When to say goodbye đź‘‹?

How much is too much to spend fixing up a jag, when to say nope it’s time to say goodbye??

That’s a little bit like asking the question, “how long is a piece of string?” :slight_smile:

You have to find the balance between the joy of working on it, and the joy of seeing a finished product, versus how much you’re willing to spend.

These cars are pricey, and to do them right, even if you do them yourself, requires a lot of green lubricant.

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As Wiggy says that’s a personal decision. Most would probably say you shouldn’t spend more than the value of the finished product, a reasonable decision. That said there are many folks whose relationship with the car has considerable value in which case the finished value is not the only factor. It took me about 5 years to conclude I was psychologically ready to let the car go after owning it for 34 years.
pauls

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For standard auto repairs when the bill exceeds the value of the car it’s time ,now if your doing the work ,using used parts and your good at it you may never buy a new car it’s a curse
Then define value for example;
Useful to you
Sentimental , this can be a big money pit
Usage verses replacement
Prestige if that’s important

It largely depends how much you can afford to loose. I would never have considered restoring a 2+, or even a less desirable S2 unless they were in exceptionally nice shape to begin with. The cost to restore is the same irrespective of the model and the S1 is and likely always will be, more in demand. But if you don’t care about money, it’s all up to you where to draw the line. You’re pretty much always going to lose either time or money. It’s just a question of how much.

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Also depends on how much is left to do and what the expected result is.

Check haggerty values and don’t spend more than that.

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Depends on if your ownership is based on a return on your investment or a labor of love. I’ve owned two; a 2+2, :scream: which I restored to JCNA National Championship quality and my present FHC which is a very nice driver. In both cases I have no idea how much money I’ve spent, nor do I care (within reason, of course). It’s like stamp collecting, it is a hobby, and it gives me pleasure. Not every human endeavor requires a balance sheet.

At my current age I can think of a few things I wish I’d done when I was younger. Owning an E-type won’t be one of the things on that list.

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Same here.

But I never had a need to drive a totally restored or show winning car either.

Beaters? No.

Pristine? No.

Daily driver good? Yes.

All the Jaguars that I’ve had were because I liked driving them. And I didn’t mind maintaining them (which any older car requires).

My 83 XJS is my newest Jaguar, and I’ve had it for 15 years now.

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So that’s my problem. I need more green lubricant!

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Should have said goodbye after this happened, BUT there are less than20 XJR’s registered of this year here in NZ, I decided to purchase another car and have the front panels grafted on.

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Let me know if you ever figure out how to get an abundance of that lubricant… I certainly never did!

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The concours thing is strangely addictive, especially if you are OCD. :person_shrugging:

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As others have said, its really a deeply personal decision. I bought my 69 S2 coupe at 13,5 and was able to do the interior myself and exterior by doing parttime work at a british car shop. It was probably a really good car when I got him in 1989. I made every effort to be proactive on repairs, having the engine and trans rebuilt before anything disastrous happened.Ive saved all my life, so my savings funded the rebuild. I did have 5 british cars concurrently and that just had to run its course before I decided to sell all but the E and the 81 corvette. That Corvette went along with the 67 corvette traded in for a 2015. Less maintenance and less storage. You will know when it’s time and no one can tell you when that will be.

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I’m about to overcapitalise in restoring a very early MGB that has taken my fancy.

But for me I really want to do it and the car is significant and will look cool. Unfortunately there are some costs, paint and bodywork particularly, that are the same whether you’re restoring a Morris Minor or a Bugatti.

I’ve spent a lot of money restoring my E types over the years, and they have always ended up being worth more than I spent. To me though, the enjoyment of the process was worth it, even if the financial outcome hadn’t been.

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If your enjoying owning the car just dont bother keeping a detailed check on what its costing you.If you do when your 6 foot down its absolutely irrelovent anyway

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Actually, good advice: when it comes to my toys, be they race cars or the Jaguar or the Jeepster, I do not keep receipts.

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Assume one spends $200,000 on an E type, (which I would not,)
Then realize some people spend over $6000 to see the super bowel (which I would not.) If the game is 3 hours, that is $2000 per hour. Cost of car divided by $2000 per hour is 100. Drive the car for 100 hours and the cost is the same. And that is only if you sell the E type for nothing.

As others have implied, you are not asking the right question. IMO, the question is more like how much enjoyment do you get for the money you spend?
Tom

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You know it’s time to sell your Jag when,
You no longer go out to the garage to admire it, or poke your head inside to savour the aroma of the interior
You don’t want to polish it or oil the leather because you did that last year
You don’t take it out to do a small errand, because, by the time you start it and get it out of the garage, you could have been and returned in your DD
You no longer take it on long trips because getting to your destination is more important than enjoying the journey

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Nice Logic …. That’s how I would calculate something too