Man buys Jaguar XJS for just $2,624 with 11 previous owners and no service history and quickly learns if he regrets it
Published on Nov 06, 2025 at 11:38 AM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Nov 06, 2025 at 12:27 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
When Will Goodwin went looking for a classic Jaguar, this one stood out for all the wrong reasons.
It had 11 previous owners and no service history.
But at just $2,624 (£2,000), he decided to take a chance.
Now he’s finding out whether that gamble paid off.
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The $2,624 Jaguar XJS that shouldn’t have survived
Will had always wanted a Jaguar XJS.
He’d loved its controversial shape since he was a kid.
Some people call it awkward, others call it elegant, but to him it’s just unmistakable.
He’d already seen two rough V12s when he spotted a grey 1990 model in a Classic Car Weekly print listing.
The advert only had one grainy photo and a short note about the seller’s poor health.
Still, it was £2,000 and local enough to check out.
He turned up expecting a wreck.
But when the seller rolled it out of the garage, things started to feel different.
He turned the key and the 3.6-liter straight-six fired instantly, smooth and quiet.
Underneath, the floor was solid, the panels were straight, and the usual rust traps looked clean.
Even the inspection record – the MOT history every old UK car drags behind it – looked strangely impressive: 13 passes, one fail, and barely any corrosion warnings.
Then came the real surprise.
The previous owner, who’d kept the Jag 15 years, explained that he’d been coating the underside with sump oil instead of proper wax to stop it rusting.
Unconventional, maybe… but it worked.
So Will bought it and took it home.
Within weeks, he was taking it to local shows and the Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive, still surprised by how well it ran.
It wasn’t perfect, but for something with 147,000 miles and a history full of question marks, it was far better than expected.
Did the gamble pay off?
But all that good fortune couldn’t last forever.
A few weeks later, a coolant bypass hose split mid-drive, sending up a puff of white smoke and a spike on the temp gauge.
It was fixed for around $26 (£20) and a quick tow, but it was a reminder that 35-year-old rubber isn’t infallible.
Since then, the Jaguar XJS has been mix of charm and chaos.
The speedo dies whenever it feels like it, the central locking quit, and the power steering’s starting to whine.
On top of that, the windscreen leaks in the rain.
But the AJ6 engine hasn’t missed a beat.
Now Will’s turning it into a rolling restoration: hoses, brakes, fan, paint.
All one job at a time.
And for $2,624, it’s a win by any standard.
Turns out, the only regret is not buying it sooner.
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Molly Davidson is a Junior Content Writer at Supercar Blondie. Based in Melbourne, she holds a double Bachelor’s degree in Arts/Law from Swinburne University and a Master’s of Writing and Publishing from RMIT. Molly has contributed to a range of magazines and journals, developing a strong interest in lifestyle and car news content. When she’s not writing, she’s spending quality time with her rescue English staffy, Boof.
