First I’d like to say hi! I am looking to get into a newer car, my
Mercedes 300SDL is killing me in repairs. I am a die hard MB fan
that is thinking about defecting! I am looking for something newer
in the $16k range. I was looking at E420/430’s and the W210 is nice
but it isn’t a big car. I like big rwd cars like the MB S class,
but a W140 scares me. So no newer S class until I get out of school
and get a real job.
Now I have always liked Jags and know a little about them, my
Grandparents have had them for 30 years. They had a 1986 XJ6 they
bought new, a 94 XJ6 and know a XJ8, they had a few before that.
From their expereance I am afraid of getting another money pit. So
how much do these things cost to keep going? I am thinking about a
1997 XJ6 I prefer the I6 and 97 was the last year. What should I
look for? What goes wrong? How expensive are parts? How hard are
they to fix? I do 100% of my own work and have pretty much rebuilt
my MB. I am not afraid of pulling an engine or trans.
How would say a 1997 XJ6 compare to keeping a 97 S320 or 97 LS400
on the road? I would look for one with a full service history and
no accidents of course.
In reply to a message from Chris F sent Sun 26 Dec 2004:
I used to work on all of the cars you mention and I myself is a
bit of a mb fan.
A 140 series benz is pretty brutal keeping up when they get a few
miles on them as much as I like them I would not own even a 320.
The most reliable of the cars we had in my shop is the Lexus
followed by 96/97 xj6 98 and newer jags are very close after that.
Now I would not own the Lexus new because it bores me to death and
when they get old (8yr+)all the stuff that never broke seems to go
all at once.
I myself bought a 96 vdp which in the few years I have had it has
been fantastic. Allmost as good as the best car ever made (W123
240diesel).
The worst (and I like bmw’s) car ever for maintenance absolutely
would have to be the 87/88 bmw 750.
And the 12 cylinder mbz is not that far behind my boss spent
$14000 on nick-nacks in 03 on his 600sl (93model)
I really whish I had commas but my computer puts a little angle
thing when I use the comma.Anybody know why that happens.
PS. how many times have you done the cylinder head on the sdl.–
The original message included these comments:
First I’d like to say hi! I am looking to get into a newer car, my
Mercedes 300SDL is killing me in repairs. I am a die hard MB fan
Hm, Lexus and 96 Jags go together in reliability! I never thought I would
hear this. This is new day for Jaguars!! Viva la Jaguar!!
Take that Lexus owners!
Nico,
96 XJ6.------------
At 10:27 PM 12/25/2004, you wrote:
In reply to a message from Chris F sent Sun 26 Dec 2004:
I used to work on all of the cars you mention and I myself is a
bit of a mb fan.
A 140 series benz is pretty brutal keeping up when they get a few
miles on them as much as I like them I would not own even a 320.
The most reliable of the cars we had in my shop is the Lexus
followed by 96/97 xj6 98 and newer jags are very close after that.
Now I would not own the Lexus new because it bores me to death and
when they get old (8yr+)all the stuff that never broke seems to go
all at once.
I myself bought a 96 vdp which in the few years I have had it has
been fantastic. Allmost as good as the best car ever made (W123
240diesel).
The worst (and I like bmw’s) car ever for maintenance absolutely
would have to be the 87/88 bmw 750.
And the 12 cylinder mbz is not that far behind my boss spent
$14000 on nick-nacks in 03 on his 600sl (93model)
I really whish I had commas but my computer puts a little angle
thing when I use the comma.Anybody know why that happens.
PS. how many times have you done the cylinder head on the sdl.
The original message included these comments:
First I’d like to say hi! I am looking to get into a newer car, my
Mercedes 300SDL is killing me in repairs. I am a die hard MB fan
In reply to a message from mcdoc sent Sun 26 Dec 2004:
Assuming you’re running Windows, go to control panel, click on
keyboard and check you have keyboard type and language set
correctly.–
The original message included these comments:
I really whish I had commas but my computer puts a little angle
thing when I use the comma.Anybody know why that happens.
In reply to a message from mcdoc sent Sun 26 Dec 2004:
Just wondering, what exactly did your boss get done to his
1993 MB 600SL that he spent $14K?–
therion (97 XJ6)
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In reply to a message from Chris F sent Sun 26 Dec 2004:
I bought my first Jaguar two years ago, a Series III, than a '93
XJ6, a '94 XJ6 and presently we own 2 '97 XJ6’s. Both with miles in
the mid 80,000 range.
Having owned a number of cars thru the years, I can unequivocably
say they are the finest motorcars either my wife or I have ever
driven.
The ride and handling is outstanding. Unlike yourself, I cannot
perform major type repairs myself, but to date there haven’t been
any. Trouble spots? From my experience the memory seats are a
problem, we just use the cars without the memory. Make sure that
the sunroof opens and closes properly. It too can be
troublesome.And be sure to crack a rear window when it’s full open!
We average around 17-18 mpg in town and 25-27 on the road, of
course with premium gasoline. We try to follow the Jaguar specs in
every way, including the Champion sparkplugs that are sometimes
frowned on.
Take the plunge, you’ll enjoy every minute of it. Incidently, our
cars all were from eBay, great cars and great deals.
Good Luck!–
'97XJ6 Gray 82K '97 XJ6 Black 79K Springdale, Arkansas
Springdale, Arkansas 72764, United States
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In reply to a message from therion (97 XJ6) sent Sun 26 Dec 2004:
A few things still fresh from memory:
Front seal in the transmission/rear engine seal
Left airflow meter went causing engine to run rich and kill the
cat.converter.
Intake manifold gaskets.(a fun job indeed)
o2 sensors.
Left window regulator.
Water pump/radiator.
These are just the major ones I still recall.
On top of that I don’t believe we ever went a 1000 miles without
the check engine light coming on/oh on that note I remember the
check light bulb warning
coming on at least 10 times due to bad connections/weak springs at
bulb to light interface.
Now for the good part when the car ran right it was one
sweet/smooooth/fast ride.
And finally since his wife had a 500sl same vintage which was no
cheap date either it was still maybe only 30% the coin to keep up
since there really are a lot of parts unique to the 600 which are
priced 2-300% higher than the same part for a 500.
Gotta go find my commas.–
The original message included these comments:
Just wondering, what exactly did your boss get done to his
1993 MB 600SL that he spent $14K?
therion (97 XJ6)
In reply to a message from Chris F sent Sun 26 Dec 2004:
My SDL has the original 14 head, and 243k on it. As long as you
don’t overheat them they shouldn’t crack.
I have a hard time beleving Jag’s are on the level of Lexus. My
Grandparents only kept the 94 XJ6 for a few years because the AC
never worked right and a few other electrical problems. I need to
ask them for specifics but I think their XJ8 has eaten a few
expensive computers. However I know two people with a 95 and a 97
that have never really had problems. I guess you get good ones and
bad ones.
How expensive are trans to rebuild? What problem areas do the I6
engines have? Their is a real clean looking 97 XJ6 on Autotrader.com. 50k miles and mint. What is considered high mileage
for these? I wouldn’t think twice about buying a nice MB at 200k.
Is rust still and issue? I know the W210’s are having rust issues.
Also where do I get parts? I hate Autozone parts and dealers tend
to be expensive. Any good places? What does wear stuff like brake
discs run?–
Chris F
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In reply to a message from Chris F sent Mon 27 Dec 2004:
First let’s remember I did say second AFTER Lexus,and I NEVER
mentioned Jags from before 96 even thoug 95’s are excelent cars.
88thru94 XJ 40 is a whole other story, they had a lot of good parts
but certainly also some not so good.
The not so good includes a/c controlpanel,suspension
switches/struts,tailights,brake-mastercylinder,doorhandles.
The trans in the 95/97 Jag is a zf,very much like a benz,and many
people know how to rebuild them and I am sure you could get one
done right for under $2k. As I recall,they last appx. 200k miles.
The aj 16 engine in the xj 6 will easily do 200k, just ask posters
here.
Parts are easily obtainable without going to the dealer,and
remember any Jag comes w.this forum which even a lifetime mechanic
like myself can learn from every day.
Oh, and do you guys like my new style commas.?
Forgot about the rust,don’t have a clue since I am in s.cal,we
don’t do rust here,but we did do oxydizer traps on our sdl’s which
would clog and overheat/crack the head.I guess your’s is not a
ca.car.–
The original message included these comments:
I have a hard time beleving Jag’s are on the level of Lexus. My
Grandparents only kept the 94 XJ6 for a few years because the AC
In reply to a message from Chris F sent Sun 26 Dec 2004:
Thanks for the advice, no my SDL doesn’t have the trap ox, MB of
North American are still honaring the recall program so if you find
one they will take care of it. Usually you get a lot of free
goodies.
So Jags have about the same problems as MB? These Euro cars are all
starting to sound alike, MB’s have bad climate control that always
has vac leaks, window regulators break, suspension usually needs to
be gone through every 200k ect. The newer ones have that stupid
fill for life tranny that costs $250 to get changed. I have pretty
much rebuilt my SDL and know my way around a MB pretty well, Jags
are starting to sound similer with a slight twist. Do the I6’s blow
head gaskets? The M104’s loved doing that. What about the evap
cores on Jags? (W140) Do the mid 90’s wireing harness’s biodegrade?
This site seems pretty nice, lots of good info on it I need to dig
deeper, I am getting interested. A gentleman from this site a few
years ago named Kirk? I helped him get the right wheel bearings for
his boat trailer in Milford, CT. He pointed me to it, I am happy he
did. But not to be rude it is a little awkward to use, and hard to
read.–
Chris F
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High mileage is considered 175-200k for an X300 inline six.
Wheel arches in less hospitible climes could be an issue of the car
was not cared for. The people who drive them through the winter
and don’t hose the crud off the road and the undercarriage are
susceptable, of course. Those are the rust stories you hear on the
newer models.
Out of the 10,000 X300 sedans, 95% of them are bulletproof.
The X300 model your looking at put Jaguar towards the top of the
reliability heap and continued the same build quality improvements
that started in the early 90’s with the previous model. Things do
go wrong with Lexus once in a while, the same goes for the X300
cars.
Jaguar can’t afford to buy off J.D. Powers ratings, FWIW.
Cheers,
Sunny–
The original message included these comments:
I have a hard time beleving Jag’s are on the level of Lexus. My
In reply to a message from Chris F sent Mon 27 Dec 2004:
No they are not that much alike,I have never done a window
regulator on x300 but im am sure I did at least 50 mb’s
I have never had the need to do a evaporator on a x300 while doing
many benzes.(w140 600s has got to be one of the most FUN cars to do
an evap.on)
Also never had to do any a/c controls on a x300,while doing loads
of benzes/bmw’s
I have done aj6’s 94 and back but no aj16’s, some will weep a
little at the r.front but still nothing like a 103/104/110/116/117
benz.
No the wiring don’t fall apart like mid 90ies benz or the
inventors off the French self destructing wires off the mid 80ies
Volvo fame.
Volvo must just love the French when they think of all the help
they recieved w.cam eating v-6es, liqurice coated wires and
taillights with a one year shelflife.
Anyways, I do feel the need to tell you that my shop had a lot
more mbz/beemer customers than Jags, and due to the nubers alone I
would see more problems on those cars, and also remember the jag
might have some issues never seen on a benz.–
The original message included these comments:
So Jags have about the same problems as MB? These Euro cars are all
starting to sound alike, MB’s have bad climate control that always
has vac leaks, window regulators break, suspension usually needs to
In reply to a message from Chris F sent Mon 27 Dec 2004:
The top of the rear wheel arches are a known weak spot for
rust intrusion. This applies to 95-97 X300’s and is a result
of a premature failure of the sealant used to join the wing
panel with the inner fender liner. I would recommend all
owners coat this area with a liberal coating of a thick
corrosion inhibiter if they live in an area where road salt
is used. I use Rustcheck or lithium grease 2X per year to
protect this area.–
The original message included these comments:
Is rust still and issue? I know the W210’s are having rust issues.