Could somebody give me some advise please. There is a 126000 mile XJS from 1996 in my neighborhood for sale. It drives great, engine idles at about 1200 after warm, but no sounds or rattling. Car looks amazing but sun has worked some of the plastic parts inside the cabin to brittle (grommets for belts and glove compartment). Could somebody point me towards what to look for in a car of that age with 100k plus mileage? Many thanks in advance.
M
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Michael,
Surely you can find plenty, however your location and budget would make easier to estimate the rate of your success…
Your head will say run, run like hell.
Your heart will pull your wallet from your pocket and hand over as much cash as it takes.
Both points of view are welcome here.
Michael, welcome to Jag-lovers.
If you would click the magnifying glass icon and search for buyers guide, then click advanced search and select the XJS category, you will be shown tons of answers.
A great feature of this long-running website is the searchable archives.
Best regards,
Jim
The most important item you’ll want are records.
Most of the sun perished rubber and plastic parts should be readily available.
I have a large collection from my project donor car.
Glove compartment? There is no glove compartment on a 1996 XJS.
1,200rpm when warm? It should be at 700rpm in Park and 580rpm in gear.
Does the AC work?
Does the cruise control work?
An obsession with records/service history is peculiarly English. In USA most cars do not have service records and only a few care.
How much is this thing? That’s question #1 in my mind.
I keep a journal so I remember what I did and when. Perhaps useful if I sell, but that isn’t the plan.
Keeping receipts…I considered it, but I haven’t gotten around to it. Would be easy enough to just scan everything in…
Glove box on a '96 XJS ??? 
A 4.0 (6 cyl.) or 6.0 (V-12)?