I am trying to access the legitimacy of the car in this auction:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/265164713286





Anybody recognize this car? Or the seller? I have bid on it, and I am capable of fixing whatever's wrong with it, and can even deal with the "no title" business.

But I have flags up and I just bet one of you will know this car from somewhere else.

Anyone?

Carl

 

I have a real sense of fraud on this car. I have been trying to meet the seller at the car so I can look it over before placing my final bid, and he now tells me the car is in locked storage that is closed on Sundays. ?!? What locked storage is not open on weekends?

This is at a long list of other issues/questions that I have had like: why, if the ad says the interior has been modified, would he not post any current pics of the interior? Why is the drivers door glass appear to be in the back seat? Why does the ad say the seats are white but the few pics there are show it to be biscuit?
Most importantly - he has never answered why there is no title, and why is the engine seized. Simply no answer to those questions.

I'm an engine builder and I can fix that motor no matter what it is, but am dyeing for some straight answers or the opportunity to inspect it myself.

I posted here on the chance that you XKE owners might know this car or have seen this car attempt to be sold at other sites before this one.

 

The seller has almost 2000 transactions and 100% positive feedback....but the fact that the seller doesnt post many pictures is a red flag..

 

OK, here are 2 cents worth.
Modified interior = blanked out rear window.
The interior could be white. Dirty or yellowed, but white.
The description of the car is very much like that of an insurance auction.
No tittle. I'd bet the car actually has a damaged tittle for parts only. Car is probably an insurance recovery and was probably purchased from the insurance company by the seller. If he will answer the phone, ask him point blank if this car was an insurance recovery and if he bought it from the insurance company.
Depending on the state you live in, you may be able to repair the tittle. If I were to buy this car, I would pay via PayPal so you have some recourse.
Good luck and let us know if you buy it.
Bill.

 

Thank you both for your thoughts... Have wanted an E-type since I was a small boy. Most of the prices are out of my range, but a fixer-upper - that's something I would enjoy!

 

assuming that a tittle can be obtained for the car, and it not being a rust bucket, in my opinion the present bid of $21,300 is about all the money for this car. Certainly not much more. This is an enticing opportunity to get into an E-Type at a relatively low entry price. But if you don't mind a project, there are more opportunities out there. On Ebay and on BAT. If it turns pout that this is not your E-Type, keep looking you'll find yours.
Bill.

 

Hey thanks, I have been wondering that myself - the "how high should I go?" questions, because I do not yet know what parts are going to cost, or even what bits it needs.

Thanks for your very useful post.

 

eBay has a decent policy that should protect you if it applies. But I would not buy this car unseen. There are enough red flags to suggest this could be a nightmare car that was improperly stored and has massive rust problems. The Registry Entry (and any other reference but one I could find) is brand new as well. XKE Data - UC1S20730 - Jaguar E-Type (XKE) information, articles, photos and register
XKE Data - Latest News - Jaguar E-Type (XKE) information, articles, photos and register
https://fantasycar.ru/product/used-1...ld-as-is-2021/
There was some activity 2 years ago but I don't want to pay for the details: https://badvin.org/v/881129-1964-jag...4/372692142764

But there is enough weirdness to suggest you need eyes on this one.

 

Thanks, Enderlee. I didn't get it, it sold for $25,100 - and not to me. I bid as much as I was comfortable risking and stopped. Don't know who the buyer was.

I'll keep looking - hoping to find a Series 2 roadster that's a fixer-upper. If you have any leads, let me know.

Thanks again to all those that helped.

Carl

 

CaptnCarl,
There are other "Project" E-Types out there. Ebay, BAT, Jaguar lovers, and this site can be good places to look for them. A friend of mine tells me that on Facebook market place there are always good project cars for sell. I don't do Facebook so I can't comment on it, but apparently it is a good place to look as well.
With what we knew about the Jag you were bidding on, I think you did good to walk away from it. Keep looking and let us know when you find your E-Type.
Good luck on your search.
Bill.

 

CaptnCarl

I spent more than 2 years looking for mine, and I didn't even have a long list of requirements:

A Series II. I planned on driving it, not staring at it in my garage or trailering it to car shows... which I'd almost have to, the values on a Series I being what they are. Plus, synchro on 1st, comfy seats and headlights you can actually see with go a long ways.

If at all possible, I wanted to lay eyes (and ears) on it. That meant no farther than maybe 5 or 6 hours away, close enough I could do it in a day if need be.

It needed as near perfect a body as I could find. Sure, rust can be fixed... and pigs can fly if you throw them hard enough. I didn't want to be throwing pigs.

If it ran, that was a plus. But if not, I could deal with it. These are not exotic cars and there's not much that's weird on them.

And that was about it... I wasn't looking for pretty and I wasn't looking for rare. I didn't care about matching numbers. And still I looked at a lot of cars. And walked away from every one. They can look great on the outside and be a horror show underneath. Learn to know what to look for.

I was willing to wait for just the right car. Like others have said, they're out there. But you have to have faith!

One day, mine popped up on the radar. A true survivor, so matching numbers, never restored and rarely driven. The PO didn't really want to sell it, but feared some flipper would talk his wife out of it after he was gone. And all it needed was all the things that should have been done as normal maintenance along the way. Which, if you haven't guessed, was a lot! But not nearly as much as someone's project car that didn't get done right. Or worse, some POS someone pulled out of a barn somewhere.

But here's the best part: It was a mere 70 miles away from me! After I looked it over (and pushed my eyes back in my head), everything I'd been told about the car was confirmed. It even had factory air... non-working, but a plus, value-wise... And it was my 2nd favorite color combo: black over tan. To have gotten silver or black over red would have been a true miracle! :-)

All I had to do was convince the owner it was going to a good home and not on eBay! (I've kept my promise. And I'll have to find the next caretaker for it when the time comes. Their job will be a little easier than mine was, but I digress.)

The point is, I wouldn't own this car if I had let myself be tempted to settle for any of those others. I certainly would have spent more total dollars. So, please, do yourself a favor... give it time for your E to find you! :-)

 

Sorry I just saw this thread. I know the car well. Worked on it for years. Wondered what happened to it after the customer passed away.

paul

 

hi,
this car is not a scam...I bought it and it is now sitting in my garage. way better condition than the posting on Ebay. the seller was great to work with

 

Well, good for you. Too often the experience and outcome are as good. Post some additional photos and let us all know what you are doing with the car.
Good luck with it and enjoy it in good health.
Bill.

 

ill post some pics soon. engine spins no problem...got good spark. so its just down to fuel delivery. once I figure that out I think the car will fire up

 

rtr4fun

I probably worked on that car for close to 20 years. If you need any info on past repairs that our shop did you can contact me and I'd be happy to give you the info. Just a little back ground. The car was owned by Kenneth Jensen in San Diego. He was a prominent lawyer who was very much a character. He was known to have worn a turban in court to defy the judge about the removal of head wear while in court. He also rode a Harley chopper in his "Armani suit" to court then would put the turban on before he went to trial. I remember I thought he was so arrogant when I first started working on his car. He talked about going to Cuba long before anyone and ALWAYS had one or several Cuban cigars usually smoking one while he was at the shop. He grew to be one of my favorite customers. He made the Rosewood handles for the window cranks and the shift knob. He also had the side windows etched with the flower patterns. That car has some pretty lumpy cams making for the idle it has. He always made the comment "hey, and while you're at it, can you do something about that idle?" My response would always be "we can put some stock cams back in it?!" He had a really clean BMW motorcycle that he bought direct from the factory and rode around Europe in the early 70's before shipping it back to the US. I think he must have been a ladies man back in the day, he just had that swagger. Well I think he was still trying even in his 80's. If you think of a cross between Ernest Hemmingway and Hunter S Thompson but always wearing an Armani suit you'd have a small pic. He never had the windshield wipers or the back glass installed on that car the whole time I worked on it.

paul

 

rtr4fun

Yeah, I think that car has an electronic ignition. I can't recall what Kenneth had last brought the car in for. I do remember the steering rack leaked pretty bad and we were working on some quotes for that. He passed in 2018 so it has been sitting a few years. Congrats on a great purchase! The car has a very low, lumpy idle due to the cams in it. You'll be surprised when you get this car going and "stretch" it's legs. If you want to contact me direct. 619.675.4060

paul

 

Paul, I just had the car delivered last night. was told the engine was seized but I put a new battery in this morning and engine turns just fine. also I've got good spark. not getting any fuel to carbs so next job is to replace or rebuild fuel pump, clean fuel tank and filter, rebuild carbs and then see if it fires up. would like to connect with you. what is the best way? my email is 77smithstreet@gmail if you want to send me a note
mike

 

I really enjoyed this thread. Good luck to the original post member with finding your XKE. So cool to see this story unfold. Time to get back to my restoration.
Kevin