I have tried a few meguiar's products applied by hand, and it will look somewhat good till I wash the car again. This is what it looked like after I just washed it.

 

The paint surface is oxidized (what year is your Jag '97?)

Try a chemical paint cleaner (although by hand this will be a challenge)and the detailer's clay process

 

yes it's a 97. Do you think the porter cable buffer everyone talks about would work?

 

It does mostly look like oxidation which you should be able to correct with a D/A polisher like the Porter/Griots/Meguiars etc.

It's hard to see from the photos but it looks like the clearcoat may have failed in a few spots, if that is the case, I think repainting is the only solution. Clearcoat failure is very common for Jags of that era if they have been left outside a lot.

You can check by rubbing those areas with some compound on a white cloth. If after a few rubs you see red paint then you know the clearcoat has failed.

Cheers,

Allan

 

Clear coat failure sounds like a good possibility, the car was left outside for most of it's life. The PO said he kept it outside at his house in aspen.

The paint was the reason I got it so cheap. I had already planed on getting it repainted over the winter. But I had hopped I could just buff it out and not have to repaint.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to buy a porter cable and give it a try. It's something I would use on my other cars anyway.