Holy thread revival Batman. I have never owned a Jaguar. My uncle recently passed away and my aunt is going to sell his 1994 XJS V12 convertible. I can purchase it just as well as anyone else can.... It was well maintained, just used to piddle around from what I saw, has about 40k miles on it. My question for y'all who have owned these cars is what type of big ticket items tend to need replacing? I do regular maintenance on my cars (oil, air filters, spark plugs - easy stuff) but have never rebuilt an engine or done major repair work. Not allergic to sweat, just inexperienced. Any thoughts on this car? Price seems reasonable - somewhere between $10-12,000.

 

Hi GreatPumpkin,

Welcome to the Jaguar Forums!

I have moved your post from the forum for the XJ40 saloon to the forum for the X27 XJS. Here you will find members knowledgeable about these cars.

Cheers,

Don

 

If you have a garage to work in, it would be a great DIY car to own. Everything is relatively simple, but since it's such huge engine, even minor tasks take time because you need to remove so much for access.

This place is a great resource, so if you are willing, you'll just need some shelter to work under.

 

I've had one of these cars for about 15 years and it now has close to 110,000 miles on it. It has been very reliable and everything major that has needed work I can blame the PO. Biggest thing I did was rebuild the differential, and it clearly had been abused. I've never seen a Jaguar differential so beaten up, and I've seen lots. The AC didn't work when I got the car, due to a leaking service port. $10 at Rockauto and a recharge and I had working AC again.

The engine is very strong, V12's almost never need rebuilding. The transmission is a GM 4L80e, the same as used in 1 ton truck and motorhomes up to 20,000 lbs. It's a tough transmission.

The late 6.0's are great cars and so far seem to only need routine maintenance. Almost all of it is easy DIY stuff, although it might take longer than some other cars due to access. These cars are appreciating in value, and if you think you'd enjoy the, car, then I'd encourage you to buy it and drive it. At that price, it's a steal. Asssuming the paint and interior is good, if I was in your position I wouldn't be able to get my chequebook out fast enough...

 

I endorse all of the above replies. There is nothing, nothing at all, that an owner with a covered space to work in, and a willingness to get stuck in, cannot fix on these cars. All suspension components are available and parts are inexpensive - certainly no more than modern ordinary cars' parts. Go for it and have fun. Also remember, these cars are not fragile, run it to the red line an USE it!

 

Same from Downunder.

One of mine just topped 70000kms, and untouched engine unit. OK, alternator = 3, water pump =1, Trans (BW12 = 2, output shaft seals = 1, etc etc. The rest is as made in Coventry in 1976.

2 of the others are well over 200K kms, and also as made.

Getting the hands dirty, learning a new language, having a warped sense of humour, all will be fine.

Like Greg, use the thing, it was designed to RUN, and run HARD, and sadly too many owners are scared of the thing, not me.

 

Late big-bumper V12 Convertibles are rare, collectable and lovely cars. Buy it!

The core engine will not be an issue. As mentioned, they are very strong. The maintenance issues of the engine are more likely to be fuel and ignition issues when they do arise.

As long as the car doesn't have much in the way of bodywork issues, buy it! Everything else is fixable, and at home.

Good luck

Paul

 

700,000 Grant means!

 

That's only 435 000+ miles!
That's just now well broken in and loosened up!

 

Even the covered space is a nice-to-have. I rebuilt the whole suspension and brakes on my car in my parents gravel driveway. Although when I went looking for a house of my own a garage was on the list of things I wanted. Closing in two weeks!

If you're not afraid of getting your hands dirty, buy it. If you're going to pay someone else to do the maintenance then it will be considerably more expensive.

 

I had a 94, V12 coupe and it was a sturdy car and my daily driver for a few years.
Unfortunately, it eventually developed a unknown fault somewhere and NO ONE could figure it out.
During that time, I even had access to a Jaguar PDU, but it didn't help.
I was forced to give it away after dropping about $15,000 on restoration, repairs and diagnostics.
The OBD system requires a Jaguar PDU to diagnose fault codes.

 

Thank you for the reply. My concern is how hard/expensive the parts would be to come by as it is an older vehicle. I am not worried that it would take a bit of time to fix stuff as honestly, this would be a cruise around on the weekend car for my wife and I. What I am worried about is how rare parts would be and how specialized a mechanic would need to be in order to fix it as stuff breaks. I think of it as the "free puppy" issue. Someone gives you a puppy that then needs $5000 worth of surgery so it can walk. I cannot justify that to my wife.

 

Addendum - I am not afraid to get my hands dirty but I have almost no experience in major auto repairs. So, realistically, i would have to pay someone for the big stuff and hope I could learn from them as they did it. Basically, I am not a mechanic. I personally LOVE to work on my cars within my limits, but those limits are not terribly expansive.

 

The parts that are the hardest to come across are generally trim pieces and interior. Actually, if it has headlight washers in the front bumper, the chrome covers are completely unavailable. Mechanically, it shares most things with other Jaguars, the suspensions were used for nearly 40 years for example, and the V12 was around for 25 years. Mechanical parts will be easy to get.

If you have mechanical aptitude and want to work on the car, there is nothing that hasn't been done before and there are plenty of people here who can walk you through things. It shares much with the Series III XJ6/12 sedans too. Depending on where you are, a mechanic skilled in these cars might be difficult to find. Espcially as it isn't a daily driver for you, you can take your time and do things right if you are able and willing to learn. I recognize that not everyone has either ability, inclination or time/resources to to do a major repair. If you do though, this is a great support network.

 

In this case the car is not for you. Paying someone else to fix an XJS, assuming you can find someone who knows what they are doing - which is unlikely - is a ruinously expensive procedure.

 

Owning a vintage Jaguar will turn you into either a mechanic or an ex-Jaguar owner.

One thing to factor in to your calculations is that you will need a good selection of mechanic's tools to service and maintain the vehicle, including a good jack, jack stands, perhaps a pair of ramps, a full range of 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" drive sockets and ratchets, a 1/2" breaker bar, combination or ratcheting wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, trim tools, etc. A digital multimeter (volt & ohmmeter) is often required for diagnosing electrical problems. You can purchase tools as you need them, but you will need them.

Cheers,

Don

 

Why are you considering buying it. Do you like the car? Does a V12 intrigue you? Do you want a connection to your uncle or nostalgia? Does a convertible fit into your present lifestyle? The Late v12's are bullet proof so long as they have not been abused in some way they're a good car to own. The XJS convertibles are very relaxing cruisers, nothing else like it then and there will never be something like it in the future. The only big ticket dark spot is the brake system. The brakes have a rubbery feel and can be problematic to service becasue they use a hydro-boost style system that was novel at the time. This type of system was useful for car with low vacuum (turbo's) or for vans that have no room for a vacuum booster. None of these things are true of the XJS so the brake system choice was kinda dumbfounding. If the brake feel doesnt matter to you and you've got average mechanical skills then you've found a great buy when considering the mileage.

Whats the condition of the top and documentation on the maintenance history? Low mileage cars can be a mixed bag. Rubber doesnt care about mileage, rubber ages out so it may need tires, hoses, fuel lines, etc.

 

I would be surprised if this car needed any major repairs. Heck, it's a 95 with 40,000 miles! My biggest concern would be how long is has sat, and if the fuel system would need extensive cleaning. I would at least drain the tank and fill with fresh fuel.

 

Ain't that the truth Don! That's what happened to me.

A few years ago I fit the OP's quote. Then I bought a Jaguar. Then I bought a V12 Jaguar. For my love of the cars, I became a specialist mechanic for them. I've done things I never would have imagined I would do. The XJ12 got all new springs and shocks a few months ago. I took my time and found out it was not that difficult from what I had seen and heard (mostly here)! Appropriate study, planning and tools necessary, of course.

Bottom line, this is not rocket science (although very interesting engineering). These are motor vehicles using semi-modern technologies that are well known, documented, and not new. Given the right motivation and interest, you can (mostly) do it all, GP.

On the other hand, shops and mechanics that are scared away by the urban legends of JAGUAR are not worth their toolsets.

 

I already have a pretty expansive tool selection - whenever I come across a project that I can pay someone $300 to do or buy $300 worth of tools and do it myself, I buy the tools and figure it out along the way. Then I have tools for the next project....A decent way to gradually accumulate a 1.5 rolling toolboxes worth of tools. If y'all say someone with a little help CAN figure this stuff out then I may be ok regardless. I would enjoy working on the car as necessary, and it not being a daily driver means time wouldn't be such an issue as I wouldn't be on a fixed window to have to repair it as it would be my fun car. The unknown is hoping I don't have to spend a ton of money on either parts (windshield washer pump, etc) or something I am too chicken to undertake because then my wife will get involved....