1986 Jaguar XJS Sport 3.6 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Fast, pretty, comfortable and unbelievable value for money

Faults:

Electric windows run slow

Piston in front brake caliper seized.

General Comments:

The car was bought for £600.00 for use as a wedding car (for me).

I spent just over £1000.00 on parts which I expected.

New brake calipers front and rear

New brake disc's front and rear

New master cylinder and brake lines.

2nd Hand window motor.

New front dampers and suspension bushes.

Performance exhaust and throttle body from AJ6 Engineering.

The car handles and rides very well although it is easy to make the tyres squeal.

The performance is very good when over 3500-4000rpm. (which is easy with the 5 speed manual gearbox)

The car has started first time and run without a hiccup on my wedding and since.

The car was going to be sold after the wedding, but I just can't bring myself to sell it, the wife also loves the car.

The best point is the fuel consumption between 23 to 31 mpg average.

Over the 1000+ miles covered on my wedding and honeymoon it returned 28mpg.

Many people said I was mad and should have hired a car for the wedding (it would have cost £1800.00 plus a deposit of £2000.00 for hiring an E-type or similar for a couple of days.

The car has been worth every penny.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th September, 2004

26th Apr 2006, 19:15

Sweet and still very true.

3rd Nov 2007, 14:45

I still have the car. It runs like a dream, and always starts first time. The only negative is rust has started on the rear wing and the bottom of the front wings (a new one from a Jaguar dealer has just cost me £227.00; expensive, but not terrible).

AL.

1986 Jaguar XJS Coupe V12 H.E. from North America

Summary:

Fast enough to reverse the aging process

Faults:

The illnesses of my Big Cat were few and far between. I converted the alternator over to a GM kit once the $500 Lucas one failed, other than that I don't remember replacing any other critical components. An older fellow at an import parts store once told me to drive it daily or the seals would harden up. He was correct. When I sold the car there was a slight leak from the rear main that is typical of the 5.3 liter V-12.

General Comments:

Admittedly, I need to be a charter member of British Cars Anonymous. But this Jaguar was very special indeed.

Like most English car addicts, I have always aspired to own a Lotus Esprit or Jaguar XKE. You can't run with that crowd for $6900 which is exactly what I paid for my XJS.

Yes, I had read Jaguar horror stories and I had certain fears going into the purchase. However, for the price I could have replaced a lot of parts before I would have arrived at what the actual book value of the car was. Jaguars tend to be over valued on paper compared to the real marketplace.

This car ran like a dream. It was actually too quite for my liking. I always thought the V-12 'S' was a sports car, but it is truly a touring car. It was quick AND it was fast, but in all honesty my rough riding 1971 MGB was much more enjoyable to drive.

At 100 mph the XJS sounded like most cars to at 50. The engine purred and the outside noise was slight. It was easy to speed in the car even unintentionally.

If I could change anything about the 'S', I would have a manual transmission. Some of the very first XJS units arrived on American shores with 4-speed manual transmission left over from Jaguars XKEs. At 150 mph this car didn't run out of engine, it ran out of gears. A convertible 'S' would also be much more pleasurable to drive.

When I was doing my initial investigation on Jaguars I was given good advice by a certified Jaguar mechanic. He told me to avoid any Jaguar built between 1971 - 1984. He told me anything before then was all right and that V-12s built after 1984 weren't bad. He told me to avoid later model six-cylinder Jags altogether.

I've owned both a six and a twelve and I think the mechanic was correct. It is hard to beat the look, performance, and satisfaction of owning a Big Cat, but there certainly are less refined sports coupes out there and most addicts are not refined.

My quest for the XKE and Esprit continues.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st April, 2002

21st Sep 2002, 19:46

As I have the opportunity to buy an '86 XJS, I found the review very useful. As the car I am looking at has been driven by a little old lady (really, 83 years old!) and only has 56,000Km, the information on the seals is useful. Thanks.

Bob.

25th May 2004, 11:00

I have been looking at buying a 1986 Jaguar XJS for a while. It is in OK shape and it is only $2500. I appreciate the advice.

Clint Peterson.

1986 Jaguar XJS V12 5.3 petrol from UK and Ireland

Faults:

What was right with it??

Owned the car for 5 years and spent £13,500 on repairs and servicing. If anything goes wrong it costs a fortune to fix, and as my car was built by monkeys after a few beers the car was in for repair about once every 8 weeks.

The main dealers are expensive, useless and rude.

General Comments:

A very nice car to drive when working. Could do with an extra gear as 3 are not enough.

Ventilation is useless even when the aircon is working.

Only ever buy as a hobby car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 28th October, 1999

4th Mar 2001, 14:05

Concerning the Jaguar dealership comment. Where I live, there are only two dealers. The one I checked charges $85.00 an hour for labor. I also discovered that owning an older Jag (1987 XJ6) did not seem to impress them. Since this is case, the shop manual and some good old fashioned determination are a Jag owners best secrets for survival.