Hi guys

I am the proud owner of a x300 sovereign, which i use in the summers (i live in Norway)..

Now my enthusiasm for these cars seem to affected my father who has decided to buy a Daimler v12 century .

I will of course accompany him to inspect the car, but I was hoping you could give me some clues what to look for. I know of most the potential risks on the x300, but I guess there might be something more to consider cause of the v12 and the gm gearbox.

comments appreciated!

 

Hi, I just bought an xj12 and asked a lot of questions first on this forum, if you roll through my threads that should help you evaluate.

 

I hope so. Aside from any obvious major issues or outrageous price, that car is a must-get. It is one of only 100 DD6 Centurys made for the whole world, and none were sent to the USA.

Beyond that, if the rear adjustable seats work, I'd be negotiating a deal! I'd try to keep poker faced, but would fail. Please keep us posted.

 

the car is reserved, and i will fly down there to inspect and hopefully purchase in two weeks.
Already transferred some money to the dealer to get a service on the car so it will survive the 17 hour drive home.

This one is actually extra rare, as it comes with the sumptuous rear 3 seater couch instead on the single seats. I know the single seats are extra cool, but I think the rarity of the 5 seater makes it even more special.

It also has done less than 55000 miles which is an extra bonus.

will update with more info in 2 weeks time.

 

 

While I know none of the 100 were ever sent to the USA, does anyone know if they were sent to Canada?

 

we bought it. Had a fantastic 17 hour journey from Germany back home to Norway. Such an effortless engine and an amazing ride and comfort. way better than my own sovereign..

 

Looks great!

 

Welcome to our addiction. She's a beauty.

 

went for a nice drive today with the Century and my Sovereign. We have just discovered something odd about the radio though. Sometimes the radio freeze completely. If the radio is already on, there is no way to shut it off, turn the volume or operate any other buttons. Next day it just read "code " when we turned the ignition on. Topped up the battery after this and then it worked. for an hour.. and everything froze again.

opened a rear door, and suddenly it was alive again. then frozen. wriggled the search button, and then it worked again. then frozen. tried to spray some of the relays under the back seat, and then it worked again. but now it has frozen again..

i know there are many issues with these radios.. but do you have any clue how to solve this?

 

I'm all ears on this, my radio works perfectly always but the digital display is knackered and unreadable. The cassette player works and the 6 cd changer in the trunk sometimes works and sounds terrific, but mostly is unreachable. I was going to pull the head unit this winter to explore but not great at this type of troubleshooting. Loathe to put aftermarket unit in as I'm an olde purist

 

My goodness.... it is gorgeous.

I see you took advantage of the extra rear seat space along the journey! I'm pretty sure your dad (?) doesn't mind acting as chauffeur at all. Actually I'm sure he has a big grin on his face!

Rear sun visors! Rear couch! Chromed turbine wheels! Sapphire blue! And of course, the mighty 6.0L V12. Simply Stunning. I'm enjoying his new car immensely!

 

With regard to the radio head unit... that behavior is not uncommon. I've seen odd behaviors in my car's original unit, but it has always somehow corrected itself! I've not seen that oddness again for many months now.

I remember a thread I think from Bob "Motorcarman" that suggested cleaning the front of the unit and working each button firmly and repeatedly. Any button that sticks will cause undesired operation. Unit out with faceplate removed would be more effective.

You can also use a cassette tape. My unit worked only with cassettes for a while, and would not shut off until I shut the engine off. That action also ejected the tape.

You can also try pulling the fuse for the head unit. I did this but it did not correct the problem.

There is an important ground for the radio behind the unit inside the dash console. Again, mine was just fine but I still had some problems.

I hope you have your radio code! USA cars don't need a code.

Beyond this non-exact science, there is the full rebuild that can be done. I'd say... this car would be worthy of it.

 

The radio is a well known problem with some joints not even soldered from the Alpine factory!
Have a search on the X300 forum for radio problems and you will find lots.
If you are good at electronics then pull it apart and check for stuck switch’s (clean with contact cleaner spray and repeatedly operate them) and resolder dry joints.
You could send it off for repair. I don’t know in Norway but in the UK I used Steve Smith at https://retrocaraudio.uk/ to repair mine and add Bluetooth to the radio at the same time. He charged me £75 for the repair (in my case an ic on the board and one switch) plus £70 for the Bluetooth.

The car looks absolutely stunning so enjoy yourselves!