There are some great cars on the market today that can be had for a song. Among them are the R129-series Mercedes-Benz SL roadsters, which are some of the prettiest convertibles ever made that can be purchased for less than $10,000. Jaguar is another marque that has built some gorgeous, high-performance sedans and coupes that remain significantly below their original MSRP on the used market, and there’s some good reason for that due to well-documented issues with the timing chain guides. But given how many are still running around, seemingly without issue, perhaps those concerns are overblown – and if they are, you should definitely buy this low-mileage XJ6.
I look at the XJR sedan quite often, as it’s an absolute bargain of a performance car. With a supercharger livening up an already formidable powerplant, it’s an absolute hoot to drive. This is a naturally-aspirated example and in long-wheelbase form, so the emphasis is clearly on comfort versus performance. The 4.0L inline-six pushes out a healthy 245 horsepower, which should yield a 0-60 time of around eight seconds. The design of the XJ6 is already timeless, representing a pleasing evolution over the previous generation XJS while still looking plenty fresh today.
Now, the risk with cars like this is that there’s always plenty of them for sale – which makes it difficult to find a good one. But there’s one basic rule of thumb when dealing with a mass-produced luxury car, and that’s to buy the seller, and not necessarily the car. The seller of this XJ6 claims he bought the car new as a birthday present and has maintained it with an “open checkbook” ever since. The low mileage means that the interior has remained near-perfect in term of cosmetics, with nary a stain on the biscuit leather or carpeted surfaces. The seller notes it is loaded with heated power seats, keyless entry, and more.
If you hear any sort of rattling noise, it is practically guaranteed you will need to replace the chain guides. That’s a messy job, sadly, but some enthusiasts claim you can manage it in your garage over the course of a weekend or two. The seller doesn’t mention this job as having been done, but you’ll be able to deduct pretty quickly upon viewing the car if it’s an existing issue. Assuming oil changes have been more frequent than what many manufacturers were recommending at the time, it should be a non-issue (until it isn’t) for the drive home. Find the Jaguar in British Racing Green paint here on craigslist for $7,950. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Tony P. for the find.
Every-time I see a car like this I am really tempted. Then I think if something major goes wrong ,I will be upside down. I think that’s what people think, but actually for what you can find for the price, it can be a good bet.
Jeff – might you have it wrong re the chain guide issue? This car had the last of the beefy 6 cylinder engines which I think had metal guides and double chain to the end and were very long lived, it was the following year that the full-size 4 door XJ switched to the new V8 with short-life plastic guides and single width chain that caused all the problems.
That is correct. The 6cyl is all but bullittproof. Great engine, the fact this one has such low miles makes this car a steal. The 98 xj8’s had nicosil problems for the forst couole years but sometime in 2000-2001 they changed to liners. I had a mint 2001 and really loved the car, ot and my 560sel are 2 cars I wish I had NEVER sold.
I’m right with you Joe. There were one or two of these cruising around the neighborhood here back in the early 2000’s but I haven’t seen them since. But I had a huge crush on this year of Jag then and it’s aged beautifully. Vanden Plas. I like it
So Jaguar is going all electric in 25′ I read.Only one dealer left in Phoenix metro.The company is buying back franchise’s and offering Land Rover dealership and partnering with Tata.
Ahhhh, the XJ6. Before Ford messed the car up with their V8 and a redesign after 2000 by raising the roof up 4 inches so anyone could comfortably get in and out of one. The look was never the same,
You said the, “F” word. Haa. Haa. Haaaaaaa..
The roof was still not high enough for it to be an airport limo. A guy bought my 02, VDP to use it for the airport, and it wasn’t allowed as the roof was too low.. go figure.
Sorry, 01 VDP.
I had an ’88 XJ6. It was the best looking car I’ve ever owned. However, the interior materials did not hold up well in the Miami heat. Within three years, the dash pad cracked and the headliner began to sag. I traded it in on a ’91 Lexus LS400…a far superior, but less exciting, car.
This is the one to buy if you’re looking for a XJ6. What’s not to like about this one? Last year for iconic body, long wheelbase, aka Cruzmobile, one owner, low miles, good color, not driven in winter, and priced right. I’ve been looking for one of these for a while now. Comes a month after my wife convinced me she needed a SUV to feel comfortable, driving with all the jacked Bro trucks and other old people in SUVs. Someone buy this now and take good care of it, and enjoy 80 mph for hours in the left lane.
I agree with you. I wish a place to put the Jag inside covered. If I had the room I would be over this like a NY minute!😂This is a great price and under 25,000 miles!!! Jag looks brand new! I also hope who buys this take care of it. Keep covered when not in use. Premium fuel and enjoy the ride on the highway!! 🐻🇺🇸
I owned a 95 XJ6. My only problem was electrical. It operated good and drove smoothly. Very nice car but electric issue was a pain.
Why not sell it with all jobs done?
Reflect the fixes in the price.
Classy cat 🐈 Good find Primo 👍
If anyone doubts the story, just look at the house and grounds. Harbor Springs, Michigan is a summer destination for the well-heeled in some of the most beautiful country in America. This car most likely spent most of its time in the garage and was used as a summer driver. $8K for this is a downright steal.
With this few a miles, if you intend to actually drive it you are going to need to approach that idea slowly. I’ve had 3 cars that when I bought them were extremely low miles. The first was a 71 Caddy with 7800 miles on it bought in 82. I It went straight into daily driver statue and within 5000 miles I had replaced the entire front suspension due to dryrot on the bushings… everywhere.
Last one was an 85 XJ6 I bought in 93 that that 53,000 on it. Elderly couple had it, drove it sparingly but still low use at around 6500 miles per year. I took my time with this one, driving it once then twice then three times a week over several months over a 2-3 month period then it went DD status. When I parked it in 2013 it had 264,000 on it and everything mechanical about the car was original. I parked it in 13 as I broke a compression ring in #5. Had the engine apart in the garage when the house burned down. Picked up a low mile engine from a total (113,000) and dropped that in. If it weren’t for an injector problem right now it would still be DD.
They could be nice cars but I think they are engineered to break. I remember my neighbor had one and he put a Chevy 350 in it so it would be more dependable if the name Jaguar didn’t add hundreds of dollars to the price of simple parts to maintain it would be one to consider
Gone
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Perhaps I missed it, but where is car located? Also couldn’t find location or contact info on the Craigslist link.
Ford immediately started working some of the bugs out of this marque when purchased. By 1997 you could see and feel the improvement of the XJ6. It was a better car. What’s amazing is how Tata has made it truly a world class automobile today. This 97 Jaguar is a pretty good car compared to earlier models like it and a great bargain today.