1985 Jaguar XJS

Coupe

V-12

Automatic

SAJNV5845FC124754

Clear

Gasoline

I bought this ’85 V12 XJ-S in October 2011. It currently has 95,000 miles on it. In that time, I’ve done everything possible to make this car beautiful, fast and reliable. This car has a CLEAR TITLE in my name. Please visit the following album for all the pictures of the car: https://plus.google.com/photos/103300232359486709429/albums/5853896859595294785?banner=pwa I have made many, many efforts to take video both with a digital video camera as well as two cellphones, and have been unsuccessful in getting anything to save in any kind of format a computer can read. All I managed to salvage from a couple of weeks of videography is two clips amounting to about 20 seconds located here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEHWZw0tazA&feature=youtu.be I apologize but at least you can see the car running and driving. In the past two years, I have done the following: Full body bare-metal strip and respray in the original color – this car was completely rust-free when I found it, but the paint was cracking and faded. I removed the windshield and rear window so that I could replace the gaskets as well as address any possible hidden rust issues (there were none). The entire car was then stripped to bare metal and repainted the original color. The only non-original work done on this car was during the paint, when I welded up and filled the holes for the rub strips on the sides of the car (very cheap looking) and the two badges on the boot lid (also very cheap looking). Brand-new license plate light assemblies were also installed at this time. While there is a bit of overspray under the hood, I can say that the body of this car is in 100% perfect shape without even a single scratch, rock chip or run (I hope to God I didn’t just jinx myself by saying that). The gas tank was removed, the spot welds for the baffles were re-welded, and all the fuel hoses were replaced with the correct low-permeability fuel injection hose. The fuel filter was also replaced at this time. When I dropped the tank off to get the spot welds repaired, my tank & radiator guy commented that this was “the nicest 30-year-old gas tank I’ve ever seen – it looks brand new inside”. There are NO fuel odors in the boot. Electrical stuff – New battery and alternator. Also have a spare rebuilt alternator. Everything works – door locks, windows, cruise, all gauges, radio, trip computer, HVAC, power mirrors, power antenna, etc. Brakes – everything except the rear rotors (which are in great shape) is new. I replaced the front rotors, all four calipers, pads, master cylinder, booster and all the soft lines. The brakes are unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before – if you so much as think about stopping, you will. The wheel bearings were also repacked at this time. The radiator was removed and professionally rodded out. The fan clutch works fine as does the backup electric fan. I also modified the factory banjo-bolt air bleed system to function more effectively. XJ-S owners talk about their cooling systems based on where the needle is in relation to the “N” on the gauge – my car will never even touch the “N”, and I have a 1500-foot climb up a mountain every day when I drive home from work. While I had the cooling system drained, I also replaced the troublesome heater control valve with an upgraded version. A previous owner replaced the thermostats with what I believe to be 160-degree stats (with the correct jiggle pins). Under the hood, I performed a tuneup and attended to some common electrical issues. I replaced the plugs, plug wires, distributor cap and rotor. I pulled the distributor out and rebuilt it, making sure to clean up and properly lube (with graphite) the centrifugal advance. I replaced the wiring going to the coolant temp sensor as well as the sensor itself (they’re very cheap, and now I have a good spare) as well as the wiring going to the intake air sensor. I pulled the throttle position sensor and set it to its’ correct voltage and rebuilt the capstan. I also have a spare TPS that I also verified was in good working order. The throttle bodies were removed and cleaned, the plates set to their proper clearances, and the complicated throttle linkage set up properly as well. The Auxiliary Air Valve was removed, disassembled, the piston polished, the device reassembled and fine-tuned to assure proper operation at the correct engine temperature. All of the vacuum lines on the engine were replaced. All new belts were installed last month. The transmission was professionally serviced by a Jag mechanic just last week, with a new filter and a new vacuum modulator installed. I also have a complete transmission rebuilt kit to go with the car, not because it needs it, but because buying a complete kit that included the vacuum modulator was actually cheaper than buying just a modulator itself. The wiper motor was replaced and a new rain shield installed. I ended up using a non-functioning park relay intentionally. If the wipers park themselves, they park directly in front of the driver’s face, in the line of sight. With the “broken” park relay installed, you can now park the wipers on the opposite side of the windshield, out of the driver’s line of sight. While I did not want to leave something on the car “unfixed”, having the wipers sticking up right in front of your face is a major annoyance. The climate control system is working perfectly. I did have to replace the amplifier to get it working properly. I then replaced all the o-rings in the AC system as well as the receiver / drier and converted it to R134. The A/C blows ice cold and has no issues holding a charge. A previous owner installed a compressor cutoff switch, which is nice to have since with this system the compressor runs constantly, and turning the compressor off when not needed is worth at least 2 mpg. The interior of this car is nearly perfect. I replaced the two front carpets with NOS pieces, as well as all the carpet underpadding to eliminate that “old-car smell”. All the leather was removed and treated, and it is glove-soft and beautiful. I had the driver’s seat bolster panel replaced. I used an extra piece of leather to cover the center “ski-slope” panel, mainly just because I thought it looked better than the original slab of black. The wood is in good shape. The interior of this car smells like a baseball glove, you need to experience it to understand. The tires are newer Pirelli “by Sears” models. I really don’t know much about them other than they have lots of tread left, and are MUCH quieter than the original Pirelli Cinturatos. I have complete service records for every dime spent on the car since I have owned it, however I have no records prior to that. Here’s a list of the stuff that still needs some attention: I didn’t really detail the boot area. There’s nothing wrong, and I did clean the carpets, but I think I’m missing a piece or something that the two halves of the plastic battery cover attach to, because I simply couldn’t figure out how to install the plastic cover. I have both halves, as well as an original battery retainer, but couldn’t figure out how to get them together. The chrome is so-so. It has some pitting and scratching on the bumper blades. I painted the grille and headlight surrounds silver because the chrome on these parts was peeling, and actually I think they look great. There is a crack in the tranny selector trim plate where it’s really thin. This is the clear part the covers the PRNDL, not the big black plastic housing. Just the trim plate, not an actual mechanical issue. There is an oil leak from the oil pressure sender, which is at the top-rear of the engine inside the “vee”. Also, the cam covers are seeping slightly at the rear as well. I cleaned up somewhat under the hood, but it’s not detailed under the hood. All of the original emissions equipment is in place and verified functioning, however I do NOT guarantee this car will pass emissions. I just don’t know, since I registered it as an antique and therefore don’t need to get it tested. I am just saying it is in place and functional (i.e. the air pump has not been gutted or anything). The hood liner is pretty tatty. This car is an absolute blast to drive and a real head-turner. I’m actually selling it because after all of the body and interior work, I’m afraid to drive it. I keep a stupid-looking beach towel on the seat so I don’t actually touch the leather. I won’t drive in traffic for fear of a rock chip, or (GASP!) a bug hitting it. I came to the realization I’m probably better off getting something a little more driver-quality than the Jag. To that end, interesting trades will be considered and I do reserve the right to end the auction early. I would consider good driving, non-rustbucket examples of any of the following: Triumph TR2/3/4/6 Any TVR Any Morgan MG TC, TD, TF or MGA Other interesting stuff along these lines (preferably British) Also, the most important option when buying any Jaguar: this car comes with an available PARTS CAR!!! The parts car is an ’84 with MAJOR RUST issues. It does still have the original V-12 engine and transmission, good glass, a Skytop sunroof and lots of little parts but a lot have been picked through. It will roll, but not steer and stop. The parts car is available to the buyer at a cost of $500 IN ADDITION TO the winning bid on the good car. The parts car would probably be easiest to load with a forklift – please keep this in mind. It’s parked at a friend’s garage and we can load it on your trailer, but we will need to schedule the loading at his convenience. The parts car has a CLEAR SALVAGE title. Please feel free to contact me through "ask seller a question" and I will get back to you as soon as humanly possible with any questions you may have. Disclaimer: I have taken this car on several long trips and do drive it quite a bit. However, since this is an antique Jaguar I do not make any guarantees and no warranty is expressed or implied in any way, shape or form. I do not recommend you “drive in and fly it home”. I would have no problem driving this car anywhere right now, but I simply cannot make any guarantees to you of that with a 30-year-old car. Winning bidder will be required to send me a 50% non-refundable deposit within five days of the end of the auction. At this time I will send the winner the notarized title. Full payment due prior to pickup of the car.