Linas asks....
{Is a Jaguar XJS reliable? In Canada, new they sell new for about $70,000.
{A five to seven year old sells for $10-$20,000. Thats quite a difference.
{I don't see this happen with Porsches.
The current (Jan '95) issue of "British Car" has a large article on
buying a used XJS. The line that I remember was "Just because you can
get it for a price of a Chevy, don't expect that the maintenance and
upkeep costs will be the same as for a Chevy."
Did you notice that I didn't answer your primary question?
{Is this because they get very expensive to maintain?
Yup and very expensive to fix once they do break. You don't buy these
cars to save money, you buy them to enjoy them and try not to think
about the cost.
{Should I look at the 6 cylinder sedan instead?
It depends on what you want from your new car. Once you drive a 12-cyl
XJS, it'll be hard to be satisfied with something different. That is,
until you have to do some work on the engine or the complex electrical
system. But, by all means, do test drive one, they are incredible...
{I am looking for a reliable daily driver.
Hummmm, an XJS might be a poor choice based on this criteria. In my
experience, Jags make good second cars. I'm not sure I'd recommend one
as your only means of transport.
{Anything especially to look for when purchasing a used Jag?
Yup, the _very_ most important thing to look for when purchasing a used
Jag is a real Jaguar mechanic who can spend an hour carefully checking
the car out for you before you buy it. Seriously, based on the
questions you've asked here, you are not familiar with these cars. The
Jag mechanics will be and they'll know what to check for.
Have them _really_ drive it and check the performance, gearbox,
drivetrain, handling and body sway. Have them do a compression test.
Have them put it on a lift and check for leaks (steering, engine,
trans), accident repairs, rust or PO (Previous Owner) kludges.
If trouble is found, you can either adjust the price accordingly
(thereby recovering the cost of the inspection) or pass on the car. If
it checks out OK, you've just bought some peace of mind. Either way,
it's a win.
And, if you aren't going to do the work yourself, your mechanic will be
familiar with the car and can fix it for you once you do buy it.
Below are some XJS problems which were reported on the jag list:
/\ Lawrence "Step 1: Remove Engine and Transmission" Buja
\_][ southern@ncar.ucar.edu National Center for Atmospheric Research
\_________________________Boulder,_Colorado___80307-3000__________
Paul Jacobson wrote:
> Here are the problems we encountered via the dealer inspection at
> 75.00 a pop times three and still no ownership:
>
> Front main crank seal leak
> Banjo seal leak ??
> Steering rack bushings shot
> Oil sender unit leaking
> AC hoses leaking
> Brake rotors out of speck
> valve covers leaking
> Cruise control non-operatable
> Trip/milage computer malfunctioning
>
> To have this work performed by the Jag shop would cost between 3-4k US $$.
Kilbert wrote:
>Here's some numbers from my 1983 XJ-S, 80,000 miles:
> Windshield wiper motor and entire assembly: crap.
> Electric mirror joystick switches: crap.
> Electric radiator fan motor: crap, and incredibly expensive crap at that
> Climate control servo: crap.
> Throttle potentiometer: crap, and $100 each.
> Radio antenna: crap, and $300+ each.
> Brake fluid level switch: unbelEEEvable crap!
> Oil pressure sending unit: crap.
> Bulb failure units: crap.
> All connectors throughout the entire car: crap.
> Three main fuse boxes, and they STILL have to hide fuses under the
> console, in the trunk, everywhere else you cannot find when something
> stops working: crap.
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