1989 Jag XJS Project

1989 Jaguar XJ-S Convertible

Red exterior, black top, tan interior

81K miles

This is a project car, and would need to be towed.

$2800

Located in Southern Maryland

The bad:

The car had an engine fire about a year and a half ago with the previous owner.  Unfortunately, as you know, engine fires are not unusual for this model.  The fire was in the top rear of the engine.  Most of the engine wiring harness in that area burned up.  I’m unsure of other damage.  The photos have shots of the engine.

I pulled a wire harness out of a 1986 XJ-S parts car.  Most of the harness for entire car was taken out, but I have not spliced it into this car yet.  The part car harness will come with this vehicle. I also pulled all of the fuel injectors, distributor, etc.

The top has some tears.

The wheels have some corrosion where the chrome is starting to flake off. 

The good:

The previous owner said the car was running and driving prior to the fire.

The body has no visible rust.  The pictures of the underneath of the car show some surface rust.

Looks to be original paint, but the trunk is a slightly different shade.  So maybe it was repainted or faded due to the sun.

Records from previous owners show the transmission rebuilt by AAMCO at 78K miles, so just 3k miles since then.  About $2k in other work was done as well.

The interior is okay.  The seats are good. Some of the wood veneer needs repaired.  Holes in the door panels where speaker were/are.

There is an aftermarket stereo installed, with amps and disc changer in the trunk.

Prices are rising on these cars, so this one might be worth fixing up.   This car might also be a good candidate for someone interested in an engine swap.

I’m selling because I’m reducing the number of projects I have on my plate.

The $2400 price is firm, no trades.  I’m not interested in parting the car out either.

Paging Frenchy because he needs more Jaguar projects in his driveway

In reply to Sine_Qua_Non :

Don't we all?

Location will help too

In reply to Sine_Qua_Non :

Yeah, I realized I had forgotten to add that info.  The first post has been updated.  Thanks.

V12 or i6?

I see a V12 emblem on the boot lid. Excellent choice for a restoration, the 12 cylinder rag top is pretty uncommon.

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :

V12

Bump

In reply to chpjr :

That would be a fair price for the later 6.0 V12 but it's about a grand high for a 5.3.  in that condition. 
While a fire isn't the death of one of these, It's going to take a lot of time to repair the damage.  Some parts are only available in junkyards. I doubt a new wiring loom is still available. Part of it is in reproduction and I understand they are very good. But there are still lots of hoses etc. to replace. 
 

Fires are common on older fuel injection cars that have the original hoses. Not just Jaguars but any car of that has been subject to heat and aging for 30+ years.  
 

Just v8 swap it!!!! Sorry frenchyd, I couldn't resist! Just a joke... Really... only a joke...

"Ran when burned"

Craig’s type ad... runs great just meet to replace a few wires!

Ran when burned? Craig's type ad?  Really?  It's meant to be an honest, straight description of the car.   Anyone interested would know what they are getting into.  I don't like surprises when I buy something, so I'm trying to make sure there aren't any here.

Why all of the sarcasm?

In reply to chpjr :

Sorry, my reply was just to Dave M. Being funny with him. Since the "reply to Dave M" didn't show, it wasn't. Doesn't even read the way it was in my mind after his post. Was funny in my head. 

Was not implying you post was like a bad Craig's ad, just that they try stuff like that. Yours is very well written, but easy to pricy for me.

In reply to chpjr :

Please don't be offended.  I love Red Jaguars V12's and a convertible is icing on top of the cake. When finished it would be a wonderful cruiser. 
   You might find someone willing to do the work, replace the top, and fix the door panels. Even deal with the surface rust.  But without hearing it run, a test drive etc. it's unlikely you'll get anywhere near it's true value. That's a real pity.   There  are plenty of those in Junkyards to grab a wire loom from.  Simply match colors on the wires and replace.  If neither end of the wire has any insulation on it find a piece the same length and chances are it will wind up being the right colors. I did this on a Cadillac that had the same fire and it only took me a Saturday.  The vacuum hoses are more difficult to deal with  the fast solution is park along side a running car and trace the hoses. You will have to replace all the fuel injection hoses. That is real straight forward work. The fact that the originals last 30+ years is a testament to their original quality. 
Mechanically chances are very good that the engine is sound.  You really have to neglect a Jaguar to need expensive mechanical work and if you actually did there are a lot of them in the junkyard with a sensor or something simple bad. The transmission has been serviced and nearly every XJS I've looked at is a hidden gem. 
 Maybe I'm wrong. I'm not the final authority on Jaguar values. I know when I buy them they are usually a year or two of unsuccessful attempts later when it's me or the junkyard. 

Please  call me when you're a little more flexible on your price.  

These are very pretty cars.  I'm not in the position to consider even a second car, unfortunately, but this has the makings of a cool mild restoration project.  Good luck with the sale.

Lowered the price a bit.  Still a good project car for someone.

What is the current price?

Got any underbody photos?

There's a Lotus Europa sitting in my shop waiting for my attention, so I don't know why I'm considering this...  but something about these very handsome cars just speaks to me...  and today the weather was so beautiful I wished I had a ragtop.  :-)  I could be paying for this beautiful day all winter.

In reply to ekauppi7 :

That would make a wonderful cruiser. With patience and knowledge  It's approximately 100 hours of work and a few hundred dollars away from a decent runner. 
  While it would take a lot to make it ready to sell for a premium price. What you would wind up with is something every guy should experience at least once in his life.  

Sorry for the delayed replay.  I forgot to check back after my last post.  Yes, I do have under body photos.   I'll put some in here. Current price is in the ad.

Thanks for looking.