Hi Scott. Just for a moment there I was considering
changing my name to Scott, just to keep things straight.
I've owned my '84 XJ-S for 1 year and 8 days now. It
is the last is a line of other Jags that I have owned.
Yet, I'm not rich. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
What I can claim is that I've never lost A CENT on a
Jaguar. In fact, the other cars that went before my
current XJ-S paid for half of the current one! They are,
in first to last order:
'76 XJ6L
'66 3.8s
'76 XJ-S
'84 XJ-S
The XJ6L was in cosmetically rough condition but had no
rust. It had all of the Lucas tri-state (see note 1)
electrical problems. The interior was shabby but there
were no tears in the rear seat. The front seats were
pretty rough. They had had no care for years. I went
after the seats first with 'Lexol' leather treatment.
It worked ok but the leather had lost too much of it's
natural oils (lanolin?) to ever become supple again.
(If you know of a treatment to address this problem I
would love to know about it.) The paint was ok, but it
was a cheap enamel and would never shine on it's own.
I just polished it to the limit of IT'S ability then
coated it with one of those eurothane cover-up finishes.
It wasn't purfect but it was enough to addict me to
the feel, smell and look of the Cats.
The '66 3.8s was MARVELOUS - but I sold it. To this day
I kick myself. Actually, a friend that works down the
hall from me is considering buying it from the guy that
I sold it to. It was/is completely original and in
pretty good shape - no rust, trashed leather and carpets
but BEAUTIFUL wood!
The '76 XJ-S was in 15kilo pieces but was a complete car.
I just sold it sans engine-trans to a guy that wants to
put a chevy 350 in it. I cringe at the thought but I
still have the V12! Some day it will have a home and
breath new life into another Cat.
The '84 XJ-S is a dream! It's been painted and whomever
did the job (in Dallas or Austin, TX) did an excellent
job. The car was originally gun metal gray metalic.
The door jams, boot, etc. were all painted expertly.
Interestingly enough, the engine bay was left gray.
There is very little that one can see in an XJ-S engine
bay - except V12. The gray looks intentional. I like
it. The interior is mulberry (brownish red) with burl
elm wood (light color). The windows, except the windscreen
are tinted dark - not to be cool but to be cool. In
Oklahoma the sun can be a real beast.
If I were buying again, hummm? I would look for rust (I
always look for rust). The XJ-S rusts in the quarter
panels, where the quarter panel and the fender meet in
front of the rear wheels, along the edge and under the
boot lid rearmost lip, door panels where drain holes
occasionally get plugged and the inner surfaces of the
butresses where they meet the body. The leather stitches
tend to give way at the top of the rear seat squab. The
seatbelts abrade the seats.
I've heard it said that the V12 should be rebuilt at about
60k miles to replace bearings and rings. This freightens
me a bit as my car has 58k miles on it. A rebuild
typically costs about $5500 or so if you have it done
outside (XK's Unlimited charges about $6000 but offers a
warranty). In parts, expect about $1500 if you do it
yourself. Everything on the car is expensive. This
surprizes me a bit as the model has been in production for
17 years - with minor cosmetic changes.
Mechanically, the HE engine was a major change. It is more
fuel effecient (Ha!) than the original V12 and perhaps a
bit cleaner running. However, the original V12 is still
considered the hottest thing with 12 cylinders! The older
engine is the same as was used in the XJ12 and the Series
III E-type. However, these versions were carburated where
all XJ-S' are fuel injected.
Other points, all but no XJ-S' were imported to the US
with manual gearboxes. So if you find one with a manual
gearbox it's either very rare or modified. Same is true
for the convertibles. The body style was available in
three variations: coupe', cabrolet and convertible. I would
have to check my books but I believe the cabrolet came out
in the mid 80's while the convertible was not available until
the early 90's. Again, a convertible older than this is
most certainly a conversion. Time to make a point. Even if
a coupe' has been converted to a convertible ($4500 kit) it
is valuable. These babies just look FANTASTIC with the top
down! Around here the convertibles are about five to ten
thousand dollars more than the coupes'. If I ever were to
repaint my car or, God forbid, damaged it in an accident, I
would STRONGLY consider converting it a 'roadster'.
I've never driven an XJ-S with a manual gearbox or a
convertible. However, if I did I doubt seriously that
anyone could get me out of it with anything short of a
tactical nuke! I once joked that "I wish I lived farther
from the office". There were quite a few british-car fans
who echoed the same fealings.
I hope this helps. I've not only used up a chunk of Amoco's
time but now a chunk of yours. Sorry. I just love these
cars...
Rick
Note 1: Lucas tri-state electronics defined as OFF/ON/FLICKER
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Richard O. Lindsay / __ __ __ __
Senior Research Scientist / / /_/ /_ / / /_/ /_/
Amoco Production Research / / / / /_/ /_/ / / / \
/ /_/
/
My opinions are my own, until they're worth something, at
which point they become the property of my employer...
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