After much deliberation, I have decided to sell the 1961 e-type I recently inherited from my dad. I am 8 months pregnant chasing a toddler around already and just don't have the capacity to devote the time and energy to her that she deserves. What's the best way to go about selling a car like this? I want her to go to someone who will love and appreciate her as much as my dad did, with a transaction that is as quick and painless as possible.

Any advice/tips greatly appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!

Courtney

 

Hi, and welcome to the forum.
A 1961 E-Type in original condition is a very desirable car, and to get the best price I believe you have to expose it to the greatest number of potential buyers. Today I think the best place is an auction on BAT "Bringatrailer.com".
The alternative would be to advertise the car on a sight like this and on the Jaguar lovers web site. To sell it on BAT it takes a bit of time, I have heard that sometimes it can take weeks to get your on the auction, but it os probably where you will get the most money for it. A private sale might be quicker, but there will be negotiations. I don't know how much you are pressed for time, but check the different sites and inform your self. Regardless of how you decide to sell the car, you will get some push back or negative commentary due to some of the modifications on the car. Things like the removal of the front bumpers and modifications to the bottom front of the bonnet, non original seats, modification to the center instrument panel, and what ever else might have been modified over the years. The modifications I see, with the exception of the bottom front of the bonnet, are easy to reverse. But the car is still a valuable car. Good luck.
Bill.

 

Quick will be a function off whether Price is of concern. Painless is relative. Recently I contacted Beverly Hills Car Club which claims to be about as easy as it gets. You contact them online, they call you, you submit photos (the ones you have are sufficient) and they give you a price. If you agree, they send the money and then a truck. Of course the money is LOW, I'd estimate 30 - 35% below retail market.

I suspect your Dad wouldn't want you to be short changed and a buyer like that definitely does not meet your desire to find an appreciative home for her.

Auction sellers like BAT or Hagerty's are popular, but they require a significant amount of participation from you, the former more so than the latter. Lots of photos are expected and ones from the underside are a challenge. If you choose a "no reserve" option which commits you to selling to the highest bidder, at least it is one and done.

And it may be that you have already accomplished your goal with this post. I am hardly the best source of advice since I am the king of "buy high and sell low" and I am sure you will get better input from the more experienced members here and perhaps even a buyer.

Best wishes,
Pete







Of course, this site has a "For Sale" section so if this thread doesn't net you a buyer I'd start there.

 

Thank you for this thoughtful info! I do know that it has been fairly modified and less desirable as a result and prepared for that decreased value conversation. Still, I have to believe someone out there will love it as a driver vs a full restoration project.

 

Thanks so much, Pete. I think auction is more work than I'm looking to put in at this point, though I do want to do right by my dad by putting in enough work to get for it what it is rightfully worth. I am hoping for visibility by being here and welcome any and all suggestions/potential interest!

 

One possibility would be to use what BringATrailer refers to as "Local Partners"
Here is how BaT describes them at this link: Local Partners | Bring a Trailer

Need professional help getting a vehicle ready for auction?

BaT Local Partners offer professional vehicle preparation services, such as:

• Detailing
• Photography/ videography
• Mechanical service/ maintenance
• Exterior/ interior refurbishment
• Local transportation and storage

I think in many cases the Local Partner can actually set up and manage the auction for you. You might want to click through to their link to see if there is a Local Partner near you.

Rick

 

I agree, the local BAT partner will take the guess work out of it. Yes you will pay a fee but they should bring you more than you can get on your own and make it simple. Good luck.

 

As a buyer, I hate BaT because I can never cancel meetings and beg off deadlines at work to arrange cross-country travel to inspect a car within the seven days. I worked for my money and gambling online, bidding tens of thousands of dollars on cars sight-unseen is like putting a huge chunk of my life down on a square in Vegas. I've only ever won one,a 68 Mustang, and only because it was a local car at a dealer that made it convenient to inspect it thoroughly. I was the only bidder to actually inspect it in person and feel like I got a steal because I knew it was no-expense-spared restoration done for sentimental purposes (one rather wealthy family since new) and was willing to go a lot higher while I think all the remote gamblers were holding back in case it turned out to have been like all the others (Mustangs are notorious for having been amateur restorations hiding a lot of sins). As a seller on BaT, you really have no control over who buys it, rather it's just whoever bids the most. Another 66 Mustang I spent three years restoring myself, then sold it to a man who saw it at a car show and made me one of those offers you can't refuse. I heard through the local Mustang club a couple years later that he'd bought it for his teenage son who promptly wrapped it around a tree. One of the local Mustang shops was parting it out. I was mortified.

Given your situation, I suggest a consignment dealer. That way you still have a little say since you can overprice it and let them call with with offers, to which you can inquire about the potential buyer. Ideally, sounds like you'd want a buyer who'd also be interested in the car's history. To me and many other collectors, that's part of the fun is telling the car's story. Once disconnected from its history of past owners and where they drove it, maybe raced it, close calls with the radar patrol, flat tires on vacation, etc. are half as interesting. Hopefully, you could find a local buyer who would restore it and want to document its history and keep in touch so you'd know where dad's car is and maybe get to see it or even get a ride in it again when its done. On BaT, that's the last you'll see of it when the trucking company loads it in the trailer and drives away to who knows where. BaT also is just an intermediary, not a dealer. A classic car consignment dealer takes on the transaction risk, i.e. if the bank calls a few days later to say there was a problem with the cashiers check or something, you still get paid and they take the hit. But best of all, you drop it off at their facility and they do everything from photography, to advertising to dealing with the no-shows, tire-kickers and joy-riders that call wanting to see it. On the buyer's side, the consignment dealer makes it easy for the buyer too. I've both bought and sold cars through a couple of the biggest national consignment dealers and I think they earn their money.

 

Hi Courtney and welcome to our world! Sorry about your dad passing and understand your current dilemma. I would ask that you think through selling. I get the 'now two kids' complication, but if there is ANY way that you can store this wonderful piece of automotive art and history, please do consider it. The reason I say this is because this appears to be a very early E type. Those have something called Outside Bonnet Locks (OBLs) and are HIGHLY prized by collectors and owners. OBLs have a separate 'key' that goes in under a flap on the side of the bonnet to open it.

This video is put together by Maikel (Michael) Lemke, who I believe is German. He is a renowned early E type expert.


If you have the "heritage certificate" that is also a good thing to have to sell the car. Perhaps your dad even had one of these for the car.

https://www.jaguarheritage.com/archi.../certificates/

The VIN range for OBL cars is: LHD (Left-Hand Drive) OBLs: Started around chassis number 875001, with early LHD cars being in the 875xxx range. The VIN is stamped on a flat section where the front shock absorber is attached on the right side in the engine compartment. (see photo)

That said, your E has been modified.. looks like the seats were changed, front bumpers removed, the console and the instrument panel and the air cleaner. If the original parts/pieces were saved/stored, that is a plus because a buyer could put the originals back on.

The VIN would also be on the title and also on a metal plate about 5 x 6 inches in the engine compartment, left or right side, near the bonnet locks.

Good luck with this and do be careful!


Here is a link to a 61, flat floor, OBL E type that is for sale:

https://ycsc.co.uk/1961-jaguar-e-typ...r-roadster-38/

275,000 british pounds is about $365,000. Yes, this car has been beautifully restored, but if your E is indeed in the right VIN range, has the OBLs and flat floors, it is worth an incredible amount of money.

Do approach this carefully.

Here are a couple of buyers who have been around for a long time:

https://www.alexmanos.com/serious-cl...-0nzIoM-Y3G9ic


https://www.gullwingmotor.com/Page/S...ic-Jaguar.aspx

 

Very informative! And your cautionary advice seems warranted. However I recently offered an E type S2 roadster to BHCC (Manos) and was very disappointed in the offer. The market is notably depressed and I think they smell blood. I have seen the Gullwing adverts and inferred that they are interested in extremely collectible models which this '61 may very well be given you observations.

 

Here is some info that may help ID the E:

 

Regardless whether you decide to sell via auction or other means (or decide to sell at all) I highly recommend clicking into the BringATrailer page for the Series I here:

Jaguar XKE Series I - BaT Auctions

On that page you'll see a chart of all past Series I auctions. Both auctions that completed successfully and auctions that ended without meeting the reserve. You can click into any of those auctions where you will find a wealth of information from in the photos and the comments from knowledgeable owners (and kibitzers). It will help you understand how to present the car and will give you an idea as to the things that increase and decrease the value of the cars, and what price you might expect.

Also, as Valerie mentioned, if you don't already have a Heritage Certificate you should apply for and get one now. It will tell you "stuff" about the car, and likely will increase the value of the car to a prospective buyer. I recall it being about $75.
Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust

Rick

 

If you haven't tried to get one of these recently, the process has become extremely complicated. From what I understand, there was some fraud/scandal that happened due to a car being misrepresented. To that end, the Trust now REQUIRES photographs of the engine number, the gearbox number and the body number BEFORE they will supply the certificate. For my series 2, the engine and gearbox numbers are readily at hand, but the body number is under the metal plinth underneath the rear license plate and would require removal of that plinth to photograph the body number. I was unwilling to do that surgery, so no modern certificate for me. However, many years ago I did obtain a Jaguar 'certificate' with the same information that the Heritage supplies/validates, but it is not a 'heritage' certificate.
Not sure where all the numbers would be located for this car, perhaps another early 61 owner can help?

 

This will give you the locations for where the vehicle numbers are located. There were only 500 Outside Bonnet Lock (OBL) cars, 385 LHD Open Two Seater (OTS), 20 LHD fixed head coupes (hard top) and the rest RHD cars, the majority of them OTS.


Hope this helps.