Hi guys, thinking of buying a Mk7 , any bad points? What should I look for?
Hi Ken
I donât know anything specific about the Mk VII but (as I think I read in a recent JEC magazine) most Jaguars are ârotten from the windows downâ so this would be your first port of call - how much work has been done & by who?
There is nothing that canât be fixed, but I know from personal experience that even a small rust hole can cost thousands to put right, as it morphs into a big hole as soon as you touch it.
Obviously mechanicals can be fixed but parts can be difficult to find and work will probably be expensive and possibly the right man will be difficult to find, so unless you have the ability yourself or have a mate who has be prepared to part with thousands more.
I guess you have your eye on a particular car, but if not then the mantra is âbuy the best you can affordâ.
And take an expert with you - a few hundred pounds given to an expert can be very good value if they know their stuff.
And donât be put off by my waffle, get a good one and enjoy it! 
rust, leather is expensive, parts availability is limited
restoring one would cost $50k +
buy the very best one you can afford
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Hi Bob, thanks for your thoughts, I will feed all advice into the mainframe and hopefully it will produce a plan of action . There isnât unlimited thousands left in the resources , so maybe I will just buy the Duchess, ( my mk2 ) some new carpets ,and some more shiny things.
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A large number of mechanical and electrical parts are shared with the equivalent year XK120 or XK140, which are both well supported by many parts vendors.
Body and chrome parts are mostly unique to Mark VII/VII/IX but there are still parts cars around.
This forum is a good information source for restoration questions.
I hope you enjoy a challenge.
Hi Rob, thanks for the info, my desire for a challenge is diminishing by the minute . The big question is do I have enough time left on earth to enjoy another car if it needs a lot of work.
My advice would be: buy the best car that you can afford, and then make it better. It Is one of the cheaper models, along with the much more modern Mk10/420G, where the latteris much improvedin vital areas (the 4,2 Mk10 has these improvements as well). I have both as well as the XKs and E-types, but the big saloons are very enjoyable. Drove both todayđ.
I owned one. Loved it.
Best and purist of the series.
One would be amazed how you can truly whip it aroundâŚ
Although Iâve never driven an xk120, I perfectly understand and imagine the comment that it is a 4door xk120 to be true.
Great to work on as no other model has the empty open space within engine bay and below.
Yes, itâs a big car, a lot to cover and keep up if the body goes astray, like a sailboat. So many intricacies where rust can hide and manifest.
The interior is top of the list imo. So much wood and leather, difficult to source, expensive to restore. Trim and misc bits difficult to find. But Jaguar cross pollenated so one can usually work it out.
Drivetrain is least of your worries, all is easily sourced, plentiful, and cheap if you know what is what and where to go.
Such a rarity these days.
Absolutely go for it if you find one that hasnât been bastardized!
Theyâre so fun. Priceless smells too btw.
Kind regards
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Thanks for your thoughts Rob, the car is not in the UK , where I am , so doubly difficult !
Thanks Damian, what would be a fair price for one in reasonable condition , good driver ,looks very good inside and out , everything works ? Tricky question , do your best . Regards Ken
Apologies Demian spelt your name wrong
Excuse delay responding.
Donât be. It is not my real name anyway.
Made the mistake of using my real name online in the past willfully against my better judgementâŚ
Not doing that ever again.
Yet I respect others enough not to create a false âreal nameâ hereâŚso itâs a strange dilemma.
The way forum tech has evolved, a search of my full name finds all of my posts here from 25years ago!
And embarrassingly, I sound just as immature and cheesy, making myself cringe revisiting them. Why I allow myself to become so involved?! I dunno.
But I digressâŚ
Itâs a very subjective thing.
Perhaps I should message you privately?
Others may find the topic banal, no offense.
Short answer.
It truly is worth whatever you are willing to pay for it and can afford.
You love it, itâs worth it.
This is genuinely not a cheeky or snarky answer.
I found a set of old Jaguar ads priced at $100. How rare! 50 years old many of them.
What a deal I thought !!
Then I saw the same elsewhere for $20âŚ
How disappointed I suddenly became having spent $100.
âTheyâre not worth anythingâ.
The other day a '39 Rolls Royce, restored, sold for $36k on BaT.
Entirely handcrafted, rare as can be. One could argue âpricelessâ.
A 2018 Ford Explorer sells for the same. In 5years it will be worthless.
There it is in a nutshell.
I rarely see those large MK saloons anymore, ANYWHERE.
I got mine for $4k I recall in the mid 90s.
Running, driving, rust free Texas car. Nice drivetrain, manual, straight body, but needed everything else.
Practically gave it away in 20 yrs agoâŚ
As well as my E TypeâŚ
Anyway, memory lane.
A nice one in good original shape seems to be able to be had at $20-25k.
I am always searching Jaguar ads and stuff because I am a nut like everyone else here, and Iâve yet to see a restored MKVII I can recall for sale, or otherwise for that matterâŚ
Personally I would spend $20k on a good one without a thought myself.
Definitely worth it and will hold its own as investment. Vis a vis, youâd definitely get that back eventually in the future. Whether it will go up, I donât think so.
Life is fragile. You like it, can afford it, GET IT.
My latest love is the S1 XJ6. Restoring one, am considering buying another.
Despite how important a car it is historically and so rare to find in decent shape today, much less for sale, and as evangelical as I am about them, they have no market, therefore no value, or following really.
A freaking MGB sells for more!
Who saw that coming?
There are many deals going around these days, wouldnât be surprised at any low price either on a Mk7. Just as others, the Mk2, S type saloonsâŚet al.
A high sales price on my beloved S1 XJ6 WOULD surprise me however (insert sad emoji).
Clear as mud? Good.
If you wish to PM me, happy to chat when I can.
Kind regards
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Thanks for that Demian , very helpful . The car is in another country , so only seen it via WhatsApp live phone call . Seems ok, little bits to do but clean underneath , think I will go for it , regards Ken
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Youâre welcome.
Well all the best to you.
Do all your due diligence until you are completely comfortable.
Post photos should you get it.
Would be happy to see it.
Take care
By all means go for it. If you like it, buy it and enjoy it. Itâs a rare car and a beautiful piece of engineering.
But BE CAREFUL. Take an expert or at least talk to one first and maybe have him/her available for a Whatsapp or Face whatever itâs called video call when you get there.
Old cars are full of hidden money sponges and each one has their sponges hidden in different places so you need to know where to look. My Daimler looked Ok to me but I had to spend ÂŁthousands fixing rust almost as soon as I got it home and had a better look at it. The headlining & seats looked Ok while I was excited at seeing it for the first time but now I have resigned myself to having them renewed so that I can enjoy the car to the maximum - more ÂŁthousands.
But I donât regret buying him - Iâm enjoying owning him and I can tolerate the pain of the expense I didnât foresee. But thatâs my main message - if youâre spending all the money you have budgeted on buying it, you need to make sure there are no horror stories hiding away!
Words to live byâŚ
Big costs could be the bodywork, the bumpers would take a fair bit to re-chrome, as would replacing the seats. Hopefully, none of that, or very little, would be needed doing.
How very profound , Shakespeare wasnât it ?
Interior only needs tidying , chrome not pristine , but good . Bodywork has a few areaâs needing attention but I hope a couple of grand will get it looking presentable .