So here's a random question, would you re-buy your old car? My budget brain is saying it's deeply silly, my fun brain is saying, it'll be an easy restore and you'll have something fun while fixing the other cars....

The pitch:

Digging around on the auctions I found the 01 XK8 coupe that I traded in for my 09 XK (sadly since totaled). As my commute at the time was a 3 hour round trip, I thought newer would be better... Since I gave it up, I've missed the style and presence of the older shape. Also, from the photos, all of the mods and work I did on it are still in place (rims, stereo, chains, intake, interior).

The details:

01 XK8 coupe, unknown current mileage (was 120k or so when traded, no updates to the carfax since then), has been sitting open for at least awhile, and from what I can tell, has been bouncing around the auction circuit since it's missing its keys. Therefore the auction doesn't indicate "run and drive". Clean title and no obvious crash damage since it left my hands.

The ask:

Would you go for it? It shouldn't be stupid expensive and as a fun twist, I still have my keys to it (saving that pain in the butt). I know that it looks pretty trashed but the bones should still be good, maybe?!

Pictures below:






Thoughts and any advice appreciated!

 

What happened to it?
Go check it out. Check the fluids and their conditions. Look for signs of gelling, or milky froth in the coolant and oil caps. Check the dipstick. If the fluids are good. Hook-up a battery or something to jump start it with. And see if she cranks and starts. Since you have the keys, you can do what probably no one else can in that regards. The exterior repairs seem minor on the surface: headlights are misaligned, perhaps loose, one fog light is missing, growler is missing, the front bumper needs a re-paint, and the rear boot lid has a dent. The paint seems a little dull but perhaps a good detailing service can bring it back to life. Wonder what's hidden in the driver's side of the car? I notice that there's no picture showing that side. If all that's good, and no rust in any of the usual areas (rear wheel wells, the lower sill, and the floor boards), then you've got a pretty solid car.

From what we can see in this images what concerns me the most is that the windows are open and it's outdoors. That interior is exposed to the elements and who knows what may be lurking there (mold, pests...)? Potential health hazard. Also, the leather is torn and tattered. The interior may just be the most expensive part of the car to repair. Although, not the leather of the seats. Those can be easily re-upholstered, but instead, what concerns me is if any pests got into the car and chewed on any wiring, or if something died inside it. No amount of cleaning can remove the smell of death from a car.

I'd say go in, check the car, watch out for all of that, and if the issues seem surmountable, make an offer.

 

Before my XJ8 got "old", I used to spend 3/4ths of each weekend working on real restorations on 50+ year old cars (and the other 1/4 on the house and yard). But eventually the old XJ8 started leaking and squeaking and then left me stranded on the way to a business meeting with 30 people waiting on my presentation. I thought well, I'll get a much newer Jaguar XF with a fraction of the miles to daily drive while I replace all of the XJ8's organic components. Well, that's taken about seven years of weekends and doesn't seem to ever come to an end. Every time I'd think I had everything fixed and put the XJ8 back on the road, I'd drive it a couple of months and something else would break. Meanwhile the newer XF eventually got "old" too. Now it seems that never both Jaguars are fully functional at the same time. Don't get me wrong, the XJ8 was an absolute rock through its first fifteen years and the XF hasn't been too bad but is twelve now. There's just a limit of practicality for a daily driver that one is well past and the other approaching fast.

As to other cars, I've got three "antique" cars that all need some attention, but I can't make much progress anymore because always one of the daily driver Jags needs something. I'd enjoy buying another project and starting another restoration, but I don't have time with so many cars. I try very hard to fix stuff quickly and not have more than one car non-op at a time but I'll park one on the lift and it'll occupy my workspace for weeks or even months while I try to diagnose, research the problem, make a special tool, or wait on parts (which are getting scarce). Sometimes its tempting to just push the old Jag outside, throw a tarp over it and move on but I know so many people who are "car hoarders" and I don't want to end up like them. You know the type, no matter what kind of car you mention in conversation "Oh, I've got one of those" but what they don't volunteer is that it's a POS sitting out in their back pasture. I figure if I can't drive a car, then there's no point in having it, particularly if it has to sit outside and decay.

Time is a precious commodity, seemingly ever more so the closer I get to the end of mine. I keep trying to convince myself "You need to buy an ugly, boring but reliable new Honda or Toyota product with a warranty to daily drive and quit wasting time messing around with these old Jaguars." I'll probably wind up doing something stupid tho like buying a new Mustang and going down a rabbit hole of endless modifications. It's like alcoholism and we gotta help each other through these temptations. But seriously, if you ever want to finish "fixing the other cars", the last thing you need in this world to do is to take on another project, especially a Jaguar project.

 

There's an old proverb - "You can't go home again." And it's true. You can buy the car but it won't be the same car. Somebody has most likely thrashed it and it's been sitting for a reason.

That's no reason not to look at it. Maybe all it needs is keys and a painted bumper. Maybe not. If you do buy it, don't expect it to be the same car you sold.

Having said all that, it would be fun to look at it and see if it starts and drives. Sort of like taking your ex-wife on a date. You got rid of both of them for a reason.

 

If you got the keys and buy it cheap you immediately got a profit. Buy it tidy it up make a decision ..sell or keep

 

I don't understand. If you traded in the car then surely you must have traded it in with the keys, otherwise the trade in value would be virtually zero?

Richard

 

He kept a pair. I don't get why many people do this.

 

Too risky for me. I would not do it....

 

Brain on lads ..he had 4 keys/fobs and sold it with two.

 

In the UK you only get two keys fobs with the new car. It must be different in the USA.

Richard

 

If you conceived your first child in the back seat or some other incredibly strong emotional attachment then maybe it would be "worth" buying. Go look, have fun...but for me?? Nah.

I don't have a big issue with mechanical or paint but that interior has got me scared....how long have the windows been down.....cat den, rats nest? Plus any interior wiring would be suspect....I had a 65 230SL I had stored in a warehouse. The landlord rented an adjacent bay to a dog food wholesaler. The rats got so bad he put poison traps out. Of course they squirmed under the seats, into the ducting under dash and engine bay to die. Not a welcome site or smell come that spring.but hey, good excuse to rip out that nav screen and replace with some gauges, put in some Recaros....go nuts.

I just spent a good chunk of money at an indy having recommissioning done on an 01 that has sat for ten years, after living it's first ten in Fl and the next ten in a womans garage. Comes out in a few weeks early April for the season. By comparison a no brainer...but still not sure what I'll face once I start driving it.

 

You only get two here as well here. He must have sold the car with only one key and fob. My mistake in saying pair when I meant the 1 fob and 1 key as being 1 pair.

 

Hi everyone! Really appreciate the feedback and input on what this might need if I move forward.

Some of the exterior damage has me concerned but I think I have reasons for all of it. The bumper had had a cheap and cheerful respray and I suspect that when it got reinstalled, the headlights were not properly tightened down, given how fiddly it is. They had a slight jiggle after that and I only drove the car a few more weeks before it left. The trunk got damaged at the trade dealer by a mishap with one of the lot guys.

I don't disagree that the windows being down is a big issue. God knows what may have crawled inside. I am also concerned with water intrusion as it has been very wet here the last few weeks. As the car is a 6 hour drive (round trip), I haven't had the time to get out there and back to inspect it.

If I were to go into this either blind or having seen it person, if it didn't work out I am prepared to part it out and hopefully help some others in the community. I don't have as much emotional attachment as I do know what was done to it (with me at least) and there is some value in that.

As to how or why the keys are missing and why I still have a set, when the car was traded I had two keys and one fob with me. The dealers location was far enough away that when I realized that I was missing the other fob, spare main key and valet key, I offered to mail them to them. By the time I shipped them, the dealer had already sent the car to auction and just "Returned to Sender" the set. Them becoming lost since then seems to be a byproduct of the couple of auctions it's been through since then...