A Jaguar looking forlorn, immobile, partly disassembled and with weeds growing up all around it. Now is that a stereotype, or what? Yes, this one does check off all the wrong boxes.
It doesn’t get any better on the inside. All that lovely buttery leather and fine carpeting. Oh my, that console is not looking good either.
This does not look like its going to end well.
I can just picture the high hopes someone once had when they bought this for what seemed like such a bargain. A Jaguar, for only….? What a deal. Their first and last Jaguar.
And then there is the CC/Eugene stereotype that every old car on (or off) the road there has had the drivers interior door panel removed. Perhaps it is a local ordinance? 🙂
Not to hijack this thread or anything but I got hit upside the head with the full CC Effect just this past Monday. Pulled up next to a ’90 or so Dodge Dakota in really good shape, hadn’t seen one of those in ages as they’ve all rotted to bits here in Ohio. Noticed the plates and that explained everything… it had Oregon plates 😀 !!!
Lolz, I had a very similar moment this morning. A 9th-Gen F-250 pulled alongside me at a traffic light, which in and of itself is unremarkable given how many of them still ply the roads of Metro Detroit. But, this one still had shiny paint and no rust, which is pretty much unheard of after 20-plus years in Michigan salt.
I wound up in front of it, at which point I saw the Oregon plate and immediately thought of the Evergreens post from the other day. (and then was sad that my own ’95 is nowhere nearly as nice!)
i don’t know any other car in the world with an interior that makes you feel like a million bux that you can drive with second hand kia money than these jags.
the x-type is also a real bargain on kia funds. heck… the xk8 another steal for the money. you can buy the coupe version ridiculously cheap. the coupe is much sexier than the rag top imo. they are so cheap i won’t have to ask permission. geez… i think i will check the classifieds for one. see what cc did.
I have no first hand knowledge of them, but X-types are notorious for having massive electrical problems once they pass 75,000 miles. Even in the U. K. buyers tend to steer clear of them. Which is a shame as they really are good looking cars, I’ve thought about buying 1 several times.
I’ve not heard of the electrical issues on X-Types, and my own has 153,000 on it. Automatic transmissions and transfer cases, on the other hand, are very very well-known trouble items with them.
Maybe you can BUY one for secondhand Kia money. It might cost somewhat more to actually DRIVE it!
Happy Motoring, Mark
They are cheap for a reason and even then, only cheap to buy. You won’t manage to run one cheaply !
Makes you wonder, back in the day, how many XK-E’s met this very fate 🙁
Call in Keith Thelen to the rescue! Whatever happened to project XJ6? That was one of my favorite serial Curbside Classic articles.
+1, that was my first thought seeing this.
My second thought that the lead photo would be a good view over my shoulder as I flee from this fright pig.
Put it on Facebook! “Needs minor interior work.”
“All parts in car. Somewhere.”
“Ran when parked”.
Mechanic’s special
New tires! Just needs a little TLC!
There’s one in my neighborhood in front of a modest home. It is parked crooked on the front lawn and hasn’t moved in at least 3 years.
Nevertheless, the owner keeps the car washed and the weeds trimmed around it. It’s actually in beautiful condition. One day I saw a group of guys trying to get it going to no great result, and there she sits.
I’ll bet they wish they’d parked in the driveway during its last moments as an actual vehicle.
I bit on one of these back in 2006. An old friend sold me her black 1992 XJ6 with about 135K miles for $1100. I had to have a rebuilt differential put in because the bearings were howling, but I drove it for over three years. Replaced a couple crankshaft sensors, an EGR valve, brakes/rotors, and tires/wheels and put on about 15K more miles. Eventually the steering was getting wobbly and the ABS light was on. All fixable stuff but I wanted a convertible again so I traded it in on a new Mustang.
I got quite a few compliments on the XJ6 even though the clearcoat on the hood was peeling. My wife worked at a posh country club then and got a few odd looks when the BMW- and Mercedes-driving members saw her in it.
These have reached the bottom point in their existence. They are still common enough and cheap enough to fall into the hands of the “Gonna’s” – the daydreamers who are gonna fix ‘er up cheap and drive her…. but never do. Most of these cars will end up in the crusher but enough will remain in the fields and yards to provide parts for the few beautiful pampered collector cars that will become valuable* 20 years from now.
* Certain variables to the term ‘valuable’ may apply in some markets. Past performance of Jaguar XKE’s is no guarantee of future XK6 results. Jaguars are not Ferrari’s, and may lose value and have no guarantee of salability or operability. There are special risks associated with Jaguar sedan investing, including unsolvable problems and repeated necessity of repairing the same problem with limited success. Additionally as with any old English car, you may be called upon to regularly spend additional cash and deal with surly weary mechanics and spouses.
Special Note: Electrical problems are considered normal and a sign of character, not faults.
i dunno lokki… too many were made and there’s a tiny market for them. down the road the market for these will be even smaller. i give you the example of a 68-73 jaguar xj. the nicest cars of the xj line imo and are more rare than any in the aj line. you can still pick a nice one up for $7k. there’s a really nice 71 xj6 in the toronto area he’s asking $8k cdn and it’s been for sale for quite a while. i saw this one at the british car show in oakville. decent condition.
This does break the heart, but also doesn’t surprise me. One of the things that surprises every used luxury car buyer is how damned much money everything costs to fix. A friend of mine now in Eugene/Springfield got rid of his Mercedes SLK for that reason. My coworker bitches about his BMW for that reason. And, I’ve discovered it firsthand on my X-Type.
First, the parts aren’t usually available just at AutoZone or Bill O’Reillys. That means a trip to the dealer to pay through the nose or a trip to the internet to gamble on whether you’ve found the correct part. Jaguar especially is terrible about keying parts to very narrow VIN ranges, which makes even the junkyards questionable unless you know *exactly* what you need. Then, of course, you need to find a mechanic sufficiently competent and willing to work on the thing, which also bakes in some extra costs.
I swear the stand-alone luxury brands design their cars to be absolute junk after about 7 years to keep the proletariat from getting their hands on them. And, sadly, Ford hadn’t completely fixed Jaguar’s notorious reliability by the mid-’90s. Shame, because these still look fresh and absolutely beautiful inside.
In the words of my late car-mentor Howard, 1977: “Never buy an old luxury car.” He was wiser than he knew.
One reason why I’ll buy old Lincolns before any other luxury make.
Older Lincolns, (assuming they’re a “luxury” brand), especially from 1970 to 2001 (later for Town cars) are fine, as they usually use the most mundane, reliable Ford components.
Maybe this was a liability when they were new, but its a blessing now.
Seconded. I’d rather gamble on the reliability of a Lincoln that uses Ford parts for the windows, power steering, cruise, etc than Cadillac which uses only Cadillac bits. Heck, I’d rather take a chance on an early 70s Imperial than a Caddy from the same period.
That was the problem with dad’s purchase of a used ’64 Continental. We thought it was just a fancy Ford. Wrong! The weirdest thing was the power steering/windshield wiper hydraulic system, including the pump located in the front of the engine block.
Buyers of “cheap” old luxury cars don’t realize that they aren’t going to be paying for maintenance and repairs on a $1000 car, they’re going to be paying maintenance and repairs on a $60,000 car.
What? No Lucas jokes yet??!
I don’t feel comfortable making Lucas jokes any more….they’re too dark.
Yeah, none of the lights work.
Getting a bit off track here, but there’s another oddity in that lead photo……
That white Ford P/U….F-150, right? Nope. That’s a F-250 – the non-Super Duty kind. Very noticeable by the 7-lug wheels. Sold as the (light duty) F-250 in ’97 and ’98. In ’99 and 2000, these were labeled as a F-150, but with a ‘7700’ emblem designation (noting the GVWR, I think). These were available only in two cab / bed length configurations: regular cab with a long bed, and super cab with a short bed.
I had one, a ’97, around 2000 or so. Looked like this:
Exactly right! We had a ’98 F-250LD for many years as our faithful workhorse. I’d still love to find another one that’s not rusted to hell. The only WB option was 139″ (RCLB or SCSB), but there was a choice of engine (4.6L or 5.4L)
The F-250LD was also available from 1980-96, but it’s much, much harder to spot because it has 8-lug wheels like the HDs (but a semi-floating rear axle). So usually one would have to check the VIN tag for GVWR (6600, I believe). Another difference was the engine choices: LDs had the 300 Six, 302, or 351, just like the F-150, with the same transmission options. HDs had the 300 Six, 351, 460, or diesel, same as the F-350. 250LDs of this first era were regular cab long bed/4×2 only. The model was kind of buried in Ford’s brochures, but it’s in there.
After 2003, the 7700 GVWR Package was renamed the Heavy-Duty Payload Package, and optional on RCLB only. From 2004-10, all SuperCab/8′ bed F-150s were HDs, and the 7-lugs were steelies that looked exactly like the 6-lug basic steelies with the hubcap on. 11-14 HDPPs are much easier to spot, because they have 7-lug aluminum wheels proudly on display once again. 15+ HDPPs now use 6-lug wheels, probably to make it easier to get aftermarket wheels.
Good catch on a rarer vehicle!
A sad end for a once-lovely automobile.
Several years ago, a Facebook friend and her husband were considering a used XJ (I don’t remember the year).
I told them to run far, far away.
There’s always a kernel (sometimes a big one) of truth in most stereotypes. Unfortunately it is present in this case. Older Jags are very cheap, and it is easy to get sucked into that “Olde English” frame of mind. They can easily bury, the unwary, alive. These cars can run up some astronomical professional labor bills. However there are quite a few resources available to the DIY hobbyist. The Jaguar Forum is a great resource. This particular model known as the X300 is considered to be one of the most reliable, long lived, more easily maintained and repaired Jag of the modern era. This is the last six cylinder model which ran from 1995 through 1997.
I’ve got three different vintage Jags and it’s quite an adventure! Here’s my latest acquisition.
Unfortunately, the Oregon Department of Transportation will start using road salt on the mountainous 100 mile stretch of I-5 from the California border to Canyonville. Will Southern Oregon cars now become rust buckets? I not thrilled about the environmental aspects either.
Thanks for the warning. Hadn’t heard that one.
Quite odd that the stretch of I-5 in Oregon that is most susceptible to freezing weather is at its SOUTHERN border…….
Nothing odd about it. It’s over four thousand feet elevation. Highest pass on the entirety of I5.
Cars in the Meford area have to pass DEQ as well so there is a double wammy against jalopies.
Lucas must be laughing – another Jag parking lot ornament.
‘Looks nice, how bad could it possibly be ? .
They only want $700.00 for it…….’
Typical old British car sucker .
I’m stupid and have not yet learned to run far away from old British cars .
When they’re running they’re very sweet to drive indeed and the smaller ones (I’m a BMC enthusiast) have cheaper parts and good parts availability too .
-Nate
Ran a red manual XJ40 (XJ6 replacement from 1986). in the early 2000s. Bought for £500, ran OK, looked decent apart from scabby rear arches, interior near-mint. 80000 miles approx, Electronic fault warning system had a mind of its own, one of the rear bearings disintegrated doing 90+ on motorway. Drove for about a year, before trading for an older Daimler Sovereign auto in Roman Bronze. Cheap insurance and wasn’t particularly expensive to run. The Sovereign was a cash-pit though……..
As a Jaguar owner (XK8) one has to be practical about owning a Jag. It is a quirky high maintenance car. If you are looking for a daily driver and are dependent on dealer service the Jaguar will drive you to bankruptcy in style. However if you maintain it properly and don’t beat it to death in commuter traffic driving a Jag is a very enjoyable experience. But it sure is not a Honda Civic.
More Jaguar bashing, you will see just as many wrecks of BMWs and Mercedes of the same age in the UK, its 21 years old now, what makes of that year are still on the road in any numbers?
Owned Mercedes in the past but they lost their quality 95 onwards and I wouldn’t touch one, their servicing and parts costs are more eye watering than Jaguar and in my experience as an owner of both makes, are no more reliable or durable
Next door neighbour has an X type , loves it and its been a good daily driver. Still see plenty of S types on the road looking very clean
Many years ago my ex boss bought a 1974 V12 Jag just to transfer its drivetrain into a 1934 Ford. Latter decided to keep the Jag in one piece and sell it. Sure enough the transmission had to be rebuilt. When I left the country in 2015, the car was still for sale.
He found another donor car for the Ford project, I believe the car is almost done now.
There’s plenty of 22 year old Accords sitting in exactly the same state as this Jag. An that’s how one should view these old girls; as a cheap car (if you’re mechanically inclined and live near a u-pull-it) to be enjoyed until it’s used up and then disposed of.
I doubt they’ll ever be valuable, but that’s not to say that there’s no value in the leather and burled walnut-wrapped motoring they’ll provide on their way to the used part yard that owners will inevitably develop a relationship with.
I could think of worse ways to flush disposable income down the toilet.