Faults:

I have experienced no problems with this car.

General Comments:

This is a man's exotic touring car with style, speed and endurance.

Compliments are common toward both exterior and interior looks. I have never owned a vehicle where people take pictures and ask questions as how beautiful the car is.

This car is not afraid of curves or long fast highways. Runs soft and elegant at any speed with a red-line of 160 MPH.

Faults:

The usual wear on the driver seat. Other than that, nothing! More dependable than my 2005 Suburban I bought new!

General Comments:

This car is a looker inside and out (topaz color with tan leather). Most people either love the looks or hate it, and when sitting nest to my 1988 XJ6, they prefer the XJ6.

I feel if one tightened up the steering and other things, including a sport chip, this would be a very fast-handling Grand Tourer. No doubt though, the car has a great feel about it when you drive it.

If I had to do it over, I would still buy this car since there were only 364 4.0L coupes brought in by Jaguar in 1995. A whole lot better ride than a 911 Porsche, and rarer too.

Faults:

New fuel pump at 70,000 miles, otherwise trouble free.

General Comments:

I absolutely love this car. It is the most pleasurable vehicle I have ever owned.

It is my fourth XJS, and I have never been disappointed. My earlier models had a few minor problems, but this car is amazing. It is a shame they discontinued the model once it had evolved into such a reliable and enjoyable car.

If you can find a low mileage 92-96 XJS in good condition... buy it! Keep it, and enjoy it.

I seriously regret ever selling my 1992 XJS Euro-spec Coupe. It had a standard transmission mated to a six cylinder 4.0 litre engine. It was a rocket and out handled any vehicle I have ever owned.

If I could find it again I would pay twice what I sold it for to get it back.

Faults:

Headliner dropped (on my head)

Small electrical problems (mostly fuses/switches)

General Comments:

The XJS is a peculiar, but lovely car. It garners many approving looks.

The seating position is odd due to lack of telescopic. I am only 5'9", but I often have the drivers seat fully back. Seating control buttons and general ergonomics and interior look/feel are A1. Fit and finish are superb. Many people (most) bump their head at least once getting in/out (I warned you!)

I removed spare tire for more trunk space/better performance.

Use "sport mode" and shift manually to embarrass Mustangs on the highway.

Faults:

Instrument Panel Dimmer shorted out.

General Comments:

A lovely place to watch the road unwind from. I have owned two of these. My first was an 85 V12, and now this one, a 95 Coupe, with the 4.0 6 cylinder engine. In terms of overall refinement, it is my opinion that the later car is in a totally different league, but that does not diminish the standing of the earlier cars in the slightest.

These are unique automobiles. They clearly were affordable exotics, and mostly, better cars than most people thought.

These were (the earlier cars, pre-90s) perhaps the most complicated automobiles ever made. Seriously. My advice would be that you do not consider ownership if you are not VERY well inclined mechanically and with eclictrical systems troubleshooting, or unless you have lots of money.

That being said, these are some of the most comfortable, enjoyable cars to take a road trip in that you can imagine. They are capable of chewing up enormous distances in a day, can cruise at speeds that many cars would struggle to reach, and do so in a grand manner.

And they are rare. It has been years since I have passed by one on the highway. You just don't see one everyday... In fact, you don't see them hardly at all. If you want a car that speaks to individuality, it would be difficult to do better at 10 times the money.

These are lovely cars. The interior of the later cars is like nothing else on the planet. Old world charm and comfort abound, but in an intimate space, where you are surrounded by soft skins, thick carpeting, and beautiful wood-grains.

The driver ergonomics are somewhat flawed by not having a proper dead-pedal, and by having a slighly odd relationship between the seat and steeringwheel position. The wheel is adjustable but does not telescope (in the 95 anyway). With the seat close to the wheel, the pedals are too close. The Steering wheel is also a bit to big cramping the thighs a bit (I am 6', 190). The seat is not adjustable except in for-aft movement and seat-back rake (there is a lumbar adjustment too, but that is minor). Most luxury cars offer tilt and height adjustments, so this is an odd oversight. Still, with some fiddling, most people could probably find a very comfortable postion.

The cabin is quiet. At 110 mph, it is still relativly wind-free. At about 120, some aerodynamic buffeting starts to take place, which doesn't become anymore severe as speeds approach 150mph, though of course wind noise does.

I have driven my car at top speed and it did reach an indicated speed of 147mph which is exactly what the manufacturers claim is, however the speedometer of my car reads a bit fast. Based on my estimate using a stopwatch and milage markers, I recon that the actual top speed was about 145. Not bad for a 237 HP 6 cyl car. Not bad at all.

The ride is hard to describe. This car uses a rather tall, narrow tire, which is actually beneficial to comfort, and the suspension, even though based on a design that goes back 40 years (XKE), handles bumps and dips better than most cars of its size and weight. This is a heavy car though (even the V6 weighs in at around 3800 Lbs), so the handling isn't sports-car like, but much better than a sedan, and it rides better than most sedans do.

In the end though, I think that what makes these cars so desirable is the strong character. This results from a combination of heritage, styling, engineering, scarcity, and raw mystique. No other cars at affordable prices generate the same passion in me as the XJS does and few PRACTICAL cars top it at ANY price.

Faults:

After owning this car for 5 1/2 years with only 19,800 miles, adhering to the manufacturer's maintenance schedule scrupulously, their records attest to this, with no warnings of either overheating or coolant loss, we are faced with a total engine replacement costing $17,500.

As of this writing I have been unable to contact the area Jaguar service representative, have received no response from their appeal board and having lost the use of this car for nearly 4 weeks already, can get no definitive answer as to when I will get this car back.

They had no replacement engines available in the U.S. The cost is of major concern, but equally so is the indifference of the manufacturer to this premature engine failure. Anyone else having similar problems can reach me at croegge@hotmail.com. I would appreciate any feedback.