What to look for: 1985 Jag. xj6 vandenplas?
 

1985 Jaguar xj6 Vanderplaus

So, i kinda need some advice, im out of oregon (for the parts question). What do I look for in an older Jag that needs work? What do y'all think and what might the parts cost, as well as where do i get them and who is reliable? I may not be much of a mechanic on anything newer than a 1950 ford pickup, but if I have a manual and couple of people to call or email im usually ok.

A little background to all of this: I have been looking for a used car for awhile, my truck just does not cut it at 7mpg at a younger age and going into the city. My buddy has a jag, similar, it was a lot of fun to ride in being with some theater techs. Cool car, nice interior, roomy. Has enough room for me to wear my boots while driving, the car makes no sense for a country person but whatever.

In the 'How To' sticky thread at the topic is a buyers guide. That'll get you headed in the right direction. After reading, come back with any specific questions


Cheers
DD

Hobby:


1. Nope, Brits must have narrow feet. Farm boots are out of the question. My dress shoes fit Ok. My everyday ones just barely.


2. 7mpg for your 50 ? I had a couple way back when. One was a tired V8. it did a lot better than 7!! The other a flat head six. Tons of torque with it's granny low. Much healthier than the V8. It beat 7mpg all to pieces.


You should get about 16 around town and in the low 20's on the road.


Unless you have a bed full of manure or hay, then mebbe 7 is right!!


I used my V8 powered one to haul in sand from the desert and manure from a horse ranch to create top soil at the house we bought in PHX, AZ!!


Had to sell the 6 early on, as we moved to SF!!


Carl

- Thats in my '93. I was referring to my limited mechanical knowledge.

What are you looking for in a car?

Are you wanting all the bells & whistles to work properly?

These cars can be had for cheap & can be built to be a serious performer.

People who own & keep these cars value style over anything else.

These cars are so good looking & handling that we put up with all the little crap that the Jag life throws at us.

If you're looking for a daily, spend the extra money & but the nicest example of an XJ that you can find.

I am looking for a daily driver, reliable, fun to drive, the bells and whistles work (when something works then goes its a good indicator of problems) or dont cause other basics to fail.

a nice example is????????

A nice example is a car that looks like it was Leo in mothballs.

The northwest a a far cry from prime climate for a flawless XJ.

You will find a lot of rust in this area.

Budget 5K & find one that looks perfect.

I would if I could, I can do that over time, but I cannot do so up front. I can spend about 1200 up front, and over time bring it back to life. I dont like older vehicles that are in "flawless" condition, not my thing, I like to work on them.

I was going to buy a 1955 ford f-350 with a 1959 engine to add on but the seller would not sell it too me (see below). so i am not afraid of a little elbow grease.

Photo and image hosting, free photo galleries, photo editing

and I am unfamiliar with this "leo on mothballs" statement.

EDIT: here is the link to the truck:

dustinlroberson's Library | Photobucket

A shop I know here in the UK once told me the Jaguar XJ Series 1,2, & 3 were the last of the repairable Jaguars !! Trouble is one usually finds an awful lot needing repair. These cars have sophisticated suspension front and especially rear, an all-disc brake system and a fuel system thought up by the devil himself ! (Ok only kidding on that last bit !!). However the main area of concern as hinted by Aristocat is rust. These cars rust heroically and can rectifying this can be expensive and time consuming, so you really need to find a low-miles car somewhere in a sunshine state as near to you as possible, so I suspect it would have to be California. However you might be able to find one closer but I suspect not. Spares back-up for these cars is pretty good although some items can be difficult. A lot of Americans fit the GM V8 engine but this isn't really necessary if you get a late production car, like post 83. The cars ceased production in 1986 except for the V12s that carried on until 1992, but only 40-50 a week so not many around.

Im not

Well then...

Welcome to HELL

This forum will be your survival guide.

Everybody on here has been a great resource.

You couldn't ask for a nicer community.

The parts classified is where I recommend you start you parts quest.

Car-part.com & SearchTempest.com are also great resources for finding rare parts.

Im not surprised that there are complicated things on a jag, fancy vehicle means complicated stuff. Rust can be fun on cars with thin steel and fancy paint. Good to know in advance though!

BTW: where can I find repair manuals for Jags?

Hard copies or digital?

You strike me as the kind of guy who wants a book on his bench.

So, if the owner ever gets back to me, I will post up what it needs and get y'alls feedback on what I might be looking at.

Kool-Aid.

True. I would rather have a hard copy, but a digital copy works as well.

1988 Jaguar xj6

So, the guy said he sold the 1985. But i found a 1988 for sale, above, called him and he said a shop bought it and they have had no time to do much, has a rebuilt or new motor, about a year old, unsure of mileage on rebuild. Needed a water pump when they got it. He said it didn't have any rust, nice and straight. He did say that it needed brake pads and rear struts, about $80 a piece.

they guy with the 85 jst emaled me and said: "break pads and rear struts." something feels really off about all of this... I feel like i am being blatantly lied to, maybe thats becuase the car is cheap...

if I can get it for DIRT cheap, I might see if my uncle can tow it home, and maybe then if i discover major complications I can get my money back out.

they guy with the 85 jst emaled me and said: "break pads and rear struts." something feels really off about all of this... I feel like i am being blatently lied to, maybe thats becuase the car is cheap...

if I can get it for DIRT cheap, I might see if my uncle can tow it home, and maybe then if i discover major complications I can get my money back out.