Pictures of the V12 - cant wait for approval
 

Pictures of the V12 - cant wait for approval, going to bed.. <br /> Looking to buy.. is it to expensive?
As you can see the Jag shop has done a lot of work (first post) , nothing done to the ignition system, I have asked for a compression test.
OR do I wait and buy privately for much cheaper and hope all is well.

They are advertising it as a 1993.. numbers say 1991 (inboard rear brakes, all new) (SAJJNJDW3EP183060) so i have offered $28,000NZ and might settle at $32,000NZ or 16,600 pounds

The BOOK say buy the best example you can afford, which is more than i can afford but have convinced the wife its an investment! (yep really).

this is my second post.. waiting for the first to be approved.

Long story short, is it worth paying the money and buying an XJS that has been serviced from a Jag shop with a record and major suspension bushes, wheel bearing etc etc all done or buy privately much cheaper and have to do the work which may have been done, for example a ex jag club member now dead has an 84 coupe. love of his life for 15k NZ (half). But wife wants a convertible.

I paid 3000 cad for mine, usually 5-6k a year in restoration work including 2 junk 're-man' steering racks and a bearing that blew apart and ruined the whole rear hub assembly. If you ignore the duplicate work and only counting regular restore/renew work its quite cheap. I can't see a proper maintained XJS costing more than 12-15k.

I took the cheap route to ensure I could do (most) of the work myself and afford nice upgrades when necessary. Depends to if you like to deal with the issues or not, I took Grants advice and drink heavily while working on the problems myself. There is a real sense of pride and ownership in that.

Hi and thanks for the reply... is 12-15 USD = 8-10k NZD.
Like I said in my other post even private seller want 15k NZD plus... dealers are all 20k NZD plus

The Jag is quite pretty, but still priced at the very top end, of the scale even with the exchange rate. If they can prove meticulous care and service??? Would they let you put it on a lift, and go over it yourself? A lot can be revealed, when you get a good look at the bottom side. Hope it helps.

Jack

Investment....

LOL

Its a Japanese import so I would think that the '93 date was when it was first registered in JAPAN. Mine was also built in '91 but was first registered in '93. Its funny to see that the rear bumpers have 4 reflectors on Jap cars. It doesn't show that on Jaguar parts. I wonder what other little things are different ???

Not sure why the odometer is in miles as Japan uses Km.


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Damn that's an expensive one. Mind you, as the link Mac posted shows, they can be expensive in Japan (though rather cheaper at auction, of course). It's not a '93MY as it has the white rear reflectors, same as my '92. Apparently that was a '92-only thing (model year, I assume, so more likely to be a '91 than a '93). It also has the old-style door handles.
If it's actually a Japanese-market one, it will have been imported to Japan new, and probably should have "Jaguar Japan Limited" stickers on the inside of the windows, though I'm not sure where they'd be on a ragtop.
They don't show a photo of the odometer, but if it is in miles (as in the actual odometer and presumably speedometer, as the trip computer can be switched from miles to kilometres), then it's not new to Japan, but was imported as a gray-market model. (My Japan-new car is in km only. See this Trade Me ad for a specifically Japan-sourced car: This One's Expensive Too) Which clashes with the Japan-market rear reflectors. So I don't know how it can be in miles. The shop also says it's a 5.4 litre engine, mind. No, no, checking here (More Reliable VIN Decoder), it's definitely a Japan-market model. It's 183---, which is a little later than my '92 MY 182--- so the VIN shouldn't say it's a 1991. That VIN decoder site OP linked to is worthless - it thinks it's a 2014 XJ.
Does the after-market stereo get NZ stations?
There are no photos of the engine on the Trade Me listing. Why not, one wonders....
The big question is, what are the service records like? The list the shop in NZ did isn't very long, frankly. If the shop can supply you with any scans of service records from Japan, post them here and I can see what they've done.

Wow thanks, I will ask for the service records and attach them. The said they have them but all in Japaneses, That is really helpful. I like the car but that is a shit load of cash..... I would be happy with a coupe for half the cost but the wife wants a ragtop so that what we are getting. Saying that one went for 12k NZD the other week. I was to late.

It's a hell of a lot of cash. You might actually break even by flying to the UK, buying one there, having a driving holiday for a few weeks, then shipping it back.
It'll be interesting to see what the records show, anyway.

I have looked at Autotrader in the UK and the cheapest convertible is 17500 pounds = 32k NZD
The site is Japan has then at a similar price.

I have offered 31.5k and they are at 35k. = Subject to service
What is the average price in UK?

Isn't there some time in NZ where you can import a left hand drive car if it's over a certain age? The NZTA says 20 years with a few conditions that I think the XJS will meet. In that case you could try a US car.
Assuming you don't mind LHD in NZ of course....

LHD - no do not want one, but yes its a possibility.
I am going to look at the XJS next week, seller is a Jag dealer. imported from japan.

They are asking 40k NZ = 27 USD we have agreed to 21 USD.
Why are they so expensive in NZ and AUS
https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/jaguar/xjs/

Makes my purchase look ok .......... 62k miles.
They will do a compression test, suspension bushed done, all brakes serviced etc. And I have learned to import a car in to NZ it is checked out for any rust, even a small amount must be fixed so that is good. Very thorough import rules.
Here is the link to XJS's forsale in NZ.

https://preview.trademe.co.nz/motors/cars/jaguar/xjs

So I am thinking 31 NZD for a convert V12 low mileage seem high but if ok, not like UK or USA.
A 88 convert V12 did sell for 8k USD bt unknow condition.
I do like the fact its been serviced at a dealer and had to passed the import rules. So suspension bushes and brakes are sorted sold as a 93 but actually a post face-lift 91 with inboard rear brakes.

Oh to add the Japan service records look thin on the ground, but I am thinking if things like fuel hoses are looking in bad shape I will walk away. Will ask for the ignition cap to be pulled to make sure its clean, no sign of burnt stuff.
No problem with a compression test, new plugs at the same time and will put it on a lift.

Having never seen a XJS - to buy only looking at them driving passed ( along time ago) - since I have decided to buy one, have not seen one no the road in 4 months or years.... I am going on what I have read which is quite a lot. Buyers guide will be printed and in my hands when I look. If I like, I will have an independent inspection done, not that they will know what the XJS is. But they do car inspections for a living. i will supply info before hand. Again it will be on a lift with all wheels removed.

All help appreciated.... a low mileage 3.6 manual (a couple for-sale in NZ are in the 12-16 USD range.
https://preview.trademe.co.nz/motors...ing/1411803717 this is a nice car.. coupe but wife wants a convert and i want a V12- weekend car and i like to work on stuff. That is what i do for fun!

Here are the checks done on any car imported in to NZ... rust is no no.. not sure about body rust but I expect so.
people moving from UK often get caught importing their cars as they fail the test. Go to know when buying an import I think.

https://easyfreight.co.nz/blog/car-i...stly-mistakes/

https://www.aa.co.nz/cars/ask-an-exp...epair/show/62/

That manual looks like fun, though to be honest, I don't really see the point. It's still a big, heavy car, and in that case a little underpowered to boot. Manuals should be for small zippy cars.
Doing a check on kakaku.com, $40,000 (NZ) seems to be about the going rate for V12 droptops in Japan at the moment. The cheapest I saw was a little more than half that, but it is dramatically cheaper than the average to the extent that I would wonder what is wrong with in addition to high (for Japan) mileage of 120,000 km. Also, I don't trust the shop much. Same place I got mine from....

Hi Dukejag

The Problem you have is that these Cars are so easy to fall in love with, that its so very easy to let your heart rule your head and then buy the first one you see

And if you think these Cars are expensive now, just wait until something goes wrong where if you're not able or don't want to fix her yourself, then a 'Shop' could empty your Wallet as fast as you can blink

So it could well be a good idea, to go and look at others that either you don't want or are maybe well out of your Price range, with the object of the exercise being to get so used to seeing them that the initial excitement that you must be feeling now will die away (ish!)

Then when the right one turns up you will instinctively know it

Not always easy in countries where they're thin on the ground and you have to travel for hours to see one for sale....

All good advise, interesting that you have said that the average price is 40k.
The car has done 62,400 miles = 99,840km I thought this must have something to do with cars doing over 100k in Japan?

I suppose the thing to do is make sure I get a compression test, drive it and let it get hot and watch temp, check cap and rotor, look for rust and leaks on lift and pay for an independent inspection.
Price has dropped from 40k NZ to agreed price 31.5k NZ. If it looks OK and goes OK and fingers cross is OK it may end up being an OK buy?

Oh and to add all I do is spend time in my shed working on stuff, so DIY is what I do.. cant wait!

That's a nice big drop. But as I noted earlier, for a Japan-market car, there's no way the odometer's in miles. So I have no idea what's going on there. UK-market car imported second-hand to Japan and then to NZ? If it is 99,000 km, then that could have made it a bit cheaper in Japan (the NZ dealer still needs to import it and make his profit, after all--though the fact that he's dropped his price that much makes me wonder just how much profit he was planning on making). But while 100,000 km is seen as "well driven indeed" in Japan, there are certainly cars for sale over that. Not a huge number, true.
(If it isn't in miles, don't tell the seller! He might jack the price right up again!)
Of the 430,000 second-hand cars for sale in Japan on Goo.net, just under 60,000 are 100,000 km or more. I think that's about 14%.
Anyway, you seem very well qualified to tackle an XJS V12.