Jaguar XJ Saloon (1981 - 1994) 4.0 Sovereign 4d Auto (1990/G) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

That i'm a big car fan, i know my classics and i hate to see any car sitting on a drive, wasting away.

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

I get lots of people commenting on the car, people who walk past, see the car on the drive, usually stop and have a look at it, lots of people ask me about it if i park in town. My family love the car too, as for my neighbours, well i don't really care what they think of my cars. haha.

Would you buy this car again and why?

In terms of quality and just how great the car is, then yes, but like everyone, if i was to buy another car, i would want something a bit different obviously. Plus i have a Saab 9000, and as everyone knows, they are not the smallest of cars either! I don't have room for another big car on my driveway, maybe a sporty hatchback though.

What are you likely to buy next?

Probably another car to fix up, the last 2 i bought, a Saab 9000, 2.3 Turbo Anniversary and this Jaguar were both bought as cars to fix up and sell on, but after getting them looking excellent and running perfectly, i couldn't part with them. So next will either be a cheap, small car to fix up, something i won't mind selling, or a new hot hatch of some sort.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Didn't buy from a dealer

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£300

When did you buy the car?

November 2010

Did you get a good deal and why?

Needed a lot of work so the guy let me have it for £300.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

I wanted a car to fix up, this Jag was sitting on a drive rotting away.

What was the dealer like?

What's it like to drive?

You forget you're driving sometimes, it just glides over everything, you don't feel a single bump in the road, and with it being an Automatic, that just adds to the smoothness, you can cruise at 90mph and you still won't feel any bumps, and the engine is hardly putting any effort in to stay at that speed. As you'd expect, handling isn't sporty, it's responsive, but the car being so big and heavy feels like you bounce around the corners, rather than grip through corners. With the 4.0 225bhp engine, acceleration is excellent too. I wasn't expecting much with the car being so big and heavy, you can cruise casually, but press that pedal down a bit more and he really shifts, faster than most everyday cars you will see on the roads.

What's it like to park?

Awful as you would expect, it's like driving a barge in town. It hangs over front and back of parking bays!

Have you had any problems with the car?

It needed a lot of work when i bought it, it is 22 years old after all. Still, the major problems were body work, tyres etc. Engine ran fine even when i bought it. So all the money i'v spent on it has been to make it look as though it just left the show room, which a new bonnet, full re spray etc have done a fine job of.

What's most practical about your car?

Lots of room, lots of front and back leg room no matter how far back you have the front chairs, massive boot too, very deep.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

Electric seats, electric windows front and back, full cream leather, electric sun roof, electric boot Arial (Goes up and down when the stereo is turned on/off), small dashboard computer for servicing etc, old fashioned style cruise control panel next to the steering wheel, so many things to choose from, not bad for a 22 year old car, way ahead of its time.