Discussion
Interesting history of the XJ-S here: https://www.shannons.com.au/club/news/classic-gara...
If I had enough space and money I might have one of the later 4.0 versions, just for the waft factor
If I had enough space and money I might have one of the later 4.0 versions, just for the waft factor
I had a '84 V12 when I was 21 :P which was great to waft around in... until the rust got it. I stored it for about 10 years and planned to restore it when money and time allowed, but by then they weren't worth much, and the restoration cost would have exceeded it's value. So I reluctantly stripped it for parts and sold them.
Fast-forward ~15 years and I went searching for another. I bought a 1996 Celebration 4.0 a few months ago... which unsurprisingly, had hidden rust, however i've now fixed all i've found.
Thread covering the work i've done here: https://www.jaguarforum.com/threads/the-not-a-proj...
I've not done many miles since putting it back together, and there's more on the to-do list, but it's a nice wafty old thing.
Fast-forward ~15 years and I went searching for another. I bought a 1996 Celebration 4.0 a few months ago... which unsurprisingly, had hidden rust, however i've now fixed all i've found.
Thread covering the work i've done here: https://www.jaguarforum.com/threads/the-not-a-proj...
I've not done many miles since putting it back together, and there's more on the to-do list, but it's a nice wafty old thing.
was admiring this one the other day - a labour of love for the previous owner.
had one of these back in the day and still hold a soft spot for them.
https://shmooautomotive.co.uk/automobiles/jaguar-x...
had one of these back in the day and still hold a soft spot for them.
https://shmooautomotive.co.uk/automobiles/jaguar-x...
deadslow said:
was admiring this one the other day - a labour of love for the previous owner.
had one of these back in the day and still hold a soft spot for them.
https://shmooautomotive.co.uk/automobiles/jaguar-x...
That's an absolute stunner. The XJR wheels work really well on it and I imagine are substantially easier to clean than a set of wire wheels that I'd be tempted to stick on. had one of these back in the day and still hold a soft spot for them.
https://shmooautomotive.co.uk/automobiles/jaguar-x...
C5_Steve said:
deadslow said:
was admiring this one the other day - a labour of love for the previous owner.
had one of these back in the day and still hold a soft spot for them.
https://shmooautomotive.co.uk/automobiles/jaguar-x...
That's an absolute stunner. The XJR wheels work really well on it and I imagine are substantially easier to clean than a set of wire wheels that I'd be tempted to stick on. had one of these back in the day and still hold a soft spot for them.
https://shmooautomotive.co.uk/automobiles/jaguar-x...
Given that the best UK cars will have a ton of hidden rust, I think the asking price is just about acceptable. I would love to own it.
deadslow said:
was admiring this one the other day - a labour of love for the previous owner.
had one of these back in the day and still hold a soft spot for them.
https://shmooautomotive.co.uk/automobiles/jaguar-x...
Lovely car but I do wonder if the market is there for a £40,000 XJS coupe with 70k+ miles on it, no matter how nice it is and how well restored.had one of these back in the day and still hold a soft spot for them.
https://shmooautomotive.co.uk/automobiles/jaguar-x...
I've been hearing for literally 20 years how they're "the next big thing" and "values are rising" but they were £5k 20 years ago and you can get an honest car to daily for about £7k now. Only difference is back then they almost certainly had hidden rust and now they absolutely certainly have hidden rust!
The 6.0 engine and 4 speed autobox are really fabulous, worlds apart from the old 5.3 castrated by that 3 speeder, if not as quite and smooth.
I have never given much credence to the phrases like " future classic " or " sure to appreciate " when it comes to Jaguars . There is however some great bargains to be had especially amongst the Aluminium Cars from the Ford era . My own problem with the XJS is largely one of " Model Dilution " in that Jaguar built so many variations of them . Now we have these Japanese Imports with various Specs and in this particular case the wrong wheels complicating matters further . Should a potential Buyer be placing greater value on originality or is it when it comes to an XJS with historically such low values , irrelevant ?
GeniusOfLove said:
Lovely car but I do wonder if the market is there for a £40,000 XJS coupe with 70k+ miles on it, no matter how nice it is and how well restored.
I've been hearing for literally 20 years how they're "the next big thing" and "values are rising" but they were £5k 20 years ago and you can get an honest car to daily for about £7k now. Only difference is back then they almost certainly had hidden rust and now they absolutely certainly have hidden rust!
The 6.0 engine and 4 speed autobox are really fabulous, worlds apart from the old 5.3 castrated by that 3 speeder, if not as quite and smooth.
A few years back I had a hankering for convertible one and Clarkes would often have the runout Celebration 4L ones for well over 40, the last batch of V12s were like rocking horse droppings. There was plenty of turnover on their site so I presumed they were selling them.I've been hearing for literally 20 years how they're "the next big thing" and "values are rising" but they were £5k 20 years ago and you can get an honest car to daily for about £7k now. Only difference is back then they almost certainly had hidden rust and now they absolutely certainly have hidden rust!
The 6.0 engine and 4 speed autobox are really fabulous, worlds apart from the old 5.3 castrated by that 3 speeder, if not as quite and smooth.
But there was a really big gap between the rag tops and tin tops.
GeniusOfLove said:
Lovely car but I do wonder if the market is there for a £40,000 XJS coupe with 70k+ miles on it, no matter how nice it is and how well restored.
I've been hearing for literally 20 years how they're "the next big thing" and "values are rising" but they were £5k 20 years ago and you can get an honest car to daily for about £7k now. Only difference is back then they almost certainly had hidden rust and now they absolutely certainly have hidden rust!
The 6.0 engine and 4 speed autobox are really fabulous, worlds apart from the old 5.3 castrated by that 3 speeder, if not as quite and smooth.
Yeah I think the issue as you pointed out is that there is so much that can go wrong with the cheaper offerings without even taking rot into consideration that you'd end up spending the remaining £30k to keep a cheaper one running without possibly ever getting it back into the condition this one is in. I've been hearing for literally 20 years how they're "the next big thing" and "values are rising" but they were £5k 20 years ago and you can get an honest car to daily for about £7k now. Only difference is back then they almost certainly had hidden rust and now they absolutely certainly have hidden rust!
The 6.0 engine and 4 speed autobox are really fabulous, worlds apart from the old 5.3 castrated by that 3 speeder, if not as quite and smooth.
It is certainly steep but I'd say you'd probably spend less to maintain this one and I don't see it's value dropping any time soon.
I think the issue with it retaining/losing value is that anyone with £40k to spend on an XJS is going to one of the specialists, not to a private seller, so if you do decide to move it on you're never going to get close to what you paid selling privately, so your only option is to take a bath selling it to the specialist.
It might also take a while to shift, the pool of buyers is surely tiny and largely stitched up by the specialists.
In many ways it is good that some change hands for chunky money though, it means they won't go extinct!
It might also take a while to shift, the pool of buyers is surely tiny and largely stitched up by the specialists.
In many ways it is good that some change hands for chunky money though, it means they won't go extinct!
reddiesel said:
For a Japanese Import its top money . That said , it is a bit special .
Is it special?Its a car with a past history of accident damage; I suspect when they started stripping it pack they found the bodged export quality Japanese crash repair on the nearside (knock to the front nearside headlight, wing, and repairs to the rear quarter, damage to offside front wing, dressed and filled, repair to front nearside chassis leg, same side as the other significant damage,), non-original paint. 2005-2018 it was basically a museum piece, and apparently well maintained. I see on its first MOT in 2018, it failed due to bulging rubber brake lines, and I see th engine bay had to be repainted due to brake fluid damage. The two are probably connected, so I wonder about that 13 years as a showroom prop. Documented Japanese history, but frankly, you can't really trust Japanese service history, and its difficult to go talk to a previous owner. With over 100k kms on it when imported as a 11 year old car; thats a relatively high mileage in Japan. The really good cars at that point are usually on 40-50k kms. No mention of a BIMTA certificate, so likely they did the importing themselves. They changed the speedo for no particular reason (you are able to run a kph speedo in the UK). I suppose we will have to accept that the present reading is accurate. Aftermarket radio.
Its probably a very nice car, but for the same money, I can can get a basically identical car, with less than half the miles, and far more provenance but with less waffle in the ad.
https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1633480
Interesting to compare the interiors. The Jap car looks like its been sat in. The UK supplied car has a truely mint interior.
Jap imports only make sense if they are cheaper than the equivalent UK model. Yes, they have less rust, usually (but don't confuse that with rust free; cars rust in Japan (this blog flags some minor rust repair in Japan: https://www.do-blog.jp/ralph/article/4065/. ). They can have more toys but also dodgy modifications. plus they cost more to insure.
Risonax said:
Is it special?
Its a car with a past history of accident damage; I suspect when they started stripping it pack they found the bodged export quality Japanese crash repair on the nearside (knock to the front nearside headlight, wing, and repairs to the rear quarter, damage to offside front wing, dressed and filled, repair to front nearside chassis leg, same side as the other significant damage,), non-original paint. 2005-2018 it was basically a museum piece, and apparently well maintained. I see on its first MOT in 2018, it failed due to bulging rubber brake lines, and I see th engine bay had to be repainted due to brake fluid damage. The two are probably connected, so I wonder about that 13 years as a showroom prop. Documented Japanese history, but frankly, you can't really trust Japanese service history, and its difficult to go talk to a previous owner. With over 100k kms on it when imported as a 11 year old car; thats a relatively high mileage in Japan. The really good cars at that point are usually on 40-50k kms. No mention of a BIMTA certificate, so likely they did the importing themselves. They changed the speedo for no particular reason (you are able to run a kph speedo in the UK). I suppose we will have to accept that the present reading is accurate. Aftermarket radio.
Its probably a very nice car, but for the same money, I can can get a basically identical car, with less than half the miles, and far more provenance but with less waffle in the ad.
https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1633480
Interesting to compare the interiors. The Jap car looks like its been sat in. The UK supplied car has a truely mint interior.
Jap imports only make sense if they are cheaper than the equivalent UK model. Yes, they have less rust, usually (but don't confuse that with rust free; cars rust in Japan (this blog flags some minor rust repair in Japan: https://www.do-blog.jp/ralph/article/4065/. ). They can have more toys but also dodgy modifications. plus they cost more to insure.
Its a Restoration apparently carried out to very exacting Standards by an experienced Jaguar Enthusiast who also happens to be an Engineer . Nobody is attempting to pass this XJS off as anything other than what it is .Its a car with a past history of accident damage; I suspect when they started stripping it pack they found the bodged export quality Japanese crash repair on the nearside (knock to the front nearside headlight, wing, and repairs to the rear quarter, damage to offside front wing, dressed and filled, repair to front nearside chassis leg, same side as the other significant damage,), non-original paint. 2005-2018 it was basically a museum piece, and apparently well maintained. I see on its first MOT in 2018, it failed due to bulging rubber brake lines, and I see th engine bay had to be repainted due to brake fluid damage. The two are probably connected, so I wonder about that 13 years as a showroom prop. Documented Japanese history, but frankly, you can't really trust Japanese service history, and its difficult to go talk to a previous owner. With over 100k kms on it when imported as a 11 year old car; thats a relatively high mileage in Japan. The really good cars at that point are usually on 40-50k kms. No mention of a BIMTA certificate, so likely they did the importing themselves. They changed the speedo for no particular reason (you are able to run a kph speedo in the UK). I suppose we will have to accept that the present reading is accurate. Aftermarket radio.
Its probably a very nice car, but for the same money, I can can get a basically identical car, with less than half the miles, and far more provenance but with less waffle in the ad.
https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1633480
Interesting to compare the interiors. The Jap car looks like its been sat in. The UK supplied car has a truely mint interior.
Jap imports only make sense if they are cheaper than the equivalent UK model. Yes, they have less rust, usually (but don't confuse that with rust free; cars rust in Japan (this blog flags some minor rust repair in Japan: https://www.do-blog.jp/ralph/article/4065/. ). They can have more toys but also dodgy modifications. plus they cost more to insure.
As regards the price being asked , I would assume that anyone interested in any Classic Car would firstly decide on the Model they want to own , do their checks in what to look out for when buying such a car and then make their selection as to what best fits their budget and their expectations .
I don't think you learn very much from any advert . As regards this particular car , I would want to speak to this Enthusiast owner and find out what's been done and by whom and more importantly to what standard .
Japanese Cars....I have long been asking for Jaguar Owners on various Forums who have taken the plunge to come forward with their experiences . To date there have been precious few and I don't really know why that is because these Cars must be going somewhere . Wise Motor Company in Mill Hill and JagWestLondon are the major two Importers in my own particular Area if not the rest of the Country . I have browsed their stock many times for another X350 and for some of the reasons you mention I have to date kept my money firmly in my pocket .
Speedos in KPH , why would anyone want that ? Infinitely more saleable in MPH .
Summing up its a restored Car , the earliest XJS are almost fifty years old so restoration pretty much goes with the territory especially older Pre HE
Models . I wonder about the knowledge needed in buying restored Cars perse . I have a friend who imported a lot of E Types from the USA and although in general they came from dry States it wasn't unusual to come across previous repairs and the occasional bodge . Apart from rectifying the occasional X350 paintwork in the usual areas I have absolutely no experience of buying restored Jaguars but its an interesting subject .
Edited by reddiesel on Wednesday 1st November 14:57
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