Ehhhh... starting to get leery of buying an XJS

"If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent" (essextee) 02/01/2016 at 21:04 • Filed to: None

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I mean, do I really want a car that !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to replace the starter motor? And lord knows I won’t get any help from the techs at my mom’s garage. They’ll probably never speak to me again if I buy one.

someassemblyrequired > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/01/2016 at 21:17

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And inboard rear disc brakes. And V12. The 92 and up cars have outboard brakes and the 6 cylinder, which is probably the smarter option, and there are a few 6 cylinder manuals around. I like the facelift, but a lot of people don’t.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > someassemblyrequired 02/01/2016 at 21:23

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But at the same time, any example that has survived this long has probably already had the difficult work (read: wiring rebuild) done to it already.

jkm7680 > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/01/2016 at 21:23

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Don’t do it unless you have $3,000 always set aside to fix stuff.

someassemblyrequired > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/01/2016 at 21:26

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Yeah the main enemy of the V12s is usually the rubber fuel lines. They tend to achieve Ferrari levels of combustibility when these get older. My understanding is that the crappy electronics are mostly HVAC related.

someassemblyrequired > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/01/2016 at 21:31

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Also if you are still considering an XJS there is a great shade tree manual here: http://www.jag-lovers.org/xj-s/book/Jagu… . Might be worth a look as it has a lot of shortcuts.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > jkm7680 02/01/2016 at 21:37

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I have a reliable DD and a place to keep the Jag while I save up for parts.

jkm7680 > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/01/2016 at 21:39

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But do you realize the amount of work needed to keep those cars running?

Even when they were brand new, they were horrible.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > jkm7680 02/01/2016 at 21:50

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I know. But I want a second car and I can’t see myself in anything else. I need to at least go look at one and drive it.

garagemonkee > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/01/2016 at 21:57

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I’ve considered an XJS before, but only if I removed the Jag motor and electrical system, redid all the wiring myself and put in a different motor, like some sort of Japanese inline 6. The looks are stunning, but everything else is meh.

Captain of the Enterprise > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/01/2016 at 22:13

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In the words of Alex Roy the problems have been “ownered out”.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/02/2016 at 09:05

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Get an AJ6! I’ve got one in my XJ40 and it’s a damn solid engine :)

I think they came over to the States after the Ford reforms so a lot of the old-worlde Jaguar quality problems were ironed out.

Plus, it's lighter, easier to work on, can be had with a Getrag 5-speed and I;m damn certain that with a proper set of headers, a cam and a bit of intake work you can be nudging early V12 power...

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 02/02/2016 at 10:11

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They only brought 25 manual sixes stateside, and auto sixes aren’t much easier to find.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/02/2016 at 10:31

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Really? That sucks. Hard to find manual ‘40s as well to pinch gearboxes from.

How about X300s?

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 02/02/2016 at 12:10

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I already have a manual I6 saloon as a DD. I’m looking for a coupe, preferably older. I don’t need a second German car (variety is the spice of life and whatnot), and Japanese cars don’t really interest me. Most of the interesting American steel is out of my budget.

Those 25 manual aj6s were never even sold to the public. They were auctioned off to Jaguar US employees.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 02/02/2016 at 13:27

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Ah gotcha. It’s tricky to say which British car you could get TBH. A lot of the best ones from the past couple of decades never made it to the US, like the MG ZT 260.

If you like slightly awkward looking cars (like me) how about a TR7 V8? What’re prices of those like?

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 02/02/2016 at 14:16

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My budget (3k USD) will buy a broken shell. If you can find one.

Meanwhile, $3k can buy me a running V12 XJS with a current inspection sticker.