[Editor's Note: We originally ran this article a few years ago. Some information may be different.]
Out of the thousands upon thousands of Readers’ Rides on our webpage, a Jaguar XJS is the sixth-highest-rated car. Okay, so it’s a full-race example prepared and campaigned by the championship-winning Group 44 team, but we still know what you’re thinking: Is this British classic worth a serious look?
“For anyone old enough to remember leg warmers and big hair, the term ‘icon’ meant more than symbols on your tablet or smartphone,” says Michael Marter of Jaguar parts house XKs Unlimited. “Mickey Mantle, Miles Davis and James Dean were icons. So was the Jaguar E-Type. Drop-dead gorgeous, it was the first volume-produced sports car to offer such a sophisticated and potent package at a comparatively low price.
“Replacing the E-Type was well-nigh impossible and the XJS didn’t exactly cause the automotive world to spontaneously combust, but the all-alloy 5.3-liter V12 returned–now sporting fuel injection–as did Jaguar’s excellent and innovative independent rear suspension. Styling was at least handsome and interior dimensions were patterned after someone taller than the average Formula One driver.”
His take-home point: “Today the XJS is a fantastic bargain with many variations from which to choose.”
How much of a bargain is it? Bring a Trailer recently sold a very clean 1983 coupe for $8100. According to the receipts, some $35,000–yes, 35 really big ones–had recently been spent on a full mechanical and body restoration. Hagerty says that good cars should cost somewhere south of $10,000.
Not only is the XJS today’s value buy, it also allows for some choices. The model line debuted for 1976 as a V12-powered coupe. Targa and convertible models were added during the 1980s. XJS production ran all the way though 1996.
While all of the V12-powered cars came with automatic transmissions, the drivetrains evolved, too. Jaguar moved to the H.E.(high efficiency) V12 engine for the 1982 model year, and a 4-liter, six-cylinder engine became an option starting in 1993. “While the V12 has instant cachet, don’t discount the later six-cylinder cars,” Marter adds. “The second-generation AJ-16 4.0 six-cylinder is dead-reliable, and there is a chance you’ll find one with a manual transmission.”
Is the XJS going to replace your WRX or Miata? Maybe not. But if you’re looking for a comfortable grand touring car that offers some panache, then the XJS could be worth a look.
Michael Marter of Jaguar parts house XKs Unlimited offers up some helpful XJS advice.
“I won’t attempt a chronology here, but a search should probably start with the H.E. models of 1982. Earlier cars with their black bumpers were not as attractive, and some of the first-generation fuel injection components are no longer available.
“If a convertible is on your list, the stopgap Hess & Eisenhardt conversions are probably best avoided–the later factory version was much improved and most parts are actually available.
“With few exceptions, there is not a dog in the entire XJ-S production run. Jaguar later dropped the hyphen. “Problem areas are few and are generally shared with any vehicle that’s anywhere from 20 to 40 years old. Expect and accept some surprises, and a pre-purchase check by a marque expert would be money well spent.
“Pay particular attention to the health of a V12; they’re complex and frightfully expensive to rebuild. Other parts of the car, however, are old-school simple and repairable by mere mortals.
“Upon purchase, your to-do list should include replacement of all cooling and heating hoses plus both thermostats.
“The three most important things to remember with a Jaguar V12 are: don’t let it overheat, don’t let it overheat, and don’t let it overheat. When things get hot, valve seats tend to part ways with the cylinder heads. Mechanical mayhem ensues.
“You might also consider dropping the I.R.S. for a thorough cleaning, replacement of the I.R.S. mounts and trailing arm bushings, plus a brake caliper inspection–all of which are eminently easier with the assembly removed.
“Enjoy the search, take pride in your purchase, and give XKs Unlimited a call when you need help.”
British Motor Trade Association
britcar.org
(616) 355-2850
Tsikuris Classics
(863) 858-7981
Welsh Enterprises
welshent.com
(800) 875-5247
XKs Unlimited
xks.com
(800) 444-5247
Jaguar Clubs of North America
jcna.com
I've bought Jaguar XJ-S's for as little as $300. In fact I was once given a very early (1975) XJ-S because the junk yard had almost no call for parts. That complex looking V12 intimidates most but it's amazingly strong and durable. Minor little things tend to let it down. The distributor for example gets it's lubrication when the cap and rotor are removed, a screw removed and a few drops of oil are dropped in every other oil change.. Except almost no-one is aware of that requirement. As a result a lot of mechanics get their first look inside a V12 in a vane attempt to restore the performance or prevent overheating.. I hate to tell you how many really good engines I've picked up for as little as $50 (normal junkyard price tends to be between $500-$1500) for simple issues like a seized up distributor.
Yes the rubber hoses in the vacuum/fuel systems tend to harden and crack. However they are easy enough for a D.I.Y to replace. Doing so every 5 years or so prevents a lot of issues like rough running or fires.
On the other hand everything on a Jaguar is extremely stout.. The rear ends constantly find their way into hotrods and Cobra replicas making over 500 horsepower.. The GM turbo 400 transmission has the heavy duty parts found in Ambulances and tow trucks.. and the whole engine looks like one of those 8000 horsepower top fuel engines. The Mains are over 3 inches and the rod journals are 2.3 inches (compared to a small block chevy's 2.00 or later 2.10) The iron sleeves just press out if anyone could ever actually wear one out..
From 1975-to about 1978-79 the transmission was a cast Iron Borg Warner (yep! a version of the Studebaker transmission from the 1950's) the less said about it the better! But the early (up to 1980) fuel injection is the easiest to fool and has the biggest injectors.. However it's analog not digital, not a single microchip. Only the last years with Ford had any IC networks.
In 1981 they introduced the H.E. It was designed to improve fuel mileage and meet California's smog regulations. They achieved that with a combustion chamber similar to GM's fireball six of the 40's and 50's . The sad thing is the performance potential of the early (1971-1980) flathead was lost.. Those heads flowed like an inverted Hemi with the combustion chamber in the piston. In fact all race cars used that early flathead because of vastly superior flow potential.. However the H.E. went from a compression ratio of 7.8-1 to 11.5-1 while still using pump (92 octane) grade fuel. The good news was because of a more efficient transmission, taller final drive ratio, and higher compression fuel mileage went from 8-10 to 12-17 MPG.. Not bad for a 4200 pound car..
Be aware that at best the XJ-S is a low production car.. Early on annual production seldom reached 3000 and one year was under 1000. In fact total production of all V12 engines (including XJ-12) didn't begin to achieve break-even. That changed with the advent of the H.E. engine and it's better fuel mileage and transmission..
With the introduction of the 4 valve all aluminum six cylinder reliability took a dramatic upswing. In fact GM was considering buying Jaguar and in doing their due diligence discovered what a great engine the 4 valve all aluminum engine was. They then bought it (and tooling etc.) modified it to use in their new Mid range SUV's Trailblazer, Envoy, etc.
Once Ford bought Jaguar quality went up dramatically and so did sales.. From 1992 until end of production in 1996 the engine was stroked to 6.0 litres from it's original 5.3 increasing power 23 horsepower while still increasing slightly fuel mileage (Better fuel injection and crank fired ignition)
My dad had one for a few years the only car I knew that the fire extinguisher got good use in. Apparently if my memory is correct they can leak oil into the catalytic converter.
Beatiful car yes, near an e type in beauty no in my opinion. Expensive if you don't do your own work.
tripp wrote: My dad had one for a few years the only car I knew that the fire extinguisher got good use in. Apparently if my memory is correct they can leak oil into the catalytic converter. Beatiful car yes, near an e type in beauty no in my opinion. Expensive if you don't do your own work.
Fire extinguisher? Well it probably wasn't oil leaking rather one whole bank of the engine shut down and pumped raw gas into the converter due to the distributor issues I mentioned..
As for expense of working on? Due to the complex appearance of the engine it's extremely easy for a less than honest (or perhaps ignorant) mechanic to run up a sizeable tab. I've seen water pumps, headgaskets, radiators, fans rebuilt/replaced etc. all in a vane attempt to fix the frozen distributor issue..
A few drops of oil in the proper place every other oil change would have solved that!!
Highly plausible on it being raw fuel I just know there was not than 1 engine fire before it eventually had an issue that was too expensive to fix from my dad's perspective. Trying to remember back 10+ years ago for the details.
frenchyd, thanks for the additional input. (And once you say that a transmission is ambulance-tough, you kind of have me; I have the same TH400 in my Pontiac wagon, in fact.)
My buddy has an rs, it's kinda cool.
Just be aware that a rusty Jaguar is a money pit second to none.
A friend' father owns an XJS he bought new - a very rare fawn sort of gold colour. It has less than 5,000 miles on it as it was used for sunny weekends only. It has been sitting under a carport for many years. It is rusted to ratE36 M3 just sitting there, having never seen winter or even wet driving conditions, nor salt on the road.
In reply to wspohn:
Just sitting is tough on any car. Surface rust isn't a real issue except it will require a repaint to make look decent again but you are lucky in that Old Jaguars have a lacquered based paint which is easy to spot in by a skilled painter. Matching a rare paint isn't as hard as it once was with the new digital matching equipment. However good luck finding a skilled painter, with access to the new equipment and someplace to blend up a small amount of paint..
As far as a money pit, a combination of a lack of knowledge and imagined complexity has caused many a trusting owner to allow an unscrupulous mechanic to "rebuild" a V12 simply in an attempt to get it to run properly or not overheat. A properly trained mechanic would check to see if the distributor is frozen due to lack of lubrication before going off on expensive rebuilding or modifications of the cooling system.
However if there are holes in the body etc.. don't waste time and a lot of money trying to rebuild rust. Go buy a car without those issues.. if the mechanical bits are that good do a swap into the good body.
David S. Wallens wrote: frenchyd, thanks for the additional input. (And once you say that a transmission is ambulance-tough, you kind of have me; I have the same TH400 in my Pontiac wagon, in fact.)
That V12 has a shocking amount of torque for such a small little engine.. hence the heavy duty big block internals. I have taken apart a transmission where the internals were swapped out at the transmission shop in a vane attempt to fix the hesitation caused by the common TH400 dropped seal issue. (caused by someone changing the fluid and not knowing what they are doing).. It's happened to lots of GM cars too!
Displaying 1-10 of 46 commentsView all comments on the GRM forums
You'll need to log in to post.
