Last week I got a text that the building housing my heated, locked carpark was being sold and I had one week to remove my "town car", a 2004 Jag XJ6 that I bought as a collectible, not daily driver. Thankfully, a neighbour to my daughter in Parnell has an empty garage where I can keep it while I list it for sale.

But what is it worth (to get a rapid sale, not sit for months)? TradeMe says rego KTF663 with 140,000 km on it has a low value of $10,638, medium $11,638 and high $12,888. Everything works and it is in lovely condition. I would say the condition is medium to high, and if I took it to a detailer, it would be high.

Unfortunately for me, but lucky for a buyer, it appear to always have been well maintained. I invested in it as a keeper, planning to own it until I surrendered my driver license or they stop selling petrol. But loss of heated, locked parking changed all that, and it makes no sense to bring it to Waiheke where I live. I have too many collectibles already and the top speed on the island is 50 km/h with 12 km distance end to end.

I bought it in Dec 2020 when COVID meant we could not travel overseas for the foreseeable future. I spent what we would have for an overseas trip, and used it to see NZ, like down to Ruapehu. It had 133,000 km on it when I bought it. Now, four years later, 142,500.

It took a long time to find as most X350 XJ6's on the NZ market are offered for sale with things that don't work - like the air suspension where the asking price is just the entry fee. When I found this one, it had a good story that proved to be true. I wanted to find a car where someone else had already spent the money they need, so I would not have it spending time in the shop. I wanted the XJ6 because it is less complicated and is not a fuel hog, but as a Ford era, is far more reliable than earlier. Sad to sell it, but I don't have a place for it.

The previous owner was a Jag collector with a 12-car garage and full workshop. He had bought this one as a pre-collectible when it was at the bottom of its depreciation curve and he provided me with invoices to show he kept it up. But he developed a motor-neuron disease which meant he was losing the ability to walk and would soon die. Since then, I replaced the old air struts with proper air struts (Rock Auto), rebuilt the air pump and last August took it to Jaguar Workshops in Pukekohe for a punch list of niggling issues... control and stabiliser arms, new pads to stop squeal, horn and alignment. These cars have such a wonderful suspension - luxury on the motorway but like a sports car on the back roads, but over time they need work on that suspension - between the prior owner and me, it's been done.

It appears to have been garaged its whole life... entered NZ from Singapore in 2011 with 118,000 km, no evidence of crash or corrosion, looks like it had a very gentle life with no differed maintenance.

Paint: Quartz 1926 (smoke grey)
Leather interior: Dove grey in very good condition
Walnut burr veneer
Oyster grey headlining - no sag
Rear seat sun blinds
All the luxury items
NZ radio stations (and I added a Bluetooth adapter for Google Maps and phone)

Here's photos before I took it to the carwash









Does anyone know what I should list it on TradeMe so it sells quickly?