Hi guys, new here! In the market for an X300, not much for sale in my area... Never owned a Jag, but always liked them.

I've already read through this entire forum, so I won't bore you with the usual "what should I look for" questions. Just want to introduce myself and let you guys know I'm looking. I'm in SoCal and prefer to buy locally, or at least a car that has already passed Ca smog.

My ideal car would be an xj6 vanden plas, black on black, good service history, needing very little immediate work. The paint would be shiny, and the interior well cared for.

That said, I'm open to other color combos and other x300 trims if the condition and price is right.

Please feel free to share any x300 info you think I might need to know that maybe hasn't been covered at some point here on the forum, or any leads on cars you think I might be interested in.

Thanks guys, and looking forward to officially joining the Jag community.

 

Well it really all depends on what you are willing to spend for this luxury beast you describe. You want nice paint and good interior? While that is possible it might not be as probable as you are hoping for. Don't forget these Jags are 13-15 years old and have been in the sun for some time. Paint is a biggie though as a good paint job will run you 1k+. Interior is a little harder to get in great condition because leather is leather is leather and it wears over time period. The wood will most likely have some cracks (in the coating itself not the wood) so don't let that deter you, it's just gonna happen. The steering wheel will most likely be a bit worn too. Now if you are wanting a near showroom quality car, you will probably be spending close to 8-10k for such a machine and while nice to have it's really not practical to do when you can get one in decent condition for 3-6k and do some of the cosmetic work yourself on the cheap.

But you did nail the major ones with clean car history, maintenance records and the like. Those are definite deal makers/breakers in my book.

All in all don't be afraid of a car that needs a little TLC, just as long as it's purely cosmetic you will be fine. If you do happen to find any hot leads on some let us know and we will gladly help you out with it.

 

Congrats on your choice, black / black is my choice too but that should be a rare combination , we have only 1 member with black / black as far as I know .
I trust you will be happy with your choice as you are aware of potential problems by searching the forums
Enjoy your stay and don't hesitate to pop up more questions you wanna know

 

I wanted black on black at first, but you will see that the cream interior looks much richer than the black. Also by now the black is faded to a bluish gray tint..

 

+1 to that. The cream interior with a dark wood with black paint=MONEY!!!

 

Welcome. I am in the same boat.

I am also having a difficult time finding the right car. I am quite picky though. My feeling is I currently drive a near perfect car, and I am not willing to “upgrade” to a car that looks like it has gone through the mill.

Buy the nicest car you can afford. I am willing to spend $8-9k for the right car, and I still can’t find one (XJR).

My biggest gripe is the paint on these cars. It seems the clear coat fails quite early. I personally would not consider a car that needs to be repainted. I could buy a couple X300s for the price I spent to paint my classic car. Quality automotive paint is not cheap. Decent materials are going to cost between $1,000-$1,500 alone. Good luck with a paint job that cost $1,000 materials/labor/everything… I am not suggesting that everyone would be displeased with a $1,000 paint job. I can only speak for myself.

I remember when my sister had a red Altima painted by Maaco many years ago. The sponge would actually turn red as you washed the car. You get what you pay for...

Good Luck,

 

Thanks for the warm welcome. Admittedly, my budget is only in the $3500-$4500 range, so I'm willing to sacrifice a little on the condition of the leather, even the paint to a degree, so long as I get a solid maintenance history.

I just (today) had some unexpected expenses pop up, which sucks, so I don't think I'll be financially ready to buy until the end of next month. Could be good though, might be able to increase my budget, or have some extra cash for repairs. Also gives me a chance to really get a feel for what's out there. I hate to waste anyone's time, but I still may get out there and test drive a few. However, I'd hate to find "the one" and not have cash in hand to buy.

My current car needs an engine rebuild to pass CA smog. I'm not going to mess with it. My registration expires Oct 31st, so I have to find something before then...

I'll definitely be popping in now and then to update the thread has my search unfolds.

 

For the $3500-4500 range, you should be able to find a car with average miles (10,000 a year), paint in good condition minus a few scratches and door dings, good leather that may need a re-dye, and probably some slightly faded/cracked wood.

Don't worry too much about leather where the dye is going wrong, just as long as the hide is good. You can have it dyed, or buy dye for a decent price.

There are places that will fix the wood, but you should be able to do it yourself (I don't know the whole details so I won't say much more).

Paint will be the biggest issue to get right because aside from anything mechanical, paint/bodywork is one of the most expensive things to fix to %100.

Good luck with the black/black. I've only ever seen one X300 with that combo. Most black cars I've seen have the coffee (more like pale peanut butter) interior.

 

As i have recently been in LA i know you almost cant get a good paintjob anywhere....

A little tip for you is that if you dont find a nice enoughX300 look at th e92 and upp XJ40 aswell maybe you will find a better car for the money there

 

Welcome and good luck in the search. I can tell you I just spent Jun-Aug of this year searching for the "negative" of your car (white on "light" either gray or tan) in the same price range. Managed to save and scrape enough together to start looking in the $6k-$8k range and found quality of condition vastly improved. I ended up with a 1995 VDP Black on Gray and absolutely love it. Though it is more than toasty inside after a full day in the Texas sun, particularly in comparison to the white Merc Grand Marquis it replaced. A/C is fabulous though, and deals with the hot-soak in short order. You've done your research, the only thing I would add that doesn't seem to be overly well-known is that there was no LWB offered in 1995, even though there was a VDP. I believe all VDP's from 1996 MY on were LWB. Just a tidbit in case one reason you wanted the VDP was to get the long version.

 

Yeah, I don't know if I bought one w/ bad paint if I'd even bother getting it painted, so I'm def looking for one that has been garaged and still looks decent.

As far as going older than the x300 series, I'd actually prefer a newer car for the money, as the rubbers and plastics will be less decomposed... I'm only looking at the x300 as I've read such good things about it, and it's mighty "per-tey."

Thanks for the tip, and congrats on your new ride! I agree, the $6000 cars definitely are usually much nicer condition. In my area I can only seem to find <$3000 beaters and >$6000 garage queens, nothing in the middle.

I hope something nice comes along soon!

 

Hey guys, how are the 6 cyl XJR's? As reliable as the XJ6?

 

Mine has been great thus far, I love it.

 

So I'm finally going to look at some cars! I told you guys I'd keep you updated

This is what I've found so far:

White on beige '95 xj6, 130,000 w/ clean carfax and maintenance records for the last 4 years asking $4600

Black on peanut butter(?) '95 Vanden Plas, 140,000 painted last year and bought from a mechanic (so already a little apprehensive, but it comes with some records) asking $3800

Black on black '97 beauty xj6 110,000, 1 owner, dealer serviced since new and carfax confirms this, asking $4900.

By the pictures, the black one is the one, but it's soooo far away

 

First off, the "peanut butter" is "coffee". With out a doubt, I'd go for the '97. It's the best for the money, and there are very few X300's with a black interior.

 

I think I'm going to go up and look at the Black '97 this weekend. He says the sunroof is broken and he took the fuse out years ago so his kids wouldn't mess with it and get it stuck open, there is a split in the leather on the drivers side right leg area, and the cup holder is broken. He lowered his asking price to $4200 for these things.

He also said he had it repainted about 3 or 4 years ago because the original paint was tired and had the headliner repaired about 1 year and half ago. He says he has the throttle body cleaned every few years.

He thinks the sunroof would be about $600 to fix, but I'm finding the parts to cost around 700 to replace both sides, so maybe there's a little room there for me to negotiate.

It was originally a leased vehicle and he bought after it was returned and has had it for the last 10 years. He has all the service records since 2000 and all service was performed at the dealership. The car now has 117,000 miles on it.

What do you guys think?

 

I don't know if this will help any as I am looking all over the country and at different prices, but here is a list of some of the jags I've been calling about:

$1800 1996 XJ6 (122K) - SOLD - ebay
$2000 1995 XJ6 (???K miles) http://lawton.craigslist.org/cto/1999117031.html
$2200 1996 XJ6 (112K miles) http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/2005266774.html
$2500 1996 XJ6 (???K miles) http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/2014000222.html
$2950 1997 XJ6 (86K miles) http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/cto/2013068458.html
$3000 1997 XJ6 L (99K miles) - ZERO BIDS - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/jagua...item4cf223c5e8
$3450 1996 VDP (???K miles) - SOLD - http://charleston.craigslist.org/cto/2011245547.html
$3500 1997 XJ6 (83K miles) - SOLD - http://gulfport.craigslist.org/cto/1991926015.html
$3502 1995 VDP (74K miles) - RES NOT MET - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1995-...item41538ebd96
$3900 1997 XJ6 (99K miles) http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/cto/1961057467.html
$3950 1997 XJ6 (92K miles) http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national
$4500 1996 XJ6 (64K miles) http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false
$4950 1995 VDP (76K miles) - SOLD - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Excel...item27b568fab6
$5400 1997 XJ6 L (73K miles) http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/1983543779.html
$5500 1996 VDP (65K miles) http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/ctd/2010716029.html
$5500 1995 XJ6 (76K miles) http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national
$5995 1997 XJ6 (55K miles) http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national
$6000 1997 XJ6 (60K miles) http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/1983489499.html
$6600 1997 XJ6 L (71K miles) http://tulsa.craigslist.org/cto/1976181923.html
$6750 1996 XJ6 (61K miles) http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false
$6800 1996 XJ6 (30K miles) - SOLD - http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national
$7000 1996 VDP (46K miles) http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false
$7900 (47K miles) http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false
$7900 1996 VDP (28K miles) - SOLD -

 

I think it sounds good. I'd make sure to read through all of the service records. I'd do what I could to argue the price of the broken sunroof into the price, however, I don't know what would cost $700? Honestly, this man having been the second owner doesn't sound much like he's taken pristine car of the leather/paint since it was painted at 10 years old and has worn leather. However (again), the price does reflect it. $4200 isn't bad. It never hurts to try to knock a few hundred off the price.

 

I looked up the price for the tilt slide mechanism, and they are going for 350 a side. Original asking price was $4900. He reduced it $600 for the sunroof and $100 for the tear in the seat.

He just emailed me over the service records. Everything looks in order. All services done on time, rear wheel bearings have been replaced, brakes and rotors replaced 10,000 miles ago, antennae mast replaced, some interior trim pieces replaced, throttle body replaced at 60,000 miles and cleaned regularly since, headliner replaced, sunroof fixed twice (still broken), cup holder replaced (broken), Belts changed less than 10,000 miles ago, engine seals replaced, cigarette lighter replaced, etc... I haven't added them up but probably close to 10K.

Getting a little excited to see it.

 

I bought a new tilt and slide from Jagbits.com for $220. Did that 8 months ago, and the part is still sitting in my closet. Once I got the sunroof back in place, I never bothered. I'll get around to it one day.