Al,
   Obviously, it is all a matter of opinion.
The XJ 6 Series 3 was a straight 6 and made until 1987.
The XJ40 (badged as an XJ6) was a straight 6 as well but with different
motors. From 1987 until 1990, in the UK, they made the 3.6 liter and the
smaller 2.9 liter.  From what I have read, the 2.9 liter was a bit under
powered unless it was matched to a manual transmission.
In 1990, they "upgraded" slightly to the 4.0 liter 6 cylinder engine  and
it's UK counterpart -- the 3.2 liter straight 6.  This difference in
performance between these two engines is something you will have to go and
test for yourself.  These engines remained in the XJ40 until 1997.
In 1998, maybe a bit sooner in the UK, they switched to the 4.0 liter V-8.
This engine, unless taken care of extremely well, had major problems with
Nikasil cylinder linings.  It is very difficult to determine if one you are
looking at has dormant problem or not.

Usually when I am looking at pricing Jags, I spend  a while on Ebay looking
at what they are selling for.  After a few weeks, you can usually get a
pretty decent idea of the fair market value.

At this point, if I was going to get into a more modern Jaguar saloon, I
would go with the 1995-1997 XJ6 (X300) model  as it has had all the "bugs"
worked out of it and is probably one of the most reliable of the Jags.

Webserve

Hi,
always, always, always wanted a Jaguar, I was brought up in Rugby about
12 miles from Coventry where they were made so it's been a long time
coming.

I had a hankering for a Saab 900 turbo for years, and now I have one.
A 1987 C900 T16 Aero, and I'm not disapointed.

BUT I still fancy a Jaguar.  I don't have bucket loads of money, so a
budget purchase is probably in order, as a car for long distance
weekends away say between £500 and £1500.

Any advice on what to go for?  Probably looking at Late 80's early 90's
XJ6 or XJ40? straight 6 not V8?

Opinions would be appreciated.

Al

Dear Alistaire

Just seen your hankering for an XJ40 on alt.autos.jaguar.  I do not know
where you live now given your yahoo.com address but if you are in the UK I
may have something that will interest you.

I have a 1987 3.6 Sovereign that I am trying to find a good home for.  It
has been in the family since new and has done a genuine 31,000 miles
(verifiable with full service records/MOT's etc) and is in like new
condition, inside and out.  I have just returned from 2 1/2 years in
Australia during which time the 'Empress' as she is known was stored in a
heated garage and subject to a SORN.

I have not got around to putting her back on the road yet and there are a
couple of minor things that need doing which have come about just because it
was stored.   The car was run every couple of weeks whilst I was away and
always fires up first pull.

I am not going to try and sell it to you here but if you are interested at
all give me a call and I will take you through anything you want to know
about XJ40's including the change to the 4 ltr engine (from 3.6) and also
everything that has been done to my car since I inherited her from my Father
in Law 5 years ago.  My JEC membership number until recently was 49813 - it
lapsed when I was in Aussie.

It's up to you mate, I am happy to chat XJ40's even if you are not
interested in the Empress.

I live in Warwickshire (UK), If you email me direct we can then set up a
dialogue.

Regards

Andy Coles

Hi,
always, always, always wanted a Jaguar, I was brought up in Rugby about
12 miles from Coventry where they were made so it's been a long time
coming.

I had a hankering for a Saab 900 turbo for years, and now I have one.
A 1987 C900 T16 Aero, and I'm not disapointed.

BUT I still fancy a Jaguar.  I don't have bucket loads of money, so a
budget purchase is probably in order, as a car for long distance
weekends away say between £500 and £1500.

Any advice on what to go for?  Probably looking at Late 80's early 90's
XJ6 or XJ40? straight 6 not V8?

Opinions would be appreciated.

Al