Rover P6, Jaguar XJ6... or something else?

[khd82]

This is my first post here on PH after a heap of lurking - hopefully you guys can help out!

Basically I'm looking for an affordable classic sedan (max budget AUD$10K) for weekend cruising. I'm pretty keen on doing the mechanical maintenance and repairs myself so I want it to be fairly DIY friendly if possible, and it's going to be a third car (not a daily driver) so reliability isn't my number one concern. The main criteria I'm looking for are:

• Room for the family - preferably four door saloon with decent rear seat
• Classic 60s-70s style, prefer chrome bumpers not rubber
• Active club scene in Western Australia (I want to take advantage of concessional licencing and be able to learn from other local enthusiasts)
• Decent roadworthy (but not perfect) examples available on my budget - I've got time to do my own regular maintenance and repairs but don't want to take on a full blown project or have to do extensive bodywork and welding as it's not my strong suit!
• I'm not after a performance/drag car but I'd like enough power for decent highway cruising.
• Prefer classic British cars (you can blame my English heritage for that) but open to other suggestions

Based on this criteria I'm thinking either a Rover P6 (the V8 3500) or a Jaguar XJ6 (series 1 or possibly series 2), but I'm open to any other suggestions out of left field (I noticed a Merc W114 for sale around the corner from me recently and it also had me tempted).

I'd love to hear from other members that have experience with either the Rover or the Jag, particularly if you worked on them yourself at home!

Cheers

[Hooli]

khd82 said:

• Active club scene in Western Australia (I want to take advantage of concessional licencing

What's that then?

I'm guessing it's like our free road tax for old sheds treasured classics.


I'd get the Jag, just because I loved my XJ40. That was easy to work on too, so I'd suspect the older ones are too.

[williamp]

Rover p5?
Range rover?

A contemporary of he p6 was the triumph 2000,2.5pi etc

[khd82]

Hooli said:

What's that then?

I'm guessing it's like our free road tax for old sheds treasured classics.


I'd get the Jag, just because I loved my XJ40. That was easy to work on too, so I'd suspect the older ones are too.

Yeah I think it's similar - my econobox costs about $500 a year to licence here in WA, but if you have a vehicle over 25 years old (in more or less original condition) and join the relevant club it's free. There's limitations on how much you can drive the car, but for me it'll be perfect as I'm only looking for a weekend car.

Thanks for the feedback on the Jag... it's definitely my first preference and they're still pretty common here in Australia (more so than the P6 anyways) so finding a good one shouldn't be too hard. To be honest I can't believe how cheap old Jags are here - I guess they aren't the most practical daily transport for a place where it gets up around 40 degrees on a regular basis in the summer time

[mph]

Your first choices sound good to me. I'd go for the Jag, preferably a good S1 if you can find one within your budget.

A german taxi of the same era just doesn't do it, for me at least

[rovermorris999]

The P6 isn't that big inside and the rear seat in an XJ isn't huge either. Both lovely cars though. How about a P5 or a Triumph 2000/2500?

[Tyre Tread]

Have a look at the Rover P5B saloon or coupe.

There are a number of active of P5B owners that post on the Rover P5 forum from Australia. Not sure which bits of Oz they post from though.

The car certainly fits your description though.

[khd82]

williamp said:

Rover p5?
Range rover?

A contemporary of he p6 was the triumph 2000,2.5pi etc

Thanks for the suggestions - the P5 is definitely on my list, although most of the examples I've seen here are either really rough or out of my price range. I don't know if I'm being unfair but I haven't really considered the Triumph's because the 3.5 L V8 in the Rover sounds so good - I'd be interested to hear whether the smaller engines can be just as fun?

The Series 1 Range Rover is an excellent suggestion that wasn't on my radar, so thanks for that! My dad had a couple of these when I was a kid and I've got a lot of fond memories of him driving us up onto the beach and sitting on the tailgate to eat fish and chips... these days there's not many beaches in Perth where you're allowed to drive but it could still be a lot of fun for me and the kids

[TheValk]

Great post.
As a former owner of Jaguar Mk 7, 8, Mk2 3.8, plus 2 of the 2 door Range Rovers just be prepared for endless frustration, considerable money outgoings, unexpected delays/failures etc. They were all very interesting vehicles (after all I kept buying them), but never really put together as the complete package. There are some great websites which detail all the pluses and minuses, and give unbiased evaluations on the vehicles- but I am sure you know that already. As a 3rd car, probably just about the best starting point you could have. Good luck with the search.
ps All my old ownerships have now soared in value, so what do I know

[rovermorris999]

The straight six in a Triumph 2000/2500 sounds lovely, especially through a Witor sports exhaust. My pick of the bunch would be a 2500S manual. Overdrive is nice to have as well. Spares backup is excellent for everything bar a few trim bits. Pretty DIY friendly too with lots of room under the bonnet.

[Crosswise]

Interesting topic and a great choice of car. It happens that I used to work in Perth on classic cars, I did jobs for members of the Jaguar car club and Bentley driver's club. I also own a S2 Daimler Vanden Plas 4.2L which is still in WA. I can't really help you much with where to look to purchase a car, but I do have a couple of useful contacts when it comes to parts. I'm sure you're aware, but parts are extortionately expensive compared to the UK which is probably why the vehicle prices haven't really started to increase yet. I know less about Rovers, the only ones I ever worked on were SD1s, I'm not sure I ever saw a P6. My preference would be the XJ6, S1 or 2, but I'm biased, either is a great classic.

[khd82]

Wow thanks for all the great responses, you've really made me feel welcome! I'll try to respond to you all, but apologies if I've missed anyone...

mph said:

Your first choices sound good to me. I'd go for the Jag, preferably a good S1 if you can find one within your budget.

A german taxi of the same era just doesn't do it, for me at least

Hahaha I think you're spot on - the w114 was a bit of a novelty but it really lacks a certain something.

Besides I can just picture the look of horror on my grandfather's face as he sighs and mutters "why did we even bother to win the war..."

rovermorris999 said:

The P6 isn't that big inside and the rear seat in an XJ isn't huge either. Both lovely cars though. How about a P5 or a Triumph 2000/2500?

My kids are fairly small still so it's probably fine... plus, if I get a nice XJ6 with leather I probably wouldn't let them ride in it anyways, they'd only ruin it with their sticky little fingers

Tyre Tread said:

Have a look at the Rover P5B saloon or coupe.

There are a number of active of P5B owners that post on the Rover P5 forum from Australia. Not sure which bits of Oz they post from though.

The car certainly fits your description though.

Thanks for the suggestion - the P5 is lovely, but I think it's a little out of my price range for a decent one over here. I've got it in my saved searches though... never know your luck!

TheValk said:

Great post.
As a former owner of Jaguar Mk 7, 8, Mk2 3.8, plus 2 of the 2 door Range Rovers just be prepared for endless frustration, considerable money outgoings, unexpected delays/failures etc. They were all very interesting vehicles (after all I kept buying them), but never really put together as the complete package. There are some great websites which detail all the pluses and minuses, and give unbiased evaluations on the vehicles- but I am sure you know that already. As a 3rd car, probably just about the best starting point you could have. Good luck with the search.
ps All my old ownerships have now soared in value, so what do I know

Thanks mate, great feedback! I'm pretty much accepting that whatever I get isn't going to cut the mustard as my daily drive, so that should take some of the stress out of things!

I think the series 1 XJ6 is firming up as a front runner.. they're relatively common around here, although not as much as the series 3! I must say though, the suggestion of an early Range Rover (it'd have to be pre '87 for my tastes) has really taken hold right out of left field. I've so many memories of my dad's ones, plus I might actually let the kids ride in it given I seem to remember them having a fairly spartan interior!

rovermorris999 said:

The straight six in a Triumph 2000/2500 sounds lovely, especially through a Witor sports exhaust. My pick of the bunch would be a 2500S manual. Overdrive is nice to have as well. Spares backup is excellent for everything bar a few trim bits. Pretty DIY friendly too with lots of room under the bonnet.

I've gotten onto my local online classifieds and there's a couple of nice Triumphs near me... damn this was supposed to make it easier to choose, not harder

Crosswise said:

Interesting topic and a great choice of car. It happens that I used to work in Perth on classic cars, I did jobs for members of the Jaguar car club and Bentley driver's club. I also own a S2 Daimler Vanden Plas 4.2L which is still in WA. I can't really help you much with where to look to purchase a car, but I do have a couple of useful contacts when it comes to parts. I'm sure you're aware, but parts are extortionately expensive compared to the UK which is probably why the vehicle prices haven't really started to increase yet. I know less about Rovers, the only ones I ever worked on were SD1s, I'm not sure I ever saw a P6. My preference would be the XJ6, S1 or 2, but I'm biased, either is a great classic.

Cool - have you moved back to UK or are you still in Aus? I might try keep in touch if you don't mind... those contacts will come in handy if I end up with an XJ6 of my own

Also, how did you find the Jaguar club members? I'd like to join a club so I can learn from people with experience before I mangle my own car, but at the same time I'm nervous that they might think I'm having a laugh showing up to a meeting full of $100K e-types with a much more affordable classic!

[rovermorris999]

This club is good for hands-on advice
http://www.jec.org.uk/

[tortop45]

What about =

[Crosswise]

khd82 said:

Cool - have you moved back to UK or are you still in Aus? I might try keep in touch if you don't mind... those contacts will come in handy if I end up with an XJ6 of my own

Also, how did you find the Jaguar club members? I'd like to join a club so I can learn from people with experience before I mangle my own car, but at the same time I'm nervous that they might think I'm having a laugh showing up to a meeting full of $100K e-types with a much more affordable classic!

I'm now living in NZ, it's just too expensive and too difficult to keep working in Aus. PM me if you like, I'll send you who I know, I can give you a reasonable amount of advice on what to look for on an XJ6 as well.

I didn't have too much to do with the Jaguar car club, I think I did one job for a member and my boss was good friends with another, that was the extent of my involvement. I got invited to a number of events with the Bentley driver's club where there were other clubs present. I'd say from my point of view the majority of the members were completely out of touch with reality, but very interesting and genuine people, they certainly don't mind saying what they think. It is mostly XKs, E-Types, Mk I-X, plus a number of modern XJ6s, I can't remember seeing a series, but I'm sure there are members with them and one would be welcome.

This is my Daimler;

[khd82]

Crosswise said:

I'm now living in NZ, it's just too expensive and too difficult to keep working in Aus. PM me if you like, I'll send you who I know, I can give you a reasonable amount of advice on what to look for on an XJ6 as well.

I didn't have too much to do with the Jaguar car club, I think I did one job for a member and my boss was good friends with another, that was the extent of my involvement. I got invited to a number of events with the Bentley driver's club where there were other clubs present. I'd say from my point of view the majority of the members were completely out of touch with reality, but very interesting and genuine people, they certainly don't mind saying what they think. It is mostly XKs, E-Types, Mk I-X, plus a number of modern XJ6s, I can't remember seeing a series, but I'm sure there are members with them and one would be welcome.

This is my Daimler;

Very nice car mate, I'm jealous Also thanks for the offer of help, if it's alright with you I'll save you in my list and send a PM if I see something interesting to go and have a look at!

[khd82]

tortop45 said:

What about =

Very cool mate, but unfortunately I haven't seen too many coupes over here... and the ones that I have seen commanded a bit too much of a premium for my budget

[Crosswise]

khd82 said:

Very nice car mate, I'm jealous Also thanks for the offer of help, if it's alright with you I'll save you in my list and send a PM if I see something interesting to go and have a look at!

You wouldn't want it! It needs a lot of bodywork, sills, rear wheel arches, front wings, front crossmember and rear floor to list the worst. The jacking points won't load bare which is a concern as outwardly the floors and chassis members look solid. I've already spent 100s of hours on it without even starting on the bodywork. I know I spent over 40 hours getting the electrics to work, I can't think of one thing that worked as it should. The radiator burst on it, the previous owner spent $1000 on having the water pump replaced, it wasn't the issue, the header tank was blocked. It took me 5 months to find a new radiator as that style was only fitted for 8 months of production to XK engined cars with AC. They can be a frustrating, expensive and time consuming car to own.

Certainly feel free to get in touch if you need any advice.

[williamp]

...at least the handbrake works...

[sun.and.rain]

[/quote]

You wouldn't want it! It needs a lot of bodywork, sills, rear wheel arches, front wings, front crossmember and rear floor to list the worst. The jacking points won't load bare which is a concern as outwardly the floors and chassis members look solid. I've already spent 100s of hours on it without even starting on the bodywork. I know I spent over 40 hours getting the electrics to work, I can't think of one thing that worked as it should. The radiator burst on it, the previous owner spent $1000 on having the water pump replaced, it wasn't the issue, the header tank was blocked. It took me 5 months to find a new radiator as that style was only fitted for 8 months of production to XK engined cars with AC. They can be a frustrating, expensive and time consuming car to own.


[/quote]

Some s3 XJ6s circa 1979 were like that at one year old.
I still love them though.
On a more positive note are there any years of manufacture for OP to avoid? I believe quality control 1979/80 was "not good". Were the s1s really better? Were the latest ones best of all?

Edited by sun.and.rain on Sunday 11th October 18:00