Looking around at cars with character that can help a reluctant friend or family member cross over into the world of classic car enthusiasm, you can’t overlook the Jaguar XJ series. With many built over a period of 24 years, parts should be pretty straightforward, and the 3rd series XJ6 is well-developed, and when well-kept, should be a fairly reliable occasional driver. Also, “honey, I bought a Jaguar” doesn’t sound like it would be as hard to say as “honey, check out our new Datsun 510”, and yet, the Jaguar has a lower price of entry. Check out this 1986 Jaguar XJ6 for sale for $3700 near Portland, OR.
Blue on parchment is a great, classic color combination, and works well on the car’s lines. These third series cars were revamped by Pininfarina, but it’s not clear what the nature of their changes was – the differences between a Series 2 and 3 car seem like those that would be applied in a design update done by any major manufacturer. Perhaps it was just the case that Jaguar didn’t have the resources to update the car to comply with changing crash standards, so they hired the design firm to do it for them. To the specific car, it’s said to have 130,000 miles, to be rust-free under its original paint, and to have good tires and brakes. It also has a great, museum-worthy 1980s hardwired car phone, something that’s no doubt likely to be the period accessory everyone wants in the classic car shows of 2040.
What is up with the steering wheels on many late 1980s and early 1980s British cars? The Jensen Healey had a similarly hideous wheel, so as the driver of the car, why not look for something like a wood-rimmed Nardi? If blue is not your thing, how does maroon on parchment sound? Though these giant impact bumpers really cluttered up a beautiful, shapely design, you can’t deny that Jaguar did the best they could at integrating what was effectively a large crash bar. Check out this 1981 Jaguar XJ6 for sale for $4000 in Bothell, WA.
It’s surprisingly hard to find an XJ6 that hasn’t had a Chevrolet 350 swap, but both these cars retain the classic jaguar six. This car is said to be all original, and is the seller’s daily driver with 134,000 miles. With that amount of use, the seller should know the car’s strengths and weaknesses quite well. Should he not have a ready list, negotiate hard or walk away.
Really good from here too – the goal of including this extra picture was to show how incredibly clean the engine on this inexpensive car seems to be. And cleanliness is next to godliness, just barely edging out good-wirign-iness. The XK is such a classic engine – has anyone tried backdating the cam covers to the beautiful polished items seen on E-types and the XK sports cars? In any case, while there is definitely room for a good test drive here, both these cars look like a good way to pull someone else into the hobby, while you’re attending to care and feeding. How about it?
Rusty But Trusty 
October 10, 2015 at 2:05 am |
So nice !!! … & British.