Greetings Mario,

"Smick"...thanks for that, it's a new one on me. I recallan Englishman using the term "bingle" to describe a car accident he was involved in.The Global world is a great world to share!

So here's the deal on your request. Mind you, I don't know conversion rates in my head for Kilometers or Austrailian currency.

For years, my standard answer to your question would have been to buy the car and love it, as the only problem areas are generally insignificant. The engines and transmissions are highly reliable, and the vehicle electrical systems are not nearly so complex as later models.

The trouble is, the small problems are now becoming a bit more difficult to solve. Say your sidelights are not coming on, or your radio is dead when you start the car: you need a DBC10009 relay, but you can't buy one anymore. Your car won't start one day, because water has leaked through the A post cavity and corroded your left side fusebox...but you can't buy one of those anymore, either. And one of your blower motors starts screetching on high speed: those you can still buy new, for about $600.00 U.S....each.

None of these relatively minor problems are impossible to solve, and a good mechanic can diagnose the systems on your car without too much trouble. That's the first thing you need to locate before you buy the car. Alot offaults can be repaired without replacing majorcomponents, but that takes knowledge and time. In the U.S., that means money.

I'm assuming the purchase price converts to an awful lot of U.S. dollars. That suggests XJ40's are rare in your land, and thatparts cars will be hard to find. You can still get all you need from other countries (or my shop), but you'll have to bear the added cost and possibly the down time (or "down under" time ?) involved. So the second thing you need to find is a good local source for parts.

Try calling around to find an exteriordoor handle to fit your car. One of the fourwill break within the first six months of your ownership. Can you find a new one, or a good used one, on your continent? If so, will you be able to afford it on a Wednesday after work, and bring it to a guy who can properly fit it for you? How about a throttle potentiometer (TPS on later models)...will you be able to find one when your transmission fault light comes on, and your car is trolling around in "limp home" mode?

That's the sort of answers you'll need to come up with, and then you can make an informed decision. These are good cars, even when they are old cars. My delivery car is a 1992 XJ40 with 180,000 miles of service. It doesn't look smick,though it runs like stink and everything works...even the door handles. But I have like three parts cars, and the ability to break off what I need and slap it on when I need it. That's the difference betweenthe spot on the globe I'm on, and the one you are thinking about jumping into. Good Hunting!