I far, far prefer the bumpers of the silver one, but I enjoy the red colour more

Which is the rarer and which is easier to resell? Silver or Red?

Interior-wise I prefer the conditions of the red one, wouldn't you agree?

Collectible value wise which engine is more desirable? 6.0 or 5.3?

I PM'd you, Paul.

 

Update: tomorrow I'll inspect a '94 V12 Coupé in cardinal red with 76,000 miles. Pray that this is the right one!

​​​

 

I feel blessed by how many forum member helped me and how important the advice that I received was, in so many different ways. But this morning it was even more surprising: to my bewilderment a Forum member even drove 90 miles to inspect an XJS + 90 miles back to help me! I have a huge debt of gratitude to him and to this Forum!

​​​​​​I already saved thousands of euros on fixing faults on a Daimler Double Six for my Italian home, and now I saved probably another £5,000 on this English XJS.

We found that:

• Both floor pans had been poorly repaired (from rust) and we believe that the new - superficial - rust that we found, could be hiding much worse underneath.
• The OSF lower subframe spring mount/pan was showing rust externally suggesting that there was worse internally.
• The windscreen was cracked in front of the passenger and had begun de-laminating.
• The NS seat belt mount floor pan had a hole left over from a previous repair (but no rust).
• The OSR exhaust box had a hole
• The PAS was leaking
• The Radiator lower fins were damaged.
• The rear bumpers chrome frame had rusted and needed replacing.
• The driver seat required re-connelizing.
• Air conditioning not working

The XJS was offered at £9,950 with 76,000 miles. Yes, it was a fair price, but I would have had to spend half of that again on top to get it straightened out.

I decided to pass. A huge thank you to the member who helped inspect and estimate costs to correct the faults.

Tommaso

 

Wise to pass. Be patient and wait for the right one.

 

Hi Tommaso

Well done for 'Kicking that one to the Kerb!' as there is always a Temptation to say Yes! with your Heart, while the Voice in your Head, says No! and if he comes back with a Lower Price after thinking it over, then I would still say No!

As from the way you described it, I think he'll have a job to move it on, which may possibly dawn on him when reality starts to sink in, as if he'd been more realistic about the Condition and priced it at Six Grand, then maybe he could have had a deal with you right there and then

Good Job Paul (ptjs) was with you to Steer you away from Temptation!

But I've already found you another 6 Litre! that really made me go Wow!

In a very, very rare and unusual Colour, that makes it look even more expensive than the one that you looked at Today

This one is with a Dealer and although its just within budget, the MOT History is a little bit 'Sketchy' and if that wasn't bad enough, it hasn't been MOT'd for the Past Two Years!

Though as its with a Dealer you don't have to pull your punches, when it comes to making an offer, if it starts to float your boat as much as it did mine and you could even ask the Dealer to put everything right to your Satisfaction and give you a Brand New MOT

I see another Road Trip in Paul's (ptjs) Future!

I will send you a PM but don't know how to send one to Paul (ptjs) at the same time, so you may have to pass it onto Paul (ptjs)

Alex

 

I received the link, thank you! I like them both. But where do you find so many, that I miss?

The one with the XXX number plate doesn't look too bad, except for the headliner and a few lines of rust, and the colour that is not my favourite. The other one has a beautiful colour, (the colour of my father's V12 Daimler Coupé) and seems in better conditions ... ??

To avoid repeated useless road trips, I will now start asking for images of the 4 floor pans, the engine bay, the sub-frames and the scuttle.

To send a PM to multiple recipients, just add the desired recipient's names, just as they appear in a post (*), in the [ to ] box and add a semi-colon [ ; ] after each name. That's how I sent my PM to you, both Greg and Paul.

(*) for example: orangeblossom; ptjs; greg in france;

Tommaso

 

Hi Tommaso

Just had a Great Idea, that you could suggest to Paul (ptjs)

Maybe Paul (ptjs) might like to do a 200 Point Pre-Inspection Condition Check list, that could be sent (PDF) to Sellers who's Cars you are interested in, which could be rated from 1 to 5 Stars

If anything it might encourage them to be a little less economical with the True Condition

P.S. The darker one of those two Cars, I won't name the Color for obvious reasons because it is so rare has got the Optional Extra Alloys worth about 2K!

Just wondering if the Owner of the other Car might have had taken those off before he advertised it for Sale (Suspicious me!)

Paul (ptjs) has probably got the Spec list of when the Car was first commissioned

Alex

 

Alex, thank you.

I already have the bullet list for inspection (attached) but sellers are not even interested to send me detailed photos of the scuttle, the floor pans and the sub frames, let alone do any inspection. The only one that was more than wiling was the seller of the Japanese, gray, 36,000 miles XJS that has been maintained by Chris Knowles in Newbury. I am still waiting for a reply from the others...

Update: I "video visited" the 1996 XJS in that beautiful colour. The seller has taken over the business from an ex Jaguar specialist. Quite well known.

• Rust in both front foot wells has been repaired. I took images where you can see the repair, but now there is no rust left. The rear foot wells are clean and not rust.
• Rust at the base of the two A pillars (scuttle) was repaired by this seller by removing the windscreen and repainting the roof
• A few scratches on the bonnet.
• A small dent on the OSF wing.
• Driver seat very warn - needs re-connolizing by a professional.
• New headliner fitted by him, personally.
• OSF rear mirror loose.
  

This XJS (seller claims) was one of the last 12 produced, marked with every single trim option fitted. This XJS has not had an MOT for 3 years as it was the personal car of the Jaguar Specialist which business he took over but seller is willing to sell the XJS, at listed price, with MOT without advisories. He is willing to reimburse me of an independent inspection cost if the MOT turns out any advisory. I explained my concern with exterior rust to the spring pan/mounts and he will make a video on the ramp tomorrow.

 

Hi Tommaso

Is that Pdf list for you to use when inspecting the Car or for the Seller to use to report back on?

Alex

 

For me. It was drafted by Paul & Greg. I never sent it to any seller.

 

That list might well be worth making into a sticky.

 

Hi Tommaso

I've just found the Car you're looking for!

I'll send you a PM

Alex

 

Wow, after four years, my first sticky ...

Who is the Forum owner? To whom should I ask if it can be made a sticky?


​​

 

Wow! Alex, how do you manage to find so many? You're an XJS Wizard! Do you pull them out of a hat?

I prefer the other violet (I don't know the Jaguar name for our) colour, but BRG too is a solid XJ-S colour. And only 42,000 miles! As little as our reference Japanese XJS. Never failed a single MOT and always in use.

Thanks Alex, well done 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

​​​​​

 

Tommaso,

Before we make that a sticky, why don't we tweak it a bit, so it's broken down by body, suspension, interior, engine etc? Also, it has a few comments that I wrote relating to one specific vehicle, which would need removing etc.

Cheers

Paul

 

Hi Tommaso

Morocco Red is the name

So rare I've never seen it listed in the Colour Match Charts

Alex

 

Agreed, yes. Let me list here the document, for you to amend, then I will reformat it in PDF once you are happy with it.


------------------------

Jaguar XJS (facelift 6.0 specific) inspection list

Before driving the car
• Front wheel arches where they join the under-bumper
piece that curves round to the lower grille. This will be
difficult to examine, as this is a big-bumper car.
• Wheel arches, NB the parts attaching to the sills.
• Where radius arms attach to the body in front of the
rear axle. Also check inside the car in the floorpan in
this area.
• Check the seatbelt mount points on the floorpan.
• Front floors (carpets must be lifted) from interior and
exterior. Particularly look for rust at the front edge of
the floorpan, where it meets the bulkhead. And the
joint of the floorpans, at the side to the sill area. Check
for any damp in the foam insulation under the front
and rear carpets. This can be indicative of screen
corrosion.
• Exhaust tunnel sides and bottom corners between door
rear and start of wheelarch.
• Knock VERY attentively at windscreen scuttle, in front of
windscreen corners. You cannot see rust there, but you
MAY hear it. Horrifying photos of what can be beneath
the paint. If there is ANY small bubble of rust where the
windscreen chromes adjoin the scuttle panel, then
there will be MUCH worse rust underneath, and
probably in the windscreen flange. Even if you can’t see
a bubble of rust, there may be a problem under the
windscreen chromes.
• VERY important: behind the front shock absorber
strengtheners. Look inside the engine bay having
removed the air boxes, at the sheet metal below the
shock absorber top when it goes down to the chassis
rail.
• Door corners & lower edge of doorskin generally.
• Look for any bubbling of rust in the outer corners of the
rear windscreen by the buttresses.
• ANY bubbling up under the paint anywhere indicates
rust.
• Front and back of sills, requires careful knocking to
detect rust, as it will not show. Also look underneath
where the curved sill panel then becomes a short
vertical section. This is spot-welded along its length to a
vertical return of the floorpan. Look all along on the
inboard edge of this join for rust.
• Front and rear subframes and associated rubber parts;
you are looking for rubber cracking and perishing on
the rubber and rust on the subframes. On this car, it’s
really important to look at both the front & rear
subframes. Both of them were referenced as corroding
in 2012, and again in 2016. So what has been done to
them to remedy this? Have they been removed and
fully refurbished?
• Also, springs have been referenced as corroding for
some years. Check the state of all six springs & shocks.
• Leaking oil anywhere on the engine but particularly
rear bottom by the gearbox join.
• Leaking oil on or around the differential.
• Look for evidence of greasing having been done on the
rear axle. There are greasable UJs on the rear axle.
• Look for any weeping calipers, and cracked brake
flexibles, also discs being in good condition.
• Test the air conditioning in ALL modes and
temperatures as this can be very costly to repair, if not
working, and certain parts are NLA.
• Look at coolant colour and condition, it should be clear,
the proper colour, and not rusty or dirty.
• Hoses and drive belt condition. Also look at the state of
the fins in the lower third of the rad. They are prone to
corroding. Also look for debris trapped between the
radiator, aircon condenser and oil cooler.
• Look for any oil on connections to oil cooler. Any leaks
here will probably require a new cooler as it is almost
impossible to remove the pipes without destroying the
cooler connections.
• Ensure engine bay wiring is not brittle.
• Inspect tyre age markings. Also tyres have been
referenced in recent MoTs as unevenly wearing. Check
condition of tyres and track rod ends, and also steering
rack bushes.
• Ensure that there are no fuel odours in the boot, before
starting the car, and smell again afterwards.
• Look at colour of auto gearbox fluid, it should be clear
and pink.
• Check all electrics work on dashboard switches.
• Check for any cracks or damage in the headlights or
rear lights. These are NLA and used replacements are
very expensive.
• Carefully look for alignment of chrome strips on top of
bumpers. Any misalignment can indicate accident
damage. It’s difficult to see, but try and check for rust
on underside of those chrome strips. It’s very expensive
to find used replacements.
• Check the door mirrors, if they are slightly wobbly, it
means that the shafts have seized.
Drive the car
• Warm up engine, drive it, and look for steady coolant
temps.
• Check the basic operation of the ABS pump &
accumulator as follows:
o Turn off ignition,
o Press brake pedal 25-30 times.
o This will discharge the accumulated brake
pressure. The pedal should now be extremely
hard.
o DO NOT touch brake pedal in next step:
▪ Turn on ignition and listen to ABS pump
running. Time how many seconds it runs for
– expected 25-45 seconds.
▪ Wait until ABS pump stops running.
▪ Press brake pedal once, Does the pump cut
in?
▪ Press again. How many presses before
pump cuts in?
▪ Look through the service documentation
and note frequency of fluid changes of:
• Engine Oil & Filter
• Automatic gearbox fluid & filter
• Diff Fluid
• Coolant
• Brake fluid (really important that this
has been changed in the last 2 years)

 

Update. Yesterday we inspected an excellent grey 5.3 V12 facelift, imported green Japan.

After one hour of meticulous inspection we found that it looked as a 10,000 miles car with zero rust and immaculate interiors. Only the rear breaks required new disks & pads and the differential had a very slight leak.

Unfortunately this XJS is way more than the target investment.

Anyone interested in buying an excellent XJS (if somewhat pricey), PM me.