Jaguar Repair: Jaguar w/ multiple repair/replacement issues, british car repair, car repair shop

Question
QUESTION: A relative passed his Jaguar on to me, mainly 'cause it has problems he doesn't want to deal with. He said it needs a starter, needs to be started up daily or it'll die and has to be charged for an hour wherever it breaks down, and the gas gauge doesn't work so I'd have to record how many miles I travel & how much gas I put in and calculate what I have when to figure when I need to get more gas before I run out (too much work for a mom - a.k.a. "chauffeur"). Basically, my question is... is it worth it to bring it to a repair shop to repair/replace these things or is the expense high and not worth it for a Jaguar that's over a decade old?

ANSWER: Hi Gina,
It really depends on the condition of the car. Meaning paint, body and interior and mileage and how much you like the car. I have a 83 XJ-6 that I drive daily and I think of the car as an old friend. Yes, these old jags do require more maintenance than some other cars but NONE of them drive like a Jag. If your car is older than 1987 I can give you guidance on repairs if you keep the car. I have no experience nor info on 1988 and later Jags as they are totally different cars.

Depending on the size of the city you are in there is usually at least one independent Jaguar repair shop. Most Jag dealerships cater to the new cars and their labor rate is so high it is sometimes difficult to maintain an older Jag at these dealerships. Look in your local yellow pages to locate a independent British car repair shop.

Or if you are adventurous and have a Jag of 87 or earlier and want to try to repair it yourself I will walk you through the procedures.

Howard

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Howard, and thank you for your reply. The car is a 1993 with 118K miles. Body and interior are fine but the sunroof doesn't open. The engine is blowing a little smoke but my husband says it drives smooth. (He doesn't know much more about Jags than I do... and I know zilch, lol.) He'd be willing to work on it if he had a clue as to what to do. I haven't noticed a Jaguar place locally but I'm sure there is one (I live on Long Island in NY).

Answer
It depends on how far out the island you are but there should be quite a few independent Jag shops that are more reasonable than the dealer. Sorry I don't know any more than you do about jags after 1987 models and they are completely different cars from the Jags I know. I only have experience from the first jag (XK-120) up to the Series III XJ-6 (1987)
I use to live in East Hampton during WWII. (about 6 years old) The only thing I remember was a wind mill and a nice park. I also remember how to say Long Island (LongGiland) ha! Also we didn't live in East Hampton we lived in the "Hamptons"

Howard