Jeffrey Lo (Jeffrey_Lo@ccm.hf.intel.com) writes:
>OK, I have been out looking at a number of XJ-S's over the past week or
>so.
I purchased an XJS a few years ago. I did it only after about a year of
research and hunting for the perfect car. I wound up getting an '86 (3
years old at the time) with 31,000 miles. Unless you have a _lot_ of
disposable cash hanging around, I suggest you do a lot of searching. My
car has been fine, relatively few problems, but even minor stuff costs a
ton of money to fix:
1) Leaking cam cover oil seal ($22 parts, $750 labor)
2) Cruise control ($220 parts, $100 labor)
3) Oil sensor leak ($50 parts, $100 labor)
The bad news is that this is a great XJS experience. People I know
(through my research into purchasing one) with them (5 total, 3 purchased
new) have averaged about $2500/yr in maintenance costs. The high in this
group was an average of $4800 and a low of $1400. Several mechanics in the
area tell me that they warn people to expect $3000/yr on average. The big
killers (from both my group of owners and the mechanics) tend to be the air
conditioner (breaks fairly frequently, expensive to fix) transmission
(lucky if you get 50,000 miles per tranmission), ECU "brain" ($1200 a pop),
and any number of places in the engine which will leak fluid (power
steering, oil) due to heat-induced rot ($25 parts, $500 labor).
In general, since the cars get so incredibly hot underhood, hoses, gaskets,
and rubber parts (switches, seals, etc.) rot quickly and cause a number of
problems. One local mechanic tells me that he recommends that his owners
reseal the engine every five years ($2000) just so the job can be done all
at once rather than slowly (and more expensively) over time.
> I thought the GM automatic was supposed to be fairly solid. Has anyone else
> noticed these kinds of problems with the GM automatics in Jaguars?
It is supposed to be, but it wasn't designed to front a V-12...
> What does an aftermarket sunroof do to the value of the car.
Helps unless you're talking about a collectable...
> Another question on the transmission. Some of the cars exhibited a very
> smooth shift, while some had a more "solid" shifting feel with a
> definite clunk when it went to the next gear. What is it normally
> supposed to be like?
Apparently, there is a wide variation in the transmission feel. The
dealership mechanic gave me a ride in two new ones, one of which thunked
solidly, and one of which was nearly inperceptable. He told me to be
concerned about any variation between gears (different feel entering 1st as
opposed to 3rd) or any hint of slip, or any hint of not fully releasing at
stop.
I love my car, and wouldn't trade it (except for a convertable :->) for
anything, but I strongly urge you to be super careful. A mistake will cost
you tons and tons of money.
mike
(Currently: 86 XJS, 89 Range Rover, 61 Austin Healey 3000)
(RIP: 68 MGB, 80 TR7c)
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Michael Ladwig PRC Technology Division
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