1989 Jaguar XJS Base Convertible 2-Door 5.3L

1989 Jaguar XJS Description

1989 Jaguar XJS Convertible, this is a fantastic survivor of a great time in the history of Jaguar vehicles, way ahead of its time back in 1989 and it still stands out as much today as it did back then.

I purchased this car out of Fort Lauderdale Florida in June of 2005 and drove it home to Rhode Island where it has always been garaged and never used inbad weather. As I recall I believe I am the third owner of the car which has always been well maintained. The exterior looks fantastic from five feet away however there are a few minor paint nicks if you inspect it closely which certainly do not take away from its great presentation for a 27 year old vehicle.

In around 2007 the car received a significant mechanical overhaul when the engine dropped a valve seat. I absolutely loved the car and was in no way ready to part with it so I decided to completely overhaul the powertrain rather than take the easy way out and swap the Jaguar v12 for a Chevy 350 engine like so many others have done keeping the fantastic V12… In my opinion it would have still been a beautiful convertible however it would have no longer lived up to the Jaguar heritage.

So the fun began… The engine and transmission were removed and the engine was determined to be not repairable therefore a used engine was sourced, completely disassembled and inspected which included replacing any worn or recommended parts followed by a complete engine gasket kit during the reassembly process. Additionally while the power train was out I located a professionally rebuilt transmission from AAMCO which was installed during reassembly. A new aftermarket high torque starter, Fasterjags.comHigh Flow electric cooling fans and a Quick Cat cool air intake systems were also installed during reassembly. A Pioneer stereo with an IPod interface was added.This wiped out my toy budget for that year however I was very pleased with the end results of this project.

The following year I had the original factory rims chromed which to this day make this car stand from most of the older Jags. I don’t recall the exact year but around 2008 I also had the convertible top professionally replaced which is still in great shape.

Fast forward nine years later and the car still runs great for short trips however on long runs the temperature seems to be creeping up so it is going to need some TLC soon. Just to be clear it has not overheated although on a recent trip of probably 75 miles or so it acted up and was as if it were running out of gas and there was a fairly strong fuel odor while driving however there was no signs of any type of fuel leak. The ac however did need to be recharged which was done and if you know these cars then you know that they have a chamber that actually cools the fuel. The next day the car seemed to run fine however when I took it out of the garage today to take photos some I was getting a fairly strong fuel odor that went away after it warmed up so it’s probably time for a tune up or possibly one of the ignition coils failing.

Last summer I was getting a fuel odor in the trunk which is very common on these cars because the tank is in the trunk and they tend to rust in a couple of spots. Over the winter months the tank was removed and found to be in good shape but I did find a couple of pinhole which were welded and then the tank was lined with a product called Red-Kote tank liner which seals the tank from the inside.

This is clearlyNOT your average 1989 Jaguar however to be perfectly honest after owning it for over 11 years I think I’m ready to part with the car and move up to a newer convertible. The cars odometer reads approximately 90,000 miles however to be clear when I purchased the car the title stated true mileage unknown or TMUwhich carried over to my RI title that I received after registering the car back in 2005.

The seats are in need of new covers however the leather is not ripped or torn, as you will see in the photos the seats have a cloth panel along the side of the bottom cushion and that is what’s worn and it’s probably something that an upholsterer could replace.

I have done my best to list everything relevant to the car however please remember this is a 27 year old vehicle that will be sold as is with no warranty expressed or implied. Priced to sell with a very reasonable reserve... Good luck bidding and that's for checking the auction.

eBay's auto check indicates potential odometer rollback however the odometer actually was defective and replaced prior to me purchasing the car and I did get a certificate of the actual mileage when I purchased the car although I don't know if I still have it. Two minor accidents are also reported and in both cases someone backed into the car while it was parked and both were very very minor, a taillight then a headlight...