Lot 9219: 1990 Jaguar XJS Roadster

Based on my research and the specific listing details, here are the most common headaches with the 1990 XJS convertible hood:

• Hydraulics: The pump and lines love to weep, so the first sign of trouble is the top moving painfully slowly or not at all. Check the fluid reservoir (ATF) and listen for the pump when you hit the switch—if it’s groaning or silent, plan on a pump rebuild or fresh seals.

• Electrical gremlins: Micro-switches that tell the rear quarter-windows when to drop often fail, and the dash switch can show only 5 V instead of 12 V; either fault will lock the whole system. Many owners simply add separate toggle switches for the windows and bypass the auto logic.

• Fabric: The listing already calls this hood “old and dry but usable”—that’s code for “check the seams for splits and the plastic rear window for clouding.” Replacement tops are available, but budget for professional fitting.

• Relay and fuse box: A tired relay or corroded fuse can stop everything even when the pump is healthy, so keep a spare relay in the glove-box.

If you view the car, cycle the top up and down a couple of times and watch those rear windows move in sync—any hesitation usually signals one of the issues above.

Would you like me to line up some similar XJS convertibles, or is there anything else about this one I can dig into?