Jaguar XJ6 and XJ12 / Daimler (1986 - 1997) : CLASSY CAT

Monday May 24

Models Covered: Fourth generation XJ6/Sovereign/Daimler - 1986-1994 (2.9 6cy XJ6 Saloon/ 3.2 6cy XJ6 Saloon [base, Gold, S]/ 3.6 6cy XJ6 Saloon/ 4.0 6cy XJ6 Saloon [base, S]/ 2.9 6 cy Sovereign Saloon/ 3.2 6cy Sovereign Saloon/ 4.0 6cy Sovereign Saloon/ 6.

0 12cy XJ12 Saloon/ 3.6 6cy Daimler Saloon/ 4.0 6cy Daimler Saloon/ 6.0 12cy Daimler Double Six Saloon/ 4.

2 6cy Daimler Limousine Saloon) Fifth generation XJ6/Sovereign/Daimler - 1994-to Sept 1997 (3.2 6cy XJ6 Saloon [base, Sport, LWB, Executive]/ 4.0 6cy XJ6 Saloon [base, Sport]/ 4.0 6 cy supercharged XJR Saloon/ 3.2 6cy Sovereign Saloon/ 4.0 6cy Sovereign Saloon [base, LWB]/ 6.0 12cy XJ12 Saloon/ 4.0 6cy Daimler Six Saloon/ 6.0 12cy Daimler Double Six Saloon)

BY JONATHAN CROUCH

You don't have to have reached directorship level to own a Jaguar. In actual fact, you can buy a good one at prices beginning from Mondeo money. Yes, really. And if you've always yearned after a Jaguar, this could be the best time to buy one. A warranted lowish mileage Sovereign 4.0 for example, could be yours - from a Jaguar dealer - for the cost of an ordinary, mass produced mid-range family saloon.

A slice of modern British automotive heritage. In their quest for perfection, Jaguar's competitors have attained a standard of Teutonic excellence which leaves you impressed, but rather cold. The Coventry car in contrast, encourages the notion that it will mature into age with you, rather like a fine wine. The retro styling of the latest cars has produced a glorious shape matched by the superb new range of engines.

As ever, it depends how far back you go. The last six and twelve-cylinder range was launched in September 1994 and the earliest cars are still holding their values well. Pay from around £5,000 for an XJ6, from around £6,000 for an XJ6 4.0 or a Sovereign 3.

2, from around £7,000 for a Sovereign 4.0, from around £8,000 for an XJR. If that's a little beyond your budget, you'll be looking at one of the old `squarer` XJ40 series models, announced in 1986. Though 1990 examples of these can be found for under £1,000, these cars are likely to have had a hard life and build quality at this stage wasn't of the very best. By the end of the Eighties, however, Sir John Egan had got Jaguar's act together. Generally, anything from an G-plate onwards should be an excellent buy. Though there are plenty of older gems, you'll need to check them out thoroughly. Prices start from £1,500 for the last of the 2.9-litre XJ6 models.

Buying a car like this with a warranty from an approved Jaguar dealer will give you the peace of mind you really need and is worth the slight premium involved. Check how close the car you're considering is to its next service and take that into account when you're negotiating.

(approx based on a 1994 XJ6 manual excl VAT) These prices should give you a guide. A complete exhaust system (with cat) is over £1700. Allow a budget of £90 for Sports pack front dampers. A radiator is about £200, an alternator about £1600.

A front wing is around £180, an offside headlamp around £120 and a tail lamp about £80. Major and minor services are around £645 and £285 respectively.

Engines and gearboxes used in previous-shape XJ6/Sovereign/Daimler models, though impressively quiet, weren't quite as smooth as those of German competitors. Thanks to Ford's money however, the Browns Lane factory began to put that right with the new post-1994 shape cars. Either way, the company high-flier who test-drives an XJ6 having previously tried a BMW 525i or a Mercedes E-class is unlikely to complain either on the grounds of noise or transmission refinement. What he probably will notice are a brace of qualities obviously lacking in the German competition; character and class. Behind the wheel, they ooze out at you from behind the walnut veneer and beneath the leather seats stitching.

From under the bonnet, they growl at you wherever the road unwinds sufficiently to gun this surprisingly sporting saloon towards the horizon.

There's not much risk involved buying a used Jaguar these days, as long as it was produced in the last 10 years. There's virtually none if you buy a reasonably late car from a specialist dealer. The latest cars represent excellent value for money on the used market and remain as desirable as they ever were. If it's your own money youre spending and you can afford the petrol, forget the new Mondeo or Vectra and go for a late, low mileage Jag. You're unlikely to regret it.