Always liked those pretty British cars. I hear things. Any of it true?
This particular example isn't running. Seller claims to not know why after replacing battery and fuel pump. Mileage is 148k. Worth a look? How durable are these engines? What is it, the 3.4 or the 4.2?
I'm full of questions. 
Ahh, the XJ40. Taillights shatter if you close the trunk too hard, which is a hilariously British thing to see happen on your buddy's car - not so much on your own. Early door handles break VW-style. Gauge clusters have a tendency to go batE36 M3 crazy on the older cars too. If it's an '89, I think it would be a 3.6, which have head gasket oil leak issues - the 4.0 cars largely eliminated that. The hydraulic rear suspension is also a very common issue, and they can rust out in a really scary way where the front A-arms mount.
They are pretty solid cars, outside of that. Stout drivetrain, good old ZF autobox. If it's been overheated, it might be dead forever. I almost bought a pretty nice one for $1000 once. I actually regret not doing so.
I'm far more inclined towards the sightly earlier Series III XJ6's - much better looking, just about as cheap, and the well maintained ones are pretty reliable (as far as Jaguars go).
In reply to SlickDizzy:
Yeah, the ad has no pics, but I wouldn't take the plunge unless both the body and interior were pretty darn nice, which I suppose is doubtful...
I love XJ40s. I used to run 94. Buy a good one; it will cost less than 2 grand. If there is anything wrong with the engine it won't be worth fixing.
There are plenty of them that have been maintained correctly. You want one of those. The later in the run the better.
In reply to JohnyHachi6:
The wiki says series III ran from 79 to 92. You mean series II (73-79)?
There's an XJ40 race series in the UK, which means that somebody will sell you a premade cage for it if you should happen to want such a thing.
IMHO, Series III XJs are much prettier, but they rust really badly in places you would never think of. And the first XJ came out in, what, 1968? It stands to reason that the XJ40, for all its flaws, represented some more advanced thinking.
1988RedT2 wrote: In reply to JohnyHachi6: The wiki says series III ran from 79 to 92. You mean series II (73-79)?
I think that was only in certain markets, or maybe the LWB models. The XJ40 (what you're looking at if it's an '89 in the USA) is the 4th gen model.
XJ12s carried on as the series III until 92. In 93a the XJ81 came out - that's an XJ40 V12.
Like SlickDizzy said; I think there's some model name differences between the UK and the US market. The series III has much curvier lines and more chrome and is based on a chassis and drivetrain that dates back to the 50's or 60's. Series III production ended in the US in 1987 I think, but continued in the UK until a few years later ('92 I guess).
The first two project cars I had when I was a teenager were XJ6s. They were even cheap back then. The electrical systems can be bad if they weren't maintained, but everything about them is SO smooth (the engine, the ride, the styling). It's a really nice car and since Jaguar had been making them with only minor changes for 30 years they were getting ok at it.
As has been said countless times........there is nothing more expensive than a cheap car.
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