Recently sold 87 XJ40 sovereign, loved it to bits even though it was a pile o ****. big problems for jags between 82 and 86, have been told to never buy one between those years. Some pretty horrific servicing costs at a dealer- about $140/hour in labour.
Reliability- throw a dice. If you're lucky enough to land on 7, you might get one without any issues.... in other words- there's always something that needs doing, even if it is really minor. If you don''t fix up minor problems, they add up, making the car look like an unloved POS...like mine ended up looking.
Make sure air con is always cold- it also cools fuel to prevent vapor lock.
Head studs run through cooling jackets in block- may be rusted in place.
Valve buckets can work loose and destroy engine. many hold down kits for this. absolutely crucial that it is fitted.
Overheating = engine dead. Never above 88 celcius or new head required.
Valve seats/heads tend to burn out more often that you'd expect/want.
Fuel injector hoses may perish, split, leak...= fire.
Electrics = nightmare unless they've been maintained in PERFECT condition and may still give trouble.
Gearbox- GM unit. Should be good. Look for usual auto failure signs.
Multitude of suspension bushes are expensive to replace (due to labour, not parts) and must be in good condition for the suspension to do its job (and to pass rego, as I found out the hard way)
Brakes are very strong. read inboard discs are a pain to change. not sure about fronts.
RUST is a major problem. check EVERYWHERE thoroughly. I mean EVERYWHERE- under rubber...under carpet...under wood.
check to see that it doesn't use metric wheels/tyres. only tyres you can get for them are $530 EACH. Found that out the hard way too.
Oil leak are common and virtually impossible to eliminate.
Plenty more if you want to know about it but you'll have to ask specific questions.
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