I have just finished recommissioning my XJS I have had it for about 15 years. so am completely out of touch with values and now I am using it again would like to make sure its properly insured.
I am based in the UK so manual cars were more common although not anymore it seems…so does a factory fitted manual gearbox 4.0 facelift differ in price to an Auto these days?
normally I would just look for one for sale or sold listing on ebay but I can not find another similar specification with manual gearbox (factory fit) for sale or sold.
Its a 1992 Registered 1993 Black Manual with recent top engine overhaul including new oil seals head gasket etc done about 60k miles
4 new brake calipers no rust holes paint is mostly original although I had the stone chips on the sills and a few dents done. half leather interior.
And its got the wider (should be diamond cut lattice alloys but decided to leave them all painted)
Looking forward to the lock down being lifted so I can actually use it !
Paul . . .
For a “rare” or unusual car, it’s worth having a professional auto appraiser give you an appraisal and value. You may need it for insurance purposes anyway. I was pleasantly surprised by the current values when I had several of my cars appraised last summer.
Just look at the classic car insurance pack with valuation option included. I think it will be with Lancaster Insurance, they will alao give you a discount if you’re xjsclub member. At least it was like that some time ago. Never used valuation as technically - if your insurance peice goes up with quoted value entered (quote phase), insurer confirms that they’re acknowledging car value, even if you’ll need solicitor to prove it…
Not sure what you meant by “recommisioning”… MOT?
I thought recommisioning is no longer there since 90s…
I ended up storing the car for 5 years while I built a house so by recommissioning I mean making the car road worthy again and yes MOT and fixing all those irritating faults like fixing the electric aerial sorting the brakes out replacing the valve stem oil seals (these seem to go from age more than mileage) etc. I now have the best brakes in any of the XJS’s I have ever driven ( about 7)its amazing how well 4 new calipers and rear brakes with no differential oil on the discs work! But then oil on brakes is never a good idea!
That sounds like an improvement in brake pad replacement time.
Mind if I’ll ask which path you’ve taken regarding brake replacement? Purchased refurbed calipers or done them yourself? I’ve heard some bad feedback about “rebuild” quality from UK suppliers - hence my question
The callipers never fail Janusz. It’s the pistons that corrode and either leak or seize.
The seal rides on the piston, so new seals and, if needed, new pistons (stainless is preferable) is all you need.
And you will know the job was done right!
An interesting observation. I think manual cars have a much higher survival rate. My interest is in series 1 XJ6 and at a recent display day here in Australia there were 4 series 1 cars, 3 of which were manual O/D - mine was the only auto! That said I have an early series 1 Man O/D that will be scrapped and the power train fitted to my 1972 XJ12 chassis
The supplier claimed they were new old stock they did me a good price and did not want the old calipers for exchange. the brakes seem much more balanced than they ever did before so I am thinking most of the XJS I have driven (some back when you could buy them new) had stiff rear calipers hopefully these will last a good many years I think the ones I took off were the originals.
It is difficult to know how many manual xjs there ever were as a few I went to see back in the day were dealer converted even having the Vin number letter re stamped (only the letter for manual / Auto)
The 400 figure given for 4.0 ties up with what I have found around 156 going to the USA apparently.
I suspect many are lurking in garages up and down the country like mine was until recently.
According to how many left there are 292 XJS left registered and 444 xj-s 4.0 left and no doubt a few under just XJ but still less than 1000 cars which given they were made around 30 years not a lot.
so would you say for insurance purposes I should say £15000 on the basis of £10k-£12 for an Auto + some sort of room for the enthusiast premium for a manual gear box? hopefully nothing will happen but better to be over insured than under.
Kirbert
(Author of the Book, former owner of an '83 XJ-S H.E.)
12
When I upgraded to vented rotors on the rear – to keep oil off the friction surfaces – the balance of the braking was noticeably affected. You’d think you couldn’t tell from the driver’s seat, but I’d swear it felt like the rear end was doing far more of the stopping than it had before.
Most definitely having driven a few auto XJS 's I always thought it was the auto pulling the car forward then I got the manual and that theory was debunked. The out board braked one I droved seemed better but I put that down to different system.
The cars I drove, brakes worked well under hard braking it is light braking that I feel I am being “pulled up from behind now” I suppose if the brakes are balanced how they were designed then the front brakes won’t be making up for the rears so the car won’t dip so much? hence being able to tell from the drivers seat although it could just be relief at finally getting the car back together and on the road!