Exactly how much will an XJ12 hurt my wallet?

[thejpster]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...

I have been sorely tempted for a while now. My annual mileage would probably be 1000 - 2000 miles. Even if it broke down horribly, I'd be happy to take a deckchair outside and just sit looking at it.

I asked on the Jaguar parts stand at the NEC Classic Motorshow and said "I was told that I couldn't afford to run an XJ12". The nice lady's reply was "Oh, no, they're right - you probably couldn't."

Is it really as scary a prospect as people make out?

[thejpster]

dbdb said:

I can't comment on the price. That would be fairly expensive for an XJ40 based V12, but I should think the X300 based cars are probably more expensive since they seem to be more popular at the moment.

At a smidge over £2k, that's about the cheapest one out there. Most dealers seem to be trying their luck at the £5k mark, which I think is way off. There's a special edition "Century" Daimler Double Six on ebay that's still under 4 large, and they only made a hundred of them (against 3400 V12 X300s in total, fewer than the XJ81) and they have every option available.

I was put off the XJ81 by stories of ignition system fires. Plus, Geoff Lawson's X300 is just about the prettiest saloon ever made.

I was rather hoping for tales of wallet busting woe, about siezed diffs and dicky electronics. Now it seems I don't have many excuses for not putting my hand in my pocket.

[thejpster]

varsas said:

That particular car has been for sale for months.

Yeah, I've been idly looking at it on and off for sixth months or so.

There's another one that's a bit closer for similar money:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

[thejpster]

Which parts did you end up spending £3k on?

[thejpster]

I didn't buy it in the end but kept an eye on it. When it went on ebay I was under strict instructions not to bid.

Sold for £908.