1993 Jaguar XJS review from UK and Ireland

Passenger side heater blower. This was removed with a time spent working behind the dashboard. Off to a Jag center for overhaul and then replaced. Cost £150. I did the removal and refitting myself, the overhaul was done for me.

Rear Differential. This needed the full cage and differential removed. The differential went off for service. Whilst this lot was out the prop shaft went for a union renewal and re-balance. Total cost about £1000. I did the removal of the cage and whole rear suspension unit with a jaguar expert friend. Do not do this unless you have the right tools and a fair amount of room. These are big and heavy units to remove.

Rear Wheel Bearings. Replaced to help cure rear end rumble at speed. Total cost £500. This was high as some interior had to be removed as the anti lock brake sensors were corroded in to the rear hub carriers and the sensors remained in place and the wiring was fed through from the car. This procedure was repeated for the removal of the suspension unit as above.

Air Conditioning. New radiator in the front as it was rotten, new receiver drier as these always need replacing if the system is broken in to, system refill and new valve as this had broken. Total cost around £700.

Front suspension top mount bushes. Replaced to eliminate some front end knocking. This is an inexpensive and easy job. About £20.

New battery.

Cruise control. This was the fault of the year. Tried and tested everything, found it to be the micro switch on the brake pedal. A good lesson to myself, look at the easy things first. New switch £30.

I have owned the car for just over a year and would not part with it for anything. It is a late facelift model with the new dash and the big bumpers. To me this is a proper GT car at an affordable price.

Driving one is fantastic, they are quiet, smooth and rapid enough. When I say rapid enough, I mean my 4.0 Litre. I recently took the opportunity to go in a 7.0 litre twin supercharged Lister. If speed is the goal then look no further.

It has never let us down, we gave it a real test this year and took it on a 19 day 4000 mile tour around Europe. In return it gave 24 miles per gallon average and soaked it all up effortlessly. This kind of journey is what these cars are all about.

The boot space is very good even with a full size 16 inch spare in place. We have toured in it several times and never had an issue.

The back seats are a bit of a joke although I have been on the odd short trip with 4 people on board. This is not to be done often and definitely not considered with anyone tall.

When buying, be careful to purchase one at top price and ensure everything is tested, the alternative is to find one that is a bit of a bargain and repair the parts yourself or have work done for you. This can get very costly, I took advice on mine before buying, but still found a few bills I was not really expecting. I have been lucky to have some friends that have helped with some of the repairs.

I have also joined a Jaguar club since owning the car, this has helped with locating some parts and service advice. It has also provided us with some interesting club organised trips away.

As well as fixing things that have broken, the front cross member has needed replacing due to severe rot, the rear tyres have been renewed, the rear discs and pads were changed when the axle was out and the radiator was replaced as it looked as if it was about to expire.

The engine appears to be strong, 100000 miles on it and no signs of rattles or knocks.