If you check your used car ads, you will see a lot of Jaguar XJ6 models for the 1980’s for sale-uually going for cheap money. They are nice looking cars…and usualyy have leather seats, wood dash, etc. I really like their looks.
I wasinterested in buying one, but a mechanic froiend says to avoid them-they are very hard to work on, and parts are sometimes hard to find. I did call about one such car-the ownwer just had brakes put in (the rear brakes cost $900 -apparently, you must drop the entire rear axle assembly to replace the brake pads).
So, are these cars money pits?
Or,can you get a nice classy carby buying a used XJ6?
Anybody have personal experience with used Jaguars?
You get a lot of car for your money, but they are cheap for a good reason. ie they can be a pain in the wallet when they go wrong. The situation is not too bad here in the UK where there are a number of specialists, but I presume you’re posting from the US, so I don’t know the situation there. For impartial advice on lots of cars try:
I think Jaguar’s quality control hit its nadir in the late-'70s through the '80s. If you buy an older XJ6 you can probably do a total restoration and improve it as you go along. If you only bring it up to factory standards, however, you’ll have a so-so car that looks nice but has problems. As Schnauzer said, “they are cheap for a good reason”. It will cost you quite a few ducats to make a good car out of one.
Still, a fully-restored, modernized XJ6 will probably increase in value over the years. (Many years, since there are so many cheap ones out there.)
I know a few people that bought them rather cheap and immediately replaced the engine with a chevy 350. Apparently that is a common thing on those cars, and once done, people seem to be very happy with them. From what I understand, the Jag engines are great when they run, but keeping them running can be a nightmare and quite the drain on the bank account.