1991 Daimler Double Six

[mohitos]

I'm thinking about buying a 1991 Daimler Double Six and hoping to view one tomorrow.

Any tips on what to look out for would be appreciated.

And if you could also direct me to the best owners' forum that would be great.

[Jaguar steve]

Body. Corrosion round front and rear screens, tops and bottom of front wings, door bottoms inside and out, wheel arches, inner and outer sills and closing plates, jacking points, rear suspension arms, engine bulkhead, floor pan, spare wheel well .

Transmission. Diff whine and burnt or dirty gearbox oil. Oil leaks - usually all over the rear discs

Engine. Leaks, overheating, miss fire, head gasket failure, fuel tank switching, dirt and corrosion in tanks.

Suspension/Brakes. Knackered shocks, uneven tyre wear, clonks and thumps over bumps from worn bushes and ball joints, rear end steer. Uneven braking, poor or non existent handbrake.

Interior. Damp, water leaks, HVAC malfunctions, sticky electric windows, electrical faults

You can kind of tell I've had a Series 3 can't you.

Unless it's a throwaway Smoker with some MOT and just legal tyres for a few hundred quid its essential to make sure you buy a superb example and get a second opinion before you buy. If there's any doubt walk - personally I'd run.

A good one is a charming and lovely thing, a ropey Series Jaguar will bleed you white and reduce you to tears. Both will drink more than a rugby team on a away game tour.

Google Jaguar Forum. Some of the posters on there actually do know what they are talking about.

If you want to join a club then the JEC is far more practical and hands on than the JDC

[mohitos]

Brilliant advice. Particularly like the rugby teams analogy!

Here's the one I'm going to see. Hoping much of your list won't apply!

http://www.seymourpope.com/used-vehicle-details/Da...

[Simpo Two]

It looks very nice; the ride should be a real magic carpet. I remember that the Daimler variant (ie one up from the Jaguar Sovereign) retained the earlier body style longer; the Jaguars changed to XJ40 in 1986 I think.

But shouldn't it have fold-down walnut picnic tables on the back of the front seats? Perhaps the Japanese government specced them differently?

[Jaguar steve]

mohitos said:

Brilliant advice. Particularly like the rugby teams analogy!

Here's the one I'm going to see. Hoping much of your list won't apply!

http://www.seymourpope.com/used-vehicle-details/Da...

Absolutely none of my list should even be up for consideration at that price. I was thinking of the more common examples on the market whose value you can increase significantly by simply filling both tanks right up.

There's nothing quite like a V12 Series 3 for elegant waftage and that one is absolutely bloody gorgeous.

ETA. Just been back for another drool...

You might want to be having a full and frank exchange of views about the age of the tyres though - P5's were the original factory fit.

Edited by Jaguar steve on Saturday 22 July 11:07

[mohitos]

Well I've seen it and, unfortunately, it wasn't the car for me. Seemed like acid rain damage on bonnet roof and boot that had been lacquered over, but was still visible. The rest of the car was exceptional, as you'd expect. Although there is no history available whatsoever.

A bit disappointing really. I'd have paid the price for sometime flawless. But not with paint damage.

[mph]

mohitos said:

Well I've seen it and, unfortunately, it wasn't the car for me. Seemed like acid rain damage on bonnet roof and boot that had been lacquered over, but was still visible. The rest of the car was exceptional, as you'd expect. Although there is no history available whatsoever.

A bit disappointing really. I'd have paid the price for sometime flawless. But not with paint damage.

At that price it should have been perfection. With no history the mileage is meaningless.

[mph]

Does it have to be a Daimler, and does it have to be a "series" car ?

The last iteration of the V12 was rather nice, I owned two of them.

This looks a good example.

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C888539

[mohitos]

mph said:

Does it have to be a Daimler, and does it have to be a "series" car ?

The last iteration of the V12 was rather nice, I owned two of them.

This looks a good example.

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C888539

It really has to be an earlier car. The Series 3 ticks a lot of boxes for me. I feel it's the last classic shaped Jag, yet has lots of modern conveniences. I'm always drawn to the late 80s/early 90s for some reason. Probably I was young enough to aspire to them. My parents' friends often had Jags like this, but never my parents!

[Jaguar steve]

If it's really that good a car then it's a rare find. No room for negotiation on price and taking it to a really good bodyshop?

If not Robert Hughes and Hurst Park often have what look like excellent examples of earlier XJs and a company called KWE undertake refreshes of them. JD Classics in the Essex Badlands might be worth a call to see what could be done too - their work on Jaguar restoration is the best I've ever seen but you'll need seriously deep pockets.

[mohitos]

There was a little wiggle room on the price. Enough to have the wheels refurbed and new rubber. But they weren't prepared to do anything about the paint.

To be honest, the attraction of a 10k mile example with all original paint was just that. Start respraying it and whilst it may look better, it's no longer original. Don't get me wrong, I have other modern classics which have had paint done and look superb. But on this example, and at the price asked, I'd want near perfect paint when I buy it, not a restoration project.

They said they had a couple of other interested parties. I'd be surprised if others didn't raise the same issue when looking. But as I was told, 'you can hardly see it in daylight'. So each to their own.

[a8hex]

Simpo Two said:

It looks very nice; the ride should be a real magic carpet. I remember that the Daimler variant (ie one up from the Jaguar Sovereign) retained the earlier body style longer; the Jaguars changed to XJ40 in 1986 I think.

But shouldn't it have fold-down walnut picnic tables on the back of the front seats? Perhaps the Japanese government specced them differently?

This wasn't a Jaguar v Daimler difference, it was a inline 6 v V12 issue. Originally the Jaguar engineers ensured that the Rover V8 wouldn't fit into the XJ40 for fear that they'd be forced to use the Rover engine. The downside was that also meant that they couldn't use the V12 either. So early XJ40s all got straight sixes. The V12 series cars were kept going.

Top Gear played them out to the Doors, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXLrU25gRwQ

It wasn't until 1993 when the XJ40 could be had with a V12, and that was then phased out in favour of the X300 (or I think actually X305 IIRC for the V12 variant.

[Simpo Two]

a8hex said:

This wasn't a Jaguar v Daimler difference, it was a inline 6 v V12 issue. Originally the Jaguar engineers ensured that the Rover V8 wouldn't fit into the XJ40 for fear that they'd be forced to use the Rover engine. The downside was that also meant that they couldn't use the V12 either. So early XJ40s all got straight sixes. The V12 series cars were kept going.

Interesting, thanks. I hope the OP finds his car soon; he'll know it when he sees it. I bought an XF with my head and never liked it; I bought an XK with my heart and every time I get into it it feels special and different. Even if the bloody fuses are £403 each!

[a8hex]

Simpo Two said:

a8hex said:

This wasn't a Jaguar v Daimler difference, it was a inline 6 v V12 issue. Originally the Jaguar engineers ensured that the Rover V8 wouldn't fit into the XJ40 for fear that they'd be forced to use the Rover engine. The downside was that also meant that they couldn't use the V12 either. So early XJ40s all got straight sixes. The V12 series cars were kept going.

Interesting, thanks. I hope the OP finds his car soon; he'll know it when he sees it. I bought an XF with my head and never liked it; I bought an XK with my heart and every time I get into it it feels special and different. Even if the bloody fuses are £403 each!

I hope he finds what he's looking for too. It's a pity that the one he went to see wasn't as good as it looked in the pictures, which had me drooling.
My Uncle had a late Double Six VDP, A fabulous car.
I doubt anyone has ever bought a V12 with their head and buying a classic really should be done with the heart. Part of my reasoning behind buying my XK was that it was an X150 and at the time I had an XK150 too, which kind of appealed to my sense of humour.