[xj40] New to the group and Looking at a couple of early 90's XJ40s

XJ40
1

Hello to all. I am pretty new to the group but have been a
long time enthusiast of Jaguars. I am one of those people
who like almost every model… Anyway, my wife and I
started looking at various XJ saloons and wondered if anyone
could offer some advice.

One is a 93 XJ6 with 91K on the clock. The car is in great
condition but it does seem to have a weepy leak in the front
of the engine. Otherwise the car ran perfect, although it
did have light out warning. All other systems seemed fine.
The owner is asking $3995. Is that a fair price for one
owner car? Should I be concerned about the oil drops.

The other XJ I am looking at is a 90 XJ6 VDP. This car has
105k and two owners. I haven’t looked at it yet in person
but the asking price is $3500. All things being equal is
either of these cars sound like a good deal or should I step
up to a later XJ8?

Having driven the 93, it was easy to fall in love with the
ride quality and power. It was a pretty special car but I
want to buy with my head and drive with my heart. I read
through the buying tips and the XJ40 book here on line but I
thought I would get some advice.

Thanks in advance!
Jason–
JRosen
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2

In reply to a message from JRosen sent Wed 13 Mar 2013:

Pricing? Pricing is hard to determine in today’s used car
market. In 2000 I bought my 90, in 99.9% perfect shape,
101,000 miles on the clock and paid $5,500. It was owned by
a jag mechanic that was retiring and going back to Oz.

If I do move up in years I would go to an X300. (X300 is cyl
X308 is 8 cyl). If you are talking X308 a few quick things
pops into my mind.

My friend has an X308 and it has been sitting for a few
years in wait form him to do the chain tensioner’s. Certain
years had chain tensioner problems and then there is the
Nikasil issue on certain engines.

There is a buying check list someplace on this site, can’t
remember where it is and maybe it has been moved off the
server.

Warning – If you take the plunge you are entering an area
of addiction. I’m into my two different Jags and my 18th
year of addiction and I have tried my best to break away.
It helps if you have a modicum ability to turn a wrench.–
The original message included these comments:

long time enthusiast of Jaguars. I am one of those people

–
John 90 XJ40
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3

In reply to a message from JRosen sent Wed 13 Mar 2013:

I just bought a 1989 with 97,000 on the clock for $1,500. I
bought my Gray One (88) for $1,400 some years ago. It now
has 276,000 on the clock. I still haven’t put the 94 on the
road because of a sagging headliner, but I bought that one
for $1,500 as well. My Green One (88) was the most
expensive at $2,900) but that was the first one I bought and
it was from a dealer in 2002. The other ones were from
private owners.
I think you have room to haggle, although the trend for
these cars seems to be appreciating of late. If they’re in
great shape – no rust, good interior, and good mechanicals
– the prices you’ve quoted seem reasonable.–
The original message included these comments:

One is a 93 XJ6 with 91K on the clock. The car is in great
condition but it does seem to have a weepy leak in the front
of the engine. Otherwise the car ran perfect, although it
did have light out warning. All other systems seemed fine.
The owner is asking $3995. Is that a fair price for one
owner car? Should I be concerned about the oil drops.
The other XJ I am looking at is a 90 XJ6 VDP. This car has
105k and two owners. I haven’t looked at it yet in person
but the asking price is $3500. All things being equal is
either of these cars sound like a good deal or should I step
up to a later XJ8?

–
Pete Peterson 70E(193K) XJ40s(88-270K,89-97K, 94-122K)
Severna Park, Maryland, United States
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4

In reply to a message from JRosen sent Wed 13 Mar 2013:

Hi Jason,

Welcome to the group! My first Jag was an '88 XJ6/XJ40 and
I’ve now owned a '93 for close to 15 years. The later cars
benefit from numerous incremental revisions/improvements, so
there may be compelling reasons to consider the '93 over the
'90. If the '93 has the rectangular headlamps but you
prefer the appearance of the earlier quad round headlamp
setup, salvaged parts can be retrofitted.

There aren’t a lot of places the AJ6 engine can leak oil.
Suspects for front-of-engine leaks are the front crank seal
or the head gasket, which fails around an oil port above the
distributor. The cam cover gasket is also a common failure
point but in my experience it tends to leak further back on
the engine on the exhaust side. The oil sump gaskets rarely
leak but that’s another possibility.

At 90K to 105K miles, both cars are likely to need head
gaskets in the foreseeable future. Many of the guys on this
list have done the job themselves. The job doesn’t require
too many specialized tools and the parts aren’t too expensive.

Regarding the light out warning on the '93, most of the
bulbs on the XJ40 are very easy to replace, so the seller
should replace that before you buy the car to prove that
it’s just a bulb and not a more serious electrical or
electronic fault.

As far as the prices go, they may be in the ballpark if the
cars are in superb cosmetic condition with excellent paint,
no rust, soft leather with minimal wear, full service
records and good tires with plenty of treadlife remaining.
Average XJ40s won’t bring more than $2,000 U.S. these days,
so you definitely have some room to bargain as John and Pete
have noted.

For a little more money it would be worth looking at the
X300, which has the wonderful silky-smooth Jaguar
straight-six engine and a curvier, more elegant body, along
with some minor incremental refinements.

But for the money, it’s hard to beat an XJ40 for elegance,
ride, comfort, relatively sporty handling, and sheer owner
satisfaction.

Let us know what you decide!

Don–
The original message included these comments:

One is a 93 XJ6 with 91K on the clock. The car is in great
condition but it does seem to have a weepy leak in the front
The other XJ I am looking at is a 90 XJ6 VDP. This car has
105k and two owners. I haven’t looked at it yet in person

–
Don B : '93 VDP Flamenco Red 189K : (ex-'88 Sovereign)
Franklin, TN, United States
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5

In reply to a message from John S sent Thu 14 Mar 2013:

John,

Thanks for the reply. I am a bit concerned about the
ongoing maintenance cost as the cars seem a bit complex but
the joy of driving the xj6 is pretty hard to ignore. It may
very well be worth the cost…

I thought I remember seeing the check list you speak of. I
will see if I can find it. Thanks for reminding about it.

All the best!

Jason–
The original message included these comments:

Pricing? Pricing is hard to determine in today’s used car
market. In 2000 I bought my 90, in 99.9% perfect shape,
101,000 miles on the clock and paid $5,500. It was owned by
a jag mechanic that was retiring and going back to Oz.

–
JRosen
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6

In reply to a message from Jaguarpete sent Thu 14 Mar 2013:

Pete,

Congrats on your recent purchase.

The price seems a bit dear to me as well. The interior of
the 93 and the paint are showroom condition. The tail
lights don’t look too bad but there is some crazing but you
have to really be looking for it.

All accessories seemed to work and the car ran nice and the
leaking was ever so light right now but leaks never get
better on their own.

The 90 looks good in pictures but I have not seen the car in
person yet.

Is there a particular advantage to the older VDP or should I
simply look at the newest/lowest absolute mileage?

I suppose the truth of the matter is, I have not purchased a
used car in a while and I don’t entirely trust my instincts
any more. Probably will want to have a Jag specialist check
it out for me.

Thanks,

Jason–
The original message included these comments:

I just bought a 1989 with 97,000 on the clock for $1,500. I
bought my Gray One (88) for $1,400 some years ago. It now
has 276,000 on the clock. I still haven’t put the 94 on the

–
JRosen
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7

In reply to a message from Don B sent Thu 14 Mar 2013:

Don,

Thanks for the reply. I actually like the single piece
lights. The quads aren’t bad but there is something kind of
slick about the one piece rectangular lights.

That is good to know about the 93. I thought that was the
case but the 90 is a VDP and the 93 is a base model (Nothing
wrong with base model).

I have been known to work on my cars in the past but I have
to admit that I am a bit intimidated by the engine
compartment of a Jaguar. Years ago I had an 88 XJS V12 and
I was both impressed at the engineering and a little afraid
of messing something up.

Again thanks for the help. It is greatly appreciated.–
JRosen
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8

In reply to a message from Don B sent Thu 14 Mar 2013:

I agree. If I were looking it would be for an X300.–
The original message included these comments:

For a little more money it would be worth looking at the
X300, which has the wonderful silky-smooth Jaguar

–
John 90 XJ40
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9

In reply to a message from JRosen sent Fri 15 Mar 2013:

The VDP will have more luxurious interior appointments and
possibly different wheels, but otherwise the external
differences will be minimal and there are probably no
mechanical differences unless the VDP has a Powr Lok
differential.

The seats in VDPs tend to be a little nicer, and the leather
a little softer (at least 20 years ago it was), but the soft
leather has the downside of being less durable, so it may be
more heavily worn than the seats in the '93.

The engine compartment of a 6-cylinder XJ40 is actually a
pretty easy place to do lots of the things that commonly
need doing, with the exception of a few bits hidden under
the intake manifold, the starter, and a few bits on the
front of the engine. I haven’t worked on a 12, but I
imagine things are far more cramped.

In general, I’ve enjoyed working on our Jags more than any
other vehicle we’ve owned, but I have also done more work on
our Jags than any other vehicles we’ve owned (since my first
Triumph Spitfire and MGB)! (Our '04 BMW is doing its best
to catch up, though).

Let us know what you decide!

Don–
The original message included these comments:

That is good to know about the 93. I thought that was the
case but the 90 is a VDP and the 93 is a base model (Nothing
wrong with base model).
I have been known to work on my cars in the past but I have
to admit that I am a bit intimidated by the engine
compartment of a Jaguar. Years ago I had an 88 XJS V12 and
I was both impressed at the engineering and a little afraid
of messing something up.

–
Don B : '93 VDP Flamenco Red 189K : (ex-'88 Sovereign)
Franklin, TN, United States
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10

In reply to a message from JRosen sent Wed 13 Mar 2013:

Jason
I know this is a month old, but I haven’t checked in lately.
I’d add that it sounds like you’re in the midst of a
win/win. I say, ‘‘take the plunge.’’

Personally I would stick with the xj40s and not go toward
the xj8. I just love the 4.0 AJ6 engine. It’s nearly
bulletproof.

I do agree with JohnS in that they are addicting.

I purchased my first xj40 with 93k on the clock. $3600 and
it was worth every penny. Currently has 148k and is going
great–paint is failing though. Rather than painting I
passed it on to my son and watched for another on ebay and
purchased a really low mileage (51k) one in great condition
for $4k. Plan to love it for years to come.

Neither of my xj40s leak though. I would explore that a bit.
It could be minor (drain plug, oil filter needs to be
tightened, etc) but I think its worth checking on. Since
it’s on the front of the engine there’s a chance it’s the
chain tensioner o-ring.

BTW, the addition Johns mentioned gets so strong that I
sought out the rare Series 1 xj12 and found one with 66k on
the clock. That’s the special one that sits in the garage
and comes out occasionally. (It leaks like a sieve though–
that’s how you know it’s alive).

Don’t be afraid of the mechanics on the xj40. I think
they’re pretty straightforward. However, it’s worthwhile to
have a good Jag mechanic to help with the electronic
diagnostics. A bit of investment to help sort out a problem
that pops up on the dash or the VCM can save you replacing
lots of bits that weren’t needed. I haven’t found these to
be overly expensive cars to own–and they’re sure amazing to
drive.

Hope this helps.
Enjoy–
The original message included these comments:

One is a 93 XJ6 with 91K on the clock. The car is in great
condition but it does seem to have a weepy leak in the front
of the engine. Otherwise the car ran perfect, although it
did have light out warning. All other systems seemed fine.
The owner is asking $3995. Is that a fair price for one
owner car? Should I be concerned about the oil drops.

–
dandersen
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