UPDATE – The seller has asked us to lower their asking price! If you’d love to give this sweet Jaguar, be sure to contact them via the form below.
This 1989 Jaguar XJ6 has only had two owners since it rolled off the production line. The first of these first leased the car for two years, while the current owner purchased the car from the dealership when it returned at the end of its lease in 1991. It is a tidy survivor that offers its next owner a slice of traditional British luxury in a package that will provide effortless long-distance cruising. If you feel ready to treat yourself to a life of luxury, you will find the Jaguar located in Phoenix, Arizona, and listed for sale here on Barn Finds Classifieds. All of his could be yours if you hand the owner $4,950.
When Jaguar introduced the XJ40 model during the 1987 model year, it featured a host of engineering changes that made the whole car a more structurally sound and complete package. However, they saw no reason to toy with the styling that had served them so well with its predecessors. By following this path, it allowed the XJ6 to remain immediately identifiable as a Jaguar. This car is finished in Solent Blue, and the owner says that all of the paint is original. The paint is 32-years-old, so it is only right to expect that it now carries a few nicks and marks. However, none of these are particularly bad and are the sort that you might expect to pick up from errant stones and parking lots. The vehicle has never suffered any accident damage, so its panels are extremely straight, while the gaps are tight and consistent. The owner has identified a single spot of rust on the inside of the trunk lid, but I think that this could be sanded and treated, and that should prevent it from deteriorating further. The wheels and tires that the XJ6 rolls on were fitted by the owner around 2-years-ago. The chrome on the original items had begun to peel, so new ones found their way onto the Jag. The original items are included, so the buyer might choose to send them off for restoration.
It is a common trait amongst British classics that manufacturers will extract surprising performance from a fairly small engine. This XJ6 is no exception. Under the hood, we find a 3,590cc DOHC 6-cylinder engine that produces an impressive 195hp. A 4-speed automatic transmission feeds those rampant British stallions to the rear wheels, while it hardly needs mentioning that this luxury cruiser comes equipped with power steering and 4-wheel power disc brakes with ABS. At 3,902lbs, the XJ6 is no lightweight, but that mighty six can push it through the ¼ mile in 17.1 seconds, and on to a top speed of 133mph. Making these figures even more impressive is the fact that even with that weight and level of performance, the XJ6 is still capable of returning fuel consumption figures of around 20mpg. The Jaguar is numbers-matching, and it is in sound mechanical health. The owner decided 3-years-ago to remove the self-leveling suspension from the car’s rear, and to slot in a set of regular springs and shocks. From a long-term reliability perspective that is a smart move, because that system can become troublesome as it gets older. He has had all of the fluids flushed and replaced in the last three years, the brakes have been checked and are in good order, and the battery was replaced earlier this year. The car is said to run and drive as it should, which means that a world of luxurious long-distance cruising is on the horizon for this classic’s next owner.
I don’t know about you, but I’m quite partial to a spot of pampering. It has nothing to do with advancing years because there’s nothing like tackling a long drive and emerging from the car feeling as fresh as a daisy. I felt that way 30-years-ago, and that belief remains with me. That is the opportunity that is on offer with this XJ6. Slipping behind the wheel means sinking into a soft and inviting seat upholstered in Cream leather. There is some wear on the driver’s seat, but that is one of the few obvious flaws with this interior. The remaining upholstered surfaces are in excellent condition, while there is no wear or deterioration on the door trims. The dash is spotless, and the same is true of the carpet. Adding to the luxurious feel is the climate-control air conditioning. The system was upgraded to R134a refrigerant, while the compressor, hoses, dryer, and condenser were replaced at the same time. However, the system has lost pressure, and a service is called for. As well as leather and A/C, the interior features power windows, power locks, a power driver’s seat, power mirrors, cruise control, and a premium AM/FM radio and cassette player with six speakers.
When we examine this 1989 Jaguar XJ6, it offers its next owner a lot for their money. I have talked in the past about how I place great store in long-term ownership with classic cars, and this is because this usually means that those cars have been treated with care and respect. This vehicle graphically demonstrates that thinking. The seller has retained the car for 30-years, and its overall condition is impressive. It has been correctly maintained, it has always been garage-kept, and there’s no evidence that it has ever been abused or mistreated. When you look at its combination of equipment and its performance levels, you will struggle to find many equivalent cars for the asking price. That’s why this Jag deserves a closer look.
Not to rain on anyone’s parade, while I admire Jaguar’s styling, I would run as fast as I could from a 30+ year old Jag. Not known as a pillar of reliability, their beauty does not take away from having to fix these, and fix them often. They are like beautiful high maintenance girlfriends, beauty only goes so far, and then you get fed up with the effort.
its still a “Ford-uar”. The XJ40 was the first Ford assisted design. There was a story floated when the car was introduced that the only parts shared from the S3 XJ to the XJ40 were a handful of bolts and nuts.
It shows
The 86 XJ6/12 S3 was Jaguars crowning achievement. Yes Ford had own the company for a few years and had put tons of money into new equipment, quality control and employee pay to make that happen. Hence the last of the S3’s had excellent quality/craftsmanship built in.
The XJ40 was rushed into production. Hence its actual into date wasn’t till mid year 1987 (and S3 production continued up to that point). The late 87’s and 88’s even tho Ford money was pouring into the project, it had high failure rates of things like rear differentials and rear suspension failures. Seat heaters had a nasty problem of shorting out (and giving owners a hot seat – literally).
By 89, a lot of the issues were fixed but by then the “avoid this car” mentality had set in. The car continually had rear dif issues as a friend owns a local Jag only shop and till a few years ago regularly kept several XJ40’s in the back lot as parts cars…and none of then had rear a dif under it.
The AJ6 engine while a very good design was a radical change from the tried and true XK engine…of the 40’s. Its Achilles heel was it was prone to over-heating if not well monitored.
The X300 in late 93 was the god-send for the Jag. But thats another story
I agree! The Xj40 was NOT a loved model by most. The boxy styling was a turnoff! The 95-97 XJ6 was a heavily improved XJ40 that was extremely dependable and had the classy styling the JAG owners had missed! It sold dramatically well and helped to change the unrealiability image of early cars.This is likely an extremely nice car, but one cannot change history! PS The early models were also notorious for having constant problems with the digital instrument clusters!
Your timing is a bit off. The XJ40 was designed and launched before Ford arrived on the scene. Had the Ford quality disciplines been applied, a lot of its flaws would not have made it to market. Ford did help Jaguar make better Jaguars, as evidenced in the X300 and X308 successors.
Blackcat you are most correct and I embarrassed. While I had understood all this time that the XJ40 was Ford assisted in the design, it wasn’t till the purchase of the company in 89 that they jumped in with both feet as they say and began to make a difference spending gobs of money.
Vance: I will politely disagree with you. I own a fifty-three year-old Jaguar and it has no problems because it is maintained per the owner’s manual. Only put gasoline in them and expect them to run forever and you will have EXPENSIVE problems. Mechanics who only know about American cars and who are not Jaguar mechanics will also tend to make a mess of these cars. Proper maintenance by a competent Jaguar mechanic will give you a trouble-free Jaguar.
For that money you can get a nearly 20 years newer XJ with twice the power and 10x the reliability. End of story.
When I was doing repair on imported cars the Jags led the way.Get one thing done and another would come along in a few weeks.We did no work on Asian imports and specialized in Euroclunkers as I called them.I worked in the mid 1980’s for a doctor whose wife had a Rolls Royce Corniche convertible and replaced a power steering hose and his personal secretary said it was a real pain in the fanny on more than one occasion when they we in Florida.
I think the last Jag I worked on was the worst of all but NOT because of poor design.It was the owner who took if to a garage that had NO idea how to repair anything including a flat tire.This Jag was a V12 and required a lot of
diagnosing and parts that were costly.and I recall the bill was almost $4000
to undo all the damage incompetents had caused.
My parents had a Vander Plas Majestic from the early 90s, believe it was a 90. Had an in line 4.0 six, that car was beautiful, never left them stranded. Got side swipped a couple years ago, and that was it. Insurance totalled it.
Laurence, kudos to you, proper maintenance and someone who knows what they are doing are always a good combination. I sold cars and was a service writer for a total of 15 years, so I get it. But most people aren’t like you, and a Jag is not the type of car to skip scheduled service procedures.
Most people like the allure of having a Jaguar, but aren’t responsible enough to own one, kinda like being a good parent. You get what you put into it. Cheers to you and your Jag.
Thing is, newer Jags (post 2000-ish) are, imho, better than most luxury cars in terms of maintenance and reliability. Being so heavily Ford-based, they’re much easier and cheaper to repair than contemporaries like BMW, Mercedes, Audi, etc.I have a 2007 ST-R which has never had any unusual issues, or at least none that wouldn’t be found on most cars of that age and vintage.Scheduled service is a must for any expensive Euro sled, with newer Jags being more forgiving than most others…
Thank you Vance for your classy and polite reply.
A used European car. You don’t buy the car, you buy the previous owner. A/C doesn’t work? Probably needs a “service”. That’s very optimistic.
These and old BMW 7 series don’t seem to have much value. Both for the same reason.
“Solent Blue.” I wonder if there was a Soylent Green color option
Junk them while they still run and save the tow bills was what one old mechanic here used to say and he applied that to any and all cars,
Actually the key to any car’s reliability is preventive maintainance and
they will keep chugging along .
I like XJ40’s. But the real issue is the automatic passive seat belt found on the 88 thru 91 USA models. Typical of any manufacturer of this time period, these automatic seat belts are awful as well as the door mounted seat belts that GM did at the same time. The type (like on the 88-91 Jags) that are motorized are problematic and in many cases there are no more parts available to fix them.