The XJ-S convertible with V-12 engine had an MSRP of $82,550 in 1995; that's just about $150,000 in 2021 dollars. Yet it's no big deal to pick one of these up in good condition for about $15,000. How can that be? Well, Jaguar made some of the most beautiful cars of all time. But they don't exactly have the best reputation when it comes to long-term reliability.
From carbuzz.com: "Even though these cars are cheap to buy, they are notoriously expensive
to own. Even the youngest XJS is now a 22-year old car, and parts are
going to need to be replaced. If you fancy the idea of owning a gorgeous
grand touring car with a V12 engine, here are some issues you should
watch out for. Fuel hoses in the engine are known to deteriorate over
time, causing engine fires. The upper shock bushing are prone to failure
resulting in a rattling noise over bumps. If you do decide to own one
of these cars, you'd better be very handy and resourceful or know a very
good mechanic. The good news is, the XJS is so plentiful, it isn't too
difficult to buy a spare one to use as a parts car."
Uh sure, just buy two of 'em and keep the second one for parts.
From driving.ca: "Where do we even begin with this one? The Jaguar XJ-S and XJ-12 might be
the most affordable V12 cars you can buy, but that affordability comes
at the expense of reliability. The Jaguar XJ-12 has two radiators fed by
two coolant tanks, with two fuel tanks, two fuel pumps and a battery
that has its own thermostatically controlled cooling fan. If that isn’t
enough to terrify you, these cars are filled with a mind-boggling maze
of infamous Lucas wiring, with fuse boxes at seemingly random intervals
along the fenders inside the engine bay. And when things do break, engine access is worse than anything except a twin-turbo 300ZX (look it up, it’s spooky!). Opening the hood on a V12 Ferrari reveals gleaming cam
covers and polished intake manifolds, whereas the underhood view of a
V12 Jaguar is dominated by a mess of vacuum lines and wiring that
resembles the Windows “pipes” screensaver. This is not a car for the
faint of heart or slim of pocketbook."
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