This was posted on another jag site and got great comments. I guess I'm just an old fart but I dislike the wheels and the halo's on an XJS. Not to mention the leaper! ;-)) But, I do like the body kit and the paint.



What do you think?

 

Well Pete, I do like the leaper but do not know what a halo is. The leaper didn't come stock on that car.
RagJag

 

I rather like those wheels, although I would probably go down an inch on the diameter. I wonder what brand they are. I could do without the leaper.

 

Halo Headlights: The second pic is not the jag. Just to show what it looks like illuminated.

 

Big wheels and tires!!! Oh, how things come and go! My first car was 23 Ford T
roadster pickup. I bought it sans tires and rims. I got a very used set of wooden wheels and 30 x 3 1/2 tires. Beats the modern day 20's by miles. Awful. A blow out per mile....


Just saw a TV Judge show. Young man persuaded by tire salesman to go 20's on his BMW coupe. Cool, depends... Bow out and bent wheel. tire company replaced.
Again, tire comp0any replaced. Young man's Mom, said enough. We want our $'s back....


Nope. busted tires and rims on pot holes a hazard of the road. You got what you bargained for....


And, some go for teensy weensy 13"s on big cars????


Where did the sense of proportion go???? Not to mention roadworthiness...


Carl

 

I think he did a great job modifying his car. I wouldn't change a thing

 

Aren' those the lights that BMW uses on all of thir cars?

 

The wheels are nice, but a little too big for an older model car like this. 18" are the largest wheels tht look good on an XJS, especially a pre-facelift example. What' wrong with the lights? They look cool.

cheers,

 

What I don't like about the lights is the same thing I don't like about the wheels. It's not the object it's the application. Both would look great on a new car but I don't think they work on an XJS. Would you put them on an E-Type?

 

Good question, Pete. No, I wouldn't put them on the E-Type, of course, but there's a difference that not many XJS owners keep in mind when the subject is modifying. The E-Type and the XJS are like apples and oranges. The E-Type is a collector's car that fetches a nice value/price accordingly and the XJS is not. For this reason is that keeping an E-Type 100% stock makes total financial sense because doing otherwise could, and will, sharply affect the value of the car. Conversely, the XJS is not even close to being a collector's car so, so keeping it stock is very far from being a factor in its value because most people buying a car in the XJS price range will not be paying so much attention to whether the wheels are stock or not, or if the headlights are the original OEM lights.

In fact, watching some recent Barrett Jackson auctions pretty much confirmed this, with the XJS' on the block going for less than $7,000, while the drop-top E-Types were fetching from like $60,000 to way over $100K.

Actually, the updated lights are an improvement over the XJS poor headlights and nice wheels will have the tendency to sell the car better to those people interested in getting an XJS at the auction.

Cheers,

 

I'm not against modifying the XJS (or any other car). Actuality I'm strongly in favor of customizing and improving performance. It's all about the degree and direction you take it. I was curious to see what the general opinion of the relatively mild upgrades was. Most would agree that this red thing is in bad taste. But, I'm sure the owner thinks it's way cool!

Here's a pic of my current work in progress so you can pick what I think is cool ;-))

 

That's all that matters anyway isn't it...that we, as the owner of a vehicle, think that our own car, crafted in our personal style & vision, is cool to us?

There are people on this forum, and in my community who will hate what I have planned for mine, but, screw 'em. Its my car. I see modified cars all the time that I hate (Donks, to name just one style), but, so what. Screw me, and my opinion. Its their car to do with as they please.

 

Agree 100% I get allot of people who roll their eyes at my XJ12R project and I could care less.

 

Im fairly new to the forum but this is the first thread I have seen that is pro modifying XJS's. Im glad to see that there are more than just me who want to modify theres!

 

I agree with Reinaldo on this. Same with a C1 or C2 vette vs. a 1979 or 1985 vette-apples and oranges. I have always thought it would be nice to take an older XJS coupe, paint it black ,lower it and do some tasteful mods so for me I like the direction they were heading with this XJS.

I have always said drive what puts a smile on your face-of course resale might be a different story.

 

I agree that the XJS will never compete pricewise with the XKE. I believe the reason for that is the computer modules in the later XJS cars which make them difficult and very expensive to repair.
RagJag

 

I like the car, the paint is black and shiny and I don't think the wheels are too big.I prefer the pre-facelift tail lamps. Just a good looking updated ride. Lets face it you can't hurt an XJS' resale value.

 

I've seen worse, and the XJS will compete with the E Type at some point. Simple matter of supply and demand. Look at some of the relatively unloved Lamborghini and Ferrari models.

 

IMHO the reason the XJS as a whole will never compete with the XKE price wise is because they are two different kinds of cars. The early XKE's were sports cars and visually stunning while the XJS is a larger heavier GT that did not have the visual impact of the XKE. You already saw the late XKE's start to loose their desire as they became larger and lost their sports car rawness and simplicity.

All of us on this XJS forum have a deep appreciation for the styling and beauty of the XJS but truth be told the XJS was not received with the passion and desire that the XKE was, so follows the value of the two models.

The later XJS is still a relatively simple car when it comes to computer modules compared to all Jaguars that have come after it including the XK8. This is one fact that drew me to the XJS over an XK8.

 

As always, there'll be a number of very different opinions on this and we can all do what we like with our own cars. I've always preferred to discretely update my car with "hidden" improvements but keep the external and internal appearance as per original spec. And that's just my approach to cars in general rather than because of any viewpoint on future value.

However, there clearly are big differences in the various world markets as regards XJS pricing. In the UK, prices are definitely on the up with original-type cars (as one would expect) making the money. And the major clubs and insurance companies are at pains to ensure that our agreed value is up to date. The figure on my 1994 AJ16 convertible with 84k (albeit a well-documented car) has just been revised to £20,000 (US $30,000). So maybe we will catch up the E-Types one day!

Paul