White XJS 5.3 For sale in Portsmouth

[robv12]

FAIL!!!

in truth a few minor niggles and nothing more, I have just had Mike "The Saint" Kennedy giving me the low down, I'm sure Mr Templar will be along in a mo to give us a full breakdown

[J44EAG]

I`m more like John Steed. He had one as well. A Broadspeed, I believe.

Fail items were an offside track rod end, low 60kg force offside handbrake and some issue with the nearside tyre touching either suspension or bodywork on full (presumably right hand lock). Perhaps unequal rack centering.

What I can`t fix myself due to inadequate facilities, will be done by Jagcare in Pompey, next week.

Could have been much worse.

Watch this space.

Mike

[J44EAG]

Forgot to say it is my 55th Birthday tomorrow.

Party at The Churchillian, Portsdown Hill, Portsmouth from 18.00hrs.

All JEC members except Mr Jenner welcome to attend.

Mike

[robv12]

happy birthday from afar for tomorrow my floating friend

I'm doing a beer launch tomorrow night in Edinburgh, so will raise a glass or two you dear boy!!

[drb100]

Not too bad then; good news.
Have a nice day!

[BigCatXJS]

I'm doing a beer launch tomorrow night....

I obviously socialise in the wrong circles as I've yet to be invited to one of these...

[barrywi]

Has it been tried at sea yet Mike? I would fix the rust holes before trying to roll it down the ramp into the salty stuff. It is the right colour for today's market as White is the new Black if you own a Range Rover and at least you can see the brown stains of the tin worm trying to escape. How many cans of fuel do you carry around with you to assist "progress"
May all your seas be calm and flat young man.
Barry

[barrywi]

Oh and happy birthday, I would come but a 600 mile round trip is a bit too much.

[J44EAG]

Guys,

Can anyone production date this Vin No and engine please.

SABTDL03672220257

85028764HB

Many thanks,

Mike

[drb100]

Have you sold it yet Mike? (Not that I want it btw)

[J44EAG]

It is still with me, David.

Loads of time wasters and tyre kickers who have a drive then say they really want a Ford Focus.......

The car will shift on eventually. I`ll leave it outside the Marina gate this weekend and see what develops. Sold cars before using similar methods.

Tax expires this weekend. I`ll probably SORN it on Monday and retax in May. Better weather is more likely to bring the more serious and committed punters out.

The car is great value in my opinion. Yes, the car is Q-plated but is still a solid old XJS. Nothing to do in the short term other than just drive it. The bill stack shows a mass of work done previously. One bill for £2900 and another for £2300.

So a cheap old car with a new MOT for around a grand. Stop me and buy it!

Mike

[J44EAG]

Just had chats with Rob Jenner and Paul Sinnott about this car.

The engine number I quoted is incorrect. 850... should start 8SO. Note the difference. There would therefore appear to be a mistake on the V5C I currently hold. 28764 is the sequential build number for a 5.3 V12 and the HB refers to high compression and B grade piston sizes. The engine number cross references with the former original car V5C copy I have.

The Vin number is altogether more interesting. SABTDLO3672220257. This number is not a Jaguar issued identifier. This would appear to a Vin number issued by Portsmouth DVLA along the following lines.

SAJ is the Internationally recognised "handle" for Jaguar as the a vehicle manufacturer. For some reason, the DVLA issued my car with SAB which is very curious.

T is the identifier for a reshelled car, seemingly whether a new or secondhand shell. Correct me please if you know otherwise. Certainly the car I have has been re-shelled and that history is covered by somewhat loose documentation and verbally corroborated to me by the previous owner of many years.

367 would appear to be a local DVLA Driver Licensing Office identification. I assume 367 refers to DVLA Portsmouth DLO. Documentation in my car file indicates this to be the case.

2220257 would appear to be linked to the time when the car was re-imported from Cyprus in 2002. Date of "first" registration under DVLA forced registration as Q429OOT using the DVLA generated Vin number of SABTDLO3672220257 was 01/10/2002. This is embossed rather amateurishly on a plate mounted on the offside front wheel arch. Nevertheless, the plate is visible and ties up with the DVLA paper-chase documented in the car file.

Proper anorak stuff! Thanks to Paul and Rob for their efforts. My next job is to attempt to find the body number of the car which should hopefully be found under the rear bumper. If it is present, I can then attempt to ask Jaguar for the correct and original Vin number for the car. If I can get that, then there may be some small possibility that a decent age related number plate might be allocated to this car.

The car was put on SORN last night as the tax expired on the last day of March 2013. The eventual fate of this car is presently on hold pending a possible sale in the future.

The more I have driven this car, the more I have enjoyed it. It drives very nicely without knocks, bangs, squeaks or groans. I`d have no hesitation in doing a good long trip in the car. Most things seem to work and I can`t think of anything that requires immediate attention.

If nothing else, this car would make a great cruiser for a couple of years without much if any attention. Failing that, a JEC race car or for spares or rolling restoration. The car file shows megga money spent over the years. Heads off and engine work done. One bill alone shows £2915 spent in one hit. Another bill shows another £2300 paid out. Many new parts fitted and detailed including new down pipes, rack and brake master cylinder.

Any comments, further advice or offers please?

Mike.

The car is currently located in Fareham, Hants.

[J44EAG]

Now sold on for a modest profit.

Gone but not forgotten.

Best bits were the sublime driving experience, great Jaguar effortless cruise and the wow factor when ever I stopped. (Usually at a petrol station!)

The worst bit... fuel consumption. Outrageous for a humble 265hp - but the technology is thirty years old. Sorry to say I couldn`t afford to run this magnificent old car.

Glad to have owned it for a couple of months and to have saved it from the scrapper.

Long live the great white grand piano on four wheels.

Mike, sad and lonely with just one Jag again.

[robv12]

well done Mike, V12 great engine in any car, but the fuel does kind of cripple the wallet, if you are down to just one have a look at the bay, my old XJR V8 is on again, he's even using my pictures in his ad!!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261208380696? ... 1423.l2649

[J44EAG]

Ho, ho!

Funny old world! Wonder if the car will reach what the man paid for it. No mention of the two replacement front wings that Rob originally supplied with the car.

Yip, the XJS was a ferocious fuel guzzler. Reckon it was costing 50p a mile in petrol alone.

I think we might see this car back on the market again. The new owner is something of a wheeler dealer. I pointed out to him the car body number behind the o/s fog light and the discrepancy on the engine number. The engine number is easily sorted but getting the body number truly visible and to tie up with the original Vin number might be more of a trial. The best of luck to the new owner anyway.

No refund on the insurance policy. Peter James said classic policies are not written like a conventional policy. Watch the small print. No real problem though as the premium was low.

Mike