Jaguar XJS
Registered from 1990 to 1996.
About this model
The Jaguar XJ-S is a luxury grand tourer manufactured and marketed by British car manufacturer Jaguar Cars from 1975 to 1996, in coupé, fixed-profile and full convertible bodystyles. There were three distinct iterations, with a total production of 115,413 units over 20 years and 7 months.
From the Wikipedia article Jaguar XJS, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 1995 4.0 petrol. 49 of 349 tests failed, 14%.
Better than 91% of 1995 cars. The typical one fails 25%, across 145 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 35% | 17 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 35% | 17 |
| Lights and electrics | 35% | 17 |
| Suspension | 35% | 17 |
| Visibility | 14% | 7 |
| Body and structure | 8% | 4 |
The defects inspectors cite
- Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits
- The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
- Emissions levels exceed default limits
- A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
- Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer
- The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Brakes — 35% of its failures
- Exhaust and emissions — 35% of its failures
- Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits
- Emissions levels exceed default limits
- Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer
- Suspension — 35% of its failures
- The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- Lights and electrics — 35% of its failures
- A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
- Visibility — 14% of its failures
- Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
- Body and structure — 8% of its failures
- The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired
When it starts failing
At 100–120k miles this one fails 12% of its inspections, against the 23% an ordinary car of the same age fails.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40–60k miles | 8% | — | 49 | |
| 60–80k miles | 19% | 23% | 73 | |
| 80–100k miles | 15% | 25% | 68 | |
| 100–120k miles | 12% | 23% | 42 | |
| 120–140k miles | 13% | — | 55 |
287 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 80k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.