Hi all, I've decided to sell my 4.0 manual with only 30 k on the clock from new. It has been fully rebuilt front and rear suspension and is like new underneath and inside. There are however 1 or 2 jobs still to do and I would like some input as to what to do. The windscreen is delaminating and I can have this replaced on my car insurance so that's one job sorted. The handbrake needs adjusting at the Calipers , my mistake during the rebuild. I don't fancy dropping the cage again so do I leave it or chuck some more money at it and let a garage sort it? Finally
The big one. Paintwork.there are stone hips on the Bonet that have blistered a bit with time as well as other chips and dings. Should I fork out a couple of grand and have it painted or get it detailed and sell it as it is? Obviously I'm after the best price and don't know which would be the best route. Many thanks for any help

 

Well, I bet it would sell better for a higher price, if those jobs were done. Normally the value will rise more than the repairs are worth...

 

Fixing the handbrake is extremely important, in the UK people will not pay well for a car with such a defect, and it straight off puts you the sller on the defensive. Paint, it rather depends exactly how bad it is, and what a respray would cost. IMO finding the right buyer who appreciates the importance of all the work you have done to maintain the car is more important than anything else in getting a decent price.
greg

 

The calipers might not need to come off...but even if they did, it CAN be done without dropping the rear cage. Not fun, but doable.

A new windshield shouldn't be too expensive.

These are the tough decisions.

First, are you referring to 'a couple grand' to repair the chipped and blistered areas? A or couple grand for a complete re-spray? The former sounds very plausible, the latter sounds way low. In the 'States, at least, a Jaguar-quality re-spray would probably start at about double that amount.

Anyway, if you're holding out for absolute top money then obvious defects like this must be corrected....with the hope that you'll get a good enough price to justify the additional expense.

You *could* fix the screen and the handbrake but let the paint repairs wait....and test the market. See if the paint defects are seriously hurting your ability to get any decent offers at all. If so, then spring for the extra money to have them repaired.

OTOH you might get some attractive offers without fixing the paint....attractive enough that the couple grand isn't worth spending. Let the new owner spend that money!

Cheers
DD

 

I think you fix the brakes, for sure. Leaving that out would cast doubts on the rest of the car, from a function and safety standpoint.

Only because you used the word "blistering", I might consider respraying the bonnet only. A good shop will make it look great, and it really shouldn't cost all that much.

I think that would maximize the return on the car. Of course, I'm making this suggestion sight unseen.

I would certainly not invest the money for a full respray.

 

Many thanks for the input. Yes the handbrake definitely needs to be done and so does the screen so I will get them sorted. A paint man suggested it would be difficult just to paint the bonet and by the time he had done advised a full respray. I am tempted to see if a smart repairer could sort one or two dings out then have it detailed. Then maybe test the market. Once again many thanks

 

I would definitely do the brakes.

Re-spray, here in Aus a few stone chips are part of life and an older car with no chips that has not been restored this could be a sign of accident damage.

Paintless dent removal may work on the XJS, I have not had to try it. A good operator should be able to advise you.

 

Hi Brinny

How about some Photos, so that we can Stop imagineering.

Being a bit of a Bargain hunter, I've managed to break the habit of spending a Tenner to Save a Fiver, so a lot depends on how you are planning to spend the money you get.

If you're planning to buy another one, then Trading it in to a dealer might be an option to Consider.

Apart from doing the Handbrake, throwing more money at her, may not give you the kind of return that you are looking for.

You might not get anymore for it than you would if you sold her as is.

Personally Speaking, I'd rather take a hit on the Price, then Spend the extra money on a better one, if that's what you were intending to do?

 

brinny,

It's not unusual to get a little bit of delamination on the screens and if minor would not really affect the price. However, if it's bad enough to justify a new screen, I would make the following suggestions:

- Make absolutely sure that the fitter has done a bonded late XJS screen before. You really need someone who has done these screens before, can do the sealant and bonding and MOST importantly knows exactly how to remove and refit the delicate trim. Or else, do ALL the strip and refit yourself and just a good fitter to cut out and refit a screen. It really pays to find a good fitter on a late bonded-screen XJS.

- Without wishing to worry you, do be aware that if you strip the screen, you might well find the dreaded flange rot and now you're in for a big job! So, do you have any, even tiny, amounts of bubbling just by the scuttle chrome? If so, you will definitely have an issue. Even if there's no bubbling, you might still have an issue underneath. See the pics of my car which had the tiniest bubble before remedial action.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Cheers

Paul

 

Hi Paul

That's Amazing!

I've never seen rust like that on an XJS, just goes to show what you could be in for if you buy one.