Big Questions: Just How Expensive is a Cheap Jaguar?

By John Coyle - June 15, 2020

Finding a cheap Jaguar XJ isn’t hard, but just what kind of issues can you expect to find?

While they’re beautiful machines, the market for classic Jaguar XJs has never taken off, and anyone with even a little jingle in their pocket can score one. The burning question, however, is just how much that initially cheap buy is going to cost you in the long run. Obviously, this is going to vary widely, given the vast disparities of age and condition to be found across the model run. For reasons that will be obvious to regular readers of the forum, this is a question I wrestle with constantly. So I was more than a little interested to check out this video from YouTube’s Living With A Classic.

The subject here is a 1991 Daimler edition XJ, a high-end model complete with the sexy rear tray tables similar to the ones you’d find in a Vanden Plas. According to the host, who unfortunately never introduces himself, the car had been sitting for a bit when he bought it.

In my experience, finding a car that’s been sitting is the norm, though I thought the fact that it fired right up after dropping in a hot battery to be fairly unusual. The dashboard didn’t light up like a Christmas tree either, and those are both good signs. But you don’t have to get far into the video to see that the $1800 purchase price is a drop in the bucket compared to what getting this baby dialed in is going to cost.

Now, there are plenty of little things that need to be addressed here, as you’d expect on a luxury car that’s nearly three decades old. In the cosmetics department, the wheels need a good polishing, there are missing bits of trim, and the taillights are also cracked. The last one is a little concerning because the Daimler models used unique lenses for these, and tracking down replacements will likely prove time-consuming and costly. That said, it’s always possible to luck out when searching for parts.

Where it’s almost never possible to luck out is dealing with rust and paint issues, and this old Jag has those too. There’s a nasty run-in the finish by the driver’s side market light, and what appears to be significant rust in the wheel arches. Unless you’re a seasoned body person, with access to a shop and specialized equipment, those are going to be seriously expensive issues to put right. When our hero started talking about sections that would have to be cut out and replaced, I felt genuinely bad for him, and marveled at the optimistic tone of his voice.

It’s clear that even if the mechanical bits were all in fantastic shape, there would be some significant repairs coming — but there’s plenty of work to do under the hood as well. While the engine is said to run smooth, there are leaks aplenty, and none of the hoses look great. One encouraging thing that was discovered during the initial inspection was that the self-leveling suspension looks to have been replaced with a traditional system. Like the air suspension found in Land Rovers, failure here isn’t an if, but a when. So if it has been dealt with, that will save our friend some serious coin.

Of course, there’s no telling what kind of issues will reveal themselves down the road either, as folks on the forum know, Jaguars hate to sit. So while there’s no actual total yet, I’m going to surmise that, in this case, a cheap Jaguar is a very expensive proposition. Not earth-shattering news, to be sure, but writing it will help me to remember that what I could be in for the next time I’m cruising Craigslist. That said, we’ll be following Living With a Classic to see how this project progresses. If you’re curious too, make sure to chime in with a comment, as any encouragement will likely go a long way!