[xj] Potential Jag owner recommendations

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

At 21:34 28-07-98 -0700, jhynes@nextlink.net wrote:

Philip - I have owned an 85 XJ6 for 1 1/2 years as a daily driver. We

Not as maintenance free as my 96 Explorer
[snip]

Let me get that straight: your 13 year old automomobile requires more
maintenance than your two year old one does? Ohmyg*d.

Let us know how the Explorer is faring in 11 years – and whether it is
going to be worth the effort to keep it running.

I could be doing this stuff to a Honda Accord.

I shudder at the very thought.

You have to remember it’s a 13 year old car after all.

Automobile. A Jaguar is NOT a “car”. Sheesh.

As with any automobile, you can reduce (not eliminate) the maintenance
requirements by, well, keeping it well maintained.

Most of the service which has been required on my kitten so far has been as
a direct consequence of the PO’s neglect, or standard maintenance
(replacement of breaks for example). On any automobile, there will be some
quirky thing(s) which require servicing more often than they should.

My vote for dumbest design in most new cars: rubber timing BELT, instead of
chain - particularily the ones mounted INSIDE the engine instead of outside
(I’m fairly sure I’ve seen a few), so replacement starts sliding towards
major work instead of minour. Doh!

Philip Walton wrote:

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.

My thoughts here: original purchase price (for the rot-free SIII you
provide) + transportation costs (getting it TO and FROM the servicers) +
24K + time (while all that money ISN’T driving you around) = MORE than it
would cost to find an immaculate garaged SIII.

If you find your kitty in need of engine service and perhaps a new interior
(note: If I was doing this, and my interior was in good shape, I’d probably
look at trying to sell+swap it to someone looking for a better conditioned
one before sending it in), then the renewal might be a viable alternative
(though still not cost effective). What sort of warranty does this work
come with anwyay?

http://jaguar.professional.org/
Sean Straw '88 Jaguar XJSC 5.3L V12
Marin County, California '69 Buick GranSport 455 V8

Sean Straw wrote:

My vote for dumbest design in most new cars: rubber timing BELT, instead of
chain - particularily the ones mounted INSIDE the engine instead of outside
(I’m fairly sure I’ve seen a few), so replacement starts sliding towards
major work instead of minour. Doh!

My vote is for rubber timing belt AND engine geometry that allows valves to
“interfere” with pistons when it breaks. (Volvo has rubber…but no
catastrophy when it lets go) Jim W