Interested in the opinions of members of the forum here regarding the value of the following VP.

1999 XJ8 Vanden Plas
One owner,
2,538 original miles,
Stored since new in climate controlled garage,
Has always been operational,
Topaz Metallic over Oatmeal Leather,
Sable carpets and antelope piping,
Factory CD, heated rear seats, telephone,
Complete set of 4 keys, books, manuals, etc.,
All original right down to the tires,
Runs and drives as new. Cold A/C,
Original paint based on paint meter readings,
Fuel has been cycled, driven regularly and on a battery tender.





Thank you.

 

As you expect with just 2,538 original miles and stored for 26 years in the same climate controlled garage, all the finishes - paint, leather, carpets, wood, etc. present as new.

 

Completely pristine throughout including the underside (no rain) and engine compartment.

 

Tough question. Fun to think about.

I was personally thinking around $20k-$25k, but after looking at Bring A Trailer, I'd say $40k-$45k, plus new hoses and tires.

 

So from the drapes and french doors in the last picture, it has it's own bedroom? What is the story? Is the OP the seller or interested buyer?

 

I'll bet a $100 if it is listed on BaT the first question will be have the chain tensioners been replaced.

 

Yes, almost has its own bedroom. Climate controlled 5 car garage since new with the original owner who recently passed away.

Helping her estate sell the car.

Has the original title, etc.

 

There are so many keyboard warriors on that site (and Cars and Bids for that matter) that ask the most ridiculous questions and have zero intent to ever bid or purchase a car.

But yes, that’s a key issue that needs to be addressed. I think the earlier quote is the more likely range - mid/low $20s and then be surprised if it goes higher. I’ve been folllowing both sites closely for a while for something else I’ve got in the works and the nicest VDPs and occasional Super get the real bids.

Low mileage is a huge plus and I think under 3k miles would be the lowest that’s ever been listed. The more documentation and the better the presentation (clean, plenty of high quality photos of everything, etc), I think it’d do well if you are actually looking to sell it.

 

Blimey can't be many in that condition left world wide. No idea on value, but it looks great.

 

Opinions on Cars & Bids or BaT?

BaT requires no reserve and sells 1-2 each week. Cars & Bids sells far fewer of these and offers a reserve.

 

In some cases...I have seen cars without much mileage on the clock that were
real bombs. They weren't driven much because of various issues I do not suspect
that to be the case here, however it is good to be thorough in drivability and inspection
to determine any issues not evident.

 

Personally, I think BaT would be the better venue as their audience is probably more attuned to cars like this - I think C&B has sold only two X308s of any flavor/year. True, the no reserve can be a bit unnerving but if the car is good, and presented well with as much documentation as you can provide about past/recent/current service, that goes a long way to driving interest. There will always be those who bid $1,999 because that's the model year and then stop, but those with real interest stick around. The last day of the auction is what matters. If you reach out to them, I'm sure they can give you a flavor for what they think... I can't find a car with that low mileage that's sold anywhere, which is something in your favor - that, and being a VDP. I've got bidder accounts on both sites and if I were to sell my LS-XJR today, I'd be inclined to go with BaT (in their "Project" category), over C&B.

 

Which is a GREAT question to ask when considering one of these beauties.

 

True. It’s usually the first question and then repeated because people don’t read the comments.

 

BaT allows a reserve. Just went to site. The no reserve cars have a yellow “no reserve” tag. Often if not sold at auction you’ll see a note that after auction seller and bidder mage a private deal.

 

The BaT seven day listing almost ensures that you won't have to actually show the car, particularly if you use a professional photographer/videographer who knows how to make images for a BaT auction, leaving very little in doubt. Chances are the most interested buyers will be a thousand miles away and unable to drop everything, reschedule meetings, beg off deadlines and make arrangements to travel within the seven days. There are a lot of "dealers" on BaT who may have a store and regular hours that one could view a car, but most bidders seem to accept that they will not get to inspect the car beforehand. In my experience, even when I contact local private sellers on BaT, they're rather counting on not actually showing the car, always making it extremely difficult to coordinate a time. But the car always sells to somebody for a mint even when they give me the runaround about seeing it. I get it. Its a pain to sell a car the old fashioned way and deal with the tire-kickers, the joy-riders and the no-shows.

I'm not advocating to actively avoid showing the car because it infuriates me as a buyer, but just pointing out the advantage of BaT. They seem to have enough high-stakes gamblers bidding that you'll likely get top dollar without having to actually show it. There's probably at least a few hundred millionaires watching BaT who'd think nothing of bidding $25K to $50K. There are other online auction sites, but I don't think any have quite the following of wealthy, top-end collectors that BaT does. Myself, I worked for wages and equate every classic car purchase to how many months I suffered for it or how many fewer months of retirement I'm probably giving up so I cannot bid sight-unseen. Just a different mindset from millionaire businessmen who make their money essentially gambling in the first place.

Another option to consider is going through a classic car consignment dealer. I've bought and sold classic cars that way and prefer it because I can make an appointment, inspect the car and negotiate while standing in front of it. Yes, their commissions are higher. I sold a Mustang and probably gave up several thousand dollars compared to selling it myself, but it was in their warehouse opening up space for my next project at home and I didn't have to mess with showing it. I didn't even have to take the pictures. And they accept a lot of the risk too. I once bought a Dodge that turned out to have been stolen 40 years earlier and vin swapped. Took it back to the dealer and got an immediate refund, no fuss at all. I can't imagine what a nightmare that would have been over an online auction.

But if you do go with BaT or any other online auction, at the very least, be very quick to respond courteously to all posted questions, no matter how inane. The one sure-fire way to sabotage your own auction is to be missing-in-action all week. The high-stakes gamblers will take their chances, but only if you're at the table actively playing the game too. Good luck. Its a beauty!

 

Agreed. From day one of the auction you need to check every couple hours and respond to questions. On the last day more often. On the last few hours need to be logged on constantly.
This 36,000 mile XKR 100 convertible went low (if no hidden issues) at $15,845 because the seller never responded to one question. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...r-xkr-coupe-4/

 

If that was only a coupe!

 

The problem I see is that the owner died. The OP says he has title and is helping with "the estate" whatever that means. Depending on how the title is registered, whether the deceased signed it BEFORE he/she passed or whether the vehicle is in probate, it may be tricky getting a clean, transferable title at the time cash changes hands.

That make the car a lot less likely to fetch top $, unless the buyers don't know any better....

 

The co-executors of the estate sold the car and simply transferred the title as the court appointed co-executors of the estate. No big deal.