Since I happen to own a series 3 xj, I take a particular interest to them on bring a trailer. I found the past couple of auctions VERY odd, considering that normally a heavily modified car reduces value significantly. However in the case of the Jag, it actually seems quite the opposite?
Take these two recent results:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-jaguar-xj6-47/
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1985-jaguar-xj6-28/
Both cars look to be in nice shape, both are in California, both have stacks of paperwork and recent maintenance, nice interiors, similar exterior color, similar miles (111k vs 150k). Both tagged, legal, insurable, etc. Both auctions ended within a month of each other.
One has INOP AC (which i understand is a turnoff in CA), and the other has a 5.7l v8 swapped in from an early 90s Caprice. EDIT - sorry, Impala.
So which one is worth 13k, and which is worth 3k?
I'll paste both cars here so you can see which is more valuable before you click the links.
Are you posting from Michigan's Lower Peninsula? 
That is very curious indeed.
Interesting. The V8 car appears to be exceptionally well done so that helps the value. I agree with the seller of the 6 cylinder car that it's worth significantly more than the $3,500 it was bid up to. I'm really surprised it didn't get bid up higher than that.
They're both nice cars. The one with the lt1 has better color combination. I'm surprised they're not equally valued though.
The six cylinder was being listed in the wrong place. BaT buyers aren't looking for cheap driver quality XJs. That Jag-powered car looked like it was a little problematic, a long list of recent mechanical work is either a sign of a needy car or a well-sorted one, and the list of other problems made it seem a bit like the latter. Put it on CL for twice that and someone will come by and fall in love. Give a bunch of pedants a week to poke holes in the car and it'll expose all the flaws. The words "gross polluter" four tests running in CA are a bit of a damper too. It just wasn't a standout car, and the fact that there were only 6 bids attests to that.
The V8 car was a good example of the breed. Would an equivalent I6 have done better? Hard to say. I'll bet the V8 would be an easy car to live with, and that's what the market responded to. The timing of the sale - not over Christmas - probably helped. So did the quality of the photography, always my first recommendation for anyone looking to get the most out of their sale. The six looked like a cellphone in the hands of an amateur, the eight looked like a pro who understands light and settings. Plus there were clearly multiple people who wanted it.
The one I'd want to take home is this pretty thing. And I'm not the only one.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1975-jaguar-xj-coupe-12/
In reply to Keith Tanner :
I'll give you the photography in the 3k one was not great.
Also not a good look to show a bunch of photos with the car next to a huge oil stain on the driveway.
When you sell on BaT, you're either selling an investment or you're selling a dream. A driver XJ6 is a dream, so you've gotta give the dream something to work from. A drive video and/or great photography - and it helps if the seller is engaging and doesn't get cranky near the end. The oil stain is fodder for the exact wrong kind of dream regarding Jaaaaaaag ownership :)
The last couple of Miatas we've sold on BaT, I did a narrated drive trying to capture the idea/feel of the car and giving it some history and provenance. It let people imagine themselves in the driver's seat. Taking that purring six cylinder Jag on an evening drive along the coast would have probably added thousands to the billing price, especially if the seller had balanced a quarter on the idling engine as a bonus.
Keith Tanner said:
The one I'd want to take home is this pretty thing. And I'm not the only one.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1975-jaguar-xj-coupe-12/
I don't love the black wheels on that car, but the rest of it is to die for!
How much boost could you stuff into that 4.2 six? How about a 5 or 6 speed manual transmission. I would have to convert the outer 5.25" headlights to 7" no matter what. And get rid of those ugly stock wheels. I like 4 doors on cars that have rear seats.
In reply to VolvoHeretic :
You should be able run a bunch of boost through that 4.2 i6.
If you go way way back on BaT, I sold my V8-swapped XJ-S on there.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1985-jaguar-xjs/
It was the second ever V8 swapped car on BaT back when it meant you really needed a trailer
dyintorace said:
Keith Tanner said:
The one I'd want to take home is this pretty thing. And I'm not the only one.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1975-jaguar-xj-coupe-12/
I don't love the black wheels on that car, but the rest of it is to die for!
We're gonna have to agree to disagree on the wheels, but luckily they're about the easiest possible thing to change.
In reply to singleslammer :
Keith Tanner said:
The six cylinder was being listed in the wrong place. BaT buyers aren't looking for cheap driver quality XJs. That Jag-powered car looked like it was a little problematic, a long list of recent mechanical work is either a sign of a needy car or a well-sorted one, and the list of other problems made it seem a bit like the latter. Put it on CL for twice that and someone will come by and fall in love. Give a bunch of pedants a week to poke holes in the car and it'll expose all the flaws. The words "gross polluter" four tests running in CA are a bit of a damper too. It just wasn't a standout car, and the fact that there were only 6 bids attests to that.
The V8 car was a good example of the breed. Would an equivalent I6 have done better? Hard to say. I'll bet the V8 would be an easy car to live with, and that's what the market responded to. The timing of the sale - not over Christmas - probably helped. So did the quality of the photography, always my first recommendation for anyone looking to get the most out of their sale. The six looked like a cellphone in the hands of an amateur, the eight looked like a pro who understands light and settings. Plus there were clearly multiple people who wanted it.
The one I'd want to take home is this pretty thing. And I'm not the only one.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1975-jaguar-xj-coupe-12/
I think a powerful v8 swap on a xjc done up like John steeds car on the new advengers would be pretty sweet
I had an XJS for a few months. V12. If it had an SBC I'd probably still have it.
Wasn't a huge fan of the whole catching on fire thing. after the 2nd time I was done.
In reply to AClockworkGarage :
Face it, you're just not Jag material.
mtn
MegaDork
1/27/23 1:11 a.m.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Good God Almighty! That is in the running for top 10 designs of all time.
SV reX
MegaDork
1/27/23 1:15 a.m.
In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
You started this thread as Frenchy bait, didn't you? 
In reply to AClockworkGarage :
The fire thing probably wasn't due to neglect on your part.
Jaguar was first sold Lucas fuel line back in 1975 that wasn't up to the task. ( even though it was documented as in compliance).
When Jaguar found out about that problem they issued a recall and replaced all the fuel hoses under warranty regardless of mileage.
Only to later find out again the replacement wasn't up to the task. Some dealerships replaced all the fuel line with stock on hand that wasn't good. And with the second recall they may have still have had older ( bad) fuel line
Eventually about 1985-86 the CEO of Jaguar was invited to Porsche and they provided a supplier that worked. BMW also helped Jaguar with a seam sealer that really helped solve the rust issues early cars had. I understand those smaller European brands are willing to share success with each other. Both Mercedes and BMW discussed with William Lyons how Jaguar was able to bring a completely new engine into production for under a million dollars.
Even today that fuel hose is sold as new OEM Lucas fuel hose. Hyper careful restoration companies use it!!! Because it has the correct for the era numbers.
However during the whole period from 1975- early 2000 there were so many Fires due to failed hoses ( all brands including Chevy *) firefighters called those Car-B-Ques * my 1987 Chevy Blazer with about 50,000 burned to the ground ( luckily right after my family got out). By that I mean the tires burned and the aluminum wheels melted off. There wasn't any paint and all the sheet metal was wavy caused by the intense heat. ( I have a picture of the burned hulk someplace).
Back then Nobody seemed to understand the results of engine heat and high pressure found in EFI. Luckily almost no lumps use EFI and fuel line designed to deal with 60* PSI Is just fine with the 2-3 PSI of a carburetor.
AClockworkGarage said:
I had an XJS for a few months. V12. If it had an SBC I'd probably still have it.
Wasn't a huge fan of the whole catching on fire thing. after the 2nd time I was done.
Only if it had a carb instead of EFI.
What if it's got a Ford V8? I owned this car from 2001-2002
ddavidv
UltimaDork
1/27/23 7:16 a.m.
When I worked at a Saab/Alfa-Romeo dealer we sold all kinds of imported cars. We once had two XJ6s on the lot at the same time. One was a dependable, flawless example. The other (just as nice looking) would fail to start every time a customer wanted to look at it. Every. Time. It spent so much time in the shop I think it was indoors more than it was on the lot.
One of our parts customers owned a body shop and his daily was a V8 swapped model. Totally trouble free.
Keith Tanner said:
The six cylinder was being listed in the wrong place. BaT buyers aren't looking for cheap driver quality XJs. That Jag-powered car looked like it was a little problematic, a long list of recent mechanical work is either a sign of a needy car or a well-sorted one, and the list of other problems made it seem a bit like the latter. Put it on CL for twice that and someone will come by and fall in love. Give a bunch of pedants a week to poke holes in the car and it'll expose all the flaws. The words "gross polluter" four tests running in CA are a bit of a damper too. It just wasn't a standout car, and the fact that there were only 6 bids attests to that.
The V8 car was a good example of the breed. Would an equivalent I6 have done better? Hard to say. I'll bet the V8 would be an easy car to live with, and that's what the market responded to. The timing of the sale - not over Christmas - probably helped. So did the quality of the photography, always my first recommendation for anyone looking to get the most out of their sale. The six looked like a cellphone in the hands of an amateur, the eight looked like a pro who understands light and settings. Plus there were clearly multiple people who wanted it.
The one I'd want to take home is this pretty thing. And I'm not the only one.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1975-jaguar-xj-coupe-12/
That's an interesting one. I thought '75 and up came under smog rules in Cali. That's a '75 and yet I see no cats except the ones on the fenders and grille :-)
