I am hopping over from the Saloons category as I am looking to purchase a decent XJS cabriolet for Mrs Freddy as it has been a long term promise:kissing_heart:
We moved over to Ireland and I brought my Daimler V8’s with me which is a project to build one decent car from three cars in various states. Here anything over 30 years old is tax free and the tax here is based on cc so big Jaguars were a no no.
I left my XJ8 behind in UK sadly for this reason.
Now its time to have some fun before we get too old so want to buy a UK car but will need it surveyed first as I know a bad one will be expensive. I did have one some years ago and had to save up for the petrol!
So I am looking for any contacts that do mechanical reports or are Jag experts that could check out a car in the Yorkshire are which is for sale. Looks good on paper but the risk is too high to buy without an expert opinion. Any other comments on what to look out for are very welcome.
Thanks all.
When I bought my xjs someone said you better have deep pockets (of money). Sort of true…a cheap four cylinder economy car would be a pragmatic choice unless you are a gearhead and enjoy constant tinkering and trips to the auto shops.
The 4.0 litre should be a bit better as far as the petrol goes.
Steve, besides the normal “Jaguar” issues you might encounter, there are a few “Cabriolet-specific” things to check.
There should be a ladder-shaped brace below the rear axle, which helps the car handle better.
Two tops are better than just one. I personally like the hardtop.
Make sure the release catches for the two roof panels actually work. They seem to fail easily but can be repaired with some effort.
The interior trim that covers the motorised seat belt tracks (if you have them) is almost impossible to find. There should also be a curious wind deflector mounted above the mirror- equally hard to find,Replacing any of the rubber seals on the roof can be wildly expensive if you have to do that. Can’t think of anything else, really.
I would be happy to look at the car for you- all I need is an airline ticket from Pittsburgh to Manchester, and back. Oh, and a hotel somewhere near Liverpool. I can drive the rest of the way.
Good luck!
Dave. '88 XJ-SC.
Thank you that is helpful. Much as I would love you to survey I am on a budget! I am not adverse to importing a RHD from USA as I actually sold my XJS to an American and exported it for him. Cost to import a car is not prohibitive and if from a dry state it would be rust free’ish.