Looking at this 1973 Jaguar E-Type 2+2 coupe, I thought for sure it had been repainted. The blue was too bright! E-Types never came in anything flashier than red, right? Well, it may have been resprayed at one time, but there is a bright blue paint option called Azure Blue, and this V12 hardtop looks like a dead ringer for it. The seller notes the Jaguar is part of a collection owned by his father and that it’s a barn find, so it seems likely this is a car that hasn’t seen much love in recent years. The car is described as being “…100 percent original,” so perhaps this is a genuine Azure Blue car after all. Find it here on Facebook Marketplace with a $65,000 asking price.
That’s a very strong ask for a Series III, project-grade E-Type. According to Hagerty Insurance – which is sort of a trusted source on these matters – an E-Type in this condition is worth $26,400 (that’s the “Fair” condition valuation, which this car seems to be), and then their analysts recommend deducting an additional 10 percent for the automatic gearbox. Now, perhaps this E-Type is in better condition than how I’m assessing it from afar, but even then Hagerty only increases their valuation to $41,300 for a “Good” condition model. No matter how you slice it, $65,000 is well above the going rate for a tired S3.
The interior is fortunately in good condition, looking largely complete with no major signs of damage or destruction. The later cars had the dashboards with ordinary switches as opposed to the toggle jobs in the Series 1 cars. Between that, the automatic gearbox, and the rear seats, this E-Type is pretty far from the ideal for someone hunting down an XKE project. But, as mentioned earlier, the color isn’t seen all that often – so does the paint code (assuming it’s original) help to justify the high asking price? Probably not, but I could see it bumping the ask a few grand above Hagerty’s rating.
There’s also a chance it’s a low mileage survivor, which moves the goalposts yet again. If the listed mileage of 56,000 is correct, the paint may be original – and the interior certainly looks decent enough to be from a car with well under 100,000 miles that’s simply been parked for decades. The seller calls it gorgeous, but I still see plenty of signs of rough paint and possibly bodywork on the lower extremities of the passenger side in the listing photos. The chrome bumpers look tired too, so this isn’t a turnkey driver – but classic vehicles from Washington State, at least, tend to be fairly solid underneath. What do you think a fair asking price is for an E-Type like this?
Certainly agree the price is way to high. After introducing the original cars they must have fired the designers as they really turned beautiful cars into what you see here. Ugly in lots of areas and with the V12 handle like dump trucks. Hagerty’s rating must have been done late on a Friday afternoon before a long holiday weekend.
I’m not sure why people pay attention to most of Hagerty’s valuations.
Steve R
About 50% of the asking price seems fair. Who wants the automatic “I can’t drive” version of a legendary sports car?
And, oh Jeez I didn’t realize that it’s a 2+2 also. Not even desirable for half the asking price😝
Perfect for swaying the wife from the “over my dead body!” column to the “OK, Honey” column. Automatic means she can drive it (unless some mysterious electrical gremlin pops up every time she wants to drive it (wink, wink)) and the kids will fit in back when you go out for ice cream. Plus, it’s a V-12! Pretty much guarantee that you won’t find another one in your town.
Cruel assessment, to say the least, but right on point. I had a 67 2+2 and was never happy with what they did. But, it was cheap, and needed everything. Sold it for next to nothing and have no remorse a couple years ago. Turns out, a mistake to buy it and am glad I recovered the ‘investment’.
Agree the asking of $65k is insane, especially with the out of focus and dark pics.
paint sucks interior is far from good for 65 grand I would halve be drunk and rich to buy it 35 grand tops
As others have stated ,this has all of the undesirable traits to qualify as the “cheap” E type.Some how the seller didn’t get the memo.20 to 25 k on it’s best day .
To date, I have owned four of these cars, and why the interest, I have never figured it out. I am drawn to the looks mostly. I am flabberghasted by the asking prices, and am amazed at how much they actually sell for. My new one was $5000, and all the rest were worn-out wrecks that needed everything. Nope, not for anywhere near that money, and even for a ‘restored’ one. The youngest of the bunch would now be 46 years old, and that, is an old, used up car. My only use for one now is to have one and park it in my garage to look at the shape. Not really much of a car.
Good luck even getting close to that price. This is another case of a guy that doesn’t want to sell his vehicle so he sets the price way too high. Classic case of wife saying I want to park in the garage, get rid of that thing. Ok honey, I’ll put it up for sale.
How much? Hehehehehehe hehehehehehe
A V12 Auto? No thanks. Worked at a foreign auto repair shop in the late 1970’s and pulled a few of the auto trannys out and in on these with no lift. Give me a 3.8L with a 4 speed roadster like I had in high school and I am good to go if I could only afford it now. LOL!
I agree totally. I am currently sitting on a 92 XJS that a friend took in trade that has no brakes, and the repair could run in the thousands. I bought it as a favor, and have no intentions of fixing it. Just taking up space. Low miles and runs smoothly. Hoping someone needs a v-12 for their project. Cheap!