A new Jag owner? Maybe.

[swanthog]

Hello, all.

I am new to the forum and have yet to purchase my first Jaguar. I am an automotive hobbyist who loves to work on cars but highly values reliability. At this point I know nothing of the Jaquar other than it is a beautiful car. I am doing research to see how much technical support there is to be had from the internet.

Over the weekend, I test drove a an '82 XJ6. It was loaded and had the stock inline 6. Water is obviously getting into the passenger compartment from who knows where. Probably the moon roof. The leather seats need to be reupholstered.

The engine had a rough idle but would rev smoothly. There was anti-feeze sitting in puddles on the top, right-hand side of the engine.

On the road, the car drove smoothly(like silk). However, power was lackluster. There is a very noticeable shutter in the left front wheel under braking. When returning from the test drive I noticed oil leaking from one of the rocker arm covers. I reached to remove the oil lid and was nearly burned. The engine was very hot.

No temp. guage, an inoperative speedo, a busted rear lens, a few seemingly small rust spots on one door and near the corners of the windshield and rear window, are a few of the defects I noticed.

I'm not finished with my story but I have to run. Please let me know what you think so far.

Thanks!
Larry S.

 

[Sherlock]

Hi Larry,

A Series 3 Jaguar XJ6 (the one you just drove) is an excellent car! They made those from 1980 to 1987. A friend in Ontario runs one and has been very happy with it, just make sure you buy one in very good condition. I think a lot of those models of Jaguar were not well cared for by owners, but if you can find a well-maintained example you should have a great car.

But if you can, come up to Canada and purchase one of the Canadian-spec ones, sold here as either an XJ6 (base-model) or Sovereign (one level up), try here www.buysell.com in the Vancouver, B.C. area. I remember reading on BCF here somewhere that the Canadian ones are the same as the European/British ones while the American ones are slightly different with one component that doesn't work as well (forget which component was mentioned now...) Was that your post/comment John Farrington?

I do know lots of British collectors running older British cars and using a Series 3 Jaguar as their daily runner. I think they're a good choice.

[ 03-29-2004: Message edited by: Sherlock ]</p>

 

[swanthog]

How can I be sure that it is a series 3? Are you basing that on the year of production?

How much would you expect to pay for the car I described?

Thanks!
Larry S.

 

[Sherlock]

Can't comment on the market in the States, but up here in Canada you should be able to find a decent Series 3 Jaguar for between $7,000 and $10,000, my friend (referred to earlier) purchased his for about $8,000, at time of purchase the paint wasn't perfect but decent, mechanically it was excellent, again depends on what you want, for one that is ultra-mint (and some have been treated very well) they might go for more money than that.

 

[Izual Angel]

Water getting into the passenger compartment? Were you running the A/C? Sometimes the A/C drain hole will clog and the water will spill over into the cabin. Also, take a peek at the floor. You may simply have a rust hole under the carpet.

Since you're looking at Jags, I will recommend this site https://www.xjs.com They're a little pricey, but the service is good from my experience.

For a good price range check try eBay and https://www.autotrader.com

 

[swanthog]

$7K - $10K? In that case, you're not going to believe the price. I just hope I can get to it before someone else does. Luck be with me!

I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks,
Larry S.

 

[Guest]

My dad was offered a Series 3 XJ6 in good condition for $1200. At that time we didn't need another car so we passed it up.

$7-10,000 seems a little steep !

 

[tony barnhill]

David - where's that Jag?

 

[Guest]

A friend of my father owns the car in Illinois. This was about two years ago so I'm not sure if he still owns the car.

 

[JM1NA]

I'm sure Sherlock meant 7 - 10G's Canadian.....

 

[bmurphy7369]

Larry,

Here is a link for you.

https://www.johnscars.com/xj.htm#xj-model-guide

This should give you a starting point and also answer your questions surrounding the mysterious "Series" designation of most Jaguar cars. It really just refers to the model year range but also is a cut-off point for the factory when major design changes were made. My humble opinion is that a perfect starter Jaguar is a late Series III XJ6 (about 1985 - 1987) in relatively rust-free condition (especially around the gas doors, the windshield and the rear window). Once these cars begin to go in those spots, the damage is hard to correct. I bought my 1986 XJ6 with 43,000 easy miles for around $5000. It had little or no rust in these troublesome areas and was a very solid car mechanically. If a friend hadn't decided that it looked better parked at 45 degrees in a drainage ditch, I would still have it as a daily driver! The Series II is also a fine car (as is the Series I), but would require more tinkering from time to time.... something you should probably expect from any Jaguar you purchase that was made pre-Ford. Let us know what you find out there. Half the fun of owning a classic Brit is searching for the car (and later, the replacement parts!).

Brian

 

[bmurphy7369]

Larry,

One more thing to look for.......

On the XJ6, check the gas doors for this potential problem. Each filler has a small drain hole next to the filler neck that frequently becomes clogged with pine needles, etc. Of course, when these are clogged, water builds up inside the area surrounding the filler neck, sometimes creating rust holes that allow water into the gas tanks, ruining the fuel injection and possibly the engine in total. These drain mechanisms are simple to maintian. compressed air blows out all the gunk, but often overlooked. When the water does its work on the fuel system, the repair bill is usually outrageous.

Brian

 

[swanthog]

All,

Thanks for the tips etc. so far. They are much appreciated.

A question, what is the normal operating temperature of the 4.2(?) inline 6? As mentioned, the temp. guage is not working and the engine(valve cover) is extremely hot to the touch after a short test drive.

Larry S.

 

[vagt6]

Larry, sounds like a nice Jag.

However, I humbly suggest to never drive your Jag (or any vehicle with an internal combustion engine) without a fully functional water or oil temperature gauge.

Very risky, potentially very expensive. If your gauge doesn't work, slap on a cheap one until you can get the Smiths or Jaeger one fixed. Also, these pop up on EBay frequently at good prices.

Good luck with your Jag restoration, I hope this is helpful.

 

[bmurphy7369]

Larry,

As far as I can tell the normal operating temperature for the XJ6 is between 88 and 90 degrees celcius.... here is the link that shows that information.

https://www.jcna.com/library/tech/tech0012.html


"What is normal engine temperature?

Normal operating temperature is 88C-90C degrees. This is the beginning of the green band on the temperature gauge (SeriesIII 6-cylindercars). If the cooling system is in good order you should have no problem staying at the 88C-90C range unless you are in extreme conditions, i.e.: bumper-to-bumper traffic and/or ambient temps of 90-100F degrees. The auxiliary electric fan will come on at about 95C degrees. In high ambient temps I would say that anything over 100C degrees is cause for concern. In cooler temps, anything over 90C merits investigation."

(Quote from the above-mentioned link)

Brian

 

[swanthog]

Brian,

Thanks for the link.

I'm going for another test drive. This time I'll be bringing my DMM which has a temerature sensor(remember, the car's temp. guage is inoperative).

Cheers!
Larry S.