How many are still nice and what are my chances.... ?

[Goose]

Phil's old car would be at the top of my list if I was looking to buy one today.* It may not be in perfect condition at the moment, but it wouldn't take a lot of work to sort it out, as discussed above.
This car's history is 'known' by Two-Sixties members, which would count heavily in its favour for me. £7,500 isn't a lot for what it is, prices don't seem to have fallen much in the last couple of years as far as I'm aware.
*so would Peter's, but not if silver wasn't a possibility!

[MG mad]

For reference, we paid 9500GBP for an 11.5k miles, XPG ZT-T SE. Leather is like new apart from small amount of wear on drivers bolster - you can't avoid that really. All the alcantara seats I've seen have been worse. Gearbox oil leaked, had it sorted by local garage (much to my shame I didn't have the time to do it myself, first time I've ever paid for work to be done on a car of ours). Cracked output shaft, repairs cost just over $400 NZ (less than 200GBP) including replacing diff oil. We were looking for a a year or so, about 4 months seriously (ie cash burning a hole in bank a/c).

To me, it sounds like you want a new car with a new car warranty for s/h money. I've never yet bought a car that has been 100% as described, it's what you do when you buy a car - spend more money on it.

These cars are rare and quite a niche car, hence why they take longer than most to sell.

Can fully understand not wanting a silver car though, not our cup of tea.

[Phil]

It's not wood effect. It's burr walnut laid on metal.
The rear spoiler is nice I think and a V8 should stand out a little from the crowd, but I accept it's personal choice.
The dealer lives down a long track which could have hurt the wheels, but they weren't perfect. Less than £200 for a full refurb of the set.
I asked Scooter about a weep from the gearbox a while ago and he said to leave it, but it sounds like it's got worse. Hey Ho!

£7500 is peanuts though, isn't it.

[Oddcat]

Hi Phil

I stand corrected re the burr walnut. Yes, it is personal taste. Same with the spolier.

[Phil]

The simple answer is this.
As I was putting the ad on Autotrader, I saw an advert for a DB7 which looked like exactly what I wanted. I phoned the dealer, viewed and bought the car the same day.
So, the ad was not on long enough for anyone to come and see it.
I always have this problem as I live in Cumbria and no one wants to make the trip up here to view.
Two people on here expressed an interest, but one needed to sell his house and the other wasn't interested when he discovered that it wasn't registered as an SE. That again is personal preference.

Good luck in your search for a Jag.

[Will.S]

Hi Phil

I stand corrected re the burr walnut. Yes, it is personal taste. Same with the spolier.

Would be interested as to why, given your status on this site and that your 260 seems to be considered by folks on here as amongst the best, you were not beating buyers off with a stick ? Did anyone actually come and see it ? If they didn't then, as it appeared in your old Pistonheads ad (that I've now seen after the event) to be a minter, presumably there just isn't a market for these above £7k ? Or did people come and see it and walk away ?

The trader said he'd pre sold it to a company (Elite ?) at £7,500 but that they had "changed their minds" and offered him a lot less without yet having even seen it which is odd too (as an aside, if they did do that, and backed out on an agreement, then they deserve to be put out of business but then I am an idealist who believes in honour etc which I think puts me in a minority these days !). I would expect the car to retail at £7,995 max with all faults corrected. Given the cost of repairs and the need for the usual £1,500 dealer profit, and a bit of "knocking down" margin I'd expect trade value to be maybe £6,000. So why Ellite would offer £7,500 trade is beyond me unless they expected to retail it for £9,450.

Crikey - it's complicated all this. At the end of the day I just want to pay fair money for a nice clean, fault free, sorted and well loved car. Doesn't seem likely though so I guess I'll be back to scouring the UK for a decent XKR / S-Type R after all.

Oh well there you go. Thanks all for contributing here. Much appreciated.

OC

The XKR is a good car and not something I would put up against the ZT, but the S-type? it's based on a lincoln, a yank chassis, the ZT has it's origins with BMW owned Rover and was set up by pro-drive, I have driven both and preferred the ZT, I have to say the reason for the low price is badge snobbery and spineless press. If you want the S-type crack on, but the ZT has more character and a far better chassis.

[bigkeeko]

This thread seems to revolve round `one` car. Ok, it wasn`t what was expected and maybe the car was `overhyped` but I have a sneaking suspicion that the original poster only joined for a rant as he felt he had a bit of a wasted journey.
I can half understand the frustration there because one persons idea of `immaculate` and anothers can be miles apart.

[Oddcat]

bigkeeko - "a bit of a wasted journey". Is that like being "a bit pregnant" !

Yes - I was a tad disappointed that the car that I'd (sort of) expected to be as nice as I thought I'd find was not anywhere near as good. I understand that cars age, and things go wrong, but I thought that maybe this one, having been owned by a proper enthusiast, would have been kept immaculate (you know like those 30 year old cars you see in concourse competitions that are unmarked). To find scuffed wheels faulty air con and a significant oil leak was a surprise I admit. I guess that's the difference between an ehthusiast and an obsessive !

The thread was not intended as a rant (honest) but I had to set the scene I guess as to why I was asking the "are there any nice ones left" which, in isolation, might have seemed odd to anyone who thought there were loads. It occurred to me that with only 800 built and me having seen a very late one owned by an enthusiast with low miles that was as disappointing as that was, then maybe I'm barking up a tree that doesn't exist.

[Zeb]

When I was looking for a V8 ZT 18 months or so ago I saw some lovely ones....but they were all owned by people intent on not selling...the ones I saw in dealers were all what I would class as well used but averagely looked after.

That said, the one I ended up with hasn't even ever been in a car wash as previous owners have valued her paintwork. Two blemishes on her, one I will sort when I get the right 'zipper' for the rear seat, the other even I didn't notice for three months. She now needs a new air con compressor after 37k miles but 'they all do that sir'. Short of that, she is kept in a garage, used for high days and holidays - yes, including in the rain! But she is what I would consider a very nice example...and I am picky! But then, my 'picky' and yours might not match?!

Ultimately, being in a car club for a particular car, or even being an 'enthusiast' does not mean that your car is necessarily going to be immaculate....yes, it might be...but equally, you may just love driving your car hard, have no mechanical eptitude and no interest in cleaning out your Apex wheels with a toothbrush...it takes all sorts.

There ARE nice examples out there...it just depends how much you want one and how hard you are prepared to look....and a nice version of one of these will be harder to find than a nice Jag for example.

[robert.jamieson]

I've been reading the string of posts with interest.

Personally I've been interested in the 260 ever since it came out, but was only recently in a position to buy one following job progression and the sale of my Audi Quattro in Jan 2010. It then took me until June 2010 to find the right one for me, which I can describe as show room condition, v. near concourse, and I know what concourse means! However, at only 4 K on the clock, you'd expect it to be in that condition. That said, I had to pay a premium for it - £10,350.

I think six months to find the right car isn't too bad, especially given the rarity of these cars. It's a case of how long you're willing to wait, how much you're willing to compromise and what you're willing to pay! I know of others who have waited much longer and been to look at many more than I did!

In my opinion there are all sorts of 'enthusiasts' including those that like to drive their cars hard, and those that like to drive on a Sunday, clean, polish and then put away ready for the next sunny day. Many are in between. I fit into the later, and that's why I was willing to wait for a near concourse car, and to pay that bit extra for it.

As for the Jag, a great car I'm sure, but where's the character and the rarity! I also like the BMW M5 but I wouldn't buy one as their pretty ubiquitous and cold! Each to their own.

Cheers

Rob