I've been looking at that white car for $8500 for a while. It looks like the bargain of the bunch. But I think that the maroon car, with only 48K klms on it, for $13K would be the better buy, if they're as good as they look.

 

On the surface I'd agree, especially as the white is an '85. Above average late models are getting scarcer. '79 - '80 XJ6 usually cheapest, although uber-low mileage examples like the red one will stand alone. Otherwise, premiums kick in for the more desirable '84 - '86 Sov & VDP.

 

My only questions on the red one would be ...Is the low mileage since the resto or since new?....and if since the resto, exactly what was done?

 

Agreed!

 

Here in The Netherlands it all depends on which state the car is in, if it is original, which engine it has, which fuel it uses (we have a lot of conversions to Liquid Propane Gas over here, because it's a lot cheaper to drive a gas guzzler on propane) etc etc.

In general, a descent looking 6 cylinder 4.2 litres series III can be found here between € 5000 and € 8000. The smaller engines are not very common and / or popular over here.

The HE V12 Series III in good shape, no rust, original condition doesn't go for less than € 12.500,- ( and up to over 25K for a really nice one )....

I bought my 1986 V12 Sovereign Series III from a lady in Germany, who inherited the car in 2009 but couldn't afford to keep it in running condition anymore. Needless to say, the price was a fraction of the amounts mentioned above....
With all the work done ( new left rear fender, new windshield, completely removing ALL the paint, new tach, new woodwork, total repaint, new head liner etc..) my best estimate would be that it will hit an insurance value of about 17.5K Euro.
A fairly decent investment on my part....

To be honest, I fell in love with it the minute I saw it....the real potential of this car showed itself almost instantaneously to me. When I then went over the papers when I was back home with the car and I noticed the V.I.N. ends with "007", I knew this will be in my garage for a long time to come.... ;-)

 

I kinda like the fact that these cars are a labour of love, as it keeps the quick-buck speculators out of the market. Which means the cars represent fair market value. Much more so than a lot of other 70s cars, which are caught in a nostalgia driven rising price bubble, which in no way reflects their real worth.
Having said that though, I do expect that XJ prices will eventually rise, as the pool of available cars shrinks, & the survivor cars are mainly the "labours of love" that we enthusiasts have kept pristine throughout the lean years. & I've no problem with that either. For after years of funnelling cash into a black hole, I think we deserve a final pay out. I'm just not sure I'll live long enough to reap that reward. Oh well, at least it's a good inheretance to leave my kids.

 

Agreed, seems logical to me.

Read on 9msn yesterday about a "pristine" 1970 HT GTS Monaro expected to fetch $300k at auction. Restored, so not original, something over 100k km on the clock. Now there's a car trapped in a bubble of nostalgia if ever there was one, for (let's be honest) a pretty bland & boxy coupe derived from the Kingswood

 

Not only those points, but that Labor of Love keeps us home most nights and not carousing around, spending hard earned cash on the next day's hangover.

We also don't have to guess which car in the parking lot is ours!!
(';')

 

If you want to see current pricing on a beautiful late Series III car, GR Auto Gallery in Detroit has a really good 1990 V12 Vanden Plas (Canadian specification) for sale at an asking price of $29,000 USD. They have a full set of photos of this gorgeous car too.

 

Makes the next one I'm looking at, appear yet another steal . . . pristine '88 Sov with all the trimmings; another 1 owner country car located not more than 100Km away from me, having 200,000Km (125K miles), superb body, paint and interior and absolutely no issues . . . all at AU$4,000 negotiable (say AU$3,500) . . . so, US$2,500. Or . . . a similar carnival red '93 (which is IMHO a far superior car, in similar condition, for similar price.

Both compare favorably with my 5 XJ purchases (all in AU$) at . . . $7,500; $2,400; $1,500; $800 and $500 . . . an average of $2,500 per Jaguar.

Again, my point is NOT to trash the values of these XJs . . . indeed, my shed is full of these beautiful, rescued lovelies . . . but that they are just coming of such a low base that any "appreciation" is irrelevant to me.

Cheers,

Ken

 

Yep, XJ40's seem to be the real bargains now.

 

And plentiful . . . Oh and just like my '87 whose registration expired on the day the car turned 30, thus becoming eligible for historic club rego here in NSW, at about 1/6th the cost . . . the current rego on that '88 car expires at the very end of December 2017. Hahaha . . . another $60 per year Jaguar!

Maybe not your #1 choice (I respect that) but lovely to have a project car that already looks a million dollars, has no big issues, and purrs like all fine Jaguars. It's enough to launch a campaign . . . "Adopt an unloved XJ40 today!!!"

Or . . . we close this discussion, keep the affordability of all the XJ6/12 and XJ40s a well kept secret, forget about "investment appreciation" . . . and just feel the love. Either way, I believe we are onto real winners!

Cheers,

Ken

 

I will have to sell my Morris Major and get an XJ40 :-) seems they are about the same price

 

What? Hey Steve, that's crazy . . . keep the Major . . . just adopt an XJ40 to keep it company!

Cheers,

Ken

 

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/burl...j40/1141696800

Not sure what this model is, I'm thinking X300 maybe. Pretty sure it is newer then XJ40's.
It belongs the owner of the local fish & chip shop. Took the pictures a couple of years ago.
Saw it a few days ago with a $1500 sign in the rear window. I know it is a reliable car as it is there every day and I see it on the north side of Brisbane regularly near where I work.

Would be a good pick up for the son........but he doesn't like paying for fuel. Just ask me, I know. Every time I get in the Jeep it is empty.

 

The X300 is the "well sorted" XJ40 in MY opinion.

Went back to the classic Jag look in a modern style, and a lot of the '40 silly stuff was gone.

The AJ16 is a step up from the AJ6, but only just.

Would still have mine if entry and exit was easier.

 

I know Queensland has a black magic trick for deciphering the car's rego year from the number plates . . . certainly later than the XJ40s which ran from '87 to '94, these X300s ran from '95 to '97 and were replaced in turn by the V8s.

Despite the nasty bruise up front (expensive professional repair, unless you can locate a same colour front wing) and less dramatic rear bumper scrape, it makes the asking price of $1500 seem silly enough for adoption, eh?

Go for it Clarke.
Cheers

Ken

 

The bump's an easy fix. My Panelbeater would do it for under $500 (don't ask me how I know). My Wrench has a similar X300, only it's bump is at the rear, which he bought for $1300. He initially only bought it for the wheels, & was going to part out the rest. But it's such a nice car he couldn't do it, & it's now his daily hack.

 

Actually I'm a closet admirer of the XJ40. Often maligned unfairly, imo they have a unique style that's very classy, certainly not ugly. I nearly bought one whilst on the prowl for my S3, it's just that I had an obsession about having an S3. Meanwhile I'm still trying to figure out what possessed me to sell my X300, as Grant says, a very sorted model. At least the S3 is on club reg which saves a fortune!

 

Tony, IMHO, your comment of club rego for these cars is spot on, as are Grant's concerning the superior development of the X300 . . . but, I would trump him with X308 in the guise of an XJ8 Sport . . . more an engine thing!

However, first Clarke's X300 find @ $1500; now [scatcat's] local bloke's @ $1300; on top of even lower figures I quoted across the XJ40 field . . . and with club rego now embracing MY87, the big bugbear of costs for rego & insurance disappears.

Ladies and Gentlemen . . . I present you with an "also" rather than "instead of" proposition. What's not to like about adopting one of these otherwise unloved beauties?

Cheers,

Ken