• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!

    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Tips
Tips

What to expect

MattP

Jedi Knight
Offline
The local paper has a 1985 Jaguar xj-6 advertised for $700. I know not to expect much, but what would be a fair car for that money? Is running out of the question?

MattP
 
Don't know about the translation over from Canadian dollars to U.S. dollars but...

$700 (CDN) would more than likely buy you a very rough car, likely off the road, and likely needing lots of work; and $700 (US) is likely a fairly comparable comparison to the above.

Fair money up here for a decent Series III sedan is roughly $7,000 to $8,000 (CDN), one shouldn't have to spend more than that up here for a good example.

[ 05-15-2003: Message edited by: Sherlock ]</p>
 
Thanks, I was wondering as much, but I may still give a call, just to see.

MattP
 
Any Jag, if not in decent shape, can become a money put real fast. If you do look at it and it "looks" decent, I'd then have a qualified Jag mechanic look it over (spend another $100 or so) and see if there are any major problems. $700 can turn into $7000 real fast, so just be careful.

Basil
 
Thanks all for the advice. I called on it and they forgot 2 words in the ad "for parts" It's a wreck.

I wasn't hoping for much, just a cash car to get back and forth to work. Then later I was planning on pulling the powertrain for one of those SS100 kits. Just a lark anyhoo.

I did give the guy the forum address, maybe he will help to 3000

MattP
 
I realize the insanity of thinking this way, but what would I look at paying for an XJ-6 in running condition with my only other concern being that the body hold together for about 3-4 years? I spent too much time thinking about it when I was considering the above wreck. I ran a Kelley Blue Book on an 85 in good condition, where it needs some cosmetics, but is a runner, and it said 1400 US dollars. But that doesn't seem to jive with what was mentioned here. I know most of these sell under the radar of KBB so I was wondering how accurate that might be.

BTW, this is all Basil's fault, if he hadn't posted that SS100 kit, I never would have known of it.
tongue.gif


MattP
 
Hi Matt, Although they are neat cars, any old Jag XJ sedan is just about the worst possible choice for a work car! The engine will run forever, everything else will eat you alive!
 
Matt, $700 buys you a parts car if it is not a rustbucket. Yes, on a car like that your investment can go up an order of magnitude more when you buy it that cheap. Series 111 sedans can be aquired for $5000 plus or minus in decent condition and that will be a lot less expensive than starting with a parts car. I have several lines on series 111 sedans that are availaable since I am in the service and restoration business for older model Jaguars and we are not that far apart geographically. If you are looking for a very nice 1985 VDP that is mechanically in excellent condition then give me a reply. I am not in the used Jaguar business. I have a client that restored this sedan a few years ago but will sell it because he now lives in Mississippi and cannot get it properly serviced. The car is now in Huntsville and it is a very good buy. Best regards. Jack
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by John S Farrington:
Matt, $700 buys you a parts car if it is not a rustbucket. Yes, on a car like that your investment can go up an order of magnitude more when you buy it that cheap. Series 111 sedans can be aquired for $5000 plus or minus in decent condition and that will be a lot less expensive than starting with a parts car. I have several lines on series 111 sedans that are availaable since I am in the service and restoration business for older model Jaguars and we are not that far apart geographically. If you are looking for a very nice 1985 VDP that is mechanically in excellent condition then give me a reply. I am not in the used Jaguar business. I have a client that restored this sedan a few years ago but will sell it because he now lives in Mississippi and cannot get it properly serviced. The car is now in Huntsville and it is a very good buy. Best regards. Jack<hr></blockquote>

Jack, is this the sedan I took pictures of when I visited your shop several weeks ago? If so I could post a picture in this thread.

Basil
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by John S Farrington:
Matt, $700 buys you a parts car if it is not a rustbucket. Yes, on a car like that your investment can go up an order of magnitude more when you buy it that cheap. Series 111 sedans can be aquired for $5000 plus or minus in decent condition and that will be a lot less expensive than starting with a parts car. I have several lines on series 111 sedans that are availaable since I am in the service and restoration business for older model Jaguars and we are not that far apart geographically. If you are looking for a very nice 1985 VDP that is mechanically in excellent condition then give me a reply. I am not in the used Jaguar business. I have a client that restored this sedan a few years ago but will sell it because he now lives in Mississippi and cannot get it properly serviced. The car is now in Huntsville and it is a very good buy. Best regards. Jack<hr></blockquote>

Thanks everyone for all the input. This is all still very murky, just weighing options.

I might consider the restored VDP, but I hate to use a restored example. I know that they are not very valuable, but they are beautiful. I know that a lesser example would be expensive to restore, but I am not really thinking that route. I would keep up the mechanicals, with the hope of eventually transplanting it into the SS100 kit. Yes, I know that will be expensive as well, but nifty, and the company buy-back program keeps the resale up.

So you see how I am torn, if I got a restored example, I would feel the need to preserve it as well as may be. That is the reason I was looking for a passable example that would kind of hold together until I could start the SS.

As far as it being a 'work car", I only drive a few miles to work each night, and then it would sit happily under the parking garage until I asked it to tote me a few miles home. Plus I have a 97 Escort that is dead-on reliable for when the Jag just can't be bothered to make the jaunt.

MattP
 
Back
Top