Frank,
>From your description I'm not sure what you're looking at. It sounds
like a XJS, not a "XJ V12," which I think would be a four door sedan with
a V12. The XJS is a sport coupe, very low to the ground with a long
hood, etc. There may also be a two-door sedan with the 12 in it, but I'm
not sure.
If you have no experience with these cars I'd run away fast. I've got a
1988 XJS V12 that I would sell for $5500. It has 94k miles and I've put
about 50k of those miles on it. In the process I've gotten a pretty good
education on maintaining one. They are beautiful, powerful cars, but
they have certain weak points that can quickly turn into major bucks.
For example, the factory put some sort of grease into the distributor
that quickly hardens and freezes up the centrifugal advance. This causes
it to run too retarded and results in overheating. If the engine
overheats, the heads warp and the valve seats drop and dance around
inside the cylinder. Then you are looking at a $7k to $8k ($10k if the
dealer does it) engine rebuild.
Also, if the fuel injection hoses are prone to crack with heat and age
and spit fuel into the distributor, which then ignites it and causes an
engine fire.
These are only two reasons why you see a lot of these with Chevy V8
conversions. There are many other nuances that can affect the value of
the car.
Now, I've done all the "fixes" to my car (synthetic oil in the
distributor, new thermos, rodded radiator, new FI hoses, new high tech
cam cover gaskets (to stop oil leaks, a three day job to replace), GM
alternator conversion, all 12 hoses replaced, new belts, new auxilliary
and main fans, R134a A/C conversion). I also redid all the brakes
myself, which required dropping the rear suspension to get at the inboard
discs, another three-day job. I've done almost all the work myself, so I
saved a lot. But depending on what the car needs, you can quickly spend
the purchase price just getting it in proper working order. If you are
looking at one with "electrical problems" I would say it is probably
worth less than $3k to anybody. For that money for a 1985 you should be
getting a decent car that might need the "usual" fixes, not one that
already has a major problem. I think mine is worth $5500 because it is
very well maintained and it can be driven anywhere with confidence.
Whether the car you are looking at is worth $3k would take someone very
familiar with the XJS to determine on very close inspection.
Believe me, there is more complexity in the door of an XJS than in an
entire Sprite. For more info go to www.jag-lovers.com and look up the
Kirby manual and download it (about 500 pages). It is a godsend to the
person trying to maintain an XJS, and it includes a lot of information on
buying one.
David Littlefield
1962 MGA MkII
1974 MG Midget vintage racecar
1951 MGTD
1961 Jaguar E-Type OTS
1988 Jaguar XJS V12 Coupe
On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 23:00:51 -0400 Frank Clarici <spritenut@Exit109.com>
writes:
> Does anybody know what a nice looking 85 Jaguar XJ 12 is worth?
> I have a chance to pick one up for a few thou. It needs some
> electric
> work, (so what else is new on a Jag?) But it looks real nice, no
> rust.
> I would just buy it to flip for a christian profit.
> Or if any of you want a real headache Brit car, Let me know.
> The owner wants 3k for it as is. It's a 2 door V-12 job.
> I never even looked under the bonnet of one of these but it's just a
> big
> Sprite in real life with a few extra goodies to go wrong.
> If it's worth 5-6 grand, I'll buy it, if it's worth 2-3, I'll let it
> be.
> --
> Frank Claric
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