Found it... I'll go look at it today after I scope out another car for a forum member. I can tell you right now that the "dealer" that is selling it is a shady outfit that buys auction cars with damage and resprays them often.

 

Looking forward to hearing back on its condition

 

In no way should you NOT do so if you're interested in it! I appreciate the consideration in waiting for me to make a decision, but I won't be able to get to the place again until Saturday at the earliest.

If you (or anyone else!) is truly interested in it, please head there and check it out! I certainly wouldn't be upset about it.

EDIT: Saw the posts regarding paint, etc, and when I looked at it, everything looked to be original and in fine shape. The black car had yellow pollen on it, however, so that made things a bit difficult. The car does have 1 accident report on it from 2007, with minor damage reported to the back right; however, I could find no evidence of the repair and everything looked straight.

 

Yeah, $12K OTD is a very fair price. Of course, you could've bought my '03 Super V8 (albeit with 170K on it but in stunning condition and one owner before I) for half the price Same colors and each and every service done and documented by our local dealer since day 1.

Wound up finding a new home and staying right here in Cincinnati, so it'll continue to be kept in the family, so to speak

 

Sounds like that would've been a deal!

Looking around, I keep seeing some Florida cars which appear pretty rare. Found a listing for a '97 XJ6 L, 92k miles... called to inquire and they claim it's a 4.0 litre, which, if I'm not mistaken, puts that production # as incredibly low.

I just really seem to like to class and look of the older Jags.

 

I'm sure the car was pristine, but 170K on the clock is getting too long in the tooth for me.

If I would be living closer to the one we are talking about, I would go to see it. I'd tell them to run it through the carwash, and inspect the paint for swirls, overspray, etc. I think they would bite on 12K offer. If the car has the original paint (even if it's a PRO repaint!), the OP will have a "Killer Kat", that will provide another 200K of classy driving.

 

Blue Book (wholesale) is at $8k with another whopping $8k for mile add. Estimated auction price with this mileage is $15k which is very optimistic. At $12k OTD you are in good territory, but the main question remains is nikasil. No one can tell you if or when its going to go. I consulted an independent Jaguar factory certified Master Tech. He strongly advised me against the nikasil motor because of the unpredictability issue.

Plan to spend at least $800 on tensioners at a professional Jaguar independent shop. The average going rate is on the north side of $1k. Or you can spent an afternoon and do it yourself for less than half of that.

I feel that everyone here is enthused with the great shape and rarity of this particular car. Low mileage can be either good or bad. Good is obvious, but bad... could be due to the fact the car spent much time at a repair facility (body or mechanical) or had constant issues where the owner was not able to drive it.

In NO way am I talking you out of the car. However, I would suggest having an independent Jaguar specialist inspect the car before buying it. Not sure how it is in Florida, but Commiefornia does not have a "cooling off" period, meaning that once the tires are over the curb you cannot give it back!

 

I certainly didn't take it that way at all! Instead, I feel everyone here is discussing this vehicle in an impartial way, which makes perfect sense. I think we can all agree to the fact the car is rare, and that folks here are excited about that.

However, obviously we cannot be blinded to the potential risks involved. You all are the experts really, whereas I am not... hence reading the forums first, then joining to get feedback.

In short, I appreciate everyone being candid. Any other way would be irresponsible.

 

The asking price is certainly high because of the low mileage. It's alright if you plan to keep the car for ages, but if you put some serious mileage on it & then sell it in a few years time the value will have dropped like a stone, once the mileage becomes 'normal' & similar to every other high mileage used Jag on the market.

You can use the Nikasil 'fears' to lever the seller down on the asking price-if it starts quickly from cold & goes like a bat out of hell when you floor the loud pedal, then the cylinder bores must be ok. The sulphur in petrol that caused the problems in early Nikasil engines was phased out years ago, so if the engine's in good health now then it should be alright for the future as modern petrols are 'safe' again for Nikasil engines.

The secondary tensioners can be replaced easily & much more cheaply than the repair quote you had from the seller-you could even do it yourself with the zip tie method for a few hundred dollars & there's no need to shell out $2k or $3k. There are many Jag specialists who can do the secondary tensioners for a damn sight less than you've been quoted.

The best way to reveal driveline & suspension faults on the test drive is to drive the vehicle HARD, but not in a dangerous manner! Faults with any mechanical device always show up under 'extreme stress', so if you just pootle about on the test drive then that won't reveal any faults.

Of course, you should never drive in a manner that would contravene the local driving regulations of the area you're driving in

It does sound like a great car but the price is a bit too high. If you can knock a couple of thousand off & then get the secondary tensioners done at an independent Jag specialist for under a thousand, then you'd have a great car & a good deal financially

The Nikasil issue is a bit of a gamble & so I would use this a strong lever to knock the asking price down. Pretty much everyone involved with Jags knows about the V8 Nikasil issue, so if a seller 'isn't aware' of the issue, then that would be enough to raise an eyebrow in my opinion!

From a mechanical point of view, the high mileage Nikasil motors seemed to have a higher survival rate as the engine was always hot enough to burn off all the combustion acids & the bores always had lubrication from the high useage.

Low mileage & short journeys seemed to hasten the demise of the Nikasil motors, as the sulphurous acids formed during combustion in the earlier high-sulphur petrols never got hot enough to burn off on cold engines & so would linger in the bores & attack the Nikasil coating.

Often, the corrision would start at the top of the bore where the exposed interface of the aluminium block & Nikasil lining was in contact with the sulphurous acids formed during combustion of high-sulphur petrols. The corrosion would then work down the bore until it reached the level of the top piston ring at TDC-at which point the engine compression would be affected.

It was simple schoolboy chemistry of an acid in contact with 2 dissimilar metals, where the more electropositive metal is eaten away by the acid.

That's when the motor becomes scrap...

 

Thankfully I drive very little in my personal cars. My primary personal vehicle is a '12 Volvo S60; I picked it up with 250 miles on the odometer and now have put about 8,200 miles on it... and I got it in August 2011. So... my miles are always low. This Jag (or any other I get) will be a keeper car.


Funny, when they've found out I'm a cop... when I say things like, "Okay, I'm going to get on the gas now...", they usually don't mind. This car certainly seemed to start up right away, and absolutely took off when I hammered the gas.

I think I've forgotten to mention I'd be trading in a 2004 BMW X5...


I kind of thought it odd as well that the mechanic there apparently didn't know anything about it. Maybe they meant they didn't know anything about any Nikasil issues particular to this car? I don't know.

Anyways, as always, thank you all for your feedback. There's a wealth of knowledge here, and it's obvious I came to the right place.

 

Just an update: I went and looked at the car, but we didn't find common ground and so we didn't come to an agreement. I'll keep an eye on it, but our negotiations on price didn't work out.

In the meantime I took a test drive in an '94 XJS , 6-cyl.,with 67k miles and was underwhelmed when I stepped on the gas. Fun to drive when it got up to speed but getting there seemed to take forever compared to what I'm used to. I love the coupe body and have fond memories of wanting one, but the reality was a letdown. I still love how they look, however.

Looking now online for some nice examples in other states which I'd consider having shipped down if I found the right one. Considering a '95 XJR, green, as well as an '01 XJR. Buying a car sight-unseen is a terrifying prospect though.

So, my search continues, though I'll keep an eye out on this supercharged VDP and see if it sits there for a while, possibly giving more ammo for negotiations. Or, someone else may come and buy it... which is fine too!

 

If the 01 is in Tampa stay away.... blk/blk 146K....

I had it looked at by another forum member and its not worth it...

 

I might be inclined to part with my 2001 XJR. PM me if interested