This car is a smooth-running 110K mile, Southern (no rust, Windsor blue paint is disappearing fast) babied all original example of the last year of true Jaguar production but it is time to decide what to do with it. This is a true little-old-widow’s car with 56K miles that sat for 5 years prior to me buying in 1999 and getting it back roadworthy. My wife drove it for a while then became disabled and stopped working so I continued to drive it sporadically until last year.
Front doorhandles are new but the rears have now decided not to work. Accumulator ball is shot, rack leaks, tires are now in need of fresh rubber, but she still purrs like a kitten. I changed out the rear suspension back in 1999 and she rides good. Dash circuit board needs to be resoldered but it still can be coaxed into working with the proper motivational impact. Main vent flap is non-functional but she still heats and cools well (yes, I have a new flap but never dug into the dash to fix it). Rear seats have been sat on maybe 3 times since I have had it (no kids to haul around).
I had thought about keeping the subframes for transplanting under something else but I am now in the get-rid-of-projects phase of my life. I really hate to part this out as it is still a good running and driving car but circumstances dictate that somebody else needs it worse than I do, preferably an enthusiast.
What might this car be worth to somebody who really wants one (if that person even exists)? Has anybody else gone the part-out route and was it worth it? Just looking to hear what others’ outcomes have been. Any advice appreciated.
The old iron lover part of me is on life support lately as I age and realize all those neat projects are not as enthusiastically viewed by my logical self. Still resisting growing up even as I grow old(er).
It is not easy to remain a hands on enthusiast as the years pile up. I had thought I was done playing with hobby cars and had even sold off some of my accumulation of shop equipment and supplies earlier this year - and then surprised myself with the purchase of my '76 XJ. I don’t watch the hours, I just slowly work on it when I can.
Parting a 1989 XJ6 is the domain mainly of specialty Jaguar suppliers who stock pile similar cars and can wait out the sporadic and unpredictable demand for all the various bits big and small. If you don’t mind waiting out the few or more years it may take to fully part out a car, then technically you will probably make more money then selling it as a complete project car. Selling it in its current condition might not bring the value you are hoping for, but it gets it out of your life and saves you all the time you spend fiddling with a parting out. That last point is important, because when you start dealing with all the many buyers of parts and pieces you will find it takes more time than you imagined. Personally I would not expect the extra money gained from parting out would be worth the extra time and frustration.
My advice is to first place a local ad for the car as is. I would expect a local sale to generally get better offers than an online auction like eBay Motors because the shipping cost to the buyer reduces their bid values. Be reasonable and think of it from the buyers perspective - there are many unknowns in buying a project car.
I have no idea what the market is really like for your car, but I might expect it would sell for between $1000 to $1500. Remember that you are competing against all the used cars out there, that potential buyers are looking to get the most car for their money and may not be specifically looking for a Jaguar. Its not really comparable, but I bought my '76 XJ as pictured in my posting medallion as a non running car for $800 a couple of months ago.
Although you car is badged as an “XJ6”, it is a newer model than the ones
discussed on this list. It is the model that Jaguar introduced in 1988 in
the USA that is referred to as the “XJ40” and it has very few parts in
common with the Series I, II, and III saloons that we talk about on this
list. You should be on the “XJ40” list where you model is discussed. They
are more likely to be able to address you issues there.
Think very carefully about what you will do with the hulk of your car after the major parts are stripped out and sold. The last Mustang ( totaled ) I transferred parts from to the better one I bought was flat-bedded away at no charge as the price of scrap steel was at lease 4 times higher than today. Sell it to a kid, you will feel better. Pete
I realized after I posted in this section that it should be in the XJ40 forum so I did a quick cut and paste over there. I appreciate the replies. Pretty much reinforces my thoughts on the situation. I just hate the thought of scrapping it outright as it is still a really good running and driving car, but at this point the cost of keeping it roadworthy is not justifiable for me at this time. If money were no object I would be driving around in a XF or something but reality says to scale back the wheels on the ground.