Hi All,

Have the opportunity to own a 1994 6.0L Cabriolet, 91,000 miles for under $8k

I needs some TLC on the interior, I suspect the roof needs a deep clean or worst case - a replacement, the leather seats need recovering (found on eBay - $400 a set for the front, any color, any piping, brand new), center arm rest and door handles need recovering or replacing too.

Other than that - looks amazing, the wood is intact, no splitting or cracking and it seems amazing (but I have only seen photos so far).

What are the gotcha's to look for, which pipes do I squeeze and what for? which "spot" should I check to see what's been going on?

Carfax is clear but only 2 services by dealers/mechanics in its history - which means neglect or self serviced right?

Thanks in Advance.

 

So, the weak spot of the V12 is overheating. The cooling system needs to me properly maintained. Unfortunately its probably best to plan on cooling system work soon unless you're certain that its in good condition. Its better to get it up to snuff and then enjoy it, rather than worrying everything is about to go horribly wrong. Aside from that, rust can be a concern, but the later cars are better. The V12 can look intimidating at first, but underneath these are cars designed in the '60s and early '70s. They're straightforward mechanically. Paint and leather are going to be the most expensive things to fix, particularly if you can't do the work yourself.
Mileage isn't really a concern, everything serious lasts for a long time. You may find some suspension components, rubber particularly, are in need of replacing soon, but that's age as much as use. Personally I'm more concerned about a car with really low mileage than one with high mileage. I want a car that's been used, because then all the things that can go wrong will have been taken care of.
I don't put too much faith in CarFax, particularly the service records for older cars. The independent mechanic I've used for years does great work, but never records it in a way CarFax can access. They just can't be bothered. The car could be well maintained by a local shop, well maintained by the owner, or neglected, and it would all look the same to CarFax. If you can post the pictures we may notice things you don't know to look for.

 

Fully functional climate control is a real "plus".

Proof of cooling system servicing would be nice.


Or.....serviced at shops that do not participate in Carfax.

By all means ask to see the service records.

But, truth is, it's a fair bet it has been neglected. Most older Jags have....to one degree or another. The new owner then spends a chunk of time and chunk of money playing catch-up. Not too bad if you're a DIYer. If not, it can get expensive.

At that age and mileage I would count on full major service, a cooling system overhaul, brake repairs or system overhaul. Possibly suspension repairs---bushings, ball joints, etc. Unless, of course, service records show these things have already been done.

Cheers
DD

 

Have you driven it?

 

not yet, at work during the opening hours.

 

My Lord
You need to be aware that to have a reliable car you will need to:

• Go through each system carefully, brakes, suspension (ball joints, suspension rubbers, shocks, alignment), cooling system (hoses thermostats, radiator), full lubrication service, plugs and HT leads, and so on
• parts for the ignition system on post 1988 cars with the Marelli ignition system are NLA, this may be a serious problem.
• Depending upon what type of anti lock brakes the car has fitted, when they go wrong - which they will - you will have to take advice from the experts in these systems on the forum (Orangeblossom, PTJS1)and rebuild it yourself. parts are NLA.
• Doug's point about Aircon is VERY important. If it does not work and does not really freeze the interior on full cold when driving above 30 MPH, fixing the inside bits is a major dash-out job and again, new parts are NLA.
• If you are not prepared to do all or most this work yourself, and if you do not have covered space to so it in, i would not buy any XJS.

A good pre-1988 car without antilock brakes and with the Lucas ignition system is a far easier maintenance proposition, in my opinion.
Now these cars are absolutely MAGIC when right, if you love this sort of hobby, and you are prepared to stick with it, you will end up with a superb Grand Tourer, one of the best ever made, with ride and handling that is till class leading even today.
Best of luck!

 

Thank you for the advice - this one is a 1994 version, so I need scrap yards as the parts are NLA? is there a line of auto factor parts? a good website to check out?

 

https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistor...fsVIrB2dOi02yw

 

There are, especially for mechanical parts; but the specific parts I mentioned will not be there and nobody is making them. Add the fuel pressure regulator to that list. For some reason pre 1988 models do not suffer from this difficulty.

 

It is a rare car. I have one and love it.

 

From the CarFax it looks like it’s had pretty steady use, which is what you want. I looked up the seller and the pictures look good, but I’m looking at them on my phone, so I could be missing something. There aren’t any pictures of the underside and no detailed pictures of the engine bay. If we haven’t put you off the XJ-S experience, I’d go look at the car and take it for a test drive.

 

Thank you!
I am going to view the car today, I fully intend to get it up and running at temperature in 102°f heat and see what the temp gauge looks like, worried about opening the radiator cap to look for sediment/oils as one of the stickies says that will mean the system needs bleeding again.

I will also have a good look in and around the engine bay, underside and in the trunk looking for wear, signs of damp and corrosion.

being a mostly AZ car it should be rust free

 

A/C doesn’t blow cold.
most of the switches don’t work
truck/boot locked and inoperable
passenger seat torn
broken sun visors
hood smacks the body on close

i can fix everything on this list except the first thing.

so I am walking away. :’-(

 

The AC could just need to be recharged. Or it could be something more serious. Hard for me to speculate.

Jaguar made 115000 XJ-Ss, you'll find one if you keep looking.

 

No. Refrigerant is a closed loop system. It never needs a recharge, unless there's a leak. The leak could be a simple fix, from a worn o-ring to a broken condenser coil.... or it could be that the compressor is shot.

 

Lord_P,

Vee is right. XJS aircon systems NEVER just need a regas. And if a £50 recharge would have sorted the problem, wouldn't the owner do just that? They lose their gas because of leaks, sometimes easy, sometimes expensive, always a nuisance.

Probably best to have walked away. A poorly maintained XJS is a very expensive purchase.

Also, if you're looking for a Convertible XJS, don't type Cabriolet into your searches. An XJS Cabriolet is a very different model only made from 83-87.

Good luck

Paul

 

Very wise decision.
There are good cars for sale out there, owned by careful owners who looked after them. Just keep your powder dry until you find one.

 

If you decide to get an XJS try the 6 cylinder version. I have had 2 of the 12 cylinder (1987 H&E, 1991 convertible) versions and they can be a handful, relative to repairs. Oh brother!!! The radiator is a 2 pass radiator, with half of the radiator taking care of one side of the V-12 and the other half of the radiator taking care of the other half of the V-12. The V-12's always run hot and you are always watching the gauge wondering if a head gasket will let go. The in-line 6 is a joy! Smooth running, double-overhead cams, good fuel economy, still has the look that compels folks to "goose-neck" every time you drive down the street. It just does not have the V-12 problems. However, if you like being under the "bonnet", then go for the V-12. I will stick with the 6...particularly after a little tweeking and now am pushing around 300 horses. Life is good!!!!

 

I will stick with the 6...particularly after a little tweeking and now am pushing around 300 horses. Life is good!!!!

Please tell about this....

Rob

 

Good call. In my opinion not because of the A/C because an A/C can fail in any new reliable car. But the whole situation with the broken cosmetics and inoperative switches tells me this car has not been taken care of. Broken cosmetics and switches are the easiest thing to take care of, and if they couldn’t even take care of that, I doubt the engine and maintenance schedule has been taken care of which is more challenging

……I see so many xjs’s with one third of my mileage (mine is 118k) that look like hell. I changed the switches in my car not because they where inoperative, but because the letters where faded and it looked ghastly to me. My engine looks like it has 10k miles and not 118k. Most guys in this forum are the same as me. Try to find a car like that.

good luck