Hey folks,

After my first car (XJ8 2004) got totaled, I am eyeing this stunning XJS. I have test drive it and placed a deposit on this car. The car runs very smoothly but I am just slightly worried about the rust (pics shown in the link)

https://www.classicautomall.com/vehi...jaguar-xjs-v12

As I am proceeding with pre-inspection and negotiation with prices. I want to ask if anyone has any advice for me. Does this rust look bad to y'all? Do I need to replace a lot of parts when I acquired it. What's a reasonable price for this car, and what are some key areas to look into when acquiring and maintaining an XJS.

Many thanks! And I am very excited to join the XJS family!

Loic

 

Rust is a problem, and we get very little of it down here, so I will leave those answers to the members in your area.

Have a read of the "sticky" at the top of this section "Worksheet that may help..........", and maybe also the others.

AGE is the issue with them, and there is NO escaping that.

If you are a DIY owner, not a real pain, but relying on others, oh dear, finding them is hard, and the $$ required can be daunting.

Good luck.

 

Hi Loic

Nothing more expensive than buying a Cheap Jag and so I think that you would have to spend at least as much again in trying to bring that one 'up to snuff' as she looks like she's been standing a long time

The Calipers and the Trailing Arms look very much like they would need replacing, which could be expensive for a Shop to have to do and that's only what we can see

Where the Main Problem as always are these Cars are so easy to love, that it's always so tempting to buy the first one that you see, where many of us including myself have gone and made that very same mistake

So use that one as a Benchmark and go and look at some others before you decide

 

Hi Loic,

Hard to tell just from pictures but I get the feeling that this is a car that superficially looks OK on the surface but is on the cusp of turning into a major restoration. Those odd spots of rusts on the underside will be much bigger once you scrape away at the underseal and small jobs will grow into big ones. Likely that if you have the work done professionally the cost will far exceed the car's value. Headlining needs replacing too.

Overall I would look around to see what else is available unless you can get it at a low price (can't comment on US prices) and can do the restoration work yourself.

In terms of rust on the XJS and other tips have a look at the excellent guides on the website below:

XJS Tips, Tricks and Information - Just XJS

Good luck with the search.

Cheers,
LeeP

 

Loic,

Just from the photos, there a re a number of immediate issues on that car. And from the vendor's description and choice of words, they clearly don't have a detailed knowledge of XJSs.

Apart from the cosmetic items such as the headliner, centre console veneer and drivers seat piping, there are more fundamental issues. The rear radius arms seem dangerously corroded, there are oil leaks from the rear diff, and the front brake calipers seem corroded to the point of dangerous. The engine bay is neglected with a corroded fuel rail and other items. It is also very likely that all the fuel pipes and coolant hoses would need replacing. It does seem as if the car has been standing neglected for some time and possibly in a damp environment.

The difficulty is that the car seems superficially quite good on the external bodywork, creating the illusion of a good car which can seem very appealing at first glance.

Based on what little I know of how well cars can survive in the drier climate of many US states, I think you could find much better value elsewhere.

There is arguably no such thing as a very cheap XJS any more. You either pay more to buy to buy the car, or you spend a lot more money after you buy the car. I worry that the car you're looking at falls into the latter category.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Paul

 

It looks nice at first glance, but I think it needs more than just a quick tuneup. The fuel and cooling systems to start with, then there is the rust on the radius arms and body. The body rust doesn't look too bad, but its always worse than it looks. I'm not sure of your situation, but if this is your only car I'd look for a facelift 6 cylinder.

 

Happy to see consensus here...I'd pass as I sense a dodgy history. The car has been repainted, the pinstripe is nice but not OE and placed too high. I can't imagine what happened to those trailing, or raduis, arms to corrode them so badly without doing more damage to other parts of the car...except those front calipers, also ugly. One rear set of shocks has been replaced but the rotors look very old, so I'm guessing the rear end hasn't been lowered.

I think you'll find a more honest and original one for the money if you keep looking, and this is the time of year. Eg. a black '88 XJ-S near me just got a price cut from $CAD6500 to $5600 with a safety certificate (means can be registered and used right away) and he was trying to sell it last year.

 

After careful examination I would estimate the asking price will end up being well less than 50% of what you will end up spending on that car.

You should know that going in (see the sticky at the top of forum for Grant's brilliant write up on what you'll need to do once you buy it).

 

Growler AND a leaper? Hard pass.

 

I doubt even Jaguar was so pessimistic about the chances of their linings staying up that they provided wood staves from the factory to hold them there....

Also, the "V12" and "XJS" badge areas are filthy, showing that the PO didn't really bother cleaning too much.
On the plus side, it's nice that a car this rusty is going for that much - maybe XJS prices are really rising, like people have been saying they will for the past X number of years.

 

It's a 30yo car! Of course there are going to be things.
Take the car and make it yours!
They will always take work.
And it can be a dangerous thing to give car advise.

I am in the same chapter as GF above... If you enjoy working on cars, just know that you'll have some things to do.

Personally I don't see anything scary except what looks like a lot of oil around the rear differential - can require some real experience and a big job to solve. The trailing arms and a caliper (one of mine looked like that and just needed a wire brush and a touch of black paint) are easily workable. I would be more concerned, want to SEE, just how deeply what looks like scale and surface rust at few points goes in the photos. I'd bet (and would be grateful that the seller, for pictures, didn't just hit those spots with paint to hide scale) that it's expected, normal, surface rust.

I got my car after it had sat, top partly open, for 12yrs. No drivers floor and a host of things that needed and still need to be sorted. Today, I could drive it daily and have no qualms (well almost) about taking it on long drives.

They are amazing cars.
Nothing to fear but fear itself.

 

It does not look bad, but it does look prettier on top than it does underneath. The rear suspension trailing arms don't look very good, it is hard to tell in the pictures if this is just cosmetic, or if they will need replacing. If they are solid, a wire brush and paint may be all that is needed, but they certainly need close inspection. The rear differential is leaking. I don't know where the oil is coming from but this will require attention. If you are doing it yourself it will be a fair bit of work, if you are paying someone else, it will be a fair bit of cash. The fuel hoses on the injectors and underhood all look to be original. Everything should be replaced, at least everything on the high pressure side, definitely including the hoses going to each injector. I bet it will need the fuel injector wiring harness, and other wiring in the valley to be replaced too. It is not beyond saving, but will need a fair bit of work. Because of that I believe the price is too high. If you want to buy it, I'd suggest getting the dealer to repair the rear differential leaks, and to replace every high pressure fuel hose under the hood.

 

Look really close around the windscreen base. Open the hood (bonnet) and look for bubbles in the rain channel, especially near the windscreen. Open the doors and look at the bit under the angle of the hinge. Rust around the windscreen tends to let water into the chassis rails. They don't like being rained on.

This one looks like it's atmospheric rust, and I suspect that's good news for the body. I'm with JayJagJay on the achievability. The things we see don't look bad, if you're willing to do the work. Trailing arms are obtainable and not too difficult. That caliper will scrub up. Yes there will be more jobs.

I don't like this car though. I wouldn't buy it. It needs to be nicer to be worth the effort - this will not be the best you see.