XJ8 Parts Car Value vs. Value of Late XJ6
 

I first joined this forum to see what my XJ8 was worth for parts, if I decided to give up on it, which I did. I will get my money back out of it, eventually.

I like the car though, and for the same reasons like the way the late generation Xj6 seems to be, along with the overall good reviews for the 6 vs the 8.

I found one that I want to make an offer on (using money from selling XJ8 parts) without seeing it in person and have it towed, will not start (reason unknown). I am hoping it could be a more solid platform than my former Jag, but want to have a exit strategy if its a parts car in the end.

I know what a Xj8 is worth in parts, or at least what some of it is worth in cash immediately with long-term projections. I can see that the common problems with the XJ8s drive parts value upwards.

Of course the Xj6's have their own list of problems, but is the demand for used parts as much and as immediately as I found with XJ8s.

In comparing running cars only, XJ6 cost more than early XJ8s as I observed in regional ads. I could barely give the non-running XJ8 away. The main salvage yards offered $75-$150, and only one was even willing to come get it though. I obviously was able to remove individual XJ8 parts worth more than that and declined all offers prior to the quick strip I did. Sold as scrap metal in the end.

The question at the end of all this is: does the XJ6 have the low-hanging-fruit that the XJ8 did if it suffers the same fate?

I was only into my XJ8 for about a grand when I threw in the towel. In totaling the sum of market values of parts (based on trending eBay sales, not asking prices) that now fill the master bedroom of my condo:

I can be patient and get about two grand.

but,

Given my need for a replacement Jag now, I am pricing the high-demand items to move quickly hoping to yield $600-$800 within a month.

I didn't even fully strip it though, because then I literally would have not been able to get rid of the carcass given the minimal value of scrap metal here in Maryland. Spools of copper literally fall off trucks and nobody bothers to pick them up anymore. Its crazy. People used to steal that stuff.

I took in $300 from you folks here so far. Thank you!

A man gave me $100 for what we agreed would be the "car" including its title, most of the body, drive train, suspension, and the main stipulation being the exhaust was intact. As he explained, he sells the platinum from the catalytic converters. Paying $100 for the car is his break even point on its value at the scrap yard and he takes his profit from the exhaust. Nobody else would even have taken it unless it was "fully intact" and all but one junkyard said I had to bring it to them.

The overall experience will be at least slightly profitable and I now know what not to buy in a Jaguar. The $900 that I paid would have been fair if the auction house didn't knowingly sell it with a blown head gasket.

I would say it was actually worth $600, which can quickly be recovered from any Jaguar XJ8 that is intact. So, I value a non-running intact XJ8 at $600 actual cash.

I am wondering how this boils down on the XJ6 though. Can $600 quickly be stripped from one? Or maybe the XJ6 only has like few hundred easy pulls and I should go lower on the offer? I don't know. If I knew its quick strip recovery estimate, that is what I would offer for the one I am looking at and hope it turns out to be a dream car.

I am pretty sure that a non-running XJ6 will sit forever "For Sale" at any price over $300-$400 here in Maryland currently. If I offer $600 for this thing, I think it would be the best offer the guy will see for the car as it is and that is only because I am willing to gamble on it because I am now determined to drive around in a nice looking Jaguar.

Maybe a more simplified overall question after all this rant:

Would you blindly buy a XJ6 with the goal of driving it (Intact, No Damage, Non-Running) for $600, $400, $300...higher?

Out of curiosity, how about blindly buying an XJ8? (I'd say no-way! unless parts sourcing is the goal).

I know my question is ridiculously over-complicated and have no reasonable expectations for anyone to even answer it as I drew it out here.

I tried a more simplified question over on the XJ6 forum:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xj-xj6-xjr6-x300-26/what-price-would-you-blindly-buy-xj6-181290/#post1675683

I can't answer specifically, but I used to buy wrecked mk2 Toyota Supras and part them out or fix them up. The parts that were most in demand were the model-specific parts that you couldn't get either at the Toyota dealer or an auto parts store. I preferred "wrecks" that were apparently well maintained and just unfortunate victims as I knew everything that wasn't hit was certainly or at least probably good. If a car was simply not running for unknown reasons, it usually had multiple issues otherwise why wouldn't they just go ahead and fix it. By the time the mk2 Supras were 15 years old, all of the luxury and appearance had deteriorated away for most of them and in such condition was of no value anymore to a collector or enthusiast. Fixing it mechanically would cost more than the remaining transportation value. But by the same token, it had no value in cosmetic parts and a high risk in not being able to test drive and confirm what mechanical parts were still sound.

At $500 and under, there are probably enough parts on most any old Jaguar that you could recover your money, but a profit takes a long time. Its all those odd little bits of the interior and exterior and very model-specific parts that add up to some serious money over time. But like my old mk2 Supras, these are not popular cars and there's not a sky full of circling vultures hoping to restore their own XJ6 or 8. That's why the salvage yards aren't interested in paying more than scrap metal value the same way they weren't interested in my mk2 Toyota Supras after about 1992. A rare car could take up a space in their lot for years before enough parts are picked off of it for a suitable profit. Its an opportunity cost. They could fill that same space with a much newer and more popular Honda Accord and it would be picked clean in a month by the hoards of low-income people who drive such common transportation appliances.

I just cleared $500. So yea, you are right on in your fast cash estimate. Profit going forward from $1000 in this case though. The low hanging fruit seems the same vehicle to vehicle in my comparison. There is a notable decrease in the value of collision parts when stepping back a generation. I assume this to be the same with most makes/models.

I offered $300 for the XJ6 with the $500 I got from the XJ8, of course I have to pay for the tow. At that price, my offer would at least double that of any scrap or salvage yard in the area. The actual value of this non-running XJ6 is determined by nothing more than what the one buyer is willing to pay and the one seller willing to accept. There are not many players in this market.

I hope the guy accepts and that the car gets driven rather than junked.

The opportunity in XJ8 parts would be good looking cars like mine was with complete engine or gearbox failures. Headlights are a big chunk of the salvage value, so I would not even consider a front end collision being worth messing with, but wrecked ones would not be common at this point anyway. I don't think there will be a notable amount of non-running XJ6's to consider, but I would consider buying broken down XJ8s to strip.

This economic tipping point, I am sure, has been and will be the end of life for most XJ8 and other Nikasil Jags. However they reach this point looking great because of the nature of the vehicle and its ownership.

Hence...opportunity.

I need to secure transportation before looking for parts cars to flip.

I don't know if there's a Crazy Ray's (now called LKQ Pick your Part) in your area, but they offer a higher price for buying cars, think it was 300 or 350 for a intact car with clean title. The Mt Airy location is probably closest to you if there aren't other closer yards.

Looks like you can call them or fill out a quick form online with model info for a quote. Don't know how quickly that gets responded to compared to just walking in and asking in person...

EDIT; read up a bit, looks like you probably called them already, they would definitely need you to haul the car there yourself.

Crazy Rays was the high bidder at $150 picked up (they doubled all other offers). Upon receiving this as the best offer, I started taking parts off.

A scrapper bought the remaining car for $100. He said he pays $100 for any car in the Frederick area (PM for reference if ever needed). He recovers his investment in steel weight and the platinum from the cats is his profit.