Craigslist Boredom

It's incredibly depressing to see all these cheap awesome cars, while here in Denmark.. Well..

Let's just say you need a considerably larger wallet :b
 
Well, I went through my local craigslist. Time to go through my home craigslist.


1969 Buick Lesabre Custom - http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/cto/1376518800.html
1968 Chrysler Newport - http://boston.craigslist.org/nwb/ctd/1376515445.html
1981 Porsche 928 - http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/cto/1376480469.html
1986 Olds Cutlass Supreme Hurst - http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/cto/1376376906.html
Jaguar XJS Convertible V12 - http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/cto/1376317409.html
1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo - http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/cto/1376306831.html
1966 Dodge A100 - http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/1376225780.html
1980 Pontiac Trans Am - http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/cto/1375952789.html
1967 Ford Galaxie - http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/cto/1375859187.html
1978 Jaguar XJ6L - http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/cto/1375722841.html
1968 Chevrolet Corvair - http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/ctd/1375584815.html
1983 Porsche 944 - http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/cto/1375535916.html
1956 Ford Country Sedan Station Wagon - http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/cto/1375484708.html
1978 Fiat Spider - http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/1376522008.html
1965 Ford Mustang - http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/1376364138.html
1955 Packard Clipper Custom - http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/1374920515.html
1966 Pontiac Catalina - http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/1373643424.html
1968 Chevrolet Chevelle - http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/1372228503.html
1986 Chevrolet Camaro IrocZ - http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/1371463330.html
1989 Ford Mustang GT - http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/1370793275.html
1978 Buick Regal - http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/1369846828.html
1990 Audi V-8 Quattro - http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/1366643254.html
1992 Buick Roadmaster - http://worcester.craigslist.org/ctd/1363921108.html
1975 International 1700 - http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/1363301694.html
1966 Pontiac Catalina - http://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/1360996604.html
1989 BMW 750iL - http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/ctd/1366290857.html


I'm that bored.
 
There are so many first cars I'd love to onw amongst the ones above, but you can't find these cars at those prices here. 2500 Euros for a 1989 190E 1.8 is what we get here. At least are 190Es reliable?
 
1989 V12 XJS Jaguar 5.3L Running and Drives - $2500

http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/cto/1348595131.html

I have always liked this body style.

They're not bad cars; just maintenance intensive and due to parts availability issues I wouldn't recommend them as a daily driver. Plus they are absolutely unforgiving if you skip or skimp on maintenance.

And they're not cheap to maintain. Good when modernized, though.


There are so many first cars I'd love to onw amongst the ones above, but you can't find these cars at those prices here. 2500 Euros for a 1989 190E 1.8 is what we get here. At least are 190Es reliable?

The 190E is very reliable, but I don't know anything about any of the engines under 2.3L as we didn't get them here. Adunaphel has a 2.0L 190E if I recall correctly; he might be able to advise you on the smaller engines.
 
I think I am going to look at it tomorrow today. Anything in particular I should look out for?

EDIT: What trans is behind that engine?
 
Last edited:
The transmission in the 89 is going to be a GM TH400 3 speed automatic with a 2.88 rear differential.

Look out for rust, especially the body hardpoint where the rear radius arms attach to the body. Anything more than surface rust there and you might as well junk the car.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the XJS, including buyers' guide, etc: http://www.jag-lovers.org/xj-s/book/XJS_help.pdf And no, I didn't write it.
 
Last edited:
The transmission in the 89 is going to be a GM TH400 3 speed automatic with a 2.88 rear differential.

Look out for rust, especially the body hardpoint where the rear radius arms attach to the body. Anything more than surface rust there and you might as well junk the car.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the XJS, including buyers' guide, etc: http://www.jag-lovers.org/xj-s/book/XJS_help.pdf And no, I didn't write it.


I haven't even made it to page one and I am having serious second thoughts about looking at this car! WTF, does it explode if you don't change the oil at exactly the right moment?? Burst into flames if you actually drive it? Page V gives real confidence in the ignition system(just rebuild it? Why not just get an aftermaret system?). So will it melt if I don't use the right wax? It sounds like more of a ticking bomb than a car.
 
Wellll.... the XJS guys tend to be more anal about their cars than the XJ guys. That's why there's a 700+ page manual written by them and none by the XJ/sedan guys.

The ignition system issues don't apply to the 89 because it has a Lucas/GM HEI system and not the later Marelli ignition.

You'll note that *I* don't drive one - the V12 is probably the most practical and sturdy of the various V12s ever produced... but it's still a V12 with all that implies. We actually had this discussion before and I brought my XJS-expert friend in. I'll go find the link to that and edit this post to add it.

Edit: Here's that thread. http://forums.finalgear.com/questions-and-answers/advice-on-buying-a-jaguar-xjs-22857/

Like I said earlier (and in that thread) I wouldn't use one as a daily driver. Fun weekend/Sunday/recreational drivers, though.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the info. But I may have to postpone my looking at the car until I have finished reading this BOOK OF TROUBLES. Maybe a Porsche 928 would be better.?.?.?
 
A guy down the road has a 928 and it seems to work just fine. He stores it during the winter, but I see him on a regular basis.
 
Either he has a very very late example or he's luckier than he has any right to be. 928s are mostly maintenance nightmares and have both more complex and less reliable electronics than the XJS you were moaning about.

Anyway, if you are looking for a Jaguar to use as a non-project daily driver, just ignore anything made before 1995. If you want a fun project, sure, go older, but for a daily? No, not with the parts situation being what it is.
 
Welllll, let us take a look at what I was moooaning about.
This is all from page "v" of the reference material you posted above.


Many XJ-S owners may consider this book reference material, and don?t bother to look at it until they need to work on
something or spend some money on the car. Unfortunately, sometimes the money spent could have been saved if they
had read about how to avoid problems in the first place! And, yes, sometimes the money saved can amount to
thousands of dollars; both the Lucas and later Marelli ignition systems have faults that can cost you an engine or even
the entire car in very short order.
Hey, it?s up to you; it?s your car, your time, and your money. However, I highly recommend you read this book!
Jaguars are not drive-it-and-forget-it cars; they demand a certain amount of awareness on the part of the owner, and
reading this book cover-to-cover will go a long way toward making the owner aware of his car -- and possibly save him
loads of $$$ in the future, as well as making Jaguar ownership a more pleasant experience.

If you cannot be convinced, at a minimum please read about the following topics:

Umm, he is pleading with readers to read this stuff. :blink:

? Ordering manuals and catalogs starting on page 16.
? Hot shutdowns on page 34.
? Centrifugal advance mechanism seizure (pre-Marelli ignition) beginning on page 137.
? Reread the discussion of centrifugal advance mechanism seizure beginning on page 137.
? If you still haven?t overhauled the distributor by this point, reread the discussion of centrifugal advance mechanism
seizure again. In fact, keep rereading it until that distributor has been overhauled. Am I getting through yet?

Uh, I get it dude there is a somewhat major problem with the ignition advance mechanisim.

? Relocation of ignition amp (pre-1983 models), page 148.
? Catalytic convertor meltdowns on page 161 (Marelli ignition cars; if you have a car with Marelli ignition, do not fail
to read this section!).
? Shortcomings of the cooling system, recommendations, and ?How hot is too hot??, starting on page 173.
? Advice on using cooling system sealers on page 189.
? Fan cracking on page 214.
? Engine fires
on page 232.

Engine fires and catalytic covertors melting down! What a show! And as a bonus, the fan may come apart.

? Fuel sump pickup problems on page 251.
? Fuel pump power supply concerns on page 255.
? Soft shifts on page 337.
? Replacing the steering rack bushings on page 375.
? ABS brake testing (on cars so equipped) on page 454.
? Radius arm mount rust problems on page 464.

You mentioned this, and I live in a state where salt is used frequently, and more so where it is located. So this is good advice and a major concern.

? Brake fluid level switch problems on page 596.
? Saving the stereo from water damage on page 665.

How in the hell do you get water on the stereo? Is it in the engine bay?

And again, all of these problems the author who likes these cars says you need(he nearly begs you to) to read about immediately, if not sooner. And you even have a fire suppression system built into your cars which are newer, more reliable and lees problematic. So is it moaning? I just want to avoid this:



:blowup::blowup::blowup::blowup::blowup::blowup::blowup:

So please, excuse my moaning.:p
 
Welllll, let us take a look at what I was moooaning about.
This is all from page "v" of the reference material you posted above.

Umm, he is pleading with readers to read this stuff. :blink:

Kirby tends to be a bit excitable at times. Okay, pretty much all the time. :p

Uh, I get it dude there is a somewhat major problem with the ignition advance mechanisim.

Which isn't unusual in cars of this era of design. Even Japanese cars can have problems with their mechanical advance systems. Thing is, a problem with the advance mechanism on the car doesn't kill it - the car keeps running. It just doesn't run very well and can lead to other problems. Thus maintaining the advance system (by lubricating it, which none of the original owners ever seem to do, hence the frantic mentions there) is important.

Normally, lack of lubrication in an advance system isn't a big deal, but they put the V12's distributor in the center of the Vee and the heat there is tremendous.

Engine fires and catalytic covertors melting down! What a show! And as a bonus, the fan may come apart.

The fan disintegrating is not at all unusual for a lot of foreign-marque cars of this era. The XJS was one of the first to use an engine-driven fan made of nylon, and a lot of the nylon fans (no matter what the make) explode after a long period of service. The Pathfinder I drive is known to have similar issues when it gets older.

A modification that is becoming ever more popular (not just with Jag owners) is to fit a more powerful alternator (which solves other problems in the classic Jag's case as well) and electric fans, thus improving cooling and eliminating the exploding fan problem.

We also covered the fire issue in the conversation I linked in with FordCrusher GT - basically, they're either caused by a failure of the Marelli ignition system in the later cars, or they're caused by idiots who never change their fuel injector hoses. The latter can be dealt with easily and cheaply if you RTFM and follow the maintenance schedules listed in there. Replacing the fuel hoses is to be done (IIRC) every 5 years on the V12 cars. It takes maybe $30 in hose and a few hours of time (if you work slow and have frequent beer breaks; I can do it in less than an hour.)

Engine cooling is not a fire issue.

You mentioned this, and I live in a state where salt is used frequently, and more so where it is located. So this is good advice and a major concern.

How in the hell do you get water on the stereo? Is it in the engine bay?

Nope. Like the Cadillac that Jaguar got the climate control core design from, the stereo sits below the climate control core (which is linked to the cowl vents). If your cowl vents and climate control core drains aren't clear, they fill up with water. And if they overflow, they dump onto the stereo.

Just like several Cadillacs, Fords, Chryslers, Nissans, and other cars I can name... :p

And again, all of these problems the author who likes these cars says you need(he nearly begs you to) to read about immediately, if not sooner. And you even have a fire suppression system built into your cars which are newer, more reliable and lees problematic. So is it moaning? I just want to avoid this:



:blowup::blowup::blowup::blowup::blowup::blowup::blowup:

So please, excuse my moaning.:p

The fire suppression system gets installed in everything I have that's high performance. Mostly because if something goes wrong with them at speed, Jaguar or not, fire is usually inevitable. And I've had a couple of track cars go on fire - not because I expect my X300 to explode into flames at random intervals.

I did say if you wanted a daily driver, get a post-95 car.
 
Last edited:
Believe it or don't, I still want to look at this car, but things are a bit goofy right now. If it is still there in a week I will look at it. But it is also getting late in the year, and it gets real cold here, so I will probably wait until spring anywho.
 
I did say if you wanted a daily driver, get a post-95 car.
'
SpectresSignature said:
1987 Jaguar XJ6 Series III Vanden Plas (modified)

I'm not trying to get into this, but I just wanted to say that this brought a little humor to my otherwise bleak morning. :lol:
 
Well, he daily drives his pathfinder, and im betting that the Series 3 has been made reliable countless times over with all of the mods on it..
 
Top