Hi, I'm new to the Jaguar forum. A very close friend of mine has a 1975 XJ6C. She has owned the car and it has been her daily driver for 20 years. She recently was given a new car and now is exploring selling her Jaguar. The car starts up easily and seems to run strong. However it does have some rust issues along the base at the area where the vinyl roof ends. Any thoughts on what would be a reasonable value?

 

Welcome to the Forum. Coupes are great looking, wonderful driving and are rare. I'm the privileged owner of two. Congrats on this opportunity. Check ebay...there are many recent sales in the 2000 to 5000 range. I'd consider all these recent sales to be in poor condition. I'd strongly recommend you have the car carefully checked for rust. Below is a typical list of rust spots. If the car is rusted or rusting its value is diminished greatly because proper rust repair cost can exceed the value of the car unless you do it yourself. So if its rusted then treat it like a parts car $2000 to $3000 depending on condition. If the car is mostly solid, rust free but has significant mileage and need minor repairs then 5000 to 10,000 depending on condition. Lets say we Start at 10,000 and subtract 1000 for paint and minor rust repair, 1500 for what it likely needs, some combination of...plugs, wires, carb rebuild, exhaust work, new brakes, tires, belts, fluids, shocks, AC repair etc and 1000 for interior condition, dash pad & carpet. I'd say 6500 off the cuff assuming the interior has no rips and simply and shows its age. Posting some interior picts would help greatly because replacement interior parts like door panels and seat covers are pricey. Also if the door cards and rear seat panels are deteriorated and rippled then that's a sign of a water problem and probable frame rust damage because when water gets inside these cars they rust from the inside out.

Common rust areas to be checked carefully
Base of windshield front and back
Under the vinyl roof
Complete rocker panel, do a very though knock check
Base of front fenders
Front jack point (very common)
Rear jack point around trailing arm mount
Make sure the frame rail that goes up the rear wheel arch is solid.
Floor pans.
Gas tanks tent to rust out.
Seam where frame rail transitions from body to engine compartment.
Rear roll pan where it meets the spare tire well.

 

well, the fact that it is a coupe will likely make it more desirable to most potential buyers. It certainly does for me! I think its a beautiful car. Since it seems your friend is in no huge hurry to sell the car I would start out pretty bold on the price, its not a common car, any reliable daily driver with only a few owners will go for a couple grand now-a-days easy... a nice jag like that will go for considerably more I think. how many miles are on it? does she have service records? how does the interior look? those are good factors to consider when pricing. A car with full service records and few owners and clean title can literally be worth thousands more than a mystery car with a dirty title.
I would search craigslist and e-bay and such for same model similar condition jaguars and ask in the upper margin of what you see. I can't really give a definite number without seeing and knowing more of the car, but I hope this helps, best of luck to you =)

 

Thanks for the replies. Can anyone recommend a link where I can decode the VIN?
Oops, sorry for the double post

 

Thanks for the replies. Can anyone recommend a link where I can decode the VIN? Never mind. I found a site. Just took a little digging
Also here is a link with more pictures.
1975 Jaguar

 

Sorry to disillusion you but that car is seriously rusted. The gaping holes below the D-post chrome trims indicate that there will be really serious rusting in the sill and related area below that rusting such as to compromise the integrity of the car. So the value is not going to be very high, frankly.

Having said that, total production was only around 5000 cars in total, incl the V12 version, so somebody might want to buy it to rebuild, as these are rare cars; most have gone to the junk yard due mainly to rust.

In the 70s Jaguar car bodies were very poorly protected against rust, in fact it wasn't until Ford, (of all people), improved the production processes and spent absolutely US Defense Budget sums of money on machinery and technology, that the cars started to be properly built. And now Tata Motors of India are reaping the rewards. Ironic isn't it !

 

I agree, the car has some serious rust. But it starts right up and drives well. I think the fact that it is a pretty rare coupe makes it worth saving.

 

if its of any interest, a 1975 XJ12C coupe was given to me FREE of charge.

V12 with manual 4 spd trans,RARE, with real jaguar knockoff wire wheels.

dont forget i said free, take it out of the yard.

RUSTED beyond hope, would cost $15-20K to make a good car.

 

looks pretty dont it, run great,coupe.

 

wow... that is an amazing vehicle indeed!

 

Wow! Was this in Austin, TX? If so, please tell me what kind of junkyard 1. keeps jags. and 2. gives them away for free?

Hell, for that price, I would tow it with my XJ6!

 

it wasnt a junkyard, it was a private persons backyard, setting for 5-6-yrs.

who knows why people just lose interest and give it up, age does change your life values!

 

Beautiful car, looks exactly like mine. Great car to drive home after sittings behind the wheel of an F350 work truck. Mine is lumped though and is my current driver until I get my Bronco sorted out.

 

maybe you have heard about the stories relating to Jaguar V12 with a manual 4speed transmission.

starting from a dead stopside of the road, engine off, put trans in 4th gear let out the clutch, foot off the gas pedal, start the engine, and the car pulls away smoothly, and just give it the gas as you can pickup speed all the way to 130mph, without ever shifting gears.

i tried it and it works, a V12 is an amazing piece, much unappreicated.

 

That's incredible! I want one!

 

I heard all the horror stories of unprotected body sheet metal and rust buckets but when my coupe body panels were disassembled, there was absolutely zero rust, with the exception of two very small spots within the rear inner fender wells. Of course my coupe was a dry Fresno, California native and was purchased new from Haron Brothers. It's first owner was a Fresno State University college professor and the second was a Kingsburg, California tractor mechanic. I'm the third owner and have been slowly restoring it since 1988. I'm nearly there. The drive train is virtually new, with many Jaguar upgrades and Jaguar factory recall repairs. Lucas was having all types of hot flashes in the mid-1970's and the British Leyland union labor force did not have the force with them. They were sabotaging every part in sight to get back to their employer, the UK government.
This is why the car was plagued with dash fires, carburetor fires and mechanical failures of all types. Once I changed the afflicted components the car runs like a magic carpet, pace and grace.
This is what I have learned in the process of the restoration:


I have owned a 1975 Jaguar XJ6-Coupe since 1988.
The roof does not flex and chip the paint.
The rear quarter panels were actually cobbled rear sedan doors and may or may not need fettling. The Coupe doors are usually slightly twisted and out of adjustment but are easily adjusted. Make sure that the door hinge pins are not worn before you give the cure. Also the forward window sill area tends to stress crack and need tig welding, not a deal breaker unless you paint the car without the fix. This is a good opportunity to inspect the plastic window guides for wear and replace them, an inexpensive fix and saves the out of production side glass from getting scratched. Ask me, been there, done that! John's Cars has rubber window trim and door rubber gasket kits or check with the British Heritage for parts.
The roof was also in perfectly smooth condition when the vinyl was removed.
There are lots of myths surrounding this model but very few are true.
The automatic slushbox transmission can be swapped out for a 4-speed overdrive manual stick transmission. It bolts in with absolutely no modifications, even the driveshaft fits perfectly. The speedometer can be removed and a correct speedo gear changed out for precise speed indication. A 1980 XJS rear radius arms and swaybar can be easily installed to keep the rear wheels on the Tarmac, during cornering.
Dash fires with catastrophic loss was caused by an undersized fuse panel for the AC. To upgrade this, simply install a fuse link directly on the AC ground and positive power legs. The automatic thermostat AC controller only needs a simple upgrade to new style micro switches that are an easy DIY project and only costs around $20.00 in micro switches that can be purchased online from a good electronics store. While you are at it, replace the plastic vacuum tubing that are connected to the AC switches and vacuum operated vent dampers. Mechanics charge hundreds of dollars to do this simple upgrade that you can accomplish for less than $50.00.
The crappy Lucas Zenith Stromberg 1-3/4" carburetors, that were sabotaged by the British Leyland union works, can be swapped out for the 2" HD-8 SU carburetors with manual choke cables. Remove the cast iron headers and replace with jet ceramic coated tubular steel exhaust manifolds, remove the smog pump, charcoal fender cannistor and swap out the heavy copper radiator for a lighter aluminum radiator. All of the cooling system hoses can be upgraded to the new and lifetime silicone rubber type. Install an oil cooler and swap out the radiator clutch fan for a non-clutch flex fan. This will eliminate around a 100Lbs. The manual transmission swap will eliminate around 75Lbs. Make sure you use the recommended transmission fluid and not make the mistake of using the incorrect fluid and ruining the the whole conversion. The automatic pedal arm housing can either be machined to accept the new and available brake and clutch arms or you can source out a new or used one from Europe. The clutch master cylinder is available new. Use the same one as the 1963 Jaguar Mark 2. You can also swap out the original bolt-on oil filter for a remote spin-on oil filter with a standard size filter element. This mod will also contribute extra oil cooling. Get rid of the clumsy stock oil filler cap and replace with the quick-opening race car style type filler cap. You can also swap out the heavy stock battery for an ultralight lithium ion battery pack. They are very easy to build your own. This saves around 50Lbs.
There is also a rear ventilated dic brake kit that keeps the differential gaskets from deteriorating from high temperatures of the solid rotors. They also provide much improved braking. Also be sure to remove the gas tanks and have them dipped and cleaned out and then have the insides epoxy coated to insure that they never rust out and leak. There is never a reason to replace the gas tanks. Most XJ car window regulators are very slow to operate. The cure is to remove the window lift motors and clean them thoroughly with solvents. Window switches can be upgraded with new switches. The starter motor can be upgraded to a much more powerful geared starter motor that weighs only a small fraction of the stock starter motor. The very heavy stock wheels can be swapped out for lightweight aluminum wheels and the fat and heavy US bumpers can be swapped out for some stainless steel European model bumpers, made by Harrington in Viet Nam. If you want to really do something spectacular with the wheel swap, upgrade to the spline center lock axles on all four corners and install some new Jaguar 15" x 6" D-Type style aluminum wheels with knock-offs. These are unbelievably strong and lightweight. Sexiest wheels on the planet, too! These bumpers not only change the appearance of the car but cut the weight by around 100Lbs. All in all, the total modifications can drop the weight of the car by around 500Lbs. The XJ-6 Coupe will begin to handle the Tarmac more like an XKE and less like the very heavy XJ-6.
One last trick that can be done is to replace the anemic headlights with the European spec headlights. The outer headlight buckets and trim can be swapped out for the Euro spec ones but the inner headlights are retained. The Hella lights are much brighter and have a very handsome looking flatness to them. While you are at it, change out all of the bulbs to LED type. Especially the very high heat optical fiber light bulb that illuminates the dash panel and switches. The flasher relay modules may need to be swapped out for LED type models. The great thing about changing to LED is that the original bulbs actually can melt the plastic lenses from the heat that they generate and the fact that the LED lights last for many years and are super bright. I had to replace my interior door switch lenses that melted from use of the stock bulbs. If you want your clock to work accurately or at all, remove it and send it to a speedo repair shop for replacing the inner workings to a modern kind.
An important factory recall for the XJ-6 Coupe is that the front hub spindles were machined incorrectly and cause the bearings to prematurely wear out. The simple fix is to replace them with the later model spindles and modern bearings.
Make sure that you clean the AC condensate drains because they can back up the condensate water into the car interior. Also there are door drains at the bottom edges of the doors that can plug up with dirt. You can simply crawl under the open door and clean the weep hole drains with a steel wire. The bottom of the rear quarter panel has a drain tube per side and can be routed out with a steel wire.

 

I am also in the process of restoring a SWB Aussie spec series II car. Completely rust free from the blast furnace heat of Western Australia. There are multiple goodies in that post I will do for sure. Thanks Giovani!