Buying an '85 XJS.... it needs some work.
#21
08-05-2014, 02:11 AM
Veteran Member
#22
08-05-2014, 02:28 AM
Veteran Member
The following 4 users liked this post by Greg in France:
#23
08-05-2014, 04:41 PM
There is a lot about the XJS that I do not know. Fortunately the guys on this forum do, and they give their time and knowledge without reservation. I do, however, know a couple of things:
1. My neighbor GAVE me his father's XJS when his dad passed. He and his brother did not want to mess with it, and my wife told him one day I like "projects". CLUE
2. Car had been in a barn for 8 years (date on safety inspection and tags), but had "been started every now and then" CLUE
3. Trailered it to my house. CLUE
4. Got it in Feb 2014, has ran poorly, has never left my driveway. CLUE
5. Local foreign car mechanic will not work on it, says it cost too much and customers get mad at him. CLUE
6. My FREE car has cost me $1100 dollars so far, and like I said, has not left the drive.
7. Foreign car mechanic likened the XJS to the movie "National Treasure". A clue leads to a clue, leads to a clue, and you never find the treasure.
Now,
I absolutely love this little thing. Looks cool, cant wait to drive it, etc. I had the shop space, tools, mechanical skill (sort of, lol) and resources to tackle this car, so I did.
Got any explosives? It will drive you nuts.
My investment is relatively small, and I have wasted more money on dumber things, so I will probably be able to break even some day, if I choose to sell the car and walk away-- happy. But there are a lot of folks out there who spent more time and money than they should have, or had expendable, working on these cars. If you have your heart set on getting this car, go for it. The guys on the forum just want you to know what your getting into, good, bad or ugly.
1. My neighbor GAVE me his father's XJS when his dad passed. He and his brother did not want to mess with it, and my wife told him one day I like "projects". CLUE
2. Car had been in a barn for 8 years (date on safety inspection and tags), but had "been started every now and then" CLUE
3. Trailered it to my house. CLUE
4. Got it in Feb 2014, has ran poorly, has never left my driveway. CLUE
5. Local foreign car mechanic will not work on it, says it cost too much and customers get mad at him. CLUE
6. My FREE car has cost me $1100 dollars so far, and like I said, has not left the drive.
7. Foreign car mechanic likened the XJS to the movie "National Treasure". A clue leads to a clue, leads to a clue, and you never find the treasure.
Now,
I absolutely love this little thing. Looks cool, cant wait to drive it, etc. I had the shop space, tools, mechanical skill (sort of, lol) and resources to tackle this car, so I did.
Got any explosives? It will drive you nuts.
My investment is relatively small, and I have wasted more money on dumber things, so I will probably be able to break even some day, if I choose to sell the car and walk away-- happy. But there are a lot of folks out there who spent more time and money than they should have, or had expendable, working on these cars. If you have your heart set on getting this car, go for it. The guys on the forum just want you to know what your getting into, good, bad or ugly.
#24
08-05-2014, 06:57 PM
Junior Member
student buying jaguar!
Well you can take my life experience with a grain of salt: if you flinch at a 400.00 dollar part this is not the car for you. I had a 1979 BMW 528i, which was more reliable than any jag and i could not afford the parts to fix what i could do, much less thise that required installations by others. Jags are great if you have the cash and time to spare. As a student i am not sure you have either.
Well I am buying the car because I want to drive it (obviously) but like I said; I'm a student and I don't need to drive it anywhere. I may not even bring it to campus with me; may just leave it at my parents house for when I come home on break.
It's pretty cheap but best of all the interior and exterior are in great shape, and the mechanics are as well barring the knock. The owner was meticulous and replaced everything from AC to transmission to new seats; keeping the thing in a garage and giving it routine maintenance.
I'm mainly just wondering if the maintenance will go above and beyond swapping out a part. Supposedly I have everything I need; is there something I am missing? I suppose it makes sense that it will end up costing a lot, but I was hoping that to get it running would not be that big of a deal.
It's pretty cheap but best of all the interior and exterior are in great shape, and the mechanics are as well barring the knock. The owner was meticulous and replaced everything from AC to transmission to new seats; keeping the thing in a garage and giving it routine maintenance.
I'm mainly just wondering if the maintenance will go above and beyond swapping out a part. Supposedly I have everything I need; is there something I am missing? I suppose it makes sense that it will end up costing a lot, but I was hoping that to get it running would not be that big of a deal.
#25
08-06-2014, 10:40 PM
Senior Member
#26
08-26-2014, 02:15 PM
Well, I think I'm done here. Thanks for the replies.
To be honest, I didn't find much that was helpful. Not much technical data / experience was cited by any of the replies. If someone had attempted this operation before and had a bad experience that would be one thing; but to tell me that the car is scrap metal is simply insulting. I am going to talk to some mechanics, see how much a professional job would cost, and if that doesn't pan out I will work on it myself. Like I said, it's not for my driving use. It was going to be a fun vehicle I could work on, learn a few things, and maybe enjoy driving in the near future.
To be honest, I didn't find much that was helpful. Not much technical data / experience was cited by any of the replies. If someone had attempted this operation before and had a bad experience that would be one thing; but to tell me that the car is scrap metal is simply insulting. I am going to talk to some mechanics, see how much a professional job would cost, and if that doesn't pan out I will work on it myself. Like I said, it's not for my driving use. It was going to be a fun vehicle I could work on, learn a few things, and maybe enjoy driving in the near future.
So you sign up for advice, then promptly ignore it when offered. Don't buy the jag, not only will you not fix it (economically) when the next thing breaks - which it 100% will -You have insulted just about the only people in the world that can help you!
If you have little mechanical experience it won't be for anyone's driving use, it will be a paper weight. The "nice old gentleman" sounds like a wily old fox, playing on your youthful exuberance (and naivety).
If you buy it transplant an engine, it will be quicker, cheaper and more reliable.
The following users liked this post:
o1xjr (08-27-2014)
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)