Advertised local to me is a 1996 XJ12. ~100k miles, very high rent neighborhood, “cherished” and garaged by second owner last 26 years. Link to FB Marketplace Listing
Sounds pretty good, right? But it seems there is dreaded deferred maintenance... “Needs attention to the radio, automatic door locks, A/C, and an oil hose”
What’s a fair price? It’s been listed for 2+ months so I’ll be looking to shave off the top of the $5k asking, but I really don’t have much clue of what these are worth in the market.

How terrible of an idea is this? Obviously this is an “enthusiast” car. I consider myself an enthusiast, but not a masochist. I’m looking for a semi-daily driver that I can trust to carry myself and family (aging minivan in reserve). I’m a capable but reluctant home mechanic coming from 10 years of Honda ownership – so you could say that I’m overdue for a needy car!

Poking around, I see that parts availability may be an issue. I’ll scour the internet, but I’m not trying to spend my weekends scouring pick-a-pull recycling yards. Does this disqualify me as an XJ12 owner? How about an XJ6 of the same era?

Many thanks,
Will

 

I’m sure they’ll take 3500 bucks. Mine was $900. Just present yourself as someone with ablility. Don’t negotiate until you’re in person. Drive your Jaguar there to view it.

 

There is a TSB on an upgraded transmission new build with an orange dot on the transmission , shifting behavior

The transmission on the V - 12 is a General Motors 80 series but......................

The other items can be addressed including a A / C self test with fault codes you can do yourself

08-2-03

 

Don't worry about needing crawl around in junk yards. These cars are so old that it will be amazing to find one still intact in a junk yard. They have long since been scrapped out.
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Greetings fellows, welcome Rehsper,

Think of it as adopting a kitten. It will need feeding, training, and might be costly and frustrating at times. It may make a mess. She may draw blood occasionally. But soon you will find yourself growing more fond of your new companion as you start to share good times together. You will love to hear her purr, and roar! She will depend on you and your efforts to take care of her will pay off.

All surviving classics such as the XJ12 need a caring owner. What makes it more feasible is to consider it a hobby. If you have some resources (like JF!) and want to have something to work towards in your free time, this could be it. It all depends on your motivation.

Some of us long-term owners have brought our cars up into daily-drivers over long periods of time. I can drive mine any time I want and consider it reliable. That is not often the case for a new purchase of a 30 year old survivor with 100k behind her. But starting with a complete running, driving example will make it easier to integrate your new companion into your household.

 

The hoses and engine have been addressed recently by Oliver Marks and others if you were to go forward , they may be of assistance

 

Disagree with this: where I live (northern California) there are plenty of 6 cylinder version x300's in the picknpull yards, aside from drivetrain rarity you can source most other parts from these. It is v rare to find an x305 in a junkyard though since so few were built. I have found one x305 and a 6.0 94 car that I got a radiator from, and keep a close eye on the yard websites for harvest opportunities...

 

'Approximately 15 years ago, a classic Jaguar specialist replaced the original 12-cylinder engine with a newer Jaguar V12 '
Be good to know how many miles on that engine off the 100k. The 'oil hose' could be a very big deal if it is the two flexible hoses from oil pump to oil cooler and back to engine, requires dropping the front suspension subframe to replace properly. I've done it, not terrible but a lot of wrenching...the other issues are fairly typical, ac could be spendy. Radio is a typical fix, easy to find a replacement in the yards or online.