2013-05-13 17:31:47 | pauls writes:

Ebay item 5/13/13
cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1984-Jaguar-XJS-Coupe-Runs-and-Drives-Project-needs-work ...
Current bid $1,225 reserve not met, 7 bids 1 day left in auction.

Sellers description:
Exterior Condition: This XJS is simply stunning in black over burgundy. This is by far the best color combination this car comes in. It just looks so rich. It has a "Leaper" hood ornament added to the front instead of the flat "Growler" which I just love. The paint on this car is as smooth as glass and it shines like a mirror. The car was repainted in 2005 and while it is not a $10,000 paint job it still looks great with a deep shine. At that time there was also some rust repair done to the car mostly towards the bottom. There is evidence of filler being used there and the finish is not perfectly smooth in some areas but the layman would not notice. There is some rust that has appeared since. The two notable areas are (shown in photos) above the drivers side rear bumper there are bubbles and there is a hole at the very bottom of the rocker behind the drivers side front tire. There are some rust bumbles scattered on the body in other areas but they are all minor. There is also some rust (shown in photos) in the floor boards of the car that you should fix before you drive it. They are located in the front section of both the drivers and passengers foot wells. Also there are small rust holes in the rear driver and rear passenger footwells towards the back where the back seat passengers feet would go. There is solid metal all around these areas and you should be able to weld patch in some sheetmetal. These are the common rust areas in all these old Jaguars. There is no rust in the trunk. All of the window glass is good and free of chips and cracks. This car has a factory sunroof (that works well) which is very rare for the coupes. The plastic front spoiler is missing as well as the metal grill that goes above it under the front bumper. There are no dents in the car and really no dings or scratches worth mentioning. There are a few paint chips here and there. All of the wheels are in great shape with shiny paint. Overall this car looks fabulous as it stands, I would describe it as a very nice driver but by no means a flawless show car.. When people see this car they go nuts, if you don't like attention this car is not for you.

Interior Condition: The inside of these XJS's is just so classy. I love the burgundy leather with the light wood. Overall the interior is in pretty good shape. The dashboard has no cracks. The two things that need attention is the seats and headliner. The front seats are coming undone from some of the stitching at the seams. Maybe they can be restitched or you can just get new seat covers. The rear seats look excellent, the only area the stitching in coming undone is right at the top by the back window. The headliner is coming unglued. The interior of the car is really clean otherwise and in nice shape. Everthing is present other then the radio and the wires have been cut. I have the radio but no faceplate for it.

Mechanically: My Jaguar runs, drives, and stops. It has been sitting in a garage for 5 years. To my amazement I put a new battery in it and it started. As you can imagine with 5 year old gas it is not running at it's best. The engine sounds great without any ticks or knocks. That old gas has to be drained out of there. The car sometimes takes a few tries to get started and I am sure the old gas is fouling the plugs, when you drive it and really give it some gas it doesn't make full power but when you just drive normally it feels really good. After you drain the old gas you can see how it runs but I would probably give it a full tune up with new plugs, wires, fuel filter etc.. When you rev it up in park it sounds awesome and revs right up quickly and smoothly. After it has warmed up it also starts back up right away with no problem. I test drove the car for about a mile around my neighborhood. The problem with the car is that when it gets to about 20-25 M.P.H. it shakes like crazy. The reason for this is that it needs new rear subframe bushings. The old ones are broken and appear to have either been installed incorrectly in the first place or have shifted knocking the rear end out of alignment. All of the rubber in the front suspension looks new and I do have a receipt from when it was done in 2005. The valve cover gaskets leak a little oil and since the car hasn't been driven in a while there is some smoke as the oil burns off of the manifolds. This is going away the more I run the car. The leak is so minor it probably won't smoke if it is driven often. As mentioned the engine does sound good but there is a hole in the exhaust so it is a little loud but not terrible. The brakes seemed to work fine but I did detect some pulsation. Either the front rotors are warped or I was feeling the rear subframe bushing issue. I would still check the brakes and grease the caliper pins while I was there. It had a new radiator put in in 2006 and some spark plugs. It has a brand new battery. There are some wiring looms under the hood where the insulation is drying out so those should be rewrapped. It leaks trans fluid and power steering fluid. Fix these issues and you will have yourself a nice running car that is great looking for not a lot of money. Nothing here is difficult or expensive for the do-it-yourselfer. Chances are you might find a couple other minor things that are wrong with this car that I don't know about when you really get into it or drive it at faster speeds. I just want to be honest that it is a project car.