No papers, no pictures lol sounds stolen. And that amount of work is a long project, or rolling parts car.

Have you looked into simplying buying one elsewhere and driving it home? Lots of cheap ones on UK Ebay in okay shape. Or importing from the US as your Euro dollars go far in other countries?

 

As a rule there is always more rust than you can see, so this could be a big job. Interiors are also very expensive to replace and put right. $20,000 is way to much money for a car in that condition.

 

Hello 1975

If it was me - the most important question you should ask is "What do you want in a car".

I also wanted a Barn find, and I spent most of 2018 looking around at all different types of vehicles until i found the one that sung to me.

Barn find it was, it had rust, it was painted yellow, the interior - when you sat in it - the seats were so bad you touched the floor, the gauges - nothing worked except the speedo

But the rust was not structural, it had a full body kit and simmons mags which made it look like a muscle car, suspension, gearbox and motor was strong, Interior, although ratty, was all there. It was the perfect car for me, exactly what I was looking for.

Since then - I have sent quite a bit of money into it, getting to a point where if I wanted to sell it, I probably would not get my money back, but that is not the reason I purchased the car.

The reason I wanted my car is to allow me an escape from what I do Monday to Friday. When I am not tinkering with her on the weekends (and holidays), I am thinking of what the next step is. It has now been a 12 month process, still some time before she is on the road

When it comes to price - mine was the right price - if you are willing to pay 6K, and the seller wants 15K, that is a substantial difference of opinion.

So back to the original question - what do you want in a car - and will this one full fill that want

Cheers
Steve

P.S - I know I wrote above about a timing chain not needing replacement unless a full motor rebuild, Since writing that - I found a later model Jag that has a broken timing chain, so maybe they do break, or maybe that one was the exception to the rule?

 

VERY SMART MOVE.

We have issues here with some Imports, mainly USA, and UK. Getting the thing certified, and ADR specified can cost $$$, and also NO guarantee, AND, each State has different regulations, so a car that was OK in one state may not be OK in another. Australian delivered cars, NO issues at all, obviously.

 

My intention would be to buy a car with some work to do to get more and more interested in the model. I'm not looking for a perfect car, but what I found seems to me to need too many jobs.

In your opinion, how much can a car be worth in the conditions I have described to you?

Thanks a lot

 

Hello 1975

My opinion only

PRO:
- there is very little rust: only a hole as big as 3 coins at the driver's feet. Some rust before the left rear wheel.
- the engine starts
- the car is complete and seems all original (I would say it is a survivor)
You have the basis of a car that requires a total rebuild - which is a good thing


CONS:
- the engine coolant reservoir is empty. (I wanted to see the color of the liquid to see if a head gasket had problems)
For a car that has sat for a while - not surprising, new hoses form part of the must do for all new jag owners
- the left bank of the V12 sounds bad
The engine starts - which is a huge bonus (and a bit of a surprise)
- the right bank of the V12 loses motor oil
Not surprising, gaskets were weak when they first left the factory
- the internal carpet must be replaced because it is rot
Not surprising - as long as they are intact enough to use them as templates
- the interior seats have to be redone (even the rear ones)
Bonus is they are made out of vinyl, not leather like the newer ones
- there are mark on the bodywork. The paint has many small points (on the whole car) and some bubbles. Does it hide rust? I believe it is completely to be repainted
Does it hide rust - yes. When you start rubbing the areas, it will grow - total paint job required - very expensive unless you do it yourself. Due to the curves of the XJS, not the easiest of cars to learn on
- the left windscreen pillar is damaged and therefore to be replaced
I believe this is a structural member, this is not easy
- the tires are to be replaced (I think they are at least 20 years old)
Goes without saying
- the alloy wheels are to be completely repainted
These will be pitted (and rusted), most likely need new rims
- the ignition lock must be replaced
$300 (Australian) - new one went in mine
- the chrome of the headlights and the front grille are to be redone
Chroming is expensive
- rear lights have all broken supports
Rear lights are expensive, and very difficult to find good second hand ones
- the roof covering must be replaced (typical of xjs)
Typical, but the biscuit board will also be stuffed
- the radio is missing and an ugly cap has been stuck on the dashboard
- the machine is without a license plate and without an Italian vehicle registration document and therefore has to be re-registered
This can be difficult - and by the sounds of it - you do not seem confident that you can achieve it
- there is no history of machine maintenance.
Not surprised

All rubbers will be gone, brakes will be shot

For me - it is worth a parts car, not sure what the currency change is between Australia and your country, but I would not pay anything over $1000, which is approx $500 US and around 400 pound (give or take).

If you think I am trying to talk you out of it - you would be right

Cheers
Steve

 

I thank you for the advice. The more I read you, the more I realize that I was making a great mistake in being willing to pay between 3,000 and 6,000 US dollars

I would still like to ask a question: have you ever seen the paintwork of a car with lots of little dots and some bubbles? from which problem could it depend? Rust?

 

My car has a few minor tiny bubbles, obvious rust I've sealed with corroseal and heavy applications of wax until a suitable bodyshop is found. No dots, any raised surface issue can be claybar'ed out. For $3000 USD your car should be drivable but needing attention. Mine cost 2k and needed 1 fuel hose and 1 sensor to run...mind you I've put 20k into it since then.

 

Again - just my opinion.

Lots of little dots on a car that was painted some time ago (ie - the original paint work), is something that I would consider not a bad thing because it is honest.
It is more of an indication that the paint is now very thin, exposing the peaks of the sheet metal, while the troughs are still covered. These peaks are the dots.

If left untreated/exposed, these rust dots act as an anode (or cathode - not sure which), concentrating the chemicals of the surrounding environment at these spots. This is when corrosion starts to spread rapidly as it eats the surrounding area of the original dots - turning them into bubbles.

The bigger the bubbles, the more sheet metal is being eaten away under the paint. - until eventually someone or something puts pressure on the bubble and a hole appears.

To remove the dots and bubbles - you have to expose unaffected material and treat it, and this is where the term "bare metal respray" comes from. It is where you expose the metal and treat the rust, and then renew the coated protection.

It is also why you have to be careful when looking at a recently painted vehicle, because if they did not treat the dots/bubbles correctly, they will return at a remarkable speed.

My car has had a bare metal respray, and I have warranty on it. Of course the bloke who did the work is off the "old school" panel beaters therefore close to retirement, so I am not exactly confident on how good this warranty is.
So I will be waxoiling, cathodic protecting, and everything thing else I can think off to help preserve my beauty.

The XJS is a beautiful car, and i love the barn find and bringing them alive again. But you need a good base to start from, and the price needs to be right, because it will cost a lot of $ to bring a barn find to a suitable condition.
I also like a barn find because i do not have that internal struggle of "do I keep it original, or do I modify". I can do as I wish with a clear conscious

Cheers again
Steve

 

It could be rust, could be a failure of the paint and it's not adhering to the metal underneath anymore.

It could also have been repainted and is experiencing what is called solvent pop. Especially for basecoat/clearcoat systems, when you spray the basecoat you need to wait a certain amount of time for the thinners to evaporate or flash out. If the painter doesn't wait long enough and applies the clearcoat over the basecoat that isn't dry enough the thinners in it try and escape and can bubble the clearcoat as they expand with heat over time.

The same thing can happen with single layer paint ( e.g. acrylic enamel) if the paint is applied too thick.