Opinions on a new-ish Jaguar XJ6

That American Girl

That American Girl

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Hey all!

I'm recently in the market for a new(er) used car, and stumbled across a 97 Jaguar XJ6 in a nice champagne color. Loaded and with about 96,000 miles on it. It has a 4L 6 cylinder automatic, great body shape, and looks to have been taken care of.

I can get it for about $4300 from a local dealer, even though he tried to steer me towards a different car. (I think he may want it for someone else)

The salespersons thoughts were: "On a Jag, you should get two. One to drive, and one for parts."

Did some checking online, and didn't see a lot of owner horror stories, and I know from reading here, that there are quite a few Jag owners here.

So, if I go with this one...and have never really driven a nicer type car, what should I look out for?

Any mechanical surprises to watch out for? Things that are just going to go wrong on this car?


Any info would be great!



And sorry if this is in the wrong spot.....
 
I'm going to be picking up an XJR6 as soon as I both have the money and find a good one at the same time, and I can tell you definitively that the common perception is way overblown for these cars. Consider that this car is the end of the line for the engine - they introduced the XJ8 the same year, and the basic platform was old as dirt, and it wasn't made under BL, but under Ford.

DO IT.

I wouldn't have one as my ONLY car, but assuming it wasn't ruined by the PO, and isn't rusted, and you aren't afraid of possible parts costs (keep in mind the AJ-16 engine was only around from '95 to '97 and Cash for Clunkers ate A LOT of them), I think you'll love it.

And cue Spectre (if he hasn't already posted) for even more gushing.
 
I'm thinking you gotta know what you want the car for, and what, if any repairs are you able to do yourself.


Cue Spectre ->

Edit: damn missed first post :D
 
EyeMWing said:
I wouldn't have one as my ONLY car,
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Thats the thing. It *will* be my only car.

And winter is coming up. In Ohio.

One of the few places on this planet where we have 'lake effect snow'. And ice. And really shitty drivers.

I have no problems at all in putting money and time into a car that's worth it.

Actually, in over 26 years of driving, I've never sold or traded in a car. I literally drive them till parts fall off. :p

But my 98 Taurus is giving me all the signs that now is the time to get a new car.
 
What a coincidence I just happened to have bought one for my Dad the other day.

His is a '95, but it is pretty much the same thing. Make sure it has been maintained and you should be ok. Here are the problems I've found with it:

1) Fuel sender is dirty. I'm going to replace this. Cost: ~$70.
2) Stereo LCD display messed up. The ribbon cable inside is known for getting loose. Cost ~$5 for tape. I own a soldering gun.
3) Drivers side mechanism not pivoting seat. Cost: probably around $100.
4) Rear defroster, mirrors, cigarette lighter not working. Cost: $2.50 for new fuses.

Not much if you are willing to do the work yourself. Mechanically the car is running brilliantly. The car weighs just over two tons so it should do well in the winter (weight on the driving tires).

Spectre is also a great source for advice with these. He has helped me quite a bit so far with this one.
 
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That American Girl said:
Hey all!

I'm recently in the market for a new(er) used car, and stumbled across a 97 Jaguar XJ6 in a nice champagne color. Loaded and with about 96,000 miles on it. It has a 4L 6 cylinder automatic, great body shape, and looks to have been taken care of.

I can get it for about $4300 from a local dealer, even though he tried to steer me towards a different car. (I think he may want it for someone else)

The salespersons thoughts were: "On a Jag, you should get two. One to drive, and one for parts."

Did some checking online, and didn't see a lot of owner horror stories, and I know from reading here, that there are quite a few Jag owners here.

So, if I go with this one...and have never really driven a nicer type car, what should I look out for?

Any mechanical surprises to watch out for? Things that are just going to go wrong on this car?


Any info would be great!



And sorry if this is in the wrong spot.....
Click to expand...

You know, I really need to get around to writing a "How To Buy An X300" guide for FG.

In case you hadn't picked it up from various threads around here, what you're looking at is a 95-97 XJ6, which is distinguished from all the other cars that have carried the XJ badge by the factory code name of X300. This was the first Jaguar to ever come in number 1 and beat the competing Lexus LS in short, medium and long term quality. They are usually quite solid cars, and if taken care of will easily last 250-300,000 miles. They are not maintenance nightmares, nor are they the horror implied by the salesdroid. (That would be my Series III, though even it is nowhere near as bad as the stories or reputation.)

Before I start in on the advice section, I do need to know something - do you have the skills to perform an oil change on a 'normal' car? Are you willing to pick up a screwdriver and swap out a filter or a fuse? Or would you consign it to a mechanic for even minor issues? I ask not because the car is going to leave you stranded on the side of the road, but because many women tend to just hand off their cars to a mechanic for even the slightest issue - and in this class of car, even though the X300 was the most reliable luxury car of its time, the mechanics who work on it (or any other luxury car) are not cheap. Which means you can get some stunning bills for relatively minor stuff, which tends to turn people sour in a hurry. However, if you're willing to do the minor and moderate maintenance stuff yourself, you will find that the X300 is also one of the cheapest luxury cars to own/maintain. I don't mean to be insulting, but before we go any further I need to know so that I can give you good advice.
 
Good point, I've been hanging out with the local "Merc" shop owner (but he always has a good stable of expensive European luxury and exotica lined up outside. Except this once he had a 2CV out there...) and I can't even IMAGINE how many kidneys you'd have to sell to get an oil change done in there.
 
I'm not saying that you can't get oil changes done at the usual quick lube places, just that I need to know if she has that level of skill and willingness. If you don't have the budget to have a high-end mechanic attend to every bulb replacement or air filter change and you don't want to/can't do minor stuff like that yourself, you probably shouldn't get an X300... or any other luxury car.

I'm not trying to scare people off per se - but you have to know what you're getting into. People buy Jags with their heart, but forget to engage their head - then they get shocked because they are afraid to do even minor work on the car and nobody told them that the mechanics for the car run $150-200 per hour in many cases. Then they sell the car in a huff and run around boosting the bad rep of the marque, when often ten minutes with a screwdriver and some new fuses would have resolved their problem permanently.

I'll be the first to admit that Jaguar's built a lot of sub-par cars over the years (Series II, early Series III, XJ40s), but when they got it right, they got it right. Unfortunately, few people know about those successes because of all the people that didn't do their homework first.
 
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camelfarmer said:
96,000 miles is not new unless this is a jaguar xj6 airplane or cruise ship.
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Wow thanks, huge help there. These comments of yours are as annoying as they are useless.
 
New-ish doesn't mean newer. It doesn't acutally mean anything because it isn't a real word. But most people use it to mean 'quite new'.

But it doesn't matter. Back to the thread...

$4300 isn't a great deal, but this depends on the state of the car. As for trouble, if something was to go wrong it would obviously cost more to repair than a ford focus or something similar. But if it's in good nick, you should be alright.
 
If I argue I get told off for arguing. If I say anything someone doesn't like, and then not argue my point, you say I'm backpedaling.

Best option: ignor you.
 
camelfarmer said:
New-ish doesn't mean newer. It doesn't acutally mean anything because it isn't a real word. But most people use it to mean 'quite new'.

But it doesn't matter. Back to the thread...

$4300 isn't a great deal, but this depends on the state of the car. As for trouble, if something was to go wrong it would obviously cost more to repair than a ford focus or something similar. But if it's in good nick, you should be alright.
Click to expand...

STFU and GTFO of this thread. Clearly everyone here but you understood her; she was obviously trying to designate that she was interested in a later XJ rather than an older one like my Series III.

Other items:
1. 97 was the last year for a six cylinder XJ in the US. We didn't get the six cylinder diesels, nor do they sell the V6 gasser X350s here. Therefore, that 97 is the newest XJ6 you can get in the US.
2. US cars all came very well equipped, the equivalent of the Sovereign trim or better, so no cheap stripped out versions with cloth seats and no air con. So no 'taxi-spec' X300 XJs for $3000 here.
3. If you know what you are doing, it is CHEAPER to maintain than a Focus.
4. I've owned, repaired and modified them for years, you evidently haven't.
 
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camelfarmer said:
New-ish doesn't mean newer. It doesn't acutally mean anything because it isn't a real word. But most people use it to mean 'quite new'.
Click to expand...
I realize English isn't your first language, but if you want to be a pedantic asshole, find another spot.
Spectre said:
STFU and GTFO of this thread. Clearly everyone here but you understood her; she was obviously trying to designate that she was interested in a later XJ rather than an older one like my Series III.
Click to expand...
 
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