Hey guys,

I am looking for a little advice. I have been volunteering at a car museum that is now dissolving. They have had a 1987 XJS V12 that I have taken an interest in and have worked on a little (just interior). I don't know much about the car other than it had "electrical issues" (who would have guessed?) . The interior was mostly disassembled and there were remnants of a restoration attempt (XJS repair manual, spark plugs, disassembled interior). Some Facts:

>The car starts, idles, runs, but smokes quite a bit (this was the first time it was started in a while so I dont know if it was oil residue or a bad VCG) I had started it again a month or so later and it did not seem to smoke. It idled fine, held oil pressure...
>Stupid electric seat belts are broke, back speakers do not work
>The car has a Nardi wooden 3 spoke steering wheel, TWR bodykit, and 3pc BBS Wheels...and generally looks pretty awesome

And now for the questions :
I could most likely get the car for under 1K. I would like to restore it with all my might but realize my limitations (money, time, lack of a lift). But then again I have always loved XJS's.

Or I could buy it and part it out...

There seems to be a bigger secondary market for parts vs the whole car. Ive been watching XJS's on ebay and Craigslist and they don't seem to sell very fast. My main concern is pumping a bunch of money into a car that may be awesome to drive, but will never properly appreciate.

I know the cars need a lot to maintain, ignition rebuild, frozen distributors, inboard rear brakes, etc...

Not to be trite, but would a car like this be worth it to restore ( i know value is subjective) or should I just buy it and part it out.

Thanks,
Ben

 

XJSs are fabulous cars but the market is very low and little hope for appreciation. Any major work/expense would have to be for love, not for return on investment.

Cheers
DD

 

Is this her on your small picture below?
How is the body, any rust?

Advertise it here, maybe I'll take it.

 

Yes - that is the car in the small picture. The body is great (Texas car) aside from some damage to the fiberglass front bumper. The front bumper is also slightly askew and the ringlet around the right side is off, but still intact (euro lights). Also some of the paint / clear coat is a little faded, but not by much

 

Send me PM with contact details. I am restoring my 82, could use donor, or perhaps bring yours to life.

 

I normally try and talk people out of buying XJ-Ss but for under a grand this one's pretty nice.

I have to say, all the stuff you mention is cheap and easy to fix IF you are doing ALL the work yourself (this is key! XJ-S owners MUST do 100% of their mechanical work or they'll go bankrupt in no time!!!). It takes maybe a couple hours to rebuild a distributor and costs almost nothing, unless you break something (like the pickup assembly). Brake parts are surprisingly inexpensive too, with some smart shopping you can replace almost the entire brake system for $500. There are LOTS of very expensive parts on this car but most are electrical in nature (wiper motors, AC amplifiers, etc). Mechanical parts, as long as you stay out of the engine, aren't too bad.

How "disassembled" is the interior?

This is one of those cars where with a realistic attitude, you can buy it for dirt cheap and work on it as time/money permits. This is not like that other guy who's trying to put himself through college and wanted to buy one as a daily driver, and oh yeah, knows nothing about cars.

You're still not going to make money on it but with it being fairly well preserved, you may not take a bath.

I'd start with your smoking problem by listening to the fuel injectors on both sides, sounds like either one or a three-pack are hanging wide open due to an electrical short. Project #1 will be rebuilding your injector harness, which is very common, not too hard, and you can probably do it for about $100. If the problem persists from there, well, then you may be in trouble.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

 

get it, keep it, love it.

 

I don't usually disagree with Doug but this time I do. I think these cars are only going to increase in value in the next 10 years. With a total production of just 114,434 cars, the remaining ones are disappearing quickly. I recently read there is a slow, but steady growing interest in these cars overseas, and the states usually follow Europe within a few years.

 

Save it !, or at least try..... that fact that it's different (TWR kit) makes it more sought after, and as Jamey says, the number of XJSes is going down, not up, so eventually the market will turn around. These cars when sorted out are very, very special. Anyway, you could probably get 1k for the wheels and the body kit if it doesn't work out.

But be warned, these things get under your skin and you could end up getting deeper and deeper into it, and at some point you will pass the "I'm never going to part it out" point, and if you find bad things after that, you just keep spending money. How do I know ? I've bought an XJS for 3k, spent 20k on it and I now have an XJS thats worth 10k (but I do love it, and would never sell it or part it out,and will probably be buried in it)

 

restore isnt the word i would use.

if it was mine, and i wish it was, i would fix the mechanical and electrical issues. and it seems like the interior is pretty shotty, so i would probably gut most of it and do a TWR strip, and add a set of race buckets and 5 point harnesses.

 

you really need to post a bigger pic of that sweet cat.

 

XK 120's (etc) and E Types used to be cheap once too.

 

Thanks for the comments! Well looks like I will consider restoring her (that was what I had in the back of my mind, i just needed reassurance). I have always loved these cars and can hopefully bring her back.

My mechanical skills are a bit weak and that engine bay looks plain scary, but given the resources available (you guys, kirby palms book) I think I can make it work!

The interior is actually not as bad as I may have lead on...its complete, just a little shabby. Ive attached some pics at the bottom. I get back to Dallas in a week and a half and will update you guys then!

 

While I can't see any carpeting or leather, that interior still doesn't look too bad. You have a lot of "extra" wood in there, looks to be in good shape, and I think that's the first aftermarket steering wheel that looks nice and doesn't LOOK aftermarket.

 

Buy it, give a shot to restoring it and if not, resell it. For a grand there is not much loss there...

 

Plus, black is the best color on these cars. Hides the bumpers and those vent-window plates.

 

ive got the same steering wheel and love it.

i really like this car and look forward to seeing it at a future jag meet (if that will ever happen)

once again, restore isnt the word i would use. restore/jaguar is similar to mortgage/house.

leave the interior alone, fix the smoking engine, $5 rotor button from motor cars ltd, $25 cap, autolite 103's, plug wires, cleaned injectors, etc. and you should be good to go.

 

Too true, too true!

The difference, I my opinion, is that the XK120 and E-type were icons. Both where hugely loved from day one, both set the motoring world on its ear.

The XJS, though, was a great disappointment to many. The styling was certainly not universally loved and despite some positive road reviews, it couldn't match the excitement generated by the earlier cars. Jaguar had a hard time selling them and nearly pulled the plug after just 4 or 5 years. Eventually it became a good seller but I don't it ever had the recognition it needed (and deserved) to become an all time hit.

Even today the styling is controversial. Many consider it to be an odd looking car and darn few recognize it as being a Jaguar.

Ten years ago many were saying "Just wait another year or too. They'll catch on. They'll appreciate". Well, I still see no sign of that happening.

Look at some of the most recognizable hits: 60s E-types, mid-60s Corvettes, 65-66 Mustangs. The Mustangs started to catch on as something special as early as 1977-1978...thanks in part to the new Mustangs being so disappointing. The 63-67 Corvettes were beginning to catch on at about the same time, and possibly for the same reason. The same, really, for the E-type...perhaps a bit later...and possibly becuase the XJS wasn't especially popular or appreciated. Granted it was a few more years before prices outright skyrocketed but, still, they were starting to sizzle a little just 10-12 years after end of production.

The XJS never sizzled originally ....and now the newest cars are 16 years old and the oldest ones are 37 years old....and none of them are sizzling, either. I'm inclined to think that if it ain't happened by now, it just ain't gonna happen.

I could be wrong, I'll admit :-).

Personally I hope they stay dirt cheap for a few years. As soon as I get my youngest thru college I'd love to own another :-)

Cheers
DD

 

i think the biggest difference between the E type and the XJS is that the E type started out as being a cheap sportscar that you could pick up for a few grand, and now its a $40,000 car. meanwhile the XJS started out as a $40,000 car, and now its a cheap sportscar that you can pick one up for a few grand.

 

XJS convertible - hmm maybe. Hard top - not for me.

I don't think of XJS and E types in the same thought. E types are percieved as a way cool car to nearly everyone worldwide. XJS are cool to to a few enthusiasts. Just my two pesos.