A cheap Jag XJS - Am I barmy?
Discussion
I'm going to point out straight away that my budget is meagre, at £3-3.5k. I don't strictly need a car, I live within a 30min cycle/tube commute and my OH has a perfectly sensible and reliable new car. As such, my car fund comes from a pot that I keep purely for toys/entertainment. On the plus side, this does free me up to buy something that is less practical and more 'project'. The unfortunate downside is that I park on a residential street, so full-on restoration is probably a touch beyond me.
Would it be feasible to buy and run an XJS (probably a 3.6/4.0, with preference for pre-facelift) at this kind of budget? Ongoing/preventative maintenance is not a major issue in cost or feasibility terms, provided that I'm not going to be required to do masses of welding and painting. Am I letting myself in for a world of pain?
Are there any other classics that I should be considering at this sort of price? Ideally an auto, with potentially a bit of poke, preferably with 4 seats (2+2 ideal), and that can accommodate me at 6ft3.
A Rover P6 3500 popped up on my usual Ebay trawl, which opened my eyes to the possibility.
Would it be feasible to buy and run an XJS (probably a 3.6/4.0, with preference for pre-facelift) at this kind of budget? Ongoing/preventative maintenance is not a major issue in cost or feasibility terms, provided that I'm not going to be required to do masses of welding and painting. Am I letting myself in for a world of pain?
Are there any other classics that I should be considering at this sort of price? Ideally an auto, with potentially a bit of poke, preferably with 4 seats (2+2 ideal), and that can accommodate me at 6ft3.
A Rover P6 3500 popped up on my usual Ebay trawl, which opened my eyes to the possibility.
The general advice on here will be to buy the best car you can afford, so if you can find an XJS within your budget there will probably be a reason for it.
Will it lead you to financial ruin? most probably, but better to have owned and lost shed-fulls of cash than saying I could have bought one of those. They are fabulous cars, I particularly remember the speed of the fuel gauge in mine and that the bills which were always x12 so a good reason to get the 6 cylinder variant
As to what else, possibly an XJ saloon, I would have thought plenty of BMW's in this range, an E24 would be a good option and possibly Porsche 924 / 944
Will it lead you to financial ruin? most probably, but better to have owned and lost shed-fulls of cash than saying I could have bought one of those. They are fabulous cars, I particularly remember the speed of the fuel gauge in mine and that the bills which were always x12 so a good reason to get the 6 cylinder variant
As to what else, possibly an XJ saloon, I would have thought plenty of BMW's in this range, an E24 would be a good option and possibly Porsche 924 / 944
Well I have one, 1986 3.6 coupe. Looked carefully and bought one that needed no apparent welding, spent a while pumping dinitrol everywhere so it stayed that way and it has been a joy to own and not expensive to run. had to replace the saggy headlining and have the usual issues with the 'climate control' but it is garaged when not in use. A fabulous car and gives over 30mpg on a cruise. I get it annual checked over by a really good independent jag specialist near where I live. You only live once and these do seem to be appreciating, that aside I love mine
I have to smile at this Thread
My 18yr old Nipper took himself off to a classic car auction a couple of weeks ago armed with a pocket of money.
I got a text mid afternoon with a picture of an XJS V12 and a comment simply saying "I just bought this"
I know cars quite well and in particular Jaguars.....These things can cost the national debt to maintain and they're of the age where electronics were just coming on board in cars. They thought they knew what they were doing but I'm not so sure.
Sunday and I was in the chair to collect it. A 150 mile trip in an old car that I don't know and will probably have reliability issues which is why it was there in an auction in the first place.
A week on and we've had to change the steering rack mounts, gearbox mounts, front brake caliper, balance wheels, tracking, elec window switch, 2 water temp senders.
Still to fix AC.
Whilst the car is a nice genuine low mileage example there are always issues and money to be spent
A great car which is only going one way IMO. A sorted XJS is wonderful
GO FOR IT
My 18yr old Nipper took himself off to a classic car auction a couple of weeks ago armed with a pocket of money.
I got a text mid afternoon with a picture of an XJS V12 and a comment simply saying "I just bought this"
I know cars quite well and in particular Jaguars.....These things can cost the national debt to maintain and they're of the age where electronics were just coming on board in cars. They thought they knew what they were doing but I'm not so sure.
Sunday and I was in the chair to collect it. A 150 mile trip in an old car that I don't know and will probably have reliability issues which is why it was there in an auction in the first place.
A week on and we've had to change the steering rack mounts, gearbox mounts, front brake caliper, balance wheels, tracking, elec window switch, 2 water temp senders.
Still to fix AC.
Whilst the car is a nice genuine low mileage example there are always issues and money to be spent
A great car which is only going one way IMO. A sorted XJS is wonderful
GO FOR IT
Bought an '88 3.6 Auto...the best I could at the time. A truly excellent car. Even pretty economical on a run. Found the 3.6 pretty bulletproof. Did all the tracking, a bit of corrosion etc, but it was a fantastic car, never let me down.
V12...that might be a different story, but I took advice to go for the six pot & never regretted it.
V12...that might be a different story, but I took advice to go for the six pot & never regretted it.
'A cheap Jag XJS - Am I barmy?'
Yes, you are sir. A stark, staring, complete & utter fruitloop. Congratulations, you've passed the entrance exam to join the XJS Appreciation Society !
Take your time, hunt down the best you can get for your money - generally rust will present far bigger & costlier problems than mechanical issues.
Enjoy it! Where there's a will, there's a way...
Yes, you are sir. A stark, staring, complete & utter fruitloop. Congratulations, you've passed the entrance exam to join the XJS Appreciation Society !
Take your time, hunt down the best you can get for your money - generally rust will present far bigger & costlier problems than mechanical issues.
Enjoy it! Where there's a will, there's a way...
A definite yes from me, they are terrific cars. As others have said, you'll need to budget for maintenance, but it's well worth it, and the response you'll get from others will be unlike anything you've had before.
Mine was over your budget, and facelift, but any excuse for a picture!
ETA - I think your challenge will be finding one within your budget. Good luck anyway!
Mine was over your budget, and facelift, but any excuse for a picture!
ETA - I think your challenge will be finding one within your budget. Good luck anyway!
Edited by CharlesdeGaulle on Saturday 23 April 19:23
CharlesdeGaulle said:
vpr said:
My Nippers car which he bought a couple of weeks ago
An unusual choice for an 18 yr old
It's an inspired choice for a teenager!An unusual choice for an 18 yr old
Still loved it though:-)
C70R said:
I'm going to point out straight away that my budget is meagre, at £3-3.5k. I don't strictly need a car, I live within a 30min cycle/tube commute and my OH has a perfectly sensible and reliable new car. As such, my car fund comes from a pot that I keep purely for toys/entertainment. On the plus side, this does free me up to buy something that is less practical and more 'project'. The unfortunate downside is that I park on a residential street, so full-on restoration is probably a touch beyond me.
Would it be feasible to buy and run an XJS (probably a 3.6/4.0, with preference for pre-facelift) at this kind of budget? Ongoing/preventative maintenance is not a major issue in cost or feasibility terms, provided that I'm not going to be required to do masses of welding and painting. Am I letting myself in for a world of pain?
Are there any other classics that I should be considering at this sort of price? Ideally an auto, with potentially a bit of poke, preferably with 4 seats (2+2 ideal), and that can accommodate me at 6ft3.
A Rover P6 3500 popped up on my usual Ebay trawl, which opened my eyes to the possibility.
If you can find one, go for it. Parts are or at least were plentiful and fairly well priced. And they really shouldn't be too hard to keep going, remember they are most Jag XJ anyway. Would it be feasible to buy and run an XJS (probably a 3.6/4.0, with preference for pre-facelift) at this kind of budget? Ongoing/preventative maintenance is not a major issue in cost or feasibility terms, provided that I'm not going to be required to do masses of welding and painting. Am I letting myself in for a world of pain?
Are there any other classics that I should be considering at this sort of price? Ideally an auto, with potentially a bit of poke, preferably with 4 seats (2+2 ideal), and that can accommodate me at 6ft3.
A Rover P6 3500 popped up on my usual Ebay trawl, which opened my eyes to the possibility.
Rust is probably the biggest issue, but not rare on any car of this vintage.
3.6 and early 4.0 make within 2hp of each other. So performance is very similar. The 4.0 litre has more torque and should be smoother, while the 3.6 is often cited as being harsher. Although in reality it's more willing and racy. Which at the time was probably less "Jagaur". Late 4.0 litres are the AJ16 engine which are 241bhp and a refinement of the earlier 4.0 litre.
Manuals are rare, but a fair bit quicker, more fun and better on fuel than autos.
There were 3 major revisions. First one was around 1981/2 with the introduction of chrome trim and a more classic wood interior. And the HE version of the V12. This is pre 6 cylinder ones. The next face lift in the latter 80's changed the rear lights and the rear side windows. But retained the big rubber bumpers. The last facelift went to moulded body coloured bumpers. One of these face lifts also replaced the barrel gauges with normal round ones.
5.3 V12's are very nice. Most are auto except for the very earl 4 speed manuals. The HE engine is very smooth and quicker than the 6 cylinder cars. But may not feel it. Sadly the 3 speed auto blunts the performance and feel, but makes for an exceptionally smooth drive. Auto 6 cylinders are 4 speed. You can wake a V12 up with a few mods though.
Late V12's have the 6 litre engine and the 4 speed GM 4L80e box. These offer a then super we level of performance and are amazing cars.
Rear in board brakes can be a pain. But largely because people don't want to work on them. They can work fine however and just require grunt work. Getting to all the spark plugs on a V12 is a mission. But perfectly fine for a home mechanic.
Hand takes on autos tend the seize because they don't get used.
When I was 19 back in 1999 I bought this V12 HE for £700 and it was awesome. Very pleased I owned it.
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