Yesterday I looked at a 96 XJR with 68,000 miles. The dealership described the car as perfect in every way. Although it was not bad for a 96, it was far from perfect.

My biggest gripe was the paint. The clear coat on the sunroof/part of the deck lid had failed. It had just rained so I could not fully inspect the body. I guess the AZ sun really did a number on the dark British racing green paint. Is the clear coat a common problem with the X300s? Perhaps only darker colors?

The car also had a number of dents which is of course no fault of the car. I also noticed the headliner was sagging, the driver’s seat was worn, the air con vents were broken, the wood trim on the doors had minor cracking....and oil on the cross member under the engine.

I am afraid I won’t be able to find a XJR in the condition I demand. Are there any out there? I understand the car is 14 years old, and perfect is rare. I typically buy older Lincolns and generally have no problem finding them with near perfect paint/interiors.

I know the XJR was a limited run. It is hard to be picky when there is only one or two for sale every six months.

So I am thinking I might be just as happy with a VDP. They seem to be more prevalent, so I am more likely to find one in excellent condition. Opinions?

Thanks,
Joe

 

Hello,

First of all as you know the 1995-1996 Jaguars are great, but they like all cars break down and need maintenance. When they do require fixing if you are a decent do it yourselfer and are not afriad to get dirty, and order your own parts on the internet they can be very affordable to maintain. If you have to depend on a garage or dealer, be prepared to open up that wallet. You will get raped on part prices...guaranteed.
I did a nationwide search when I bought my first 1996 XJ6 a few weeks ago. I live in WI, but flew down to Atlanta and drove it back. Why? because southern cars generally dont have rust.

Remember most (not all) dealerships will smile and say every single care on thier lot is "perfect". Remember buyer beware. Lets go through your concerns...
Headliner sagging: ALL of these cars have the headliner sagging, if it isnt its been replaced. Pretty easy fix.
Drivers Seat worn: This is common to, unless you BABY this Jag leather it will crease and crack
Wood Trim is Cracked: Mine is to and nearly 90percent of all of them are. Just minor hairline cracks that I find no one really notices.
Oil on the cross member: Could or could not be a problem. At this age these cars will have some oil underneath, but is it leaking? When I get under my car I see some oil residue here and there around hoses, but NONE ever drips. To me this is about as good as it gets with a car this age.

Here is what I would do...
Get behind the wheel of this thing and go for a good 10-15 minute test drive. Get out on some back road and give her the onions a bit, (get on the gas). Do some hard brakes, drive and listen. When you get back to the dealership park it in a clean spot. Go inside and talk to him a bit. Then after 10 minutes move the car and look for any oil, liquid underneath. If there is any there it came from the car. Here is a basic, but not comprehensive checklist....

Check oil dipstick...clean?
Check Tranny dipstick, and smell it? Color, odor? If its brown or dark and the burnt smell nearly knocks you over walk away.
Look at the belts, do they look good?
Check tires, do they look good?
Open up the air box and look at the filter, if its real dirty chances are it hasnt been maintained well.
When driving does it shift smooth? Does it shudder? Do some slow speed increases and some fast ones. Grip the wheel and keep the radio off, does if feel smooth? Does it sound smooth? IF there is a MINOR shudder this is somewhat common when the Torque convertor kicks in, and from what I hear it happens from time to time, mine does this to once in awhile.
Check all the bells and whistles when you get back (after you parked in a clean spot) do the seats work, mirrors, windows? These cars had tons of creature comforts and not all will last forever. if some minor ones dont work I would still consider it.
The dents worry me a bit. If someone cares about a car, generally they are very carefull driving it. Keep in mind some young hot rodder could have beat the living hell out of this car and you will never know.
Ask for a carfax. Also this car should pin you back in the seat really well, if it doesnt the supercharger may need a rebuild...probably not cheap.

Also what are they asking on this car? Remember some things you walk away from and some are minor but ANYTHING you find can aid you in getting them to lower the price. Remember dont trust anything the dealer tells you and do your homework. THere is no worse feeling than buying one of these cars, getting it home and finding out its a nice looking piece of ****. Also unless your heart is really set on an XJR dont limit yourself to this model, all these cars are beautiful. I drive a standard XJ6 and I think it looks sportier than the Long bodies. If the paint is bad, then the only solution is some work on it. One last thing, I am far from rich, but when people see you in a car like this they assume your loaded, so dont expect many deals from painters. Other than that good luck, and keep in mind I am sure i have not covered everything

 

Thanks for the reply tmill051. Very good advice.

They were asking $7,500. After looking the car over I returned the keys to the salesman and thanked him for his time. I did not test drive the car. As I walked off the lot the owner stopped me. I told him that I was not impressed with the condition of the car. I showed him a copy of the Edmund's TMV value...which was $6,300 in outstanding condition. I proceeded to explain that outstanding means the car is near perfect, requiring no reconditioning. He asked me what I would be willing to pay. I told him $6,000 max out the door which means they would be selling it for around $5k. He went inside, came back after a few minutes and told me that it could not be done.

I would have offered $7,500 out the door if it did not have the paint and body problems. As I was pointing out the blemishes the salesman would reply by telling me how perfect the car was, and how it must be the nicest one in the nation.

Again, the paint and dings bothered me most. The other stuff I could repair to the point that I could live with it. I would fix the headliner myself, give the seat a good Lexol cleaning and perhaps a light coat of SEM leather dye.

I am no stranger to working on cars. I spent 2 years restoring my 1967 Mercury Cougar. I did everything but paint the car....down to aligning the front end.

 

Well, it seems like tmill covered everything quite well. I had a similar issue when I visited a 97 VDP at a dealer. I didn't even bother offering a price. It was horrible.

I wouldn't stay set on an XjR. Any VDP, or L, or even standard Xj6 are still very nice cars.

You may encounter paint issues. The clear coat failure is common on most of the cars I've seen, but there are some in pristine condition. Cracked wood is another issue. You should be able to find a car with minimum cracking. There are ways to repair it, but since I'm not fluent on it, I won't bother spewing off filth. Headliner is an issue. Luckily not with mine. Lighter leathers show more wear, so a "coffee" (tan) interior would be good choice. If available because I see less in "coffee" and much more in the grey/ivory colour.

In case you don't already know, check the seat memory functions, and the tilt steering wheel. The cup holders may be broken (not a huge issue). I'd check for play in all the wheels, especially vertical (12 & 6) play in the rear wheels. That's big money for the diff bearings. Try, try, try to get a service history. A dealer should at least tell you when the tranny fluid and oil were last changed, and I'd ask them about the diff fluid too.

Tranny and engine issues aren't very common, but will be if fluids haven't been regularly changed.

 

Thanks for the tips. I have watched the 10 part VHS owners manual video series on YouTube. It covers most of the features.

I might go look at this VDP tomorrow. It would be nice to drive a couple so I am familiar with how they should drive. I remember talking to a UK mechanic who told me "nothing drives like a Jaguar".
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/1922957411.html
I think the price is high, no? It has been for sale for a long time.

I am not crazy about the color. They look good in any color, but I tend to prefer darker paint...Than again, this is Arizona, and the clear coat on lighter colors might hold up a little better.

I'm sure I will like the way it drives. The XJR I looked at felt like a real luxury car...down to the way the door opens/closes. I don't recall ever driving a Jag. Nearest thing is a Range Rover

Thanks again,

 

Joe,

I have a '96 Vanden Plas in British Racing Green with Oatmeal leather in beautiful condition. Originally a Connecticut car but wintered in Florida. It *may* be on the market soon because we just got an '07 Range Rover Sport and I don't want to accumulate too many chariots. Granted, I'm on the other end of the country from you, but if you flew out here I assure you that you'd find it well worth your time. Everything works, no rust, very very nice paint and leather and recently close to $2K in service between suspension freshening, new Pirellis (proper V-rated ones at that) and major service. I love the car but when I get beyond the number of cars that my garage will hold, something has to go and I'd rather it not sit outside. You can email me at QV5000@gmail.com if you want any pics or want to discuss privately.

 

"Perfect", "restored", etc are thrown about pretty loosely...and they're subjective to begin with. What many people describe as excellent or perfect is what I call "fairly decent".

Some will tell you that you can find a perfect X300 for $3000. Maybe so but I sorta doubt it.

I believe that finding the right car is more important than finding the right price, within reason of course. As high-end luxury/prestige cars go, these used Jags are so inexpensive that you can seek out an exceptional car, pay the price, and still have a bargain relative to what else is on the market and relative to taking an average car and bringing it up to the same standard.

AFAIC, paint condition alone can make or break a deal on a used Jag. You gotta remember that just a top-grade paint job...one that would look right on a Jag...is gonna be about $4000. This can make a $6000 car with good paint a better buy than the $3000 car with poor paint, all else being equal. And certainly a $7000 X300 that needs paint is no bargain at all.

OTOH, if you're not fussy about looks you can buy the $3000 car and enjoy one of the biggest automotive bargains of all time :-)

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks for the replies. Very good advice.

I hope to look at another VDP tomorrow. It has a lot more miles than I wanted (124k), BUT it has service books. It is worth a look. In my opinion, a well cared for car with high miles is better than a low mile car, with questionable history.
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/1921230952.html

I am familiar with the cost of a good paint job these days. The supplies alone needed to paint my 67 Cougar totaled over $2,000.

Bergxu, sounds like you have my ideal car. I would love to take a look if you were closer.

 

I'd test both VDP's, and see which you like best. The red (I know it's not really 'red') one to me looks better, but I'd check the paint very carefully. Sellers will wax the car to try to hide some clear coat failure, so you've got to look closely. I knew my roof's clear coat was failing, and I really should've bid lower on the car, but everything else was what I wanted. I'll get the whole thing painted one day. Or, I'll just get another.

 

Yeah, the red one is definitely worth a look.

In my opinion, it would look even better with a XJR style grille and trunk molding. I see they have a few spares on eBay. Not sure the trunk molding will swap as the VDP appears to have a different style...

 

That is my car (above). If you don't mind 14 mpg around town get the XJR, that supercharger is really nice to have. It is good to know if someone passes you on the interstate it is with your permission. :-)

 

I bought a 96 XJR that I'm in the process of reconditioning. There are all kinds of deals on these cars. It's all about timing and patience. If you are not in a hurry take your time. Paint is a common issue and almost exspected with these cars. Worry about mechanical issues because they add up quick! I wouldn't even consider buying one with any lights on the dash. Mine only had the wash fluid light on and I ALREADY have $2k in repairs.(AC compressor, tires, brakes, tensioners and couple O2s) The car still needs paint and I might recondition the wheels. But I didn't buy it to sell her for money. There is only like 2200 96 XJRs ever produced. The car was at the point to either drive it to the ground or needed someone like me to help her return to her former glory. I was sold when I realized she had only 47K on her. Currently the drive side arches are in primer and this car gets more looks than my 04 XJR.

 

Agreed on being patient. These are not rare cars...well not the XJ6s, at least. You have to look at quite a few before getting a good feel for what's out there and what the pricing is. Of course if you want a V12 or XJR your choices narrow down quite a bit.

Drew, I'm glad you are returning your XJR to her former glory. I think these are special cars that deserve it....even if the market value doesn't justify it.

I hope you won't be offended, though, if I use your situation to illustrate the philosophy I keep trying to pitch on these forums: there is no such thing as a cheap Jaguar and sometimes buying at the high end of the market can save money.

I'm thinking you could find a mint condition X300/XJR these days for $6000-$7000. I presume you paid wayyyyy less for yours....but by the time you're done will probably have spent about $6000+ on repairs and paint on top of the original purchase price.

In this case I'm glad you're doing it...because I love XJRs and would hate for more to end up in the scrapyard. The same scenario on a standard issue XJ6 just wouldn't meake sense to me, though.

Enough rambling

Cheers
DD

 

Doug, I've got to argue a bit of that last statement.
"The same scenario on a standard issue XJ6 just wouldn't meake sense to me, though."
Good Xj6's are harder and harder to come by. I think they are a bit behind the R models because they weren't driven as "hard". Regardless, these aren't cars that you can "flip" and make a profit. As least not in the next 5 years. Maby 20 years.

 

Red VDP sold.

Edit: Going to see gold VDP tomorrow. Wish me luck.

 

I'm still try to figure out how far and how much I want to spend on a 14 year old car. You got it right on the money. I'm try to stay under $7K and still have a decent driver. Mechanically she is sound, now how much paint work do I want to do?

 

The gold VDP was in very nice condition. It had no major exterior/interior flaws. The headliner had obviously been replaced, but they used the wrong color (light green). The steering wheel would not telescope unless you helped it, and the fluid reservoir light was on.

Everything looked good mechanically...looked like a car with 68k miles. It was clean under the hood, and the underside was dry. On the other hand, it is hard to find any leaks when everything was clearly detailed. He did not have records but told me the Jaguar dealer could provide them.

I was impressed with my first Jaguar ride. It was soft like my Lincoln without the ship-like feel. It seems like Jaguar found a perfect medium. Headroom is quite a bit less than I am use to though.

Anyway, it was listed for $7,500 obo. I showed the seller the Nada value which was $7,300. In my opinion, Nada and KBB are high. I told him the Nada value for my Lincoln is $6,700. I told him realistically I expect about 5k when I sell it (pending finding a Jag). I mentioned that I could ask Nada value for my Lincoln, but I actually want to sell the car. I also had copies of about 5 comparable Jags which sold for $5-6,500. I offered $6k but he would not accept anything under $7k. I asked if he would be willing to meet in the middle. He did not.

I would have paid $7k if it was exactly what I was looking for. If it was a XJR or a darker color I would have jumped on it. I figure there is no rush. They need to sell the car more than I need to buy it.

I have a question. Are there any issues with the sunroofs leaking on these cars? I noticed what looked to be a water spot on the headliner retractable cover. I also could not get the trans dipstick out. Pull the lever up (vertical), and pull the dipstick out, correct? It did not want to budge and I did not want to force it.

Thanks,
Joe

 

The sunroofs ussually don't leak, but I have heard that there are drain rails that clog. The trans dips have a lock on them. You need to lift up the lever to release it. It's a compression lock.

 

Thanks for the tips Drew.

The lever was up, I guess it just needed a little more force. I did not want to break it...

 

AZCAT, I live in Tucson and I was going to go out to Phoenix to look at that pretty red Jag. They should really take the listing off the books because it's still showing up.
I ended up getting a 96 XJ6 from a dealer. They were asking 6995 which was very reasonable to me. I traded in my 2002 Mountaineer that had a myriad of problems but they gave me 5k for it, so I just had to house finance a little over 2k. The exterior paint was near perfect. Interior was damn good too. Only problems I encountered are the wheel doesn't telescope (it moves up and down though) which wasn't a deal breaker because I am 6'1 and just some minor interior cosmetic things. Love the car and I can see why people get hooked on Jags.
I also like the fact that these were the last years that Jag kept the body style "British" until FORD made them look like the Taurus. Not a big fan of now a days jags I guess.