Jaguar mechanic. It's not that these cars actually are hard to work on, but mechanics fear them and many simply won't try. I've been turned away by oil change places. The Jaguar dealer north of Denver refuses to work on them (or anything more than 20 years old). But as I said I personally have actually found my '96 pretty easy to service, easier than a couple newer plebeian FWD cars I have. The parts are mostly easy to get on the internet but there's not much you can go and get the same day.

In terms of Wows per buck, they are unbeatable. I've seen pretty ones going for 5 grand, yet the man, or woman, on the street seems to think they'd be worth 10x that. It's like you get exotic car props for used kia money.

-mB

 

Kats in Englewood works on them, and they do much better work than Stevenson does.

 

^ This.

My wife was recently driving our BRG '95 . Its not driven that much and looks like new. A friend of hers saw her and asked when she got the new car. And this woman has know my wife for 15 years. Must have looked brand new to her.

The design is timeless.

 

I made it to the Jags on the Green show in Tacoma. some nice cars there but not as many cars to view as I thought there would be. 4 XJS models and all were V12's so I didn't get a chance to talk to a I6 owner. But I narrowed down my color choice to either the red or blue or maybe any color in good condition.

 

Whats your price range? I drove past a olive green 95' XJS convertible in front of a tiny car lot in Blaine WA yesterday, sign said 8950usd or something, could probably get it abit lower

 

do you have the name of the dealer? I could see if they have a website. even the garbage man has a website these days. seems like a low price for the year depending on condition.

 

https://m.facebook.com/pages/Mad-Don...34058819979527 i believe thats it, you could call and see, and ya I thought abit low for a 95 but, who knows maybe someone just wanted their dead parent's car liquidated or something.

 

found the site. website not available. 1 star on comments. doesn't appear like a reputable dealership. probably not worth a 5 hour drive. i live in the southeastern part of the state. thanks for the tip however. i'm in no hurry.

 

Sorry I was not able to make it up this year. Had everything ready to go but dealing with parent health issues. Sorry to hear there were no AJ16 cars to check out. Do you make it down to the Boise area at all? I would be happy to show you my red and dark blue XJS' in person and let you drive one if you were coming through the area.

If you have any questions feel free to shot me an email and I would be happy to answer any questions you might have. I would say with the price range of these cars in our market, condition and history will be very important in making your choice of which car is the right one for you. Just not cost effective to bring a tired example up to an acceptable level when you can take your time and find a very nice example for sometimes not much more than a worn out example. I cannot imagine what it would cost to redo a complete interior but I do know a top level repaint can easily run $ 8K to $10K or more.

 

We have a 1994 XJS V12 Convertible that we bought last year with 60,000 miles. We have already used it to go on vacation in Colorado and it was a real pleasure to drive.
My suggestion if you want to keep it forever and forever is that you find someone who can store the car for you during the Winter. Let's be frank, you are buying this car to enjoy it, and when you are from the Midwest, there is nothing enjoyable about driving a car in the Winter, it ups your chances of being in an accident, and nothing is as hateful as having to try to deal with the road salt on the sides and undersides of a car when there is snow on the ground.
Buy yourself a good car cover, get some space to store it in, and just wait out the Winter.
Also, there is nothing quite like getting in the car after it has sat out three months of the worst weather and rediscover what a joy it is to drive the thing again for the first time.
And a quick tip - you might want to change out those switches for the convertible top and the electric windows. They will get dirt in them and fail on you. You do not want to be somewhere in the middle of Kansas and have to manually put up the roof because it started raining. If you do find yourself in that situation, the window switches are identical to the roof switch, so if you have to, you can pull them out of the console and switch leads so you still have the roof, but not one of the windows. Just a hint.