Used Car Shopping: 1995 Jaguar XJS Convertible

"Raphmoe" (raphmoe)
10/30/2014 at 14:47 • Filed to: Jaguar, jag, jaaaag, used cars, car review

It's hard for me not to fall for a big, big engined, Jaguar convertible.

I don't really have much to say about this car, but I love how it looks and I'm sure I'd love how it sounds and drives.

The color is beautiful, and while it might look endlessly chintzy down in Florida, in New York and her suburbs it just looks stunning next to the endless sea of black, silver, and beige - with the occasional red/white/blue of the constabulary or the yellow cabs darting to and fro.

Again, I think that context has a lot to play into how much I like this gas-sucking, soft-riding boulevardier. Its skin is largely free from creases and ornamentation, which seem to be en vogue these days, yet this Jaguar retains a convincing three dimensionality

I suppose it kind of looks like a huge bar of soap, but its stance is somehow muscular and the Jaguar badge gives the whole car some tension. From behind the wheel, I'm sure looking down that long hood has a beauty all of its own.

This mid-90s XJS is part of a contiguous line of development from the first XJSs of 1975, and it shows in the proportions of the car – especially in the low front and the long rear overhang. it looks a little strange, but I think that's part of some of the charm of the car – it's certainly different, and combined with its material qualities (big trunk, big engine, and what I assume to be graceful manners on the road) it must be an attractive package for its owner. Tales of reliability don't seem to be too much of a problem either; and, dat engine: