Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum, but saw that it is filled with useful information, that is why I would like to ask you a question. I am not new to modern Jaguars, but I have never owned a classic Jaguar. I am currently orientating myself for a Jaguar XJ6 coupe. The one attached in the link got my attention since it looks quite good. But as I mentioned I am new to classic Jaguars.

I already looked at quite a few buying guides online, but just wanted to ask if anyone on here has some more specific on what things to look out for? (before I go and watch the car)
The coupe I am interested in will be auctioned, and on a viewing day it won't be possible to start te car (but will be possible to examine the car thouroughly). The auction company however attached a video of the engine running. I can hear some kind of strange sound, but I am not sure what causes it. To be more specific from what I can hear: I hear two sounds which are strange to me. One is the loud knocking/ rattle when running stationary, the second sound is the increase of humming/ knocking when reving.

I am trying to estimate for myself whether the car is worth watching or not.

As you can hear some advice and information will be much appreciated. Especially about the engine noise, the general state of the car and what to look out for.

https://www.bva-auctions.com/nl/auct...13507496?pid=1

https://www.classiccar-auctions.com/...-coupe-1977-3/

Many thanks and greetings,

PG

 

The noises could be relatively benign....or not. Impossible to tell without hearing them

At the top of this section, in one of the sticky topics, is a buyers guide which may be helpful to you. I suggest starting there and coming back for clarifications, if needed.

The car in question looks to be a decent, though certainly not pristine, example. Are you looking for a nice 'driver quality' hobby car? A restoration candidate?

Mechanical work is generally well within the ability of a decent do-it-your-selfer. 'Tis rust and paint work, leather, chrome....the cosmetics....that account for major expense.

Cheers
DD

 

The car you have link to is Federal US spec by the look of it - 5mph ram bumpers, where most people prefer chrome euro look. The coupe is sitting pretty high, would be good to find out why. On the day of the auction take a flash light and mirror on stick have a *good* look underneath for corrosion issues particularly around the rear suspension and trailing arm mounts, also inside front fenders and around area under battery. Look closely for rust around windscreen and rear screen, see if the doors open and close cleanly.
The mechanical stuff is mostly generic Jag from that era and doable.

 

Hi,
For what it's worth I can never relate the recorded sound of an engine to it's actual condition. To my ears the best engine sounds thrashy and full of mechanical noise when recorded.
Good luck
Al

 

Are you in Limberg, Germany ? The car seems to be for sale in Holland.

Whilst it looks pretty good, these cars can be a lot of trouble with corrosion a major issue. The really bad location for rust is the sill below where the rear door would normally be. Jaguar did not get the drainage arrangements right, so corrosion here can be devastating. ON the other hand, if the car has passed the roadworthiness test in Holland it should be OK. The engine sounds dreadfully rattly, and I have to say you could be looking at major expenditure here.

The XJ Coupe cars were not on sale for very long, and only around 11,000 were made. All the issues and faults with the Series 2 cars are present in these as that is what they basically are, a Series 2. Abysmal quality was par for the course in Jaguar throughout the 70s and into the 80s (I know I had a 1980 Series 3 !!). Yes it can all be sorted out, and I did sort out my Series 3 eventually, and you must be prepared to do it. The cars have no pesky electronics and are fairly simple mechanically. The interior looks about right for a 44 year old car.

You need to know if there are any records of work or servicing, this is crucial.

 

also there is very little TRIM parts supply for the XJ Coupé. Many chrome and rubber parts no longer available.

If you want a REAL classic Jag, buy a MK-2, a S type, or a 420. Parts are available for those.

 

My personal advice is to go on Facebook and see the page XJRestaurations, look through the albums of coupes. They can get super rotten in the wrong climate and in the wrong hands, even restored cars. Make a list of all the spots prone to rust and check the car. For the price you should be 100% sure of the condition of the car and the seller owes you a proper test drive and independent check at a garage. Personally I would recommend marktplaats

 

P G

All above is excellent advise, plus... if you're allowed to get "hands-on" see if you can pull back the passenger footwell carpeting. Until you can see at least part of the ribbed floor. Lift one of the underlayment carpet strips laying down in the ribbing 'valleys'. Check for rust.

Air conditioning drains just in front of passenger footwell panel through a hole in the floor.
& when hole gets plugged, drains under the front passenger carpet.
& stays there forever, or until it turns the front right floor into steel lace & drains itself.

If a Series 2 has none of the other 'usual suspects' body rot, it's easy to forget this location. Can happen to the nicest dry-state Series 2 XJ's.

 

Hello everyone,

thank you for the great information! Went to see the Coupe a couple of days ago and felt very confident because of the information provided here and on other forums. Sadly enough the coupe was in worse condition then I originally thought. Especially the rust issues were horrible. There was a reason why it was not yet registered in The Netherlands after it was imported from the states. I decided not to make make a bid on the car since it would not be worthwhile for me. I do hope that someone else will take on the project and properly restore the car.

In the mean time I will look for a different Jaguar as a daily driver, but in The Netherlands this is a bit of a pickle with road tax, etc.

Thanks again for the much appreciated advice.

 

yes they always are worse than advertised. It never fails. The good news is that you saw it in person.

The best advice is: never buy a car that you have not seen in person.

some Warning Flags are:
1) "it's all there"
2) "it ran when it was parked years ago"
3) "some rust"
4) "I can't find the keys and the Title"

 

Absolutely right, Jose. And anytime you see a car that has been repainted alarm bells should go off. There are some cars that have been repainted to refresh the surface imperfections but there are a lot of cars that have more bondo than steel and then a very pretty coat of paint on top. Then they are advertised as "no rust". I guess this area is called the "Rust Belt" of America for a reason.

Jeff

 

Jeff, you know the story, "if the magnet doesn't stick...."

when I bought my 1965 S type built in 1964, I flew from Tennessee to California to see it in person. Money in my pocket. I got to see the Great Divide from the air. When I saw the car, it was love at first sight. No excuses. And I drove it back to Tennessee! 3 days and 2 nights in a classic Jaguar 3.8 liter doing 80-90mph in the straights of New Mexico! Only mishap was a flat tire in Texas and two friendly texans stopped and helped. I had not noticed there was no THOR hammer for the wire wheel spinners but they had a giant sledgehammer. A couple of taps on the spinner and I was on my way.