I'm very tempted by another Jaguar XJ40, having owned one previously.
Points in favour:
Wonderfully 'wafting' suspension
Excellent auto gearbox (and lever!)
Cosseting cosy cabin
Real wood trim
Reasonable fuel economy (with restraint)
Points against:
Rusty bits
VFD dashboard display pre-'90 facelift
Suspension bush wear
Irritating indicator stalk
A bit 'bijou' inside relative to external size
Metric rims on early models
Not as attractive as Series 3, but better as 4-light 'XJ6' rather than 'Sovereign'
More rusty bits
Budget is about £800.
Also rather tempted by the BMW 7 series (E32 shape), but I have no experience of this whatsoever.
Decisions, decisions.....
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I've a similar affection for Xjs for the qualities you describe - I had a Daimler Sovereign 4.2
from 1988-92 (the XJ6 S3 4.2 effectively) & loved it.
My thought would be: Have you got a good independent Jag spcialist near you, as it'll defiinitely need plenty of fettling on a regular basis to keep it nice.
For the £800 I think the rust issue is something you'll have to come an accommodation with, unless it's structural or MOT failing level. My 1981 vintage car certainly had the rust weevil, but later cars from the early 90's are/were much better AFAIK. You mention suspension wear -true, mine needed various bits of rubber cushionings replaced, but the same may well be true on the BMW.
The -ve point of dashboard design? Well, a plus in my book - it adds to the retro feel I think.
No view or knowledge about the BMWs you mention (although I had BMW bikes of this era..)
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I wouldn't bother with any of them - money pits.
If you want an older upmarket car then a Merc makes a lot of sense - try to find a rust free one (W123, 124, 201 - as your fancy takes you).
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i saw a really clean 1996 3.2 for sale this morning in a local drive way for £1250. 100k miles no history for the last 4 yrs but looks great. very tempting
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Aprilia - I also have a '93-vintage 280E which is indeed a fine car, but it feels somewhat 'sterile' compared with the Jaguar. Hard to describe what I mean, really.
I don't mind doing repairs myself - it's quite therapeutic when it's not your day job! I had the pleasure of rebuilding the front suspension and fixing the aircon on my XJ40 - and I have had to replace the disintegrating engine wiring loom on the W124 (made my own!).
They're all old cars now, so parts can be obtained very cheaply on Ebay....
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