SOTW: Jaguar XJ6 3.2 Sport

12 years on, and it's still looking fantastic

By Garlick / Friday, 24 October 2008 / Loading comments

Searching through the classifieds with our imaginary £1000 today, I was a little disappointed to find it a harder slog than normal as there seemed to be a distinct lack of interesting cars available within our budget.

A few ads raised some interest, the first being a 3.5 Rover SD1 that looked great in the pictures, but a closer inspection of the advert revealed the car was suffering badly from rust. I also spotted a BMW E36 323ci, but wondered if it was 'special' enough for the coveted title, and the only other cars I found were turbocharged Saabs and Volvos. In fact, for a moment I thought that SOTW was dead for this week.

Never fear, a second hunt of the web turned up something that still has some class, still looks fantastic and will transport you around in ministerial luxury all for £1000. Ladies and gentlemen I give you the Jaguar XJ6 3.2 Sport.

As I recall, the addition of the ‘Sport’ badge to the XJ Jag didn’t add much in the way of sportiness except some nicer wheels and less chrome. The 3.2 litre straight six wasn’t too sporty either with only 213.9bhp delivered at a high 5100rpm. Still, it was good enough for 138mph meaning a 90 mph waft was very comfortable indeed.

The X300 XJ Jaguars were less problematic that the previous XJ81 cars so you can be a little more confident when buying one, but as we all know you can never be too sure when contemplating an old Jag. When you consider the pitfalls of owning an XJ you have to ask yourself why so many of us would like to own one.

For me it’s still a gorgeous looking car, it still has presence, the interior is a pleasant place to be and, to be honest, I can’t imagine a better daily driver for the price. It seems to offer so much for so little.

Is it worth £1000? I’m not so sure, I’d be happier paying three figures, leaving a little in reserve for running costs. The saved cash might come in especially handy as the advertiser seems reluctant to reveal how many miles the car has covered, or whether they will replace the expired MOT.

Advert says:

1996 P Reg JAGUAR XJ6 3.2 Sport- £1000

4 Doors, Automatic, Saloon. Petrol, Metallic Green, MOT-08-2008. Adjustable seats, Alloy wheels, Anti theft system, Central locking, Child locks, Colour coding - Body, Colour coding - Interior, Computer, Driver airbag, Electric mirrors, Electric windows, Fog lights, Front armrest, Electrically adjustable seats, Head restraints, Leather seats, Immobiliser, Metallic paintwork, Power assisted steering, Rear headrests, Part Service History, Air conditioning, CD Multi changer, Chrome wheels. Insurance Group:18