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1987 Jaguar Xjs Base Coupe 2-door 5.3l on 2040-cars

Year:1987 Mileage:95700 Color: lights and lens
Location:

Keene, New Hampshire, United States

Keene, New Hampshire, United States

1987 Jaguar XJ-S, runs & drives very well.  This will probably be the most complete listing for any car posted on ebay!  It may seem overwhelming to some, but the reality is that this Jag needs very little to be returned to excellent condition (roughly $367).  As this is an auction and it's often difficult to view the car in person, I prefer to let every one know about every little detail so there are no surprises.  We purchased this car about a year ago with the plan of restoring it to it's original glory.  However, we have since moved on to a new project and need to make room.  This car was originally from southern California before being brought to New England in 2011.  As it was from southern California the body is in excellent condition, just by looking at it you would think the car was only a couple years old!  Even in the cold New England weather she starts up right away and purrs like a kitten.I'll go over the work that has been done already:
 
(1)  Radiator rodded, cleaned, and painted.
(2)  New high performance 2200cfm electric fan installed
(3)  Installed new wiper motor
(4)  Cleaned and replaced fuses in engine controlling the lights
(5)  Replaced various exterior lights and lens.
(6)  New wiper switch installed
(7)  When I purchased the car it turned out to have an interior water leak coming from debris piled up in the wiper cowl.  The leak has since been repaired and no further water is leaking into the cab anymore
(8)  New horn push and components installed
(9)  New gauges and tachometer installed -  though will still need a new speedometer
(10) New Moog outer tie rods on both sides
(11) Wheels all balanced
(12) Various wiring within the engine compartment
(13) Adjusted emergency brake
(14) Started to remove old polyurethane from wood trim on dash in order to apply new poly
(15) New wires/plugs/oil change when first purchased
(16) Adjusted the brake stop switch [located at the base of the brake pedal]
 
 
Electrical components that are working:
 
(1)  All of the exterior lights are functioning [the rear brake light is something new that just started about a month ago, was working fine before] including the license plate lights [though it is missing one lens covering, but the light stays in position even without the lens cover]
(2)  Horn works, but there is currently only one [high E, could use the low E but not to pass inspection]
(3)  Cabin lights all work when the door is open
(4)  There are four switches next to the dash computer - two control the interior lights which work fine, the rear defroster switch also works fine, but the hazard lights have stopped working [again, used to work but recently stopped - may be a fuse]
(5)  The oil/battery/fuel/temp gauges and tachometer were all working, but also recently stopped [I suspect it's a fuse, I can also check that as well]
(6)  Both power window switches work fine
(7)  Trunk lights all work well
(8)  Everything mechanical works [alternator, fuel pump, distributor, etc...]
(9)  Directional switch works, but it sounds like it could use a new flasher [not really consistent, seems like it might be going - I may have one from the XJ6, otherwise they're generally under $10 at Autozone], and it will need a new instrument cluster light bulb for the right turn signal [I have just under a dozen bulbs that I will also include]
(10)  Wiper switch works, but a bit finicky [doesn't always turn off, my plan was to install a kill switch under the dash]
(11)  The door hazard buzzer works fine [though I have the fuse currently removed as it's rather difficult working on the car with the constant buzzing sound]
(12)  The third brake light works fine; however, the previous owner had removed it from the window when he was preparing to reupholster the interior.  He never reupholstered the interior, so the third brake light is currently propped against the rear window.  If you decided to purchase the car and reupholster the interior, the thrid brake light can be reattached to the rear window with an epoxy
 
 
Electrical components that are not working:
 
(1)  I strongly suspect that the windshield washer motor is not working, but I haven't spent much time trying to figure out whether it's the motor or a fuse
(2)  Because of the water leak into the cabin the instrument cluster had to be replaced as the wiring was rather corroded.  I purchased a new cluster for $40, but it was the wrong one.  The one I purchased had a cord running from the speedometer to the transmission, the one in this car is an electronic speedometer.  So I swapped out the gauges and tachometer - which suddenly worked correctly, and kept the original speedometer - which is not working.  So it will need either a replacement speedometer, or just purchase a new instrument cluster which has an electronic speedometer
(3)  I do not know whether the speed control unit works as I have never used it
(4)  Kirby Palm wrote a book entitled "Experience in a book: Help for the Jaguar XJ-S owner."  This is the bible for the XJ-S.  It's a free document that you can download online, and is nearly 500 pages long of tips and techniques to keep these Jags running smoothly.  One such tip was to have a connect the electric fan to a different relay than the one it's supposed to go to.  In doing so, the electric fan is controlled manually whenever you turn on the fan switch on the console.  The reason I mention this is that the electric fan turns on and off through the fan switch on the console; however, there is no heat being blown into the cabin.  I know the switch works because of the electric fan, so I'm suspecting it's the blower motor itself that either needs a new fuse/relay, or replacement.  I will remove the blower motor from my XJ6 parts car and include it with the XJ-S.
(5)  The side view mirror switch was working, but has recently stopped.  May just need a new fuse.
 
 
In order to pass inspection:

(1) Need to fix the rear brake light [one light is brighter than the other, with these cars it's generally a faulty ground somewhere]
(2) I suspect that it will need to have the wheel bearing on the front passenger wheel replaced [requires two of them, Autozone has Timken bearings for $12 a piece].  Worse case scenerio is having to replace the ball joints.  I always use Federal Moog for any suspension components.  The upper ball joints through Moog (K9699) cost $60 [this would only need one for the passenger front], and the lower ball joint through Moog (K9700) also costs $60.


Other repairs to increase the value and performance: 

(1) The seats are either torn in parts, or the seams are separating.  The passenger and driver's seat backs are in fairly good shape, but the bottom of the seats are the problem area.  They will either need to be reupholstered, install car seats, or can be used as is without any problems. 
(2) It needs a new ceiling liner [held off on installing one as we weren't sure what color we were going to do the interior], and the dash pad has a crack in the middle. 
(3) The temperature gauge is reading high - but the mechanic believes there may be an air bubble in the system, a good flushing will fix this issue.  If the weather warms I may be able to flush it before it sells. 
(4) Heater blower motor not working, but I will include a replacement motor.  It may be something as simple as a fuse or relay [I'll give you various relays that I've pulled from the XJ6 parts car].  Worse case would be having to replace the motor [which will also be included in the sale].
(5) The passenger rear compartment light [mounted on the side] needs a new bulb.
(6) I just noticed the other day a 14"x2" rust spot with some rot on the upper rear valance behind the bumper.  It has no structural impact, and can only be seen when lying on the ground looking straight up under the bumper [I put myself in that position as I was checking for rust on the undercarriage, this was the first time I noticed this spot in over a year].  Because it's really out of site it looks as though it could be simply sanded to remove the rust particles, and painted to prevent it from spreading any further.  If you wanted to make this a show room car you could have a new piece of steel welded in place, but I don't think it needs to go to that extreme.
(7) On top of the brake fluid cover is a plastic cover with two electrical connections to tell you when the fluid level is low.  The plastic cover was removed from the brake fluid cap by the previous owner [despite the wording of not to remove that cover].  I've found that a lot of people remove this cover, and it's a pain trying to put the connections back and the cover on at the same time.  The connections are covered so it won't give a false low brake fluid level
(8) The brakes have recently been going lower to the floor.  It may be getting to the point where it will need new brake pads [$18 at Autozone]

The water leak did very little in terms of damage, the most work it may need is to disconnect various electrical connections to clean if needed.  I have lots of extra compatible parts from a 1985 XJ6 that I can include. By-the-by: Despite the pictures the XJ-S does have the grill, I just removed it as it was easier working on the engine by lifting the hood all the way up.  All in all it is in great condition considering the year.  NADA low book value is $5,850 with an average book value of $8,650.  These cars are primarily for the hobbyist who enjoys tinkering on cars.  Despite what people think parts for these cars are generally inexpensive. 

So the cost to bring this Jag to excellent condition is roughly $367 and some free time to tinker:  $124 to replace upper/lower ball joints and wheel bearings on passenger front, $150 if you chose to purchase fitted seat covers found on ebay, $18 for front brake pads, $40 for a replacement instrument cluster, $5 for a replacement compartment light bulb [generally sells in a pack of two], $15 for material and 3m adhesive spray to replace headliner, $5 for epoxy to reattach the 3rd brake light, and $10 for a can of polyurethane to fix the wood on the dash.

Please contact me at anytime should you have any additional questions or would like more pictures.  This Jaguar will be sold as-is where-is, which is another reason why I included everything about the car.  A $200 non-refundable deposit will be required at time of sale, with the balance paid within 7 days.  Please contact me if you would like shipping estimates (this car is close to zip code 03431).  Thanks!

Auto Services in New Hampshire

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