Returning Forum member after about 10 years away, with a new car.

[greeban]

It's a manual - enjoy! From one manual XJS owner to another - they are simply brilliant; this car is classically undervalued and unappreciated as most people have never had the chance to drive one. Jeremy Clarkson drove one on the Top Gear India trip and said he needed to get one in his life - he probably didn't as he is Uber wealthy and can pick and choose any car(!) but the fact he said it says it all. I don't admire him as a person but I do value his opinion as he has massive experience in car appraisal and owning one myself and having driven a few different high end cars I know he is right!

[SimonR]

Thanks for the welcome @Greeban - you're absolutely right, the 3.6 manual is in its own class as far as I'm concerned, too.

I don't mean any offence to anyone who favours a different flavour of XJ-S or XJS because any of them is a fabulous car, but I've driven most of the variants (except a 5.3 or 6.0L manual) and the 3.6 manual is the one that I have enjoyed driving the most. It was very interesting to me that when I was looking for the car I eventually bought, there were so many more automatic cars for sale. Maybe the manual car was a well-kept secret when they were new as well!

I was talking my intentions for buying new manual XJ-S over with a good friend and fellow Jag enthusiast (he's had a 4.0L Auto XJS, followed by a string of modern jags in the last 10 years) and he was amazed that I didn't want just to go with an auto for an easy life. He's not had a chance to drive my new car yet (to be honest neither have I really!) but I'll be interested to hear what he thinks when he does.

[poprivet]

In 1988, (on the 3.6) the manual transmission was standard and automatic was a £1000 option.

[ptjs1]

In 1988, (on the 3.6) the manual transmission was standard and automatic was a £1000 option.

And strangely (or just because it made more money for Jaguar!) that continued right through to late 4.0 cars! Jaguar sold only 69 AJ16 XJSs with a manual gearbox, but it was still the "standard" spec. On my 94-built AJ16 convertible, the auto gearbox, which all but 33 cars came with, was still a £1000 extra.

So, all six-cylinder XJSs (at least in this country) were Manual, unless you specified Auto as an extra - which nearly everyone did!

Paul