XJS V12 - the right car for me?

Truthfully? sounds like a bad idea. Ppl who love these cars, (and they do exist!) would highly recommend having a back up vehicle. These cars are very high maintenance and complicated. I strongly suggest you do some reading over at

complicated.

"Dan Roberts" wrote in news:UvfIc.777$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe6-gui.ntli.net:

Dan,

You will not get this kind of advice too often. I have a freind in our Jaguar Drivers Club, who has the best, most reliable XJS on the planet :-)

What he did was remove the fuel tank, computer, injectors, anti polution gear, most of the wiring and associated switches/sensors, and fitted a BIG LPG tank in the back, a LPG venturie on both inlet manifolds with a simple LPG mixer.

The car starts immediately evry day, uses the same amount of gas, rarely requires tuning and cannot catch on fire. It is VERY simple to fix as it has no electrical crap on it :-)

He loves it, fast, smooth and VERY reliable.

Ron

Generic advice: Don't, you have other ways to spend your time and money.

This is a complicated car and its old; you are not an experienced mechanic. Parts for this specialty (low volume) car often have no secondary sources so it's always the dealer and their monopoly. Contrary to what we would like to believe, expensive cars' deep down innards are no "better" than most cars - sure the leather is nicer, the seats more comfortable etc. but luxury cars are about having more "stuff" that will eventually break.

Remember, old cars don't get a senior discount. And a "cheap" luxury car is something to avoid for the cost of correcting its deferred maintenance is more than the discount at purchase time.

You will almost certainly get a lot of negative advice here. (They are a miserable bunch .) Most of it can be ignored. Properly looked after XJSs are just as reliable as any other car of that age and the country is crawling with Jaguar specialists. Plenty of people use them every day, have them serviced once a year and don't spend a fortune doing so.

Parts availability on these cars, which were mass produced in large numbers, is not a problem. Once again, there are numerous specialists and you can still get plenty of bits from breakers if you are on a budget. The engine shouldn't be a problem as long as it hasn't been allowed to overheat. Electrics may be a nuisance, but nothing to get too excited about.

Don't forget that consumables - and that means things like brakes and tyres, shock absorbers, suspension bushes, etc. - are going to be very expensive. It is, after all, a big, fast, heavy car. Biggest concern, as always, is going to be rust. Check absolutely everywhere before you buy. Better still, get a Jaguar specialist to check it over for you.

Enjoy.

David Betts ( snipped-for-privacy@motorsport.org.uk) The Classic Car Gallery:

The key is getting a properly looked after one. Sure , they are great cars when they are in top condition, but because they are so cheap right now, you are going to find a lot of them with blown out mechanicals that werent cared for, and have been driven into the ground.

A lot of young punks, no offense intended, buy them cheap, beat the hell out of them and sell them cheap. You would be well advised to look hard for a good one, with full books and papers and then have it inspected by a Jaguar specific mechanic prior to purchase. That is the only way to get a top car which you will be able to enjoy without worrying if its going to start the next day.

I have both a 12 cylinder in my sedan and a 4.0 AJ16 in my XJS and I love both, they each have their strengths and each has a different feel but both are fantastic engines. I average 13 MPG in the heavier XJ12, but XJSs get a little better than that.

Daniel

complicated.

I would stick with the XJS 5.3 - my father had a convertible and it had a lovely engine - but if it's the coupe version you're after - well yes you can get 15-19 mpg out of one - but maintenance is NOT cheap, if you cant stretch to the main dealers - surely there must be a reputable Jaguar independent specialist who can do the work for half the price of a main dealer - forget the 6.0 version (the later car) - it would burn a hole in your wallet - you would get bankrupt driving one every day, if you cant get either then the 3.6 /4.0 are the ones to go for. Forget the one with

I drove an XJS convertible for 2 1/2 years as a daily driver, it had 75,000 when I bought the car and 94,000 when I sold it. It never broke down and I always kept it fully serviced every 3,000 miles. The costs for servicing by a 3rd party were always reasonable and labour was charged at £40 per hour. NEVER FORGET this is a £45,000 motor car so why on earth people think he can run them cheaply is beyond me. Saying that, parts are very reasonable and there is a very good supply of second hand and recon parts.

Bits to watch out for are sagging springs and worn shocks ( there are 6 on an XJS ) make sure that all the bushes are servicable. Regular brake maintenance is a must, especially on the inboard rears. the front brakes get very hot due to the weight and warped discs is common, get them done straight away as they can take out wheel bearings and knacker your brake callipers. New discs are around £25, callipers £120 exchange and wheels bearings £18, How cheap do you want ?? Steering racks do pack up but should be less than £500 to replace, it seems they are good for 50K anything more is a bonus. If your exhaust is gone get a stainless unit, they are £100 more than the mild steel.

The point of the 3,000 miles service was that the car got regularly checked and as soon as any problems showed up they were dealt with. It is also very important to keep the oil clean and ensure that the water level is right in the rad with correct % anti freeze.

As long as you find a car that is in good condition and has full service history showing that the previous owners cared then you should be onto a good thing.

My car cost me less than £1000 per year to maintain and that includes rubber. It did as low as 4mpg (142mph through Belgium) and returned as high as 23mpg. If you want to lead foot it then its going to hit your wallet, I got average 17mpg.

I now drive an XK8 and that brings in an average of 21mpg , I have had 31 and 16 ( ouch! ). Although it is a fantastic machine there is nothing like the drive an a well set up XJS V12, possible one of the worlds finest touring coupes.

Nick

Ron Sounds good. Do you know if there's a write-up on the Internet for this conversion, or any other reasonably accessible source of information? I would consider taking similar radical action on my XJS for the air con system if it ever packs up and I can't diagnose and/or repair the electronic control systems.

Dan As to your original question, I'd strongly recommend you register at jag-lovers.org in order to read dozens, or perhaps even hundreds, of responses to many people asking much the same question over several years.

I have an XJS 3.6 and bought it (13 years ago) in preference to a V12 because I preferred the driving 'feel', it's cheaper to run and there's less to worry about if anything goes wrong with the engine. Even changing the spark plugs on a V12 takes several hours and many people unbolt the air con compressor, to move it out of the way! But the engines seldom go wrong. In my opinion the two greatest weaknesses are rust and the air con system. And other tricky jobs, like changing the handbrake pads, which can also take hours if not days. But most people who have those cars, love them. So check jag-lovers.org

Regards George

snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (George Bray) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

Not that I know of.

complicated.

Don't do it. Besides being a gas guzzling pig they break down with startling regularity.

Fraser

I've owned my '88 5.3l for 5 years. It's my daily driver. It has never - ever - broken down. Period.

Fuel economy is the same as my '04 Mercury Mountaineer - about 13-14mpg.

Regards