Hello fellow Jag enthusiasts:

I was notified by a neighbor this morning that a "98 XK coupe, silver over black, 24k miles, is for sale.
Car has not been started since the owner's death in June 2016. Of course battery was kaput...but overall the car shines, upholstery is VG as are tires and it has chrome wheels.
Check with my tech who suggests something in the area of $800 to $1k to get the thing up and running, WITHOUT any major problems.
Suggested items were: Drain gas tank, flush lines. If major tar build up drop tank and flush. Check injectors...repair tank as necessary.
Drain and replace brake fluid and radiator fluids. Check all electrics for charging etc. Install new battery (HD @ $154) check all safety equipment, brakes, horn, wipers etc.
Test drive. I do have Triple A ..all tow, so I can get it to the shop w/o cost...but.
What about check for chain tensioner replacement? Necessary with only 24k miles?
What should I offer for this vehicle,,,assuming I can get by with the $1k in needed immediate maintenance items.
THANK YOU ALL FOR ANY HELP.

 

Yes it will need the timing components replaced, mileage has nothing to do with it, it's just a crap design. The car has really nice miles but you are buying a non-running car. I'd offer $2k and go up to $4k. It's not that the car is a bad one, it's that you are buying a lot of pricey unknowns and the low price is to allow you to get repairs done and the timing components and still come out OK if there's a bad scenario. If you do the full timing jobs and a lot of preventative work at a shop, anything above $4k has you spending that and an additional $3-4k and you're within a grand or so of what the car would sell for. That's if the transmission or anything else doesn't need work.

 

Thanks...It really hurts to have to offer so little...but as you point out. I could buy another running, with mods, for same money. Appreciate your answer. Thanks again, Mike

 

Yeah, I would basically agree. I would probably offer (market value of a running example) - (costs to restore). You could find a good runner for something around 7-8k private sale (my town taxes me at a value of $6,500 for mine, though it has way higher miles. Car will likely need (some as noted above):
- Timing chain tensioners and guides upgraded to metal. The plastic is probably brittle by now.
- Fuel system flush, including possible injector refurbishment and fuel filter replacement if things are gummed up
- All other fluids, plus oil filter
- Any parts that get brittle or dry with age and stagnancy, such as plastic pieces, hoses, perhaps some gaskets
- Wouldn't hurt to check the state of the rear half-shaft u-joints to make sure they are well greased (not a big deal), and also the jurid coupler at the end of the driveshaft, which could be tired.

Like 80sRule said, with some room for stuff to go wrong, you could see $3-4k in repairs. A big chunk of that would be the timing chain tensioners and guides. At the end of it, though, you'd have a pretty well-sorted car.

 

Thanks. Without service records...I'm told dealer can check to see if tensioner repair has been done with VIN, That is next step. Appreciate all your help. <
\Mike

 

I know this will sound crazy, but you may have a replacement engine! Make sure the engine number matches the car. It could have had a bad water pump (early units like this, it's a thing), it could have had a nikasil failure, etc. The only way I trust that the tensioners have been replaced is photos; but a dealer receipt and confirmation that the engine is original (and therefore the same one they worked on) is near as good. I literally have a couple of freezer bags with my old timing parts, receipts for the new parts, and photos of me doing it on the car and showing the new installed in the photos; which as a DIY person is important since I am less trusted by potential future owners than a shop.

Hopefully you can make a deal on this! It could be a really fun experience and a blast to own .

 

Thanks to all. Most helpful. Mike E

 

 

One thing I looked for and didn't see in this thread is whether or not the car starts and runs.
If it does, much of what you're doing is preventative or restoration and don't all need to be done before you drive it. Soon, yeah, but not immediately.
My offer would be greatly influenced by whether or not it runs, both in the amount offered and whether I would buy it at all.
I've heard of cars sitting much more than a couple years and starting right up. It might depend on the quality of gasoline used by the previous owner.
If you can run some fuel system cleaner and fresh gas in the engine, that's a good sign.
If it takes major repairs to get it running, your costs in time and money after you get it home will be more.
Do the basics, like spark plugs and a compression check, oil change, filters, and a new battery, then see what you've got.
If you do buy the car, then you're in the same boat as the rest of us. Enjoy!

 

I'm trying to come up with an easy way to determine if an engine is original and here's what I'm thinking.
If anyone replaces an engine, they have to remove the hood. Evidence of hood removal doesn't necessarily mean the engine is a replacement, but all bets are off.
Therefore, if the hood mount bolts are perfect with no evidence of a wrench or socket ever being applied to them, no chipped paint around the bolts or brackets, can we safely assume that the hood has never been removed, and therefore the engine is original?
Or is this the equivalent of assuming that if she weighs as much as a duck, she is made of wood, and therefore a witch?

 

Mike98,

Sti46 has a good point. Why cant you see if it starts? Have you tried to jump it ? I dont think I saw anything about that.

Btw, a jag dealer is not going to be able to validate the timing chain tensioners were replaced unless they did it bv themselves.

Given their rates, I cant imagine very many owners would ask them to do the job.

Good luck with it. I hope it works out for you.

John