Is £6K enough to buy a solid Jaguar XJS?

[plasticpig]

Idle pondering at the moment but I have always fancied an XJS. A 3.6 is fine as although I would love a V12 I understand they are far more difficult to look after. I wouldn't expect a mint one at this money but something usable with no major rust / mechanical issues.

[sim16v]

In my opinion, yes.

But it would have to be from someone who isn't internet aware of the prices on the rise.

A "word of mouth" sale rather than an internet advert, because if it appears too cheap, someone will probably say "its way too cheap, you could sell it for double that".

[TR4man]

There are two 3.6 and one later 4.0 models on Autotrader at the moment at £6k or under. The 4.0 looks particularly nice apart from the leaper.

[plasticpig]

TR4man said:

There are two 3.6 and one later 4.0 models on Autotrader at the moment at £6k or under. The 4.0 looks particularly nice apart from the leaper.

I like the red one myself. Glad to see none of them have chrome wheel arch covers. I was warned a long time ago to be wary of Jaguars with chrome wheel arch covers.

[richardracer]

Hi there,

Try giving Abbott Jaguar a call, Ed Abbott may be able to help you find a sound vehicle.

01255 870636, near Harwich in Essex
[e-mail]

Regards

Richardracer
(His co-driver in historic rallying in an XJS)

[vixen1700]

Had a 3.6 years ago that I adored, slightly scruffy grey with magnolia hide. It went really well and felt like a lovely old British sports car.

Had a 4.0 a couple of years back and hated it. Big bloated thing with no connection to the road or feeling at all, felt like a golf club cruiser.



Never really fancied going for a V12, the thirst didn't seem worth it.

Reckon you could get a really nice 3.6 for £6k if you look around.

[samuri]

This is sitting idle in my garage if this is allowed. 3.6 manual.

Edited by samuri on Wednesday 27th September 22:29

[lucido grigio]

Don't know when it was filmed but Wheeler Dealers bought a 3.6 for 1K ,did a few improvements and sold it for 2.5K.

It was on tv today.

Off topic but Brewer low ball offered 800 for it when on offer at 1195 and then got annoyed when he got low balled of 2K when he was

trying to sell for 2950.

[Brinyan]

samuri said:

This is sitting idle in my garage if this is allowed. 3.6 manual.

Edited by samuri on Wednesday 27th September 22:29

What happened there, then?

[craigjm]

Just be warned that if there is any hint of rust externally then it won't be at all solid underneath and you need to check all of the common rust areas which is basically everywhere between the front bumper and the rear bumper. Good luck

[bearman68]

Limited experience, but V12 was a pig to work on.Hated every spanner I put on it.

[craigjm]

The ones that are moving upwards money wise are the real early pre HE ones and the late facelift 6ltr and 4.0 celebration models. All 20k plus for a really good one. The ones that seem to be staying low are either st or mid 80s 3.6 models

[lukeharding]

samuri said:

This is sitting idle in my garage if this is allowed. 3.6 manual.

Edited by samuri on Wednesday 27th September 22:29

Think I saw this on eBay a little while ago? Couldn't believe it didn't sell, looks like a whole lot of fun!

[lukeharding]

To answer the question though, yes £6k is plenty for 3.6/4.0 and even V12s. I bought this at auction earlier in the month for a lot less than £6k and loving driving it, go for it! Definitely worth checking history and MOT history before you buy though.

[Lowtimer]

Marginally O/T but last evening I was walking up to the Albert Hall along Prince Consort Road when there was a faint hum and a lovely, utterly perfect, maroon 1978 V12 flowed past me and slipped like a fish into the underground car park which serves the poshy old apartment buildings. It was a proper timeslip moment. I was highly appreciative and nostalgic.

[Yertis]

They look tiny nowadays too, compared to modern behemoth GT type cars.

[Lowtimer]

Height and width, yes. Still long though!

[skylarking808]

Take your time and find one that has been looked after without any rust in the bulkhead.

They do come up in that price range, but you may have to be quick to catch a goodie before the market flippers move in.
Agree with the comments. They really are a presence on the road and when all the many suspension components are sorted they are lovely to drive.

[craigjm]

Have a look at the photo albums on Facebook for XJ restorations for some idea of how bad the bulkheads can be

[Comp3BMW]

Yeh ! If your looking well enough you will get a decent one for £6,000 - Do your research though !