I'm not rushing, otherwise I would've bought one already. I have been watching the prices fall steadily since I was 18 or 19 and I was ready to buy one last year, but for whatever reason the prices either plateaued or climbed and the one I did find sort of locally, the dealer went back on the contract and that's why I bought another Camaro (I needed a car at the time).

I've put too much planning and dreaming into this to just **** it all away and live myself in debt or near bankruptcy without a functioning automobile.

[/quote]Of course, if you wait until October you can probably get an awesome deal. Convertibles are like boats, the prices skyrocket in the spring and plummet in the fall.[/quote]
That's true but at the same token, the availability greatly decreases. Now that I've gotten a bit more desperate and widened my search area, that may change, but in the past looking in Ontario, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and Penn, the listings disappear and only the automated dealer ones are left up.

I'm just frustrated with the (I'm sorry for this comment) bloody American law enforcment officials and some of the poor luck I've been having since I thought of selling the Camaro. It's almost as if there is some sort of divine intervention preventing me from changing cars?

Doug,
This is year two for me. First year wasn't very intense, I wasn't gutsy enough to try the importing thing myself and the brokers I was trying to deal with were hesitant to deal with private sellers.

Sam,
Yes. Yes I am a dude. A cool dude too! Bow before me. That girl was one of my high school friends who moved out to BC. She came home for a week just after I bought the car so we took some pictures.

 

I'm starting to get a little sick of the cross border travel and the 4 hour trips needed to check out these cars on different days. I'd rather be parked by the beach catching some sun rather than parked on the bridge in traffic and held up in customs.

I'm thinking it would be amazingly handy if a seller could bring the car to a Jaguar dealership for an inspection and let someone who is quite familiar with the vehicle put it through its paces and produce an official letter about the quality/condition of the specimen. Is that at all possible?

 

I'm sure it's possible, in fact I know it is, I run a car auction and people do just that. However, it never ends well. Perception is everything, and what one person might perceive as great you might find less than adequate.

 

Car #1 just took a step forward in my eyes. I just spoke with the dealer. If I come in with $11 000 in my hand, they'll give me the keys. They'll take care of the taxes, fees and paperwork. If I fly in, they will pick me up at the airport.

I asked for a paint job, but he said no.

I think I'm going to forget about Car X for now. It's at the higher end of what I'm willing to pay for an expensive used toy... and the owner hasn't e-mailed me back in a couple of days. Even if he does, I don't think I'd convince him to drop to $15 000 similar to Car #2.

I'll give Car #2 a crack again Monday, if that falls through I will pick between cars #1 and #7. Which ever is in better shape. If conditions are equal likely car #1.

Is there anyone on the forums here from the Marietta, Ga area that could take a look at it for me?

 

I am in Atlanta. Where is this car located?

Addendum: I found it. Tell me who you you are dealing with and I can check it out.

email: lewatl at bellsouth dot net

 

^ lew will give it a good lookin over... this ought to be good

 

Sounds like h20 has some faith... lol

 

An engine control module repair. What does it entail? How serious is it? Is it a symptom of other problems?

 

I'll be checking it out on Monday.

 

hlgeorge, a team player!

Try to be impartial on the rims/tires...though I would mention if these cause a less comfortable ride. Wish I could come with ya and play inspector.

Have you been looking at cars.com as well? I just saw a 2002 XKR with 125k miles listed for $12.5.

What ever happened to Car #2, that was my personal favorite.

 

To be honest, I am not fond of those wheels, but am impressed that they do accept the Jag center covers. Also not fond of a white car, but that is also a personal preference. I will be looking at everything else on a non biased basis. Mechanicals and conditions, etc.

 

He knows I'm mostly concerned with the stuff that can't be shown in pictures or determined without actually physically being there. My biggest instruction was to make sure it felt "right". Most of us on here have tried out enough vehicles in our quests to know how they should feel in proper working order and those who are actual owners, would have an even better knowledge base.

Actually yes, I just remembered it this morning while watching the Tour de France... I found this one in Chicago and this one in in Akron. Where was the one for $12.5?

Nothing yet. I was supposed to meet up with the owner on Friday, but he typo'd his number in the e-mail. So when I was in Detroit, I attempted to call the number he gave me. At first there was no answer, then it turned out to be the wrong number. I tried to send off an e-mail but my phone didn't want to connect to T-Mobile or AT&T's networks for data service. The e-mail was finally sent after I got back into Canada and he called me just as I pulled into my driveway. My phone blocked the call so he left me a message with his actual number. I will be attempting to see it again on Monday when I go back to Detroit to finally pick up the front bumper cover for my Camaro ($85 brand new there or $500 used in Canada).

Tomorrow I will be checking out Car #7. The owner of Car X hasn't got back to me about a visitation date.

I have come across another one in the Detroit area which has a weekly lowering price that I will hopefully be looking at Monday as well. It's definitely not my first choice, but when it started at $11 000 two months ago and has managed to hit $7500, it's worth a look. If that turns out to be ok, I can have a Jaguar and keep the Camaro or I can repaint that Jaguar and get new wheels once I sell the Camaro. But those are what ifs right now and I'll concentrate on the conditions of my current shortlist and any other affordable XKRs first that meet my criteria.

 

I am totally head over heels for those wheels. So much so, I photoshopped them into the picture of the car I've been drooling over for well over a year now.

Speaking of the car below, I've learned that those wheels are no longer on it and it's in the shop to have the engine control module repaired. Once all of that is done, it will be on sale, again. So I'm thinking this car has made my shortlist already.

 

Hey Jared, that's an awesome car! That's the pic I saw that motivated me to take off my door guards. That is probably the best looking XK I've ever seen, and I'd love to buy the thing. Tell me who's selling it and you and me could have a bidding war!

 

Sam, that's an old pic from another member, he just photoshopped the wheels he likes onto it.

The XKR I found was in Alabama. That's quite a trip...I'd skip it due to distance.

 

Actually, I am in contact with the owner of that exact car. He took those wheels off and put on some 5 spoke things. If none of the cars I've checked out work for me, then that's the fall back.

However, Sam, should I find a car, I will definitely put you in contact with the owner... only because I can't outbid you

 

I don't seem to have much luck. I took Car #7 out today. Here are the results of the inspection.

Car drives fine. No major quirks. Alignment may be a little off, either that or the road wasn't a good one to test. Nothing major.
Car shifts well, is quiet as hell. No clicks, clanks or clangs from the engine on a cold start or after running for 5 minutes.
All electronics work. A/C blow cold. Tires appear to be newer or barely used. No curb rash.
Body work has some scuffs, some stone chips. Drivers door as slight ding likely from another car opening it's door.
Rust for a 12 year old Canadian car is extremely minimal. Passenger window is loose when all the way down, resulting in a louder crash when the door is closed. Needs a new pad/buffer.
Driver's seat as a lot of wear (cracks, torn, worn right down) on the outside edge. Everything else inside is in almost tiptop shape and I'm sure with a half assed clean job, only a few additional minor imperfections will be revealed inside.
When leaving the driver, a noticable bang was heard/felt from the front suspension. This same noise was heard/felt on various bumps but did not seem to compromise the handling of the car. Owner says the "ball joint(s) may need to be greased and/or replaced but he doesn't know for sure.
Owner has some flexibility in the price but unless he's willing to come down to closer to $9500 or have the suspension issue cleared up, I can not in good conscience buy this car.

[rant]
The more I drive these XKs with "major" issues, the more I love the Camaro. If I don't find one that is at least relatively mechanically sound, I feel I will become pretty discouraged, again. I must admit I am getting a little tired of all gas I'm burning on the 4, 5, 6 hour trips to see these cars with unrevealed issues until I actually drive them. You'd think if someone is willing to drive 2 hours one way to only see your car you could save them the hassle by proactively telling them the issues even a novice could find in 3 seconds. ARGH!
[/rant]

 

OK, you are not going to get something for nothing. You would be better off trying to find one that is very low mileage, that was treated as a toy, and meticulously maintained by the former owner. Sure, you are going to pay a few thousand dollars more for it, but then, you won't be paying those SAME few thousand dollars, and all of the aggravation and downtime by having to fix those issues. Any way that it goes, I hope that this saga comes to a happy end for you soon.

 

You can buy the new 'leather skins' from ebay, for $700, then just have them installed. Don't let that deter you.
Very easy fix, mine did the same thing. $2 in parts, 15 minutes of your time.

Sounds EXACTLY like my worn sway bar suspension bushings I had, which only cost $25 from the dealer, and 3 hours of my time to replace. I did a write up on it in the xk8/r area.

It sounds like the mechanicals (engine and transmission) are sound, and that should be the most important at this age of car. The other items are minor. Keep that in mind.

 

Sorry I think it's been interpreted the wrong way.

I'm getting discouraged because of the time I'm wasting when a simple "Hey Jared, you know this is what's happening with the car".

At least that way I can ask them to confirm the issue or even get a repair quote before I spend the time and gas to drive out there and realize "Hey, this is could be a big problem."

Maybe it's too much to expect people to proactively offer up negative details because they hope to get a sucker to buy the car.

I'm not looking for something for nothing, well I am, but not expecting it. I'm expecting a little heads up before I make the trips. I'm not expecting a brand new car for the price of an '84 Civic. The paint condition doesn't mean much, especially if it's green, silver, sapphire or red, as I will definitely change that. The condition of the stock wheels doesn't even matter much (except to negotiate pricing) as I have two sets in mind already. I want to turn the car on and hear it purr. I want to drive the car and hear it purr. Clicks, clacks, clangs, bang, squeaks and squeals are yellow flags and immediate red flags if they come from the engine.

h20,
I'm not worried about the interior wear mark. That's to be expected and well I'll be sitting on it most of the time so it won't be too visible. It's not the highest of priorities.

I understand the window is an easy fix and not even entirely urgent, it's only an issue with the window 100% down.

I'm nervous about suspension issues. In my experience with my own vehicles that when one issue appears, others are likely to follow. I'm not too sure where I'd even begin to look for control arms for the XKs.

I thank you for helping put things in relative perspective. I see if he can at least have the issue confirmed for me or even better, get a quote.