I own a 1994 2+2 V12 convertible. I bought it in 1999, so I’ve been the owner for 20 years. It’s an amazing vehicle! Gorgeous, powerful, comfortable.....all the things a Jaguar should be! Mine is bright red, and it’s my daily driver. Literally, I drive it 7 days a week. Not a day goes by that I don’t receive multiple compliments and/or questions about it. I bought a set of 18” Penta wheels (originally came on the 1999-2002 Jaguar XJR’s), along with a set of Conti DWS 255/45-18 tires, and it completely changes the look of the car!! I agree with others that you need to maintain the XJS regularly, but it’s a wonderful, exciting and rewarding car to own and drive, and the V12 is just spectacular!! I’m planning to keep mine forever!
how many miles do you have on it? i have a 1999 xk8 as a first car with 86k miles, I use it as a daily and would love to keep it forever but I worry at a certain point it’s going to just all fall apart if i keep dailying it, did the preventative maintenance already though and it hasn’t yet let me down
Well said. I have had mine for twenty years now. Always kept in the garage. The comfort and sound of the engine is amazing! Check out the Jaguar forums. So much info.
I can't like this enough. Please don't ever stop complaining about the weather, birds, the detailer or the other road users. Your commentary is very entertaining. Kind regards from Orania. Fantastic car btw.
More Jaguar reliability cliches that aren't true since about 1990. I own a 6.0 XJS and it has been quite reliable. Unlike an overpriced Italian, it doesn't need and engine rebuild at 30k miles.
@@mickyeverton there is a really nice v12 xjsc where Im from for 17k euros, but Im afraid local mechanics wont be able to maintain it, so idk if I should get it.
I had a white one of these in 1995. It was totally reliable and beautiful, if not very fast. Over my two years of ownership I had zero problems. Great car and one of the only cars o really regret selling.
have a 95 XJS, used as daily drive for 8 years, utterly reliable; now done nearly 150K miles Could be the better petrol and maintenance in UK; my wife's modern Mercedes rusted and broke down repeatedly over the same period
These rare beauties are SO smooth and fast once you kick down on the pedal. Older electrical issues can be sorted out and fixed thanks to Jagforum. Mechanical issues for my '87 have been minimal and I Inherited my Cab from my mother who purchased it new with Jag wire wheels for less than $75k. Unheard of for a sophisticated V12 at the time.
I absolutely love the quirky commentary - hilarious! Just bought a rebuilt XJS 4.0 convertible myself here in the UK, and it rocks! (or rather, doesn't rock, because it has completely rebuilt suspension, steering & brakes)
I had a Jaguar cabriolet in 1986 with a full body kit which looked a bit over the top. I replaced it with a convertible in 1988 which is what this model is.
The front of the car is just absolutely perfect. The rear quarters and tail I'm not as excited about, but in total the car is a stunner. Love the color combination on this example.
I've always loved the XJS, but the rear lights on the last model just look terrible. I served my apprenticeship with Jaguar in the 80s, the problem with the V12 wasn't the heat, but the poor design of the fuel rails. They used hose clamps to secure the injector pipes to the fuel rail, with time the hose clamps leaked and the engines would catch on fire. In the mid-80s Jaguar retrofitted the XJS V12 HE with a modified fuel rail and injectors (crimped hoses), plus various other improvements, including a vented distributor cap to extract fumes - I did many conversions at the time.
and ... just to be clear ....the Jaguar Car Company WAS named after the animal. Sir William Lyons wanted his cars to BE LIKE AN ANIMAL .... He chose the name JAGUAR in preference to Gazelle, Hawk and I think also Rabbit !
Thanks for the review, well done. Such a fine vehicle, show piece...I bet these will start climbing in value because they are just one of those cars that transcend time with such great lines...like a beautiful actress from old Hollywood.
Bill, just love those little anecdotes of yours and yes you nearly got it, it's Jag-you-are, not Jag-wahr, after all would you say coastguard or coastgwahrd.... anyway again your videos entertain and educate at the same time... a rare quality, from another Jag-you-are (x358) owner in Scotland... Could be worse!!!......I could've come from Canada.
carsos00 We Brits more often just abbreviate the name of the marque to “jag”, best pronounced “jaaarggg”... but we don’t say Jag-what.... to us that just sounds odd!
Bill, come see us here in Canada. We freeze our asses off for half the year. Puts hair on your chest! Why do you think so many of us invade Florida every year during the winter months?!
Canadians in the back stabbing you in the neck. You are hilarious. I want that car shipped back to the UK for weekend use and annual drive to France via ferry when they run again. Best wishes to you and yours from the UK.
FYI, Armstrong Siddeley is now part of Rolls Royce Ltd aero engines. Don't get the unreliable, thirsty V12 - the straight 6 is a beautiful, reliable engine.
Had a 82 in my time. They are in my opinion a great car. If you don’t have the bank to properly maintain these gems then DO NOT buy one. Engine rebuild on the 82’ was $13,000, tune ups were $700, $3,500 for electronic conversion, $5500 for a manual 5 speed conversion. They are sleek, Beautiful interior. Timeless looks. I’ve had people ask of it’s 70’s, 80’s, 90’s.
I've personally witnessed one at an intersection with a jammed on accelerator. It was kind of obvious when he had the steer in full lock while the car kept moving straight ahead toward the kerb in the opposite corner!! I'm guessing it was not from the Ford era. Pommy engineering at it's finest.
This motor had zero parts in common with the earlier XK 4.2L and 3.8L six cylinder engines that were used from 1948 - 1987 This is a 4.0L AJ6 engine which was a totally new design starting in 1985. It was produced through 1994 and then evolved into the 4.0L AJ16 engine used in the 1995 - 1997 XJ6 cars.
More in common with the V12 if you want to split hairs. And it was a 3.6 originally and become a 4.0 in 1989, also there was a 2.9 single cam with was half the V12, which then became a 3.2 twin cam.
BOTH the animal AND the Car, are called JagUar in English (THREE SYLLABLES). Why do Americans always try to reduce the number of Syllables in every word they can? I am English, and I own a JagUar XJS, built at Browns Lane and first registered in 1989. Mine is the Straight 6 and 3.5 Litre. I have had mine for 16 Years. I agree with you that the XJS is one of the best cars for reliability. In 16 years it has only stopped once when the ignition Amplifier Chip failed, so long ago I can't remember. I have to Edit. You DO NOT DROP the Trunk Lid to shut it, NOR the Bonnet (Hood as you call them) You close them GENTLY and QUIETLY. The Trunk then just needs a slight PRESS to engage the Lock. With the Hood it is exactly the same. Close QUIETLY and Gently. DO NOT DROP OR SLAM as it will damage the locks. With the Hood you pull the lever and this finishes closing it and locks it. THIS is a JAGUAR, and NOT a Wham, Bam, Thank You Ma'am toy.
I promise to not tell my 1974 Daimler Double Six Vanden Plas (Jaguar XJ12 by another name) that it should be an unreliable piece of crap. I’ve had it since 2004 and it’s never let me down once. Pity you’re so negative towards the marque.
They have dogged Jaguar vehicles for years and realistically they aw not bad cars. N They have had issues with electronics but all in all not bad cars. Unlike most Italian cars the motor doesn't have to come out for certain services just to keep up the maintenance schedule and they look great at a fraction of the cost.
I own a 1989 XJS convertible, not a cabriolet. When the top is down there are no window frames or supports - and there is no back seat, just a storage compartment.
I have one too. been sitting in my garage for more than 10 years. needs eng and trans. suffered from the dreaded Marelli ignition cat meltdown. Be careful
Anyone notice the White Bentley convertible with the tag..BET..R45. After living in Naples for years..There is always a better car than you are driving at every stop! Good detailers and mechanics were mostly all eliminated with the introduction of drug testing!!....LOL..
I hear what you're saying,,,the ugly duckling following the swan,,,but for us mere mortals it was fun to see what bits in this Jag came from in house cooking models,,,for example the Morris Marina door handles,talk about product sharing,,,but on a luxury product,I ask you,,,😁
The only downside to owning a Jag is maintenance. As one friend who worked at a multi-brand European marque car dealership put it, the only person they'd ever known who was happy with their Jaguar was married to the mechanic... As they get older, parts are going to get harder to find. And finally, of course, is the pressing need for any real driver to convert an XJS to a manual transmission in place of the 3-spd GM slushbox it comes with. At least the transmissions are reliable! But so boring... [sigh] Such a pretty car tho'! Wish I could afford to keep one, but I'm a working stiff, not old money. ;-)
get an xk8, they aren’t bad, mine has never once let me down, and I think as time goes by the market for aftermarket parts will grow, like it has with e-types
2:40 I only watch these car adds to listen to Bill's dry sense of humor ..yes Brits and Brit colonies do use the latter Jag pronunciation. . Some folk put V8 Chevy engines in these cars ...albeit..this is the nicest xj I have seen in a long time...greatclub car.
Gorgeous car! Would love to have this stored at the marina. Would it start after being left for months on end? Hmm maybe, maybe not.. But honey, it's a Jaaaaaaaggggg
If you are to hot, come to Bemidji, MN. If you love crystal clear lakes, forests, pretty women, back roads for cruising this is the place for you. Although it gets cold as hell in the winter, -50 wind chill. You should try "snowmobiling", if you like speed on snow and ice. The people are "Minnesota Nice" we welcome everyone.
In Britain, it’s nothing fancy or anything, it’s just pronounced like “jag-you-are” , but not with a soft j. The j is like the j in jogging. And aye, it’s the name of the animal. But it doesn’t matter. You guys just pronounce the name of that animal different over the pond, so I’d go with that! Maybe a wee bit pretentious to try to pronounce it as they do in Britain just because the mark is from there haha.
Owning a Jaguar is like being married to the most beautiful woman in the world with a very, very expensive Heroin habit. 😂🤣 Very nice XJS 4.0 you have there sir , i live in Canada and looking for a flamenco red or dark blue one convertible with the 6cyl 4.0 but very hard to find here.
This car is finally starting to look beautiful, probably because modern cars are so fat and ugly that this in comparison became suddenly elegant and exotic...
You do talk a load of crap. I Use to drive v12 xjs ,s for 20 years nether had any trouble. Any engine that doesn't have a holley on it you lot don't understand. Long hood for v12 originally. These cars were not un reliable in UK. Look up a company that used to be called lister stupid.
