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Advice on XJ6?

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Bret

Bret

Yoda
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Hello Jag’lophiles,

I have a neighbor that is talking about selling their 1989 (I think?) XJ6. I haven’t told him yet but I am considering purchasing it for my mom and her husband. From what I know thus far it’s pretty clean (no rust) has about 130,000 miles on it and has had nothing major mechanical go wrong that I'm aware of in at least the past 7 years.

But before I express an interest in the car I’d like to know what you folks over here on the Jag forum think about the XJ6. Any bugs or known issues I should know about?

Other that that any advice or suggestions are welcome?

Thanks,
Bret
cheers.gif
 
The early XJ40 cars (the replacement for the Series III) did have their problems. The electrical system had teething troubles, and the J-gate setup for the transmission also had its moments. Having said that, any problems that this car may have had would have been sorted by now. If a car survives fifteen years then it must be one of the good ones.....especially if it still has the original inline six instead of a Chevy V-8.
 
I have to take exception.
I have an '89 with 168K miles on it.
Yes, there are some electrical problems. Most of these are caused by poort solder connections and are easily rectified.

The engine is fairly bulletproof. The one thing that it may need soon is a head gasket unless it has been done recently. A bad design causes an oil leak on the front near the distributor. A can of CD2 at each oil change helps prevent it and helps reduce the leak if it already occurred.

Cost wise, many parts are about the same as parts for other cars if you stay away from the dealers and use other suppliers.

If you do the work yourself, it is not much more expensive to maintain then something like a Ford Taurus. If not, you can be entering a money pit.

Once you drive the car, especially on open roads, you will love it.
 
I agree with the negatives on a 88 or 89 XJ6. For about the same money, you can get a 90 thru 94 which are far superior. The later the year model the better. A clean 86 or 87 XJ6 is by far a much better Jag and a lot easier to keep maintained. The 3.6 liter XJ6 had many faults of which the worst is not correctable; the digital instrument panel. Heads are prone to warp, the oil leak design fault is real and rear ends (both suspension hubs and the differential) usually need replacement or rebuilding after 100K. Get a better model unless you don't like your family.
 
Bret,

Steve is absolutely correct. The 1988 and 1989 XJ6 is not a good car, sorry to say. The 4.0 6 cylinder was brand new and not perfected. My advice is a 1987 in clean shape, 4.2 6 at its highest peak or a 1992-1994 XJ6, the last two years.... check ebay for deals. The savings will pay for the plane ticket; that is only if you can't buy locally first. I am speaking from experience. I had a 1988 for two days. If you need I'll finish the story, painful as it may be... let's just say motor freeze. Not good. Well, I must go wipe the tears of anger from my eyes now. Hope this helps.

The CB AM/FM was cool though........ hmmmmmmmm.

Brian
 
Bret,
The '89 Jag, like every other Jag has it's own unique set of problems. I would not hesitate to buy it for a moment. It is better designed and cheaper to repair than my Nissan 300ZX, my '97 Dodge van OR my friend's '92 Toyota. It does in deed have some weak spots, but if you know what they are, you can avoid any trouble. I would not hesitate to drive my '88 from coast to coast and back. The front and rear suspensions are the same basic design from the 1950s through to the 1990s and if fact many parts are interchangable. The AJ6 engine, other than a weak head gasket, is a nearly bullet proof engine. I have slightly under 200,000 trouble free miles on mine. The electics have a few glitches, but are easily solved. The ABS system was new in '88 and is aggravating, but not uncontrollable. Next year, I give my wife the '67 420 as her daily driver and my son gets the '88 to drive his Senior year in High School.

Simply put -- if you do the work on these cars yourself, they are inexpensive dreams to own. If you send it out to repair and service they are a never ending nightmare.

Cheers
 
Well thanks for all the input. You’ve all been very helpful. Haven’t decided if I want the car for sure or not, but it’s all on hold anyway because the owner now wants to wait until spring to sell the car. I guess that’s kind of a good sign is that he’s hesitant to let her go.

Anyway he still doesn’t know I’m interested (don’t want to show my hand too soon) and am keeping my ears open for any problems. But after reading your answers & suggestions – my only real concern is that while I can work on most cars, my mother & her husband can’t do much more than provide weekly maintenance (fuel, oil etc.) and have a bad habit of letting things go from bad to worst before they try to fix things. Hey I love my mom, but I not sure I really want to be driving up to her house every weekend to work on her car. So I think before I make my final decision I’m going to really check out the car “thoroughly” myself.

Again thanks everybody!
 
The bottom line is how much can you buy it for? If it is not significantly cheaper than a later model XJ6 in similar condition, then opt for the later model with fewer problems.
 
I know this has been dead a while, but I'll add a tidbit people left out. The rear suspension. I believe in 1989 Jag added the self-levelling suspension. It's horrible. There is a kit to change it from that to a standard suspension, however.
 
The self leveling hydraulic system started in 88 and continued into the 90s. It is cheaper to replace the system with a retro kit using conventional shocks than to repair it. Since the trouble was so common, most of the systems have been converted to the conventional shock by now. If an older model still has the self leveling feature, it can be converted for about $700 including the parts kit and labor. It would be futile to fix the hydraulics and probably double the repair bill.
 
Hi Bret
I have a 1987 3.6 with 130000k. It still has the original self leveling suspension working well, no major engine or electric problems and runs like a dream. I wouldn't change a thing on it as I like my Jags original. My other Jag is 1973 XJ6.
 
I want to update my input on this thread. Most of the 88 XJ6 sedans were notorious lemons with incurable engine fault lights, etc,. I am noticing now, however that the few remaining 88s and 89s still in service and not scrapped are very problem free. Those that show up in my shop have happy owners and unsually have few problems, particularly engine internal problems and transmission problems. I have a theory that those still serviceable are survivors of the problematic original design and were on the upper end of the reliability bell curve. Those still in service I would predict will have very few major engine or transmission problems through 200,000 miles. The XJ6s beyond 1989 will compare favorably to any other luxery make of that vintage. Buy an 88 or 89 if you get a very good deal.
 
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