2017-03-27 10:30:07 | pauls writes:

Ebay item 3/27/17
www.ebay.com/itm/1979-Jaguar-XJ12-Sedan-/172595156373
Opening bid US $5,000, no reserve, no bids 6 days left in auction buy it now price $10,000, seller skript0r, 97k miles.

Sellers description:
The Jaguar Heritage Trust says only 31 XJ12 Series 3 landed on American shores, and XJ is one of them. Discovered in the South, neglected and not running, the former beauty was tired and worn and headed down a dark road. The cruel man that kept her even threatened a Chevy V8 transplant. Her current owner gallantly rescued her from oblivion. XJ was shipped to the JagShop in Portland, Oregon, a premier rehab for wayward Jaguars, and here she underwent intensive mechanical therapy and was revived. And after a comprehensive series of cosmetic treatments, XJ was once again stunning and her V12 sang like a valkyrie.

She had a past, like all alluring Jaguars do, documented by her loving owner. There had been other owners, and he accepted that and didn't let it stand between them. XJ had arrived off the ship in Portland, OR in eye-catching Tudor White on Russet (red) interior. Lew Florence British Motor cars quickly acquired her. Sold new in Seattle, WA for $25,776, XJ eventually left the northwest and found new appreciators of her curves, making her way east and finally running out of road in Mississippi. Only six of her sister Series 3 XJ12s were sold in the US before the rest went to Canada. Only four of the US cars are known to survive.

This car is completely without rust. The paint is no longer top show-quality but remains extremely presentable with a few touch-ups here and there. All shut lines and panels and gaps are straight and uniform, probably better than when this Jaguar left Coventry. The doors close with a smooth and solid click. XJ has presence, sexy, athletic, she exudes quality and class.

Once renewed, XJ boldly flaunted her striking looks and svelte lines and it was all her current owner could do to keep up with her. In 2015 she won the regional JCNA Concours Best in Class and in 2016 she was awarded the JCNA North American Championship, Northwest Division. Yes, they had one hell of a time together. But it couldn't last. XJ was willful and headstrong. In spite of all he had done for her, she delighted in giving her owner fits. She developed a miss in her valve train, and the resulting hydrocarbons made it impossible to DEQ her here in Portland, Or. Her owner despaired. During their relationship he'd patiently addressed every behavioral issue and resolved it, with this latest tantrum he tried praises, curses, long-shots, and finally with a sinking heart he realized he had to let her go.

XJ is drop-dead gorgeous and strangely, considering her off-beat valve, she drives as good as she looks. The owner has another show-winning XJ12 that runs splendidly, but the white Jag pictured here runs smoother and stronger. Over the last 3 years every detail of this car has been attended to and it is fully sorted. (It's been off the road for a year. Currently, the only things not working are the cruise control and the wipers) With a new suspension and nicely weighted steering, the car has a taut and powerful feel, and when called on she can really make tracks.

Here's the crux of the problem. The exhaust pulse from the A bank is dead-even, the exhaust from the B bank is uneven and smells toxic. A lot of hydrocarbons here. No way can this car pass DEQ in Portland, OR, but other areas may be a different story, or perhaps not require DEQ at all. While the owner has a clear Oregon title in his name, he has never been able to register the car. Two different and knowledgeable shops have examined the problem and both diagnosed a sticking or bad valve in the B bank, not a repair for the faint-hearted.

That's what XJ's next owner could be taking on. But here's what else the next owner will take on: A striking XJ12 of great rarity, restored in and out. Close to $20,000 in receipts getting this car to the winning stage it's at. Prime documentation and literature- original window sticker, Jaguar Heritage Certification, mint condition owner's manual, mint-condition Jaguar brochure "introducing the first new Jaguar sedan in a decade." Featured articles in Jaguar Magazine and Jaguar Journal. Major award history. Taking on this seductive XJ could be love all over again.