Originally Posted by larry32 (Post 1024683)

So my dad tells me that my uncle is selling his jags. They are 85 xj12 coupes. Neither have run in some time. Probably around 5to 10 years. I don't know what is wrong with them but he has lost interest in them and has been doing alot of traveling in the past few years. The one I'm interested in is complete, but needs alot of work. It has some rust at the bottom of the fenders and a dent in the hood where our horse trailer rolled into it. My question it what do you think its worth? Im an american muscle guy, but i love the challenge of english cars, and they look cool too! Any help would be awesome, thanks.

Originally Posted by Greg in France (Post 1019054)

Points to look for on an XJS. My views are as follows:

• The early to late-mid 1980s, non ABS, non-catalyst models with Lucas ignition are the easiest to work on and the simplest to maintain.
• any model of this age, unless maintained by an enthusiastic expert will require substantial mechanical work to function as designed and to be reliable
• there is nothing an enthusiastic owner who (a) has a garage to work in, (b) likes mechanical work, (c) is prepared to buy decent tools and work patiently and methodically, and take the trouble to understand before tearing it apart, cannot do on these cars
• the better the car to start with the cheaper the ownership will be
• it will take a few years of patient work before the car is truly reliable
• be prepared for a budget for parts of about 1000 UKP per year while you get it up to snuff. be prepeared to renew all calipers and flexibles, water hoses, suspension rubbers, power steering hoses, etc etc.
• lots of people disagree with me, but IMO buying second hand mechanical and electrical parts for these cars is a false economy if you want a reliable vehicle
• you will have to renew under bonnet looms and connectors, whatever they look like if they have never been renewed
• ditto the fuel lines and tank will need renewing and the tank sealing if this has never been done
• XJSs of this age will leak oil from the cam covers and the sump if these have never been attended to. Again can be fixed but it is a reasonably major job to do so (think 4 days in the garage with a mate to help at crucial moments. Oil leaks are more of an aesthetic problem than a danger from the reliability point of view.
• BODYWORK: this is the XJSs really weak area. Check floorpans under the carpets, check the rear wheelarches and the body at the forward end of the rear wheelarch where the suspension forward facing radius arm attaches to the body. Check sills each end. serious rust on rear wheelarches themselves is a major bodywork job for an expert bodyshop, remove wwheels and check very carefully with a sharp object. Front wings unbolt and are easy to change and second hand ones are easily available (in the UK at least). Front upper and lower chassis rails and front inner wings where the shock absorber reinforcers attach must be very carefully checked. The front upper chassis rail (until the wings are off) can only be seen from the wheelarch as a square tube running along the inner wheelarch/wing 90° join. Poke this very hard. Lower chassis rails can be seen from below the car and also by removing the air boxes from the intakes. Rust bubbles around the base of the windscreen are potentially a major job, requiring screen out and front wings off to see the full extent of the problem. Check VERY carefully that the door hinges are solidly attached to the A pillar, this pillar can literally disappear. Any other rust on unboltable bits (eg boot lid, doors, bonnet) will be treatable or such items are relatively easily replaced;
• AIRCON: if the aircon is not working 100% properly (and if it is you will be COLD on a low temp setting) means expense and possibly major work. To renew the compressor, condensor, expansion valve, dryer and pipes will set you back 600 UKP at least. If there is a problem in the dash unit electronic parts are NLA and a leak is a dash out job which is a VERY big job - though quite doable for the owner with the above listed necessary characteristics!

Like marriage, look for a good one!


Greg

Originally Posted by Grant Francis (Post 1019116)

I have done and attached a Word Doc with my thoughts. If there is something else, PLEASE ask, I dont bite.

The PreHE is a cautious buy in my opinion.

Look carefully at these cars, PLEASE.

The PreHE is ALL V12's up to "about" 1982ish. After that is the HE. The Marelli cars came for 1989MY, and have their own issues. 1992ish saw the 6ltr, and a whole NEW car.

A PreHE that has been HE'd is a careful consideration at best. The upgrade is HUGE, and if done properly is OK.

Seat covers always worry me. Too much to hide, and that hiding is BIG$.

Read the Doco, and as I said ASK away.

Attachment 91106

Originally Posted by cat_as_trophy (Post 1015512)

Hi Paul;

Really good advice rolling around here, but also some local knowledge needed to balance that from OB and Graham. Styling, MY, variants, wheels etc I won't get into ... too personal and your homework will help with "must haves", "likes", "must not haves", and "don't cares".

Several items do stand out. OB's point about the solid colours is very true, but my experience of the '84 XJS in Red (Signal Red?) was that it was a shocker ... sun-fading, especially in Qld, or in our case Sunraysia, is a big problem ... and given our earlier restoration of the gorgeous '65 S Type in this Red (see my album) sealed our purchase of a Red XJS also ... I was gutted and soon moved it on. Sure it was a stunner ... graceful and smooth compared to the nimble aggression of our Series 1 E-Type. Dark colours? No way. Red? Never! Yellow? Big tick.

Graham notes that corrosion here is not on the scale of UK, but I would contend from my experience, that there are many areas on the XJS (eg lower corners around rear window) that even in our climes, are notorious for metal cancer ... in my book, a big step backwards to the problems of the early compact saloons. Look scrupulously for blemishes or minute bubbles in the paint in known susceptible areas.

Running gear, suspension, drive-train components, brakes etc represent no big surprises but as Graham has said, like any of the similarly equipped Jags of this period, can chew up big dollars to replace. The beautiful efi V12 is a lusty performer, but subject to some dodgy wiring and plumbing wear issues now that they are 30yrs of age. The major problem is that those buried well down in the Vee are those least likely to have been maintained ... simply because they are difficult (and expensive) to get to.

Alloy wheels have drawn comment, and I'll add mine. Irrespective of choice, but particularly if your "must haves" are a certain genuine Jaguar style ... then make sure they are already on your purchase. Local prices and very limited availability of replacements can make Plan B prohibitively expensive. The days of being able to buy a set of genuine chrome wires for an E-Type for $5,000 are long gone ... and while the genuine XJS or saloon "pepperpots" are not in that price range, you are well advised to avoid nasty and disappointing surprises. I have seen several XJS's in recent months that are being offered with either crappy after-market wheels or inappropriate Jag saloon wheels ... in 2 cases, because the correct wheels had already departed into the custom car market!!!

Which brings us to the dreaded subject of price vs value ... normally we shy away as if faced with plague. What is a good XJS worth? How about a really good one? Perhaps the best news is that you have a known budget ... and I would suggest a fairly handsome one, in that you have allowed some additional funds for "surprises" ... and there will be "surprises". Clarke hinted at it I think ... certainly, his examples had prices that reflected what I am about to say. I don't add this to start a bun-fight, but here goes ....

"The general marketplace appeal for a big displacement guzzler, right now here in Australia ... and with the notoriety of the XJS as the ugliest Jaguar ever, and with landmark unreliability of a Jaguar V12 engine to boot, where there are no parts, no expertise, lousy and incredibly expensive service ... is right up there with landing a job as Assad's PR guy."

This is not my opinion ... but it is the word on the street. The trade will not touch them. It is no surprise that almost all examples currently for sale are in private (not dealers) hands. And the market is depressed ... I mean; really depressed. I can point your to 2 x 1980's at $5K the pair (one is rubbish but a good donor). I know of another vendor in mid NSW who has been trying for months to sell 4 of them - again on the basis of buy 2, and "I'll throw in the other 2". Many more are being privately dismantled and sold for parts.

Please Paul, do not get depressed at this news. As OB said, the genuine enthusiast is in a prime bargaining position ... because the XJS, whether we like it or not, is incredibly easy to love and buy ... and incredibly difficult to sell. Now, Rebecca is in a tough position ... and not helped by asking a price that is way beyond the market. Here's my sure-fire test ... get yourself a pic (side on, no number plate, good nick) of an XJS you like ... take it to some dealers and talk trade-in. I bet you get the same sad news that Rebecca probably got.

$10K should be a fair fit for a very good example. I cannot conceive of any XJS I've seen in the past year that would justify $15K ... and $22K for a convertible is an absolute joke. Only a few weeks ago, we saw an XK8 sell at auction for $25K.

I can smell people like Grant Francis over in Adelaide scratching an itch to get back into the V12 XJS ... and I'm not far behind him ... because the current market makes them an ideal (but long term) project car ... not an easy or cheap resto ... but there are so many give-away priced cars out there ...

Bugga ... you have got us all keen Paul.

Best wishes, :icon_toast:
Ken

Originally Posted by larry32 (Post 1024734)

That's actually what my plan was. I don't know about the Chevy thing (despite my family I'm not much of a Chevy fan lol). But I was planning on a different power plant in the future. After all I do have a 5.4 supercharged from a totalled 05 cobra. I'm going down there this weekend with a trailer to look it over and make my offer. Is there anything else I should check out? Like I said I'm new to these.
Thanks for the quick reply