New here! Looking into an XJS V12
#1
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Hello y'all and glad to begin being a part of this forum, hopefully for a while, so lets cut straight to the chase.
I've been looking into getting an XJS for Quite some time now and have finally decided to do it. There is one in my area specifically I'm looking at and I want to ask what you all think about this. It's a 1990 with 129,xxx miles on it. The body is solid and rust free, the interior is aveage i'd say. It's all there, just the normal cracks here and there. Mechanically it's not the greatest, but that's part of the reason I'd like to buy it, I love tinkering around with cars, and am plenty proficient enough to do most anything aside from machining heads. Listed are some of the issues this car has:
Both rear wheel bearings are bad....like very bad and will need to be replaced
Several vacuum lines are capped off/split which isn't uncommon
It'll need new tires on all fours
Needs a front end alignment
Needs rear main seal, oil pan gasket, and both valve cover gaskets. All leak, although the shop I took it to get inspected doesn't know if the rear main seal is leaking. It may just be all of the oil pouring down from above.
A/C blower works, but not A/C itself. Trip computer doesn't work but possibly just a fuse
Speedometer is inop.
Battery barely holds a charge, but alternator seems to hold it's own on voltage tests
Those are the main issues. All in all I drove it about 15 miles to and from the shop. The front end is in decent shape, the transmission shifted remarkably smoothly, the engine did run fairly well, albeit a little hot and sputtery, but no noise from the engine so no dropped seats! The kicker is he only wants $2,500 for the car. It has a clean title and also, as stated before, a very clean body. I'm more than willing and capable of doing all of the above work by myself, I'm mainly just poking to see if y'all think this is a fair deal. Can't wait for some input and thanks in advance!
Justin
I've been looking into getting an XJS for Quite some time now and have finally decided to do it. There is one in my area specifically I'm looking at and I want to ask what you all think about this. It's a 1990 with 129,xxx miles on it. The body is solid and rust free, the interior is aveage i'd say. It's all there, just the normal cracks here and there. Mechanically it's not the greatest, but that's part of the reason I'd like to buy it, I love tinkering around with cars, and am plenty proficient enough to do most anything aside from machining heads. Listed are some of the issues this car has:
Both rear wheel bearings are bad....like very bad and will need to be replaced
Several vacuum lines are capped off/split which isn't uncommon
It'll need new tires on all fours
Needs a front end alignment
Needs rear main seal, oil pan gasket, and both valve cover gaskets. All leak, although the shop I took it to get inspected doesn't know if the rear main seal is leaking. It may just be all of the oil pouring down from above.
A/C blower works, but not A/C itself. Trip computer doesn't work but possibly just a fuse
Speedometer is inop.
Battery barely holds a charge, but alternator seems to hold it's own on voltage tests
Those are the main issues. All in all I drove it about 15 miles to and from the shop. The front end is in decent shape, the transmission shifted remarkably smoothly, the engine did run fairly well, albeit a little hot and sputtery, but no noise from the engine so no dropped seats! The kicker is he only wants $2,500 for the car. It has a clean title and also, as stated before, a very clean body. I'm more than willing and capable of doing all of the above work by myself, I'm mainly just poking to see if y'all think this is a fair deal. Can't wait for some input and thanks in advance!
Justin
#2
#3
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I'd be paying him for it and I know what a money pit cars can be. If I didn't do all of my own work I'd be broke. This is being bought purely as a project and I have another car that is a daily driver
#4
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#5
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I do have an odd question though.....the car is a coupe and has a vinyl top. Oddly enough it looks either factor or EXTREMELY well done. Perfectly fitted around the gas cap and everything. Did the XJS ever come with an option that fitted a vinyl top?
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#8
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Not factory.
This forum is a fantastic resource. It doesn't seem you are too concerned about the $2,500. Except for the vinyl work on the exterior, you can find these cars in this condition all day, so if it's the vinyl that piqued your fancy, then do it.
If you believe the interior is worth the price of admission, seeing how the exterior looks pretty good, then everything else can be fixed with your time and your money.
Again, I must stress, v12s in this condition, at similar, if not lower price points, can be found...all day long. Pick the one that speaks to you and jump on in!
This forum is a fantastic resource. It doesn't seem you are too concerned about the $2,500. Except for the vinyl work on the exterior, you can find these cars in this condition all day, so if it's the vinyl that piqued your fancy, then do it.
If you believe the interior is worth the price of admission, seeing how the exterior looks pretty good, then everything else can be fixed with your time and your money.
Again, I must stress, v12s in this condition, at similar, if not lower price points, can be found...all day long. Pick the one that speaks to you and jump on in!
#9
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Not factory.
This forum is a fantastic resource. It doesn't seem you are too concerned about the $2,500. Except for the vinyl work on the exterior, you can find these cars in this condition all day, so if it's the vinyl that piqued your fancy, then do it.
If you believe the interior is worth the price of admission, seeing how the exterior looks pretty good, then everything else can be fixed with your time and your money.
Again, I must stress, v12s in this condition, at similar, if not lower price points, can be found...all day long. Pick the one that speaks to you and jump on in!
This forum is a fantastic resource. It doesn't seem you are too concerned about the $2,500. Except for the vinyl work on the exterior, you can find these cars in this condition all day, so if it's the vinyl that piqued your fancy, then do it.
If you believe the interior is worth the price of admission, seeing how the exterior looks pretty good, then everything else can be fixed with your time and your money.
Again, I must stress, v12s in this condition, at similar, if not lower price points, can be found...all day long. Pick the one that speaks to you and jump on in!
I'm going to talk him down a bit on price just to make sure I'm not digging myself a hole. The main reason I'm looking at this one is it's local so I won't have to worry about shipping or anything else to deal with. There are only a few others local but all are convertibles and I've always been more of a fan of the coupe. Added to that, the fact it is in such decent shape and mainly just needs mechanical work peaks my fancy. The vinyl top does make it unique, which is cool, but it's not necessarily a deal maker for me, although I do like it. Thanks for the input!
#10
#11
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This is of course my opinion but WHY on earth would someone pay a premium to put that top on there? It would be cause for me to one, completely walk away or two, talk the price waaaay down. Sorry but tops like that are notorious for hiding rust and harboring moisture and IMHO look terrible on the buttresses. When someone makes a decision to install something like that they better be ready to face the critics and not recoup the funds spent on doing it.
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orangeblossom (08-22-2015),
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#12
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Those wheel arches are also notorious for harboring moisture and hiding rust and if you try to take them off you'll most likely be looking at scuffed paint and the surrounding paint not matching due to sun fade. Looks like he wanted to make that thing a little too "blingy" All those visual "mods" are price detractors not price additions. The one starfish wheel up front is a little weird too.
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orangeblossom (08-22-2015),
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#13
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I must admit it is a good looking car. The concerns for me would be why the ac isn't working, ripping out the dash for a evaporator could "ruin your day" as Burnie once said. Pulling heads off a v12 for the 1st time in 25 yrs & 129k..... ABS Brakes are good ? Check the price of a master cyl. Rebuild kits or cyl's NA, at least that I know of. Anyway, Good luck
Lawrence
Lawrence
#14
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Those wheel arches are also notorious for harboring moisture and hiding rust and if you try to take them off you'll most likely be looking at scuffed paint and the surrounding paint not matching due to sun fade. Looks like he wanted to make that thing a little too "blingy" All those visual "mods" are price detractors not price additions. The one starfish wheel up front is a little weird too.
#15
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orangeblossom (08-22-2015)
#16
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Sorry to be a Debbie downer but I just read over the laundry list of things it needs vs the $2500 price tag, my advice is RUN don't walk away. In my area a decent driver needing little averages $3000 and they pop up from time to time with regularity. With those problems, the top, tires etc that's a $900 special all day long. The general public is scared to death of these things and people who want and know them are not paying even close to his price. 129k with oil leaks, bad bearings etc = not properly looked after. You DoNT want a V-12 with a sketchy past and a boat load of problems.
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#17
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Sorry to be a Debbie downer but I just read over the laundry list of things it needs vs the $2500 price tag, my advice is RUN don't walk away. In my area a decent driver needing little averages $3000 and they pop up from time to time with regularity. With those problems, the top, tires etc that's a $900 special all day long. The general public is scared to death of these things and people who want and know them are not paying even close to his price. 129k with oil leaks, bad bearings etc = not properly looked after. You DoNT want a V-12 with a sketchy past and a boat load of problems.
#18
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He was asking $7900 for it but soon came to realize it wasn't going to move at that plus I'm sure he's been informed it isn't a "Lister" but an XJS with a Lister lower body kit on it.
Last edited by JTsmks; 08-20-2015 at 12:23 PM.
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orangeblossom (08-22-2015)
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