Philip - I have owned an 85 XJ6 for 1 1/2 years as a daily driver. We
purchased a one
owner well cared for car with 47,000 miles. In my opinion it works great
as a driver. Not
as maintenance free as my 96 Explorer but much more fun to drive, look at,
wash, wax, etc.
Have the car checked out and expect to do catch up maintenance on anything
not well cared
for. I recently put new brake pads, rebuilt the emergency brakes
(expensive), new throttle
cable (they get sticky), new starter and put in a stakedown kit. I am
facing an a/c rebuild or conversion to r-134. All fairly expensive since I
don’t have the time to do
much myself but worth it. I could be doing this stuff to a Honda Accord.
You have to remember it’s a 13 year old car after all.
But I have no car payments, paid less than I would have for a used Accord
and expect to spend $1,500 a year or so on preventative maintenance. I
save some money buy doing tune ups, lubes (lot’s of time and attention to
properly lube this car), oil changes, etc. myself. I may tackle the A/C
when I get my Mustang up and running and can afford to park the Jag for
awhile.
You can e-mail directly with specific questions.
Jhynes@nextlink.net
86 XJ6
74 MGB
67 Mustang Convertible_________________________________________________________________________
Greetings,
I am currently entertaining the prospect of purchasing a late SIII XJ-6. I
posted a message last week regarding the viability of this particular
vintage as a Daily Driver. I never saw the message in the digest so I am
resposting in hopes of a response. I have used an 88 Alfa Romeo Spider as
my DD for the last two years and a 74 Porsche 914 for the two years prior.
Needless to say I have a reasonable level of patience with my DD. I have,
however, begun to be frustrated with the Alfa over the last couple of
months. I just purchased a new Volvo Turbo for my wife and have found
myself envious of the luxury/reliability/comfort etc. that her new
transportation affords. I decided it was time to explore other options for
my DD. I looked at BMW and Mercedes but I found that the level of luxury
(and in the case of BMW build quality) did not suit my taste. I had always
admired the beauty of the XJ-6 and early XJ-S from a distance but had never
really had the opportunity to evaluate the cars first hand. Short version
of Long story, I sat in one and I’m hooked. I have yet to drive one but I
am sure this will meet or exceed my expectations (they are not that high).
I also went to the local Jag dealer and looked at the XJ40. I do not find
these cars to be aesthetically pleasing (pre 95 (?) anyway). So that
leaves
the SIII XJ-6 as my primary Jag option. Now the question: Is it
reasonable
to expect to be able to use a well maintained SIII as a daily driver. What
level of mechanical involvement (daily, weekly, etc.) should I expect. I
am
quite competent mechanically (IMHO) and fully expect for the XK engine to
be
within my abilities. I would really appreciate any feedback or suggestions
as to this question and also as to the preferred years and trim levels for
these cars.
I also saw an add in the Robb Report for a “new” SIII XJ-6 for $24K. The
company apparently replaces the engine, suspension, interior, etc. on a
rust
free SIII body giving a “new” SIII. Anyone with experience or thoughts?
Thanks in advance
Philip Walton