Or if we get re-election done by the (D) camp, then I assume all quality rifles are gonna go up in price
No offense to New England crowd, you boys stay beautiful...

 

I think it is hard to rationalize any XJS purchase, except if George Clooney farted in it, or something. I say, if it feels right, go with it and tell us all how you tackled each and every issue she'll throw at you.

 

i asked the dude for some pictures of the interior in some of the bad spots he mentioned. he still hasnt sent them to me. i think that he was underplaying how bad the damage actually is.

i found another one for around the same price, but much better looking. it hasnt been run in a while, but its much closer to what im looking for, and as long as its got spark it should be a simple matter to get it running again.

 

update: im looking at a new XJS. this one is a white 84 with excellent looking 5 spoke wheels. $1,500 U.S. OBO

The Good:
no sunroof, white, excellent 5 spokes, V12 HE, recently replaced fuel pump. asthetically its everything im after in an XJS. 77k miles. no electrical issues outside of a broken CD player (30 channels of nothing to listen to anyways.)

The Bad: its sat outside for the last 8 years and hasnt been driven in 2 and the fuel is fouled (i was assuming it would have evaporated by now). the tires have got to be at least that old and are surely dry rotted. leaks slightly, gas smell in interior which surely means the tank is rusted.

The Ugly:
8 years of UV on the leather interior and possibly a bad headliner, although im not sure. bad stitching in leather seats. supposedly the windows leak so im assuming the worst for water damage. he says it doesnt smell musty and moldy, but it does smell like gas. tiny amount of rust on the rear quarter panels and rocker panels. flaked paint on window frame, clearcoat is a bit dull.

concerns: the fuel tank and surge tank will surely need dropped and cleaned. the battery is flat and i cant crank the engine over to see if its still getting spark. if it IS still getting spark, then its a simple matter of fuel supply to start it. thats pretty much the definative line for me. if it sparks i want it, if it doesnt, i dont.

if i can get it for under a grand, then im definately buying it.

im planning on going up to look at it next week ~ 150 miles away. (i plan on towing it back, of course)

(again, if the interior is good, ill keep it. if its ratty, ill gut it. i can get a pair of race buckets for cheap, paint the floor, some diamond plate, etc. i would really like to do a 6.0 swap, or a 5.3 weber set up. either motor is getting quad straights, back to the rear wheels. fun for cheap?)

 

I can guarantee you that floors on this thing will need serious work. If rust came through, like it did on door bottoms and rear corners, there is tons more at the trailing arm mounts and along the rocker bottoms.
If she has not been repainted, or majorly touched all around, I'd say $1000 is ok, but no more.

 

Yeah, these are tough to generally rationalize. For $3k you can get a nice 85-89 with everything working and nice cosmetic condition if you look around. For sub $1k, if you're looking for a project to sink your teeth into... GO FOR IT AND POST PICS :-)


edit: I do love the XJS in black, white, and dark metallic grey.

 

I agree with the others. Floorboards might be an issue, and if they are you might want to take a hard look at where the rear suspension mounts to the subframe.

 

Even at this resolution I can see the rust on the rear quarters just ahead of the wheel arches.

Again, the mechanical issues wouldn't concern me as much as the condition of the paint. interior, and the rust. Lots 'o work, lots 'o money.....

 

In good conscience I can't recommend that anyone spend their hard earned money on an XJS that's been stored outside for eight years and not driven in two - unless and only if it's used as a parts car. This car is another s**tbox that is good for parts only. Look for a good car that is in regular use and has been taken care of - there are lots of them out there.

 

i knew rust was gonna be an issue. especially in the floor boards. thanks for the heads up on the rear trailing arms.

i think if the rust isnt bad, i can always touch this car up pretty nicely with a wire brush and my airbrush. like i said, im really more looking for a project, than a nice jag.

 

It'll take more than an airbrush to fix those quarters. And that spot is just above the trailing arm mount.

 

The car is an absolute disaster. As someone else said, buy something much better for 3 to 4 thou and you will save thousands and have much more fun. I realise you may not want absolute originality and may want to chnage lots of things etc etc, but a car like the white one will take years, a fortune in parts, break your heart, and even then may not be much good compared with a better car from the start.

You will end up replacing every moving part except the engine itself, and the gearbox if you are really lucky, and replacing every non moving part like the rad, rubber bushes, ball joints, brakes (everything), all rubber piping and tubing, tyres, engine loom in places, seats, interior ... it will go on and on. Even when good these are time consuming cars to look after - great if its your only hobby.

These are great cars, and once right they can be kept right reasonably easily - with vigilance rather than money being the main thing. But buy the best one you can find, owned previously by a careful person, and it will be a great fun car to do things on. Save up if needed, rather than buy a basket case!

Greg

 

i dont see how this one is worse than the first one i was looking at. this one seems much more promising. meh, the rust has put me a bit off, though.

 

I had to cut out entire trailing arm mount areas and replace with fresh metal, same with butt cheeks and areas behind doors, but I am insane, plus have my own lift and can do it during the day, while watching other people work for me...

 

what you did to your car was.... insane. your car was brutally rusted. i love the vid of you doing burnouts with the front fenders, bonnet, and doors removed. lol

 

I know, but this POS is part of my family now, like 3-legged dog, or retarded uncle, that keeps taking his pants off on public, kinda like that
BTW, here is my pristine bottom right now

 

saved to documents*

 

I have high res pics, whole bunch...

 

ive got most of the other ones saved too. and all the videos.

 

If you haven't bought it yet, I've got one that you might be interested in. It is a very rare (only 893 made) XJS and I'm selling it dirt cheap. Got married, had a baby, and the economy tanked. I hate to sell it, but I need the money. If you go to Ebay Motors, search XJS, and look for the one in Tucson, that's mine. If you already bought one, if you could help spread the word and let people know about mine, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/XJS-Jaguar-V-12-Convertible-NO-RESERVE-VERY-RARE-MODEL-ONLY-893-MADE-/280820428298?pt=US_Cars_Truck