I am looking for a reality check

XJ-S
1

Hello, two things to start off.

1: I am new so I apologize if I get the formatting wrong

2: I am extremely dyslexic. I do my best to edit and read my work, but I will generally miss something. I am sorry if it comes out weird.

I am a young guy working towards a well-paying engineering job. I love cars, I have daily driven a classic before, and I love Jags! A year ago, I was considering a Mercedes R107 as a daily, I went on the Mercedes forums to do what I am doing now. I actually decided against it based on what the owners said. Stealing a quote from a youtuber “You need to absolutely love a classic you daily or you will not be able to stand the car.” For two years, I drove an absolutely beautiful Ford LTD Landau. It was fun, but it drove me crazy. I was coming off an early 2000s Navigator that had set the bar pretty high, my expectations were unreal for what I was getting into. However, I am glad I had that experience, it taught me things that I didn’t know.

That said, I am still looking for my dream car. Rather than getting old and buying my dream car late in life, I want to be able to make memories for my whole life. I don’t mind modifying or needing to fix stuff to get a car were to get it where I want it, but I want to make sure before I do. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, give me the Good and the Bad of the XJS. Also, I will include information about me and the things I need so that may help with advice.

What I am looking for:

Series 2 XJS V12. ABS, Airbags, Red ext, Tan Int.

A car that is gorgeous beyond words

A classic that has “good enough” safety

Lots of comfort, quiet and composed, good for very long trips and lots of commuting

A sort of safe place, my cars are my place I go when I need to think

Something that I can keep for at least 20 years and still enjoy

Not full of features but has the important comforts. Cruise control, leather, a good heater, etc (This is what finally got me to get rid of the LTD).

Space for me (6ft) and luggage

The Good News:

I am waiting and being patient, doing lots of research, and know how to find exactly what I want.

There will be a large fund set aside towards purchase and modification, I am aware how expensive these are to own.

I take beyond fantastic care in maintaining my vehicles: ceramic coats, undercarriage protection, skilled mechanics, if it needs done it will be done, I used a lot of paint protection (look below for why)

I am prepared for breakdowns and stuff going wrong, AAA, rental cars, etc.

If I find that car, I am dedicated no matter the cost. That is my vehicle, and it will be treated as the work of art it is (in repairs at least, read below).

If I don’t like something on a car, I don’t mind working on a fix myself or paying someone to come up with a solution. (CUPHOLDERS! WHY DOES NOTHING I LOOK AT COME WITH CUPHOLDERS OUT OF THE FACTORY!)

My cars never sit.

The Bad News:

My cars never sit. We are talking about 30k miles a year. I drive rather than fly in most cases, so we are talking journeys of 500 miles or more regularly.

If I am driving it as a daily, it will go where I go. Construction site in the Midwest, Walmart, Sketchy neighborhoods, dirt and gravel, truck stops in the middle of nowhere, etc.

There is a trip to Alaska planned at some point, I will take whatever this is.

I need to be able to leave for an emergency at the drop of a hat, its just part of the career field I am going into. If there was an accident, I would need to be the first or second on site.

I eat in my car, I sometimes sleep in my car, everything I own goes camping at least once a year, I sometimes work in the car, it becomes a home on wheels.

I have kept clunkers around as backups, but I would prefer to only have one car though. Thus, this car is the one going to Home depot.

I don’t like renting vans for some reason, so I generally would tow with the LTD, um… can you tow with an XJS?

I actually value fuel economy but gave up on that a long time ago. LTD got 10 on premium, so I am used to expensive fuel.

I want a sunroof, I am known to stand on the drivers seat, and yell things out the top of the car. I also want to try and fly a kite out one someday. I am aware the sunroof on the XJS was added after the car was built at customs, I am familiar with the fact that aftermarket sunroofs are terrible. Does the Sunroof on the XJS break?

I am coming to the experts. Because I love the look of this car, I love the (In Jeremy Clarkson’s voice) “Jag” ness about it, and after doing lots of research it has a high potential of being what I would keep for years. But, my situation is unique, and I really should just get an Outback for practical reasons, but I am not a particularly practical guy. Thanks! Have a blessed day!

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A lot to digest, but my 2 cents on two of your questions:

If you want airbags, you’ll have to get an XJ-S with a Marelli ignition. I prefer the Lucas ignition from early '89 and back. Marelli’s can be dealt with, but reading stories here on the forum I find they are way more high maintenance than the Lucas. Also, without the airbag, I was able to easily change my steering wheel. yes, airbags are safer, but I guess I trust the three point belt. Speaking of, I think 87-88 (like mine) came with the terrible passive seatbelts. It took some time and money, but I replaced mine with older 3 point belts.

I would NOT get a sunroof. If you read the threads here, anybody with a dealer installed sunroof has nothing but problems. And they are quite rare.

you’ll also want to read up about the Teves brake systems that started in I think 89. I also went with pre-anti lock brakes, yes, less safe, but the early anti-lock brake systems on the XJS seem like nothing but trouble.

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The XJ-S is not generally referred to as having “Series”. We speak of the “facelift” as being the 1993-on cars, which have a different taillight arrangement.

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Are you trolling this site? A lot to say about nothing if you ask me.

I own a Mercedes 107 as well and between that and the Jags the 107 has been much cheaper to keep up with, and requires much less attention. Whatever site you were on mislead you.

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That is so helpful, thank you!

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I’ve been daily driving XJSs for 20+ years starting when I was 19. Went through four of them so if you’re doing 30k a year for 20 years you’re not gonna have one XJS for life. I finally got a “real car” 7 years ago when I got a new job, and there was no such thing as working from home on a snowy day. If you don’t live in a snowy area you can daily an XJS. I’d really suggest having an XJS and a used 4x4 pickup truck though… snow, and while Home Depot runs are plausible in a convertible but you really can’t fit so much as a push broom in a coupe. Lumber really does a job on leather too.

-John

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Also, very helpful. I live in the South, but find a lot of the trips are going near the Midwest, I hadn’t even thought about snow.

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Sorry, I am not particularly concise. I fully agree the Mercedes would be more reliable, the reason I decided to stay away was the top. I don’t want to manage 100 pounds of German engineering all the time. I heard otherwise the owners were quite happy, I don’t like the look of the c107 as much as the r107, so I decided to look elsewhere for a coupe.

9

Sounds like someone wants to be patted on the back…

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These two statements seem to be at odds with one another.

By Series 2, I assume you mean an HE or later, before the facelift in 91. These cars were very expensive in their day, and although you could use them as daily drivers, I expect the typical well-off owner did not. It’s probably the reason you can still find such nice examples today.

The youngest of these cars is now 30 years old. Parts that are plentiful today will be less so over the course of your ownership. Unless the car you find has been restored recently, your intended use will be expensive.

I had two; an HE for 16 years, and a pre-face lift 89 for 24. Two of the nicest GTs I’ve ever driven, I miss them both. But the maintenance to keep them in showroom condition was starting to take its toll.

Sounds like you want your cake and to eat it too. The XJS is not suited for this.

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An XJS for towing is not a regular sight. However there is a gent who tows a sizeable caravan behind his 84 HE through the hills and tracks of southeastern Australia and swears he does it trouble free.

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This is obviously a Jag forum and Mercedes conversations are not appropriate, but I’ll just say that taking the hard top on and off is really not that big of a deal, I can do it all by myself.
Back to Jaguar:
IMO, because of what I know from my own experiences with these cars, (and many others will undoubtedly have different opinions and points of view) whatever car you eventually end up with will be at a minimum 25 years old. Even if you end up with a completely rust free car (as mine are) Do you not believe that, that car will not have to be completely gone through? Again, IMO, trying to piecemeal the restorative process while keeping the car on the road (I’m not talking about putting about around town, but actual real highway driving like I do) is fools gold, as you will never catch up. I keep saying this, but again, it’s been my experience that every time you add a new piecemeal component you throw off the equilibrium of the car. New pieces hasten the demise of old and even unrelated pieces, and old pieces hasten the degradation of the new. It’s a vicious cycle that continually rears its ugly head.
There is no free lunch here:
On the other hand if you break everything down and tackle it all at once (even with the proper purse strings) it still won’t be anything close to being is an overnight job.
The first order of business is parts gathering. The more time that passes the funner (that’s not a word but let’s go with it) that process becomes. The same parts today, that were had for a song, just 10-15 years ago are no longer dirt cheap, they’re downright expensive today.
Once you think that the parts gathering is over and well into the job you will almost certainly run into unexpected situations that will totally send you back into the gathering mode = time lost.
And, by the way, none of these jobs are easy, and quite a few of them require specialized tools to be made, bought, or borrowed = more time lost
Even to me, this sound like a Debbie Downer, dooms day scenario, but if you didn’t catch the point, it gonna take a lot of time to sort out any of these cars that are looking to do serious trouble free mileage.
What’s the upside after completion?
Well, if your an introvert then the Jaguar experience won’t be a lot of fun. With complete strangers waving to you on highways, and being pestered at petrol stations, and parking lots, people honking at you all the time, it get’s to be quite annoying after a while. Inconspicuous is not a word that will ever be used when referring to an old Jag, even more so IMO than any of the new ones. These cars will give you (at least here in the States) a small glimpse of what stardom must feel like.

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I had a 1973 R107 for many years. Once it was sorted out, the car was quick, extremely reliable, and not-too-expensive to maintain. The more I drove it the more I hated it. The driving position horribly uncomfortable (not very adjustable), and for not a small car, there wasn’t much usable space.

The Jag is immeasurably more pleasant to drive and a more useful vehicle. However, given your extensive varied criteria, it sounds like you need something like a modern F-Pace or Range Rover instead of a vintage Jag.

Ron

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Yep, I can fully understand how you could arrive at such a conclusion. Although I didn’t find the seats to be all that bad, I found that adding sheepskin seat covers added to their comfort, but the adjustability is something that left little to be desired, so I ultimately went with this set of fully restored Recaro Classic C seats and that gave me the ultimate driver and adjustable seat that I’ve always wanted. By the way, I have another set designated for my XJS coupe as well. I really don’t find the seats in the XJS or the XJ40 to be particularly comfortable as well. The seat backs are ok but I find the bottom seat cushions on both cars, including the Recaro sports seats to be way too short for comfort.
The other thing of note that I have noticed about the 107 & the XJS is both cars are comfortably accommodating to taller & larger drivers. I think the sweet spot in height is between 180-182cm, and the top of the weight scale is probably 91kg for comfort.

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I agree. Despite the rear seats that are only there show, the XJS does offer a fair amount of boot space that will not only carry your luggage and golf club, but it’s not shy about toting your groceries around as well. It’s quite practical to a large extent.

Yep, good call, sounds like he really needs something else that would be better suited for his task at hand.

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As someone that’s only ever owned cars older than them self, I think It’s a fun idea.

My first vehicle is a 1985 BMW 635CSi This car was 27 years old when I bought it at 18
Second is a 1977 XJ-S

My thoughts are as follows:
Vintage Cars are always fun to drive.
Vintage cars are always broken.
If you live somewhere that they salt the road, the car will be absolutely destroyed in a few years.

Roadside repairs-
I’d seriously consider a jumpsuit and a toolbox in the trunk. I did it. Additionally, things like a couple spare relays, alligator clips, wires, a booster pack always come in handy. Spare fluids as well. Don’t forget a multi-meter and electrical diagrams.

  • almost forgot to mention- as I’m sure you know, vintage cars are much easier to fix on the side of the road!

Avoiding roadside repairs- I’d plan to replace every single hose on that car before you go far from home. Additionally, all the weird wear parts should be done- think governor gear in the transmission.

Fuel- my XJ-S is an absolute gas guzzler- to the point that I am a little concerned to go very rural with it, I simply know that there are places where it could be hard to find fuel or I could be stuck in traffic or some other circumstance long enough that I’ll run out. What I’m getting at is that if you’re probably going to hit a stretch on the highway to AK that simply doesn’t have enough fuel stops available. Alaska itself is worse in some places. Just be wary.

Mechanics- The hard truth that I’ve encountered is that most mechanics aren’t interested in innovating. It’s not their thing to come up with solutions, they’re technicians. So, I’m wary of finding someone to pay for a solution. This is especially true with weird, vintage cars, there are mechanics that may not even want to service the car as they’re afraid of strange cars.

So, be prepared to solve things yourself.

I know you don’t want to but, a secondary car that you can use as a backup especially if you’re going to have to leave at a moment’s notice for work is probably a good idea. You know, something that isn’t older than you.

All in all, I think it’s a fine idea. You should get one; just be ready for all kinds of British car nonsense and some late nights figuring things out.

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Speaking of Clarkson and British automotive. Imagine yourself Jeremy having a daughter. She’s big, she’s fat and she rides like a jelly monster. She eats for two and cost him more than 12 foreign servants. What is worst, due to carpets in the bathroom - she’s got fungi nail infection that eats her alive, quicker than she eats pastries with potato during English breakfast. Jemery knows that, but that’s his daughter for God’s sake. What can you tell other than praising her in self-hipocrisy, to support future insemination, to support survival of the herd…
Go for Humber Pig. Classy look, heart from Rolls-Royce and the same fuel consumption…