While still nowhere near as popular as its XKE predecessors, Jag’s XJS is gaining in fandom. The crazy-rare manual versions like today’s Nice Price or No Dice convertible are among the most desirable. Let’s see how popular its price proves around here.
Based on last week’s results, the only Miles most of you find acceptable is a cool cat with a horn named Davis. That meant the 1991 Mazda MX5 Miata we looked at on Friday couldn’t muster much support for its $8,500 asking due to the 207K of use it sported on its odo. The result was a not-so-jazzy 77 percent No Dice loss.
Fortunately for us—and its seller—today’s 1994 Jaguar XJS convertible offers a pleasing 76,859 miles on the clock. Of course, it also has a good bit of Lucas electrics, so we might want to consider those in dog miles.
Mileage aside, this Jag has many advantages. First, it’s painted in a proper British Racing Green, matched with an equally traditional biscuit-hued leather and wood interior, making all ‘veddy British.’ Another aspect is the claim that it is one of just 99 cars to have made the trans-Atlantic trip equipped with a five-speed manual transmission instead of the more expected automatic.
Jaguar sourced the five-speed from Getrag and paired it in the XJS with its 4.0-liter DOHC straight-six engine. This being a ’94, it could have the earlier 230-horsepower AJ6 or the updated 238-horse AJ16, as the under-bonnet switch happened in April of that year.
As the last of the series model (XJS production would end in 1996), it’s also distinctive from earlier cars by having body-colored bumpers, a more modern gauge cluster in the dash, and easier-to-service outboard disc brakes in the back, among other changes.
According to the ad, the car’s mechanicals are in “good working order,” and the top goes up and down as it should. The brakes and all six (two front, four rear) shocks have recently been replaced, as has the battery.
Aesthetically, this appears to be a good ten-foot car. The plastic headlight lenses are yellow-tinged and could stand a good polishing, while the smoked tail lamp lenses suffer from stress cracks. Most body panels fit well and show no evident damage, although the boot lid does appear to require adjustment for best fitment. The paint, on the other hand, looks to be solid and pairs well with the clean factory alloys.
In the cabin, age and use have taken their toll. The leather and stitching on both front buckets have seen better days and will likely require reupholstering. Everything else looks to be in good condition, and as the seller notes, it all works as it should. It’s also all very original, right down to the Jaguar-branded stereo.
The XJS has always been an anti-Tardis, big on the outside but small and a bit tight for two within. It’s not crazy cramped like a Toyota MR2 Spyder or Honda S2000, but the constrained quarters might make you wonder why the car needed the space for two ashtrays when none might have sufficed. For those not burdened with claustrophobia or excessively ample proportions, this Jag comes with a clean title and a $16,900 price tag.
What’s your take on this rare five-speed Jag and that asking? Considering its unique nature and overall presentation, does that feel like a deal? Or is that too much to let this cat out of the bag?
You decide!
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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