1987 Jaguar XJ40 Sovereign 3.6 24 valve AJ6

Summary:

Supersonic velvet

Faults:

Well, I bought the car very recently for £250 and I am subjecting it to restoration. There is no major rust on it, the only rust is surface stuff, much better than many XJ40's of this vintage, it needs sills, doors, bonnet and front wings, but just sills for the MOT.

General Comments:

I still own my Rover 800 series, well my several 800's, and the XJ40 is just another car that I admire and want to own. With the cost of cars this size being so cheap, I'd be stupid not to purchase one for restoration. Parts are of a comparable price to the 800 series, some parts are actually cheaper, items like the SLS rear shocks are noticeably cheaper.

The interior is brilliant, looks like something out of Space 1999, digital Atari dashboard and other toys, not as gadget laden as my 827 Sterling, but has enough buttons to keep me entertained, and it looks gorgeous, like an 800 series, but the next step up!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th September, 2001

3rd Oct 2001, 17:23

I have never seen a running Jaguar here in Oklahoma for less then $2000. Of course most of the cars are rust free even after twenty years of use. I would love to buy a Jaguar for under $500. Even a Jaguar for parts is going to cost you over $1000.

22nd Nov 2001, 03:18

Hello.

Problem with this country (UK) is that high insurance and petrol prices drive the values of nice cars like this through the floor. Since writing the review it has a new bonnet and doors, and shall soon have a respray as well!

1987 Jaguar XJ40 3.6 petrol

Summary:

If I cannot pull a bird in this, I give up!

Faults:

So far, (I need this lot for MOT):

Brake pads all round.

Handbrake cable.

Rear suspension A frame bushes.

Speedo not working properly.

Rust around the radiator.

Rust holes front and rear beside the lights.

Heater and air conditioner don't work as well as they could.

Water in driver's foot-well, although that is caused by blocked drainage pipes.

That's it!

General Comments:

I really could not believe it when I bought this car. Leather seats, blemish free bodywork (apart from the door frames) and only 75,000 miles from new with 2 owners. My mates think I won the pools or something, this car is unreal!!

Comfortable, fast, reasonably good with the fuel (average 26 miles per gallon) and a real head turner! Everybody who has seen it, thinks it is a more modern car costing around 5-6000 pounds UK. I only paid 1180 pounds for it, and have spent about 300 pounds getting it ready for its MOT.

Insurance on a classic policy is only 213 pounds for a year.

What a bargain! I cannot get over this car, it makes my old Rover SD1 V8 look like a Skoda!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd September, 2001

5th Sep 2001, 17:06

Hi could you tell me where you got your insurance from? Cheers.

26th Sep 2001, 17:25

My car insurance was from a company in Northern Ireland called James Campbell & Sons in Coleraine. They have a web site that you can get quotes on the website. http://www.cccinsurance.co.uk/

1st Apr 2004, 06:37

My brother used to pull birds in a reliant supervan, so he knew it was not the car that mattered, and if you saw him, you would know it was'nt the looks either. I know that's not constructive, but there's always room for humour, although this story is true.

1987 Jaguar XJ40 2.9

Summary:

The 400ukp shire horse

Faults:

Not much has gone wrong with the car in my ownership.

Headlights failed, central locking has packed up and a wheel bearing is grumbling.

However, almost everything is wrong with the car which was there when I bought it.

General Comments:

Since I paid only £400 for the car, I can't complain really.

It drinks petrol like it's going out of fashion, but is VERY comfortable and quiet. £400 is a stupid price to pay for a car like this. I come from the school of thought which says that you should buy big, old cars for very little and then get rid of them when they're beginning to be trouble.

I think mine will get to that stage soon. I have had over a years reliable use out of it and it has never refused to start. I have even braved a few long journeys in it and it never felt anything less than a £50000 new car on those trips.

I think it looks very cool. It's a bit beaten up so it looks a bit gangster-chic; something that the Krays' henchmen would be driving around in today.

Think I will get a recent Rover 820 next, like I had last time. Great car and oh so cheap. On my budget (£1500 amazingly!!!) I can get a quite recent, nice condition model. Will have to serve me for longer than a year through!!!

When I examine how much motoring has cost me in the last ten years and look at the sort of cars I've been driving, I can only laugh when I see the amount of money people write off in depreciation and maintenance bills for comparatively much more mundane metal!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th April, 2001

17th Aug 2001, 21:11

I had a Rover 820se (I think it was bad) 40k miles and trouble,.

The battery must stay connected to maintain the charge to the computer, if it is disconnected for a short time Rover have to set it back up for about 70 pounds, but the wires harden with age and break easily causing a fault often. I think the car was the worst I ever had, I regret the day I first got into one. I have an xj40, one of the best cars I have had, reliable, and good looking.

12th Jan 2003, 15:34

I just aquired a 1989 XJ40 with 192,000 k's and it is a gem. It was fastidiously maintained and hence, looks and performs as new. The only trouble I got, is envy from colleagues and mates. All for the price of 10 grand Australian.

28th Aug 2008, 07:37

I had a dark red 2.9 manual which I picked up for beer money and looked alright from a distance. One of the bearings failed at 90mph on a leading motorway, with predictably unpleasant consequences. The one I replaced it with was included a hub set-up from a later car, so the handbrake could never be re-activated. Eventually I found some halfwit to part-exchange it with, and on the drive over to their premises almost every instrument stopped working. I drove off with a 4.2 Daimler Sovereign, which was an infinitely nicer car both to look at and to drive. The XJ40 was slow and uneconomical in 2.9 guise. Avoid!