Newbee dreaming the dream. Local has an '82 XJ6 for $500 with $300 in back fees. 110k miles, daily driver until last year when his mechanic "dialed in" his Jag before going out of business. Said the mechanic adjusted the mass air flow and the XJ6 started running very ruff. Engine would race then drag. Has been parked for a year. Garaged most of its life and paint touched up recently.

What do you think? Love to finally get my Jag but hate to buy a massive repair issue.

Thanks

 

Well... It depends on how you look at it....
For $500, you could scrap it and get your money back if it turned out to be a lemon...

But, I also notice you are from CA... And with your state's inspections, you may never get it on the road.
If you want one to jump into and drive right now, I'd likely pass on it. If you enjoy tinkering on the car and wouldn't be dependant on it, Go for it..
I've bought a bunch of them that only had "this or that" wrong with them, and it ususally turns out to be quite a bit more than the PO acknowledged.
These cars don't like to sit idle, and seem to break down just as much from sitting as from driving... If the problem is indeed a AFM, Used ones can be had for about $35... Pop the old one out, put the new one in, and you're good to go.

Personally my daily driver cost me $300. I trailed it home, but a distributor cap on it, and it fired up on three year old gas. It's turned out to be excellent in every way. Of course having a parts business helps me, if something breaks I just go to the shelf and replace it, no worries...

Cheers,
David
www. EverydayXJ.com

 

Generally, if you are interested in a vehicle that is thirty or more years old, it's always a good idea to see if it actually runs before you make a final decision to buy. Whether it runs rough or not, it's better to get the car running so you can see if the gearbox shifts and all the other parts such as the electrical system still work. Most issues with the Series III fuel injection can be traced to the air flow meter, which is simple to replace, but get the car started and see what 'dialed-in' really means.

 

Bought untested - $500 plus $10,000 to fix
Seen and tested = $500 plus quite a few thousand $s to fix, but at least you know where to start.

 

Thanks for the input - This has been sitting for a year and hasn't been registered for a year. Hmmm. Looks like it wouldn't pass smog, could be AFM. Sounds like other issues probably copped up over the last year.

Running with good paint - worth maybe $2500 right? Could be better to just spend the $2500 on a running rig.

 

Unless you can do the work yourself, it is definitely better to purchase a car that runs so you can see if additional work is needed.