|
If your thinking about buying an old xjs, be very carefull....Ive owned them since the late 70s when they came out and have had all the different incarnations of them...Ive had the chevy 350 and 400 conversion and of course the absolute nighmare 12 cylinder models... From 1977 up untill around 1990when ford bought jag, you really only had one choice. It was going to be a coupe and it was going to have the 12 cylinder engine. The 6 cylinder and convertable wasnt offered yet... The cars were beautifull and if you were the first owner...up to around 65k miles..dependable.... If you were the second and third and now possible future owner look out. Ive always said xjss were the crack cocaine of cars and there coming out arout 1976 and 77 coincided with the rise of the cocaine trade. Both dealers jag and crack had the exact same business model...give them that first hit knowing the money to be made was in the "comeback". The comeback for the xjs was the incredable amount of money it would take to maintain the 12 cylinder engine...Most jag owners at that time owned the car for less that 50k mils or traded them in every 2 years. The original owners never kept the cars long enough to experience the financial damage repairing one of these cars can bring. It was that second and third owner that suffered from the comeback. Throw in the cost of Jag parts and labor to do anything... Just think of this: can you think of any other high end car (mercedes/porsche/volvo) that has sprouted at least 3 other companies that make chevy 350 conversion kits for the engine that originally came with the car? The 12cylinder engine was that bad. From first hand experience heres how the end comes for a 12 cylinder jag...Your driving down the road and suddenly the car starts to overheat. Narurally you do all the normal things...water pump/thermostats/radiator etc...all at a huge cost in labor and parts only to find out that one of the heads has a valve issue...Now your faced with the jag dillema. The rest of the car is still beautifull but do you fix the 12 cylinder or convert to a dependable chevy 350. If your looking at a 12 cylinder xjs to buy then the single most important factor in your decision is...DO YOU HAVE A MECHANIC THAT WILL WORK ON IT? Look at the pics listed in cars currently for sale...Lets say your car doesnt start...you lift up the hood and see that insanely complicated12 cylinder engine where do you even start? Alot of the 12 cylinders havent had all there spark plugs changed as one needs some special tool to reach. Also, as a jag mechanic friend of mine pointed out..."good luck getting those aluminum heads of after20-30 years..."Almost all of the old guys who worked on these cars have retired by now and its almost impossible to find a mechanic or shop that is either knowledegable or competent and finally WILLING enough to work on them. Even ford when they bought jag put a 10 year limit on repairing the 12 cylinders...Also the fuel injector rails were located over the engine and with the engine heat became brittle leading to fires and now all these years later will definately need replacing...a set is about $450.. A chevy conversion will be about $3500 all in. The kits are very straighforward, require no welding etc and the harness just plug in...The cars do lose re sale value however.The biggest differance in driving the cars is the acceleration...A chevy 350 takes you up to 70 miles an hour when your getting on the freeway...a 12 cylinder jag just sort of swoooshes you up to speed....A compromise for the xjs consumer came after ford bought Jag. Jags quality and reputation had become so shoddy that ford was forced to offer a 30 day money back guarentee if you bought one. The early 90 ford xjs were a much better quality car...unless you still opted for that 12 cylinder engine... You were now able for the first time to get the VERY RELIABLE jag 6cylinder engine....an engine not much changed since the 50s... Also available was the convertable model again available with the 6 cylinder model. With the convertable introduction, coupes became rarer...only 7500 were produced as the convertable popularity soared. This car for sale is a 1993 jaguar xjs in awsome condition. The pics dont do it justice.The interior and exterior look new. No cracks in dash, scuffed or torn seats. It has only 68000 miles on the dependable 6 cylinder Jag motor. THIS IS NOT A mechanical and financial nightmare 12 cylinder model. The car has been cared for but when Im replacing tires because theve rotted from lack of use rather than being worn out, its time to let someone enjoy driving the car. This is truely a stunning original jag...paint is 9.5, maybee more out of 10...I just had the car alligned, new front tires and battery installed....the result of lack of use....Everything works. Has original tool set, books, records etc...interior is 9 out of 10.. The original jag wheels are in excellent condition...no skuffs etc.... Given the low miles, you could easily use the car for day to day driving. Its a beautifull original jag. The two issues with the car are... a rock hit the windshield and cracked it on the way back from the tire store and Id cancelled the insurance...so you can either use your insurance to replace it or used windshields are about $150...plus install...and there is a skrew that tightens on the hood cable by feet...Its doesnt need cable or anything like that, Im just 64 years old and cant cant get upside down to reach skrew on cable.... This happens when someone tries to slam the hood shut instead of gently letting it down...For for a 20 plus year old car...pretty much nothing....The car gets comments every time I take it out....Its just that nice a looking car. Its also just had its oil changed, and tuned up....The old car purrs down the road straight as an arrow. Please dont bid if you dont have the money and make me go through all of the e bay stuff again. Thanks
|
Home
Contact us
NEWEST CARS
SELL YOUR CAR
FAQ
Enquire
