I looked at a '96 xj6 VDP yesterday. I went through my usual checklist items and was surprised at the condition of the car in relation to the asking price. First looks can be decieving. I looked under the front bumper area to look for areas of concern and first noticed that the splash panels in front of the tires were missing on both sides along with surface rust on the sub-frames. We popped the hold and checked out the engine bay. Lots of leaves and small critter nests in a recess between engine bay components. There was surface rust across the top of the radiator bracket and the hood liner look as like an animal started to have its way with it. Started the engine and noticed that the red oil light was on as well as the oil pressure gage reading 0 psi. (he said it just stopped working about a month ago. The headliner was thumbtacked up in the rear. I looked in the glovebox and there was no owners manual in there. (You would expect a manual in a luxury car) There was rust on the rear gender well lip bubbling up along with deep gouges on the lower right rear door. New battery in the trunk. I new that i was not interested in this particular car but took it out for a test drive anyway. It sounded like there was tree branches banging against the 4 corners of the car and was even worse when going over a bump. I brougth the car back and talked wiith the ownwer. He informed me that he has had the car 4 years and he only increased the milage by 15,000 miles. (99,450 current miles) 15,000 in 4 years? Sounds like a lot of down time.
Anyway his asking price was $5950 and informed me that a few months ago he had a buyer that offered him $5k and he turned it down. My first thought was that he should have jumped on that and been happy.

I'll keep on looking.

 

You just described a $2000 car, at least with respect to the N. Tx market last summer when I was looking...well...maybe less....we don't abide that rust down here. Somewhere in IN is a potential Jag owner who dodged a bullet...but if he actually offered $5K for that one...I don't have much hope that he'll score better next time out.

Oil light/guage and headliner are no big deal..pretty common...but the body issues and rodent nests are worrisome. They like to gnaw on wiring. Wouldn't be surprised to see it spring a host of oil leaks once regular use resumes from sitting that long. Suspension rattles likely shock bushes and/or other bushings. Just saying, you can find these things a whole lot closer to perfect than that in that price range, or 1,000 more.

 

This car is posted in a 500 mile radius of Louisville, KY on craigslist

 

I just recently purchased an X-300 (95) that is in quite good condition. Only glaring fault is seat computer memory, whatever does not work. However the seats and all are still adjustable. Has some parking lot rash, but shows well from 10 feet. The car has 83,000 miles and runs very well down the road. The upshot is that I paid $5000 for the car from an eighty year old woman.

 

There was a white XJR of the x300 vintage listed in Lousyville (sorry, UK grad that grew up in Lex, old habits die hard) back around Christmas. From desc. and pics it seemed like was in better shape and memory is foggy, but I think it was listed around $6k. Had planned to maybe go have a look whilst visiting mom and dad but trip was shortened by weather....

 

Good idea to keep looking, the original car sounds like a real dog from your description and for that kind of money I would want a lot more.

 

coralhead, I'm going to second the fella that said you described a 2k car, if that. Just because it says Jaguar doesn't mean it can have major issues and still be a 5k car. Keep looking man.

Is it wrong to mention autotrader.com ? If it is, someone please advise me and I will remove it or a super can do it. You can find these x300s on there for reasonable prices without all of these problems.

Also remember that high mileage does not necessarily mean that anything is wrong with a Jag if it has been well kept. Check it for cleanliness under the hood, the fluids, dry rotted belts, hoses etc... On a higher mileage car, check to see if the backlights on the speedometer are still bright. If someone has taken the time and trouble to change out dead bulbs, they have probably kept an eye on the rest as well. Check the cats too, make sure they are tight to the exhaust system and not crumbling.

Ive got a 97VDP with over 200k miles on it and it is currently my daily driver. She has some cosmetic issues, but she runs like a dream. Very very good car. I wouldn't dare asking over 1500 for her.

 

Coralhead,

FWIW, I looked for a number of months in the $3k-$3.5k price range. Everything there had some problems of some sort. What I was looking for was one I could obtain and return to prime condition for less than $7k. Right or wrong, that is where I pegged the market value for an X300 in the 100-150k mi. range with most everything working, no rust, and while not show-quality, at least a presentable, even pretty paint finish.

In the very end, I found one here on the forum at roughly twice my target price, but it was showroom beautiful and exquisitely maintained, so I was hitting in there very close to my ultimate goal, just on a different timeline and investment schedule. Yes, I have the ABS light, and my memory seats have amnesia.....probably $3K - $5K to fix if I dropped it off at the dealership and said, "Fix it, I'll be back in 3 days' time." BUT...the ABS module can be removed, cut apart, and soldered where it is very likely failed instead of buying a new one on the order of $1500. The memory seat issue could be any or all of 5 $300/ea sensors, or possibly a module or both....and I understand they are a (BITter ex-wife) to CHange....and since I very rarely have to share it.....memory seat is just not that important to me.

So my free advice (and no-doubt worth its entire cost!!!) would be decide what kind of condition you want your car in, determine what that is worth to you, assess your own capabilities and toolsets for DIY activity, and then look for one that is either up to your standards or that you can bring to your standards for = or less than your target value. A knowledgable, independent Jag tech with WDS or equivalent Jag-specific scanner relatively nearby will be invaluable.

Most of all, be patient and keep looking...if you've decided you want an x300, you have chosen one of Jag's best efforts, IMO, and THE ONE for you is out there....but you may have to sift a bit of chaff to find it. Do a search here, several threads detailing other guys' searches have some good information and a couple others that detail the common problems and their fixes.

Happy hunting,
Zane

 

We all agree, the right car for you is out there. Esp' in the price range you are looking at and if you can do some of your own work in putting things right that PO's have neglected.

@Jack, no problems from here. Heck helping each other is what we are all about as evidenced. (the only thing no one likes is when a commercial seller tries to push their stuff by using the forum for free), the guys will have us jumping on that.