Description:

History :

I bought this car in 2014 for $10k with 16k miles on it. It was literally a time warp car that had spent most of its life in a garage under the ownership of an elderly gentleman who bought the car new and used it sparingly.
Being a Jaguar enthusiast, I worked on the car steadily for the first one year of ownership to get it to the way I liked it and have since completed around 30k miles in it. Current mileage is around 45k

Spec :
Unusual Saville Grey/Savoy Grey color combination.
Full Sovereign spec.
Dealer installed Factory Jaguar Alarm System comes with 2 working remotes, official Jaguar instruction booklet, and know-how on how to reprogram new remotes if ever needed.
Absolutely everything works. Every button, every feature. Every warning light comes on, then goes out as it should.

Interior :
10/10. Incredible. Absolutely zero wear in any of the usual places (drivers seat bolster, center arm rest) Seats still feel "bouncy" like they would have when new. Wood is 100% perfect. Not a single lacquer crack. Seriously. Never smoked in. No sticky children, no pets.

Exterior :
9/10. The paint is almost 100% original. There is paperwork to state a small repair was done on one of the rear wheel arches very early on in the cars life, but you can't see where. It has had no paintwork at all since I have had it. Absolutely no fading anywhere. California car its whole life. Absolutely no rust. Looks stunning. Everyday use (and being almost 30 years old) means it's not perfect. There are a few very minor scratches in the top coat here and there which I will have to point out to you during inspection, because most people won't notice.

Mechanical :
Bomb proof AJ6 Engine and 5 speed switchable auto transmission are perfect. Car is silent and refined on the move. Ride is sublime. Despite its age it is perfectly comfortable and competent in modern traffic. Rear self-levelling suspension was removed and Bilstein rear suspension set up added in its place. This is a popular conversion with these cars and in fact Jaguar itself reverted to this set up from around 1992 onwards also. Differential output shaft bearings replaced a year ago.

At idle there is a slight pulsing sound which is caused by the fuel pressure changing in the fuel rail as the injectors are fired. There is a baffle on the rail which is supposed to suppress this noise, however the baffle relies on a rubber diaphragm which gets hard with age and becomes ineffective. I have replaced this baffle once with the best used part I could find (The part is no longer available from Jaguar) and it reduced the noise, but it's still there. Again, I am pointing this out but it's unlikely anyone would notice apart from me.

First thing on a cold morning, and only while going down the very steep hill that leads away from my house you will get slight knocking from the right rear suspension. We had had this apart multiple times to try and diagnose the issue (everything is new on the suspension) but haven't been able to fully solve it. If you live anywhere remotely flat, you'll likely never hear it.

Car passes SMOG first time every time.

Upgrades :
Pioneer Bluetooth handsfree music streaming stereo. 4 ch amplifier hidden in front footwell. Polk audio 3 way speakers in all 4 doors behind the original speaker grills. Compact Subwoofer in rear compartment.
New headliner. Vanden Plas leather sunvisors (Took 6 months to find grey ones)
Refurbished wheels from a 1996 XJ12.
Professional UV cut window tint to protect the interior from sun damage.
Cibie front fog lamps (with covers) correctly connected through factory wiring and switch.

Also included in this sale :
"XJ FORTY" CA vanity plate.
Extra set of fitted floor mats (1x blue set and 1x grey set).
Grey dash topper.
All original booklets and materials supplied with car as new.
Extensive history file from the original owner. Clean Carfax.
Original Stereo.
Extra dash switch panel and trip computer. (I bought it just to get the fog light button)
Extra alloy rim (I bought 5 and refurbished the best 4, but the 5th is perfectly usable if needed)

Opportunities for improvement :
It is nearly 30 years old, so there is a list, but it's pretty nit picky stuff as you can see.

A/C blend flap occasionally sticks. This prevents the correct temperature from being called by the climate control unit. If it does stick it can be "persuaded" in to life by tapping on it with a socket bar extension through a handy access flap in the glovebox. It typically sticks when the car hasn't been used for a while. The proper way to repair this would be to remove the glovebox and trim, remove the blend flap unit (it's held in with 2 screws). Take the unit apart. Remove the horrible grease Jaguar used, which is now set hard as putty. Re-grease. Refit and forget about it.

Power steering hose. Upon visual inspection while preparing for sale, I noticed the power steering hose from the catch tank to the pump is looking a bit worn and should probably be replaced sooner rather than later.

Sunroof headliner cloth. When I replaced the main headliner I didn't replace the cover over the sunroof panel as it was fine at the time. There is a very small amount of sag in this material now, so ideally it could be replaced to make it look as good as the rest of the roof.

Reason for sale :
Simply put, too many cars, most of which are also Jaguars. I have thoroughly enjoyed owning, working on, upgrading and driving this car and I am confident the right Jaguar enthusiast buyer will be just as happy owning this car as I have been. No hurry to sell it. Also don't need help selling it, thanks.