So viscerally tempting, these beautiful Jaguars. And not just this V12 XJS – it’s every one of them, from the prewar saloons and the SS roadster to the Mark cars, the XKs to the XJs. The genius of Jaguar is the tension in every line, summing to the cohesion of the whole. Here’s Jaguar’s 2 1/2 liter 1947 sports saloon: look at the swell of the roof line, echoing the fender line! It looks fast. Yet that car was a tiddler in the realm of performance, dawdling along at barely 70 mph. But once the similarly-but-differently drawn XJS V12 arrived, speed was always in Jaguar’s résumé. So was trouble. This 1990 XJS is for sale here on eBay, with bidding at $2550 in an apparently no-reserve auction. Can this be a case of “dusting the hands in dismissal”? If you are tempted, might want to take a trailer to Birmingham, Alabama to pick her up. She’ll run, but you know…
The V12’s cramped nest of piping, ancillaries, clips and fittings … the sheer density of it all has historically intimidated me – accustomed as I am to staring at an A-series 948 in the bay of a Bugeye where even in that small-ish cavity, there’s space! Apparently, these engine bays have intimidated more than one American repair shop, with lack of proper (read: expensive) maintenance ruining many a good car. Ford’s acquisition of Jaguar in 1989 created a runway for improvements, but for the XJS, the salutary effects didn’t kick in until 1991. All that aside, if one can fiddle Jag’s V12 into shape, the result is very rewarding. In the US, the 5.4-liter engines were Lucas-injected to generate about 260 hp. The transmission is a three-speed automatic. Mind the cooling system: it’s as complicated as the rest of the car. From The Jag-Lovers Web: “The overflow container is located directly behind the left front wheel, within the bodywork. To get to it, remove the left front wheel and remove the sheet metal panel at the rear of the wheel well…” And this gem, “The Jaguar engine requires little wiggle pins in the thermostats to bleed air out of the system. If you buy aftermarket thermostats and they have no wiggle pins, drill a 1/8″ hole in the flange.” The seller has replaced several parts recently, but reports that the engine misses occasionally, and the shocks and oil pan are leaking. The odometer has clocked 117,250 miles.
Aside from a silky engine and splendid styling, Jaguar excelled at producing a veritable parlor for the driver with the usual leather/wood/wool livery. The good news here includes a newly-charged air conditioner, and working lights. However, the windshield is delaminating and since its seal also leaks a bit, this situation offers a perfect opportunity to replace the whole thing – after subjecting your wallet to repairing the engine’s hiccup, of course. Down the road, the wood instrument panel could use refinishing, and the driver’s seat bolster might want a dye job. The seat heaters do not work.
Sporting fabulous colors but afflicted by wear commensurate with its years, this Jaguar needs a new owner with mechanical aptitude or deep pockets. If we’re correct that this is a no-reserve auction, the eventual buyer might pay a bargain price. A measure of the headroom for improvements is offered by this example, which sold for $11,500. Low-mileage XJSs will sell for more, but we can’t turn back the clock on this one, can we?
Wow, just wow. If there ever was a better example for lack of interest, I’m searching for a word to describe this fantastic automobile, here it is, AND $2500 IS IT? ( going up in $50 increments) To quote the amazing group REM,,”it’s the end of the world as we know it, but I feel fine”.
Yeah, yeah, sorry mates, it is a kick in the bum. In lieu of that, tell me, Brits, who bought this car new? JD Power sez, this car cost an unbelievable $57,000 for the base XJS( whatever that was) and could top $80K, or close to 40,000 pounds. This wasn’t for a commoner, clearly, but Britain surely had big company bosses that had “cockered children” too. “He played a mean guitar, always ate at the Steak Bar, loved to drive in his Jaguar,,,so welcome, to the machine”,,
Well……… If the seat heaters aren’t working….. That’s it…… I’m out…… Sorry, just kidding. This is a beautiful Jag. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t want to work on it though. Just way too much going on in there. And i had no idea about the overflow flow tank. Michelle. Once again, you taught me something new on here lol. That and the Thermostat and “wiggle” pins…. I think I’d be “wiggling ‘” my way to someone who knows what to do to help me out there. I have always thought that these are beautifully designed Jags, and kind of a successor to the stunning E type. I really enjoyed your write up ( as usual) Michelle and learned something new tonight. Now…… I am going to make a confession here….. While the first series E type is at the absolute very top of my bucket list ( barrel, ravine lagoons at this point) this actually is not on that list. ( You’re probably shocked at this point that there’s actually a vehicle not on my list). But there you have it. This is a a very nice looking example amd in the right hands, will most likely give many more years of enjoyment.
Thanks as always…. I have lost track of your list. Let’s see, Vega; Chevette; Yugo – no wait, that’s not it! Where are we here? XKE for sure….
Oh no…. Michelle…. Go ahead and add the Yugo!!! Lol
Whenever I see someone contemplating a Jaguar purchase, in instinct is to call out “Run Forrest, run!!” in plaintive warning. I still maintain, driving a Jag, any Jag, is an adventure, for of it gets you to your destination, you have no assurance it will get you back! I have owned a few, ranging from a 1938 SS100, 1951 XK120, 1953 Mark VII, 1959 XK150 and finally 1964 3.8 E-Type Coupe. Only the oldest, the 1938 had any semblance of dependability but when it became more valuable than my house, I sold it. Don’t ask me why, such mistakes are my stock-in-trade. Michelle – perhaps you saw me plying the streets of Portland or the track at P.I.R. 20, 25 years ago with it??
I bet I saw it at the track. I was an avid track rat.
I loved my XJS, but it was the most unreliable mechanical device ever made. Replaced multiple radiators and alternators, engine oil and transmission leaks, changing transmission fluid and filter due to clogs. The service guy sent 3 kids to college on what I paid in maintenance.
An LS would make this a very enjoyable car
Well, I have to comment. I have the almost identical 90 XJS in convertible form. Mine has 78K on it and I bought it with 70K on it for $4000 11 years ago. If you’re paying someone to work on it, you’ve bought the wrong vehicle, but if you can do your own work, it’s a lovely car to own. The Teves III braking system and the Delanaire III HVAC systems are, to be charitable, creative and different. PITA also comes to mind as a descriptor, but once you understand them….they’re still a PITA. This car’s upholstery is in remarkably good condition for over 120K miles. Mine is more worn and the leather more dried out. Of course, it’s a convertible and the guy I bought it from was at least 250 lbs, ergo… So the seat heater doesn’t work, but does the lumbar support inflate?
Mine has the American sealed beam dual headlights. I didn’t know that one could buy one with the European headlights, unless this was originally a European model brought over. I know that the revisions later in the 90s had them.
Yes, the engine compartment can be intimidating to the uninitiated, but there’s tons of on-line support from the Jag forums with folks who know them inside out. There’s nothing that goes wrong with them that others haven’t experienced and solved on their own. It’s just a gasoline engine, after all, with the attendant sub-systems.
All of this goes away when you drive one. Even with the pollution stuff and the GM transmission, and tending to run a little warmer in the summer than your standard V8 does, at cruising altitude they’re a dream to drive. 90 feels like 60 and with the top down, the quiet but potent sound of the 12 cylinder exhaust is stirring.
As a long-time lover of the E-type (I even own a 71 OTS in desperate need of complete restoration), I initially resisted the charms of the XJS and the 12, but I’m a believer now even with issues that crop up.
I had a ’90 XJS in silver and biscuit and finally gave up on it after spending a fortune trying in vain to sort it out. I’d purchased it from someone who had all the receipts after spending a ton of money on it. I thought “This is a good deal. Everything is just right.” It broke down 2 days later.
In 1998 I had one of these in Texas. The engine had tanked so I had a 350 Chevy put in one like I had done to my wife’s Jag sedan. So the mechanical issues were a thing of the past on both of them. Next I had it painted a black cherry metallic color and in the sun it just popped!
But the electrical issues made me get rid of both of them. Why Jaguars thought every wire needs a relay is beyond me!
Got my first 1986 XJS Jag in 2005, just about 20yrs ago. It was love at first sight, and being a mechanic I was able to maintain it well. I learned a lot about that model, and did a bunch of upgrades and improvements. Here’s a pic of the IRS (independent rear suspension). I started out to fix a diff leak, then thought, “Gee, this part would look good powder coated”. Of course that made the part next to it look drab and dreary, so off to the powder coater we went. In the end, I had the best looking IRS that ‘nobody would ever see’. Had a number of XJS’s after this one, but you never forget your first!
That is stunning, Jim. I’m so jealous. When I did my rear calipers, I didn’t want to pull the IRS since I have a lift. It took me 2 weeks to get them out, blast them, rebuild them, get them back in with the new emergency brake components. What a job, but I wrote it up for one of the forums (no pictures, I’m sad to say…big mistake on my part). Pulling the IRS is not that hard, but I just wasn’t up to it at the time.
Eric, most of the pollution stuff has quit functioning by this time. The AIR (IIRC, air-injection-reactor) vanes are either stuck or shattered, the distribution pipes on each side are corroded through, and the holes in the head are carbon filled. I would usually scrap it all, tap/plug the head holes, and relocate the alternator to where the AIR was located. The single most effective upgrade to improve drivability was to install a rear sway bar plus upgrade the front sway bar to a heavier version. The rear mounts are already in the body, just have to get the rubber. And the trailing arms need a clip welded see the pic.
It stinks that a lot of great looking cars are so problematic. Money be damned, if I had some, this Jag and a Porsche 928 would be in my “LS swap garage”.
I really want to own a V12 Jaguar some day. I know it will break my heart and force me to change my retirement plans, but I do want one.
Walter, if you can do your own work, the XJS is a very rewarding car to own. Kirby Palm wrote a comprehensive repair manual for the XJS that really helps!
This original XJS site has been upgraded but still has some usable links: https://jag-lovers.org/
This is the new site: https://forums.jag-lovers.com/
Enjoy!
Thanks for the links. If you do end up enabling me, my wife might not share my gratitude.
SOLD for $5,100.
28 bids.
Sounds about right.