1989 Jaguar XJS

Convertible

5.3L 12 Cylinder Gasoline Fuel

Automatic

sajnv4842kc155528

Gasoline

Adjustable Steering Wheel

One of several Jags owned, making room for another convertible. Bought this one in late 2005 from a guy in Memphis, drove it to my home in Minnesota. Shipped it to Atlanta in 2009 it has lived here since. I bought this 1989 because it was the last of the classic double lights, and I never liked the boy racer touches the later XJ-S models developed, nor the V6 engines. FYI 1989 is the first year of the true Jag ragtop, after the short-lived Hess & Eisenhardt collaboration in 1988. A very nice blue/gray color combination, was completely sanded and repainted (~$4000) less than 1000 miles ago in 2010. Engine rebuild (~$4000) to prevent overheating in 2006, total miles since then about 5-6000. Driven maybe 10 times a year on average, mostly garaged except when other cars coming and going. Originally I wanted to restore the interior too and keep it, but so it goes. I have many cars but only one marriage. NOTE: Page 1 of the inspection says 78,923 miles it is actually 70,923. It also a 1989, not a 1988. The good: The outside is really immaculate, the paint is a very subtle blue/gray that shows off the lines of this car, especially with the wire wheels. I think it looks better with the top up -- the top is in great condition. The rest of the 'good' you can see from the inspection report and the pics. Overall given the age and mileage and presumed sale price I'd give this an honest 8.2 out of 10. The bad: It appears from the inspection (attached) the air conditioning isn't working, which I've never used. It also says the heater doesn't work -- what it does do is blow hot air from the engine -- so it works and actually is somewhat adjustable (more flow than temperature) but it isn't exactly automatic climate control. So you'd need to replace the air conditioning/heater if you require that, which is probably $1500. Personally I wouldn't bother unless you want a daily driver. The inspection report also says the antilock brake light is on, this goes away after a couple of minutes driving. However the 'Brake' warning light does stay on, I had a guy go after that once and couldn't find the electrical issue. There's nothing wrong with the ABS or the brakes that I know of, and the inspection bears that out. The inspection says the transmission hesitates in reverse, that's correct it does for about a second and occasionally is a bit jerky. But it hasn't been an issue for parking etc. and the rest of the gears are very smooth. The missing vacuum valve is a tiny valve on the top of the engine, it makes no difference to operation or safety and you need to replace the hoses to replace the valve, so on the advice of mechanic I left it. The 'small oil leak' is precisely that. I have some cardboard in the garage it's probably a teaspoon every couple of months, if that. The interior: Is about a 7.5/10 compared to the body 10/10. It definitely needs new wood (the decent Jag dash kits run on eBay for about $500). Everything else is very good condition, no cracks in the seats or anything but there is a slight warping in the plastic dash -- visible only if you are in the drivers seat looking through the windscreen. It has a newer decent stereo I put in about 2007. I also removed the sun visors as they look silly when the top is down. The top is in great shape, comes with a cover. Car also comes with a monogrammed Jaguar XJ-S custom fit, weather-resistant cover. The wire wheels are in good shape, had them cleaned but not blasted when the car was painted. The tires were replaced in 2006 when I bought the car so lots of tread still. At the end of the day, it's a beautiful car. It was never built to be a rocket but it is effortless and quiet getting up to speed. They were the equivalent of $85K or so new in 1989. And between 55-75MPH it has a great, smooth torque band for passing. Always get a lot of thumbs up driving it. If the inside were 'driving restored' like the outside, you'll probably have a $15-20K car in a few years. These are not collectibles yet but I think the earlier V12s soon will be. It's a good alternative to a $45K+ unrestored V12 E-type. My car guy Jose has this at his shop in Atlanta. He can ship it pretty much anywhere in the US for sub-$1000, less if closer to Atlanta. I do reserve the right to end the auction at any time. Happy to answer any other questions. Good luck bidding. Cheers Anthony