Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 26 June 2014, 14:27:53
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.........Jaguar XJS from the eighties. :y
Not my words but the words of the respected motoring magazine 'Autocar'
They are tipping the XJS to be the next 'sought after classic' and urging their readers to buy while they are still relatively inexpensive.
A good Jaguar XJS V12 HE can be had for less than £3000.....and just like the Omega they are becoming harder to find.
In fact, I'm sorely tempted to buy one of the 'ugly bastards'..... :y :y :y
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Problem is, the V12s are ruinously thirsty and, performance wise, nothing much to write home about by modern standards. A decent 3.6 manual might be nice. (if you can find a decent one!)
I do find them to look quite dated these days, though. An early XK8 might be a better bet. :-\
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Problem is, the V12s are ruinously thirsty and, performance wise, nothing much to write home about by modern standards. A decent 3.6 manual might be nice. (if you can find a decent one!)
I do find them to look quite dated these days, though. An early XK8 might be a better bet. :-\
Agreed. :y
But I have no intention of keeping something as inherently ugly as an XJS.
However, as an investment, who knows what the future holds. :y
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Thing is:
1) why buy something you detest as an investment when you could probably buy something else you enjoy?
2) how do you stop it turning to rust until it's time to cash it in?
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The rust......did I mention they rust.....oh, watch out for the rust.....
....it would be one hell of a challenge keeping them together long enough to become a classic!
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Wouldn't be so bad if they only rusted around the edges, but they rust randomly, everywhere ;D
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Made from 1975 to 1994, apparently.
So the 'newest' XJS is about the same age as the 'oldest' Omega......oh dear. :-\
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Wouldn't be so bad if they only rusted around the edges, but they rust randomly, everywhere ;D
I hear that even the air between the poorly fitting BL panels can rust. :) ;) ::)
Still, what do you expect for a couple of grand?.... ;D ;D
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Working bodyshell would be a start ;D
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Better off buying an old SL Merc, been looking at a few myself recently, always wanted one & my pension lump sum gratuity is starting to burn a hole in my pocket!! Seen several low mileage ones with good history.
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I thought we've been told we have to buy Lamborghini's with our pensions? :-\
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I thought we've been told we have to buy Lamborghini's with our pensions? :-\
Mine will barely stretch to a Lada let alone a Lambo..... :-\
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I've always fancied an XJS, and have nearly bought one on a couple of occasions.
I don't understand the ugly comment, but then I think the E type looks much better with a tarp thrown over it.
As for the performance, Kevin's right in that it's not stunningly quick compared to modern cars, but the way it achieves it is utterly beguiling: you put your foot down, you hear(but not feel) a slight thump as the trans kicks down, the nose rises, there's a quiet thrum from under the bonnet, and you're doing 140mph. The only real noise you get from an XJS is the distant sound of oil company execs rubbing their hands in glee. The handling is similar, it's soft and rolls a lot, but at the end of the road, you realise that you didn't have to slow down at all.
And Merc SLs? They drive like a truck in comparison to a Jag.
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Driven a truck & several mercs, no comparison !! The older mercs were superbly built Jags are troublesome & unreliable, however in my opinion the e type is probably one of the nicest looking vehicles ever built.
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Following the E-Type was a big ask. However, time heals and although seen as an 'ugly duckling' for much of it's near twenty year production run some people are starting to become nostalgic about the XJS.
I'm not sure how many are left but I haven't seen one in quite some time. :y
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Older Mercs were superbly built. But that was forty years and several skint owners ago. Now, most of them are no more reliable than a Jag(or any other low volume, low use car), and are just as big a money pit. Plus, they drive like a truck, and usually have interiors that would make a 70's taxi driver complain to his union.
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I filmed this one sometime ago :) the proud owner still brings her out on sunny days 8)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhtHeJbNrTY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhtHeJbNrTY)
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Wouldn't say no to an Xjs convertible... At least it has no buttresses to rot out ::)
If I ever buy a 'classic' it will be either a Mercedes w116, preferably the 6.9, or a 600SEL of '93 vintage 8)
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If I ever buy a 'classic' it will be either a Mercedes w116, preferably the 6.9, or a 600SEL of '93 vintage 8)
I used to know a guy who imported gliders from Germany. He recalled a tale of when he was running "a little late" for his ferry one night, in his 450SEL 6.9 with a loaded glider trailer on the back. 130 MPH on the autobahn and not a hint of instability once he'd pushed through a "rather choppy region" around 80MPH apparently. :o
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If I ever buy a 'classic' it will be either a Mercedes w116, preferably the 6.9, or a 600SEL of '93 vintage 8)
I used to know a guy who imported gliders from Germany. He recalled a tale of when he was running "a little late" for his ferry one night, in his 450SEL 6.9 with a loaded glider trailer on the back. 130 MPH on the autobahn and not a hint of instability once he'd pushed through a "rather choppy region" around 80MPH apparently. :o
The late James Hunt owned one of these. :y
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If I ever buy a 'classic' it will be either a Mercedes w116, preferably the 6.9, or a 600SEL of '93 vintage 8)
I used to know a guy who imported gliders from Germany. He recalled a tale of when he was running "a little late" for his ferry one night, in his 450SEL 6.9 with a loaded glider trailer on the back. 130 MPH on the autobahn and not a hint of instability once he'd pushed through a "rather choppy region" around 80MPH apparently. :o
The late James Hunt owned one of these. :y
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The steel sprung 116s, and 126s for that matter, adopt a nose up/tail down attitude at cruise not dissimilar to an aircrafts natural cruise attitude. The instability on the 6.9 through 80 was probably a combination of trailer attitude shifting and the hydropnuematic suspension levelling the car as the speed increased.
Vmax on those is about 140mph, so 130 with a trailer is pretty impressive 8) and at that speed, in part due to the suspension, it becomes a rock steady missile... and although 140 doesn't sound like much, it's basically a two ton brick, which produces 400lb/ft of torque :o
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_450SEL_6.9
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Properly good XJS are now going for £6-£11,000...... :y
A few years ago people couldn't give them away.
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As I said earlier it will be a Merc again for me, they are utterly reliable & the earlier ones are superbly engineered, have had a couple of 190e 's, the last one I sold about 4 years ago & regret it to this day, as for being a "money pit " not if you do your homework & know what to look for & you really do feel that you are driving something special. As for being "truck like" I totally disagree.
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The steel sprung 116s, and 126s for that matter, adopt a nose up/tail down attitude at cruise not dissimilar to an aircrafts natural cruise attitude. The instability on the 6.9 through 80 was probably a combination of trailer attitude shifting and the hydropnuematic suspension levelling the car as the speed increased.
Vmax on those is about 140mph, so 130 with a trailer is pretty impressive 8) and at that speed, in part due to the suspension, it becomes a rock steady missile... and although 140 doesn't sound like much, it's basically a two ton brick, which produces 400lb/ft of torque :o
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_450SEL_6.9
Nice.....but the 300SEL 6.3 from the late sixties and early seventies was more of an animal. :y
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Same basic engine, but less power and a lighter/shorter body... they look quite imposing, but not a fan of the dash personally :-\ a bit too classic imho :y
I mean, what's not to love...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/121284981747?clk_rvr_id=658577423268
The only distraction being one of theses...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1995-Mercedes-Benz-S600-/221462713227?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item339034d38b
As you can probably tell, I am nothing if not indecisive ;D
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As I said earlier it will be a Merc again for me, they are utterly reliable & the earlier ones are superbly engineered, have had a couple of 190e 's, the last one I sold about 4 years ago & regret it to this day, as for being a "money pit " not if you do your homework & know what to look for & you really do feel that you are driving something special. As for being "truck like" I totally disagree.
I tend to agree with this statement. Early Mercs had that 'honed from granite' feel.
Later cars like the 2006 CLS 500 that I owned are no better screwed together than your average Vauxhall or Ford.....and no more reliable either. Cost cutting is a fact of life even at Mercedes Benz.
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Same basic engine, but less power and a lighter/shorter body... they look quite imposing, but not a fan of the dash personally :-\ a bit too classic imho :y
They look great in any film to do with the Cold War. :y :y ;)
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Same basic engine, but less power and a lighter/shorter body... they look quite imposing, but not a fan of the dash personally :-\ a bit too classic imho :y
I mean, what's not to love...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/121284981747?clk_rvr_id=658577423268
The only distraction being one of theses...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1995-Mercedes-Benz-S600-/221462713227?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item339034d38b
As you can probably tell, I am nothing if not indecisive ;D
Place the words 'pit' and 'money' in the correct order, Mr Al. ;).......It's no looker either. ;)
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True, there are nicer ones on the Bay, mostly for significantly more money... :y
You can appreciate the dilema though :-\
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True, there are nicer ones on the Bay, mostly for significantly more money... :y
You can appreciate the dilema though :-\
Indeed I can. A lot of car for a little money is so very tempting. :y
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I thought we've been told we have to buy Lamborghini's with our pensions? :-\
Mine will barely stretch to a Lada let alone a Lambo..... :-\
Judging by the number of 30-40 year old ones on the roads in Ukraine, i would think you would have to shoot a Lada to finish it off. So a definite classic and investment here M'lud, which should be worth at least 25p as a sought after car in 50 years time. ;D ;D ;D ;D