Im familiar with US muscle car purchases. When looking at E types, is the numbers matching factor important? Two cars I have looked at are even missing the factory original ID body plate. Even the Heritage paperwork makes note of the engine and gearbox numbers not being original. I am looking at a decent '69 FHC that requires paint, engine work, interior freshening, and more.
I want a high quality driver and not sure I want to put good money into a car that will not get back any where close to the investment. I don't want a lecture about cars not being an investment, as I'm familiar with that concept having done a '68 TR-250 with hardtop and surrey top, a '67 Chevelle SS, and a '72 Olds convertible 442/W30 clone.
I want a really nice touring E Type !
This is the best place I can think of to get good advice and opinions

 

Hi 1L-Loyd,
It really depends on the buyer if matching numbers matters. There is a restorer in northern California that did a restoration of a series I XKE's OTS, sold it at an auction for $200K. It wasn't a matching number car. JCNA does not deduct points for a car without matching numbers. I would be concerned that they don't have the original data plate.

If you want to be sure to get a good price, get a series I car and stay away from 2+2's. Series I & II cost the same to restore.

Oh, one more thing, cars are not an investment....... Just kidding.

 

1L-L0yd,
E-Types can be great touring cars. You can have a great non-numbers matching car and enjoy it as if it was. The only time that numbers matching matters is for a high end concourse cars. JCNA judging does not look to see if cars are numbers matching, so, if you spend the money, you can have a best of show winner and it not be a matching numbers car. So buy what you like. If it is a numbers car, great. If not you can still enjoy it. If you want to have an idea of what good non-numbers matching E-Types sell for, take a look at the auction results on BAT www.bringatrailer.com . A car can still be original and not numbers matching.
I hope this helps you. Good luck with your search and let us know what you found.
Stay safe,
Bill.

 

Thanks for your reply. The E Types on BaT are all over the place dollar wise! I have seen many and really missed the boat on what it would sell for. The California FHC in Blue over Tan sold well (a little over $50k I think) and would probably need a good $25+ to be where I would like it to be.
I have only seen Series I cars for $100 +. I'll keep watching I guess.

 

Thanks for your reply. Going back to the investment thing.......Since I am retired and there is lots less saving than spending.
I would like to refurbish a nice SI or SII to be a high quality driver that could hold it's own in local meets, drive it for 8-10 years, and have it nice enough to pass down to my Grandson (if the government allows human driven gas powered cars to be driven on the peoples highways), or sold to pay a month or two of retirement home fees!

 

Matching numbers is a nice-to-have, but the condition of the car is the most important, and even more important has not been modified, like with a US V8 engine. Provided the car has the XK engine and original type gearbox you should get your purchase money back if not more. Upgrading of the brakes is fairly commonplace and shouldn't affect the value of the car. Jaguar recognised the brakes needed uprating when the V12s came out. These had much more powerful brakes than the previous cars.

 

What’s important in resale values depends on the market in your country and what typical buyers in your country look for in terms of what’s important or desirable to them. Here in the U.K. to purists matching numbers will be important as it’s a part of a cars history and provenance backed up by an extensive vehicle history file kept by its various owners and passed on when sold to its next owner. Also important is which market the car was originally made for, as over 80% of the cars were exported to the US. So an original U.K. right hand drive, matching numbers car with Jaguar Heritage Certificate (which provides history of the car from production in the factory to dispatch to its intended market and selling dealer and the name and address of its first registered owner), vehicle history file would attract the purist buyer and sell possibly for a premium, provided the overall condition, (not extensively modified with modern driver comfort upgrades) of the car warranted it. However if none of that is important, but you’re looking for a car in good body and mechanical condition which will give you pleasure owning and driving, you should be able to buy at far more reasonable prices, and there are probably as many owners of cars in this category or more than the purists. You can make your car into whatever you want it to be provided you have the financial where with all to do so, and when your done with it you can be sure there will be someone who will buy it, such is the never ending appeal of this iconic car.

 

All well stated and true for any "collector car". The best possible scenario is to find a car that has been kept well maintained, out of the weather, and if any modifications were undertaken remaining as close to factory as possible. I am not objectionable to a SII car with smooth valve covers, removed emission junk, and triple carbs.
As stated in the beginning of my post, I cant afford a concourse show car and besides, how many of those cars actually go touring! I'm sure y'all get my drift on those points!
I have a good idea of what direction to take and now just need to find the car in which to start this journey! It's out there I know.
Thanks to everyone and thank you for your time and replies.

 

You’re on the right track now on your purchase journey, I would seriously advise looking at as many cars for as you can before deciding on “the one” as this will help you form a good idea of what you can buy to fit your budget. Good luck and keep us all posted on this forum 😎👍

 

I'm not sure why to avoid 2+2 cars. If you look at the values of roadsters, you could just as easily say to say away from fixed head coupes. Yes, 2+2's are not as good looking, but they are way easier to get into, have enough leg room for someone who is over 6' and have much more luggage room. Mainly because of the looks, they are worth less, but I'm not sure that means your r.o.i. will be decidedly less. I could easily see them gain ground on the 2-seaters over the next 10 years. I think I'd take a series 1 2+2 with a standard transmission over a series 2 with an automatic any day. (and I'm not just saying this because I have a '67 2+2... well ok, maybe a little bit).

 

I can give you my experience with my Series 2, car.
I bought it over the internet, back in 2014. It was a 6 cyl. convertible. I wanted a "driver", as I could not afford either a Series 1 (which I had many years ago), or a restored car, that I could not afford, and I wouldn't want to drive, because I would be too nervous about road damage.
I ended up paying approximately $42,000 for the car, and bought it sight-unseen, (except for many photos), and had it shipped to me.
I did my "homework", and even called the well-known Jaguar shop that did the service on the car, and had a discussion with the shop owner. He convinced me that the car was in very decent condition, and I would have no problems. The car came with documentation that it had come from California, and then reshipped to the seller, in the East..
When the car arrived, I can tell you that though it was a "driver", it had many problems that the service shop failed to mention. It did drive and run, and the paint was o.k., but the top was stained, the interior was shot, the car had been set up for a/c, but had no compressor, or other working air parts. The horn was a door-bell button! The car had been driven on the beach, and was full of beach sand.
To save space, I can tell you that even though the previous owner had given the repair shop more than $15K, over the year he owned it, I ended up adding about $7,000+ , of my own parts (I did all my own labor), to the car. I removed the a/c junk that was in it, and put everything back , w/o air (which I felt was not needed where I live, anyway) I had to do some minor paint and body work ,and did a complete leather interior restoration, and new Robbins top, rebuilt the cylinder head and carbs, and I drove the car until I sold it , about three years later.
When I sold the car, except for my own labor, I broke even on my full cost, which I felt was good, since I never intended to make money on the car..
The moral of this story is, if you are buying a "driver", be sure that you are willing to do the work yourself, or you will be paying through the nose for repairs. My other advice, is hire someone to "survey" the car, before you buy it. There are plenty of cars for sale, so negotiate hard.

 

Regarding the 2+2 discussion - mine is a 2+2. I specifically looked for one. Number of reasons, some stated above:

1) Much better value (cheaper!) - meant that for the same money, I could get a car in far better condition
2) I can get in and out easily, and despite being over 6ft I can sit in it comfortably with a crash helmet on for track days
3) overall roomier - after being in my car, I feel claustraphobic in a FHC - even more so in an OTS with the hood up
4) I can get two sets of golf clubs in, with two small trollies, and still have room for luggage
5) It's still an E Type

 

You know I've never liked the 2+2 because I think it makes the car look like it will have a Baby. But it is the best car if you want to use it for transportation. This is particularly true with the Series 3; it is a ton more comfortable and has far more usable space inside. It is also a ton cheaper to buy. You mentioned being claustrophobic; that's why I turned my car into a Speedster. When I put the top up (first XKE since I was in my 20s), I was instantly uncomfortable and knew I'd never drive it that way, so I lost the top. And in doing my project, there have been several times I wished I'd started with a Series III rather than my Series II just because of the room problem. While I'd still rather have a roadster, I can really appreciate the benefits, utility, cost, ergonomics, and space that the 2+2 has, particularly the Series III. (And I love the sound of the V12 just never enjoyed working on them thanks to those 4 fricken carburetors). My stepmother had '69 2+2 and it was a ton nicer to drive than the '64 racing Coupe that I had at the time, though my '67 roadster didn't feel nearly as tight in the 1970s (bought it for $2,300) as my '70 does (I must have grown since then, width does make a difference).

 

enderle, I am with you on the series III 2+2. I don't particularly care for the series 1 and 2 of the 2+2, but the series 3 is another story. The series 3 2+2 looks more proportionally right the the earlier versions. I had a friend that had a series 3 2+2, and that car was a serious highway cruiser and very comfortable around town. The longer wheel base and wider track gave a very nice ride. The only thing is that his was automatic. I don't know if the series 3 2+2 was ever produced with a manual, but that would be my preference. Like you, I would not want to work on the V12. V12=double the trouble in my opinion.
Now, how about a series 3 2+2 with a more modern fuel injected 4.2 from an XJ-6 ???
Bill.