1989 Jaguar XJS V12

Cross posted on the Grassroots forum:

Got a line on one at a good price. Car seems like a clean driver. Don't know much about them other that to imagine they're a lot more complicated and more expensive maintenance wise than my three TR8's combined.

It's got an automatic trans which wouldn't normally interest me but its perfect for my wife.

Any comments or sources on these Jags would be appreciated. Wondering about mechanical, parts prices/availability, etc.

Jags don't have a great reputation for reliability but neither did Triumph wedges, but my TR8's are bullet proof. But the TR8 is a much simpler car than the XJS V12 that I can maintain myself. I'm a bit worried about the Jag. Or should I be?

Much thanks in advance.

Bought a used one for my wife as a surprise back in the 80s and tried to use it as a daily driver. Previous daily drivers had been pick ups and lots of Ford Fiestas. Not surprisingly, it was considerably nicer than anything else we had ever owned. Though we only had it a year or two, never had any issues with it other than concerns about cooling. Had to keep a close eye on the temp gauge, especially while driving in the mountains of Colorado. About the only thing we had to do was replace the valve cover gaskets which turned into a 2 day job. Mileage sucked, it being a struggle to get 20 mpg on the highway, but the glorious ride and the power of the v12 made it worth while. Sold it to a friend who's wife promptly overheated it while on a vigorous drive in the mountains.

I know a guy with one and he too loves it, said he hasn't had any problems from it beyond basic maintenance - he takes it to a dealer for all its service.

I love the Jag. 12's. But, like a Porsche boxer, I don't see how anyone works on them without first pulling the engine. I'd always stay with the 6 instead.

Right after college I worked for a car dealer. His partner had an 85 XJS V12 coupe. Nice looking car, but it was in the shop quite often, usually for electrical or brake issues. Dealer told his partner if you own a Jag, you own two cars. I was the one who went to pick it up from the shop, so I got to drive it quite a few times. Nice smooth ride, very quiet inside. Power was smooth but not all that fast, kinda disappointing to me. Not sure I would rely on one as my daily without having a backup car.

i'v had mine 20yrs ,its had its share of small issues, but nothing that cant be handled at home.

i'd post some pix but dont know how on this site, no problem with other pix sites, must be me!

quick avatar shot

Think I'll let common sense trump my heart and pass on this car. Almost like you're begging for aggravation according to most posters. Sounds like a British version of a Porsche 928 for reliability/parts/service issues.

Only two paths with those cars.

1 - buy it, own it, enjoy it, when something goes wrong, park it and walk away.

2 - buy it, own it, enjoy it, when something goes wrong,get sucked into trying to fix it and end up with triple what the car is worth into it when you should have just done #1 and then bought another one.

My parents had one, and let me drive it in a few ill-advised moments. The engine is gorgeous, smooth, and willing to rev. It's bolted to a three-speed slushbox designed to keep unbalanced v8s from over-revving. In other words, first gear redline is over 60m.p.h. Imagine a modern supercar locked into snowdriving mode on the shifter... Beyond that, the problems were mostly as you would expect for a classic British car: Corrosion on wiring connectors, little fiddly easily broken parts where cost-cutting really jumps out at you when surrounded by an otherwise opulent interior, oil that escapes through solid metal, and a cooling system designed for a soggy little northern island that seldom sees over 80 degrees in the summer or below 30 in the winter. They are great to drive on an interstate run, except with the fuel mileage you might expect from a 12 cylinder... Nearly 4000 pounds of car yields a solid ride, well isolated from the outside world.
The seats are very comfortable if not very adjustable, and the overall driving experience is as a grand tourer should be.

For parts, we used SNG Barrat, Coventry West, and a couple of smaller wreckers yards. We sold it on, since in East Tennessee there are few of the sort of long sweeping drives where it excelled, and plenty of the hot humid days where the cooling system doesn't...

My friend has had one for about 10 years, been parked for the last 4 due to over heating problems. Replacing the radiator and hoses is an 8-10 hour job. The good news, Jag had planned, as an option, installing a GM 350 engine (it already has a GM automatic transmission). Several companies sell the conversion kit, bolt on parts, that allow you to dump the silky smooth (and troublesome)V12 for some reliable American Iron under the hood.

mike h

In reply to OFracing: Johns Jags has been selling Chevy kits since at least the '80s. But now you don't have a Jag. You just have another Chevy motored bastard. Why bother?

I think the driving force behind the popularity of the Chev conversions is ignorance.

Many owners seem ignorant of the basic maintenance required on the 6 cylinder cars. The engines are like truck engines - reliable over high mileages, given some minimal preventative maintenance.

The V-12 is another story - rebuilding them almost invariably costs more than the whole car is worth, so I can see a conversion as an alternative to just junking them.

all said and done , there is something about a 12 cylinder engine, the talk the smooooth walk!

YUP car guy stuff!

True, True!

No pain, no gain!