Daimler Double Six - JDM imports

[themule]

Hello All - Looking for some knowledge and hoping someone can offer advice. I am browsing around for a possible young classic purchase and I have noticed that there seem to be quite a few Japanese import late 80's, early 90's Daimler Double Six's at what appear to be decent money (£7-10k for a low mileage, rust free example) including all registration, MOT etc. There seem to be more import ones for sale than original UK ones - is there a reason for this? Most other JDM import cars seem to be oddball 4WD minivans.

I want the car as our main family vehicle, used at weekends, about 6k miles a year - the car would be kept on the drive. Am I likely to see 20mpg out of a V12? Much less might rule it out. I am used to the running costs and fuel costs of a diesel range rover (which TBH aren't that bad). I try to do as much servicing myself as I can.

Are there likely to be issues I need to consider with a JDM import car such as lower resale value etc?

Thanks for your help

[Jagaddict]

Always lower resale value

Check radio has been adapted

20mpg at best

Often don't have much corrosion

[themule]

Thanks JagAddict

[Dinoboy]

Loved my Double six, as said before 20mpg is possible but if your worrying about economy it's not the car for you. You'll feel special every time you start it up though.

[w824gb3]

I had a S3 XJ6 and it did 18mpg average. I think 20mpg from the V12 is optimistic. On long gentle runs maybe but not average. Also, in my view these need to be kept in a dry garage and off the road for winter or the rust will soon appear. I miss mine it was a special car but it was also a labour of love to keep it in top form. The twin petrol tanks were always amusing. They were also usually both empty ;-)

[liner33]

Do the jdm cars have kmh speedometers ?

[Dinoboy]

The only car I've owned where, if you were cracking on you could actually see the fuel gauge going down

[Jaguar steve]

w824gb3 said:

I had a S3 XJ6 and it did 18mpg average. I think 20mpg from the V12 is optimistic. On long gentle runs maybe but not average. Also, in my view these need to be kept in a dry garage and off the road for winter or the rust will soon appear. I miss mine it was a special car but it was also a labour of love to keep it in top form. The twin petrol tanks were always amusing. They were also usually both empty ;-)

More than once I've run one tank down to fumes then switched over thinking the other was full... and it wasn't.

[themule]

Maybe the lack of garage space (well I have a garage, it's just full of stuff) is the deciding factor here. My plan was to get a car that will not depreciate and be cheaper to tax and insure and that will offset the increased costs of fuel and maintainence. Something like a Jag or possible a Merc SE - full of character, luxurious and relatively fast but also not break the bank and be usable and reliable enough for normal use throughout the year.

Thanks for all the advice.

[Jaguar steve]

OP - there seems to be quite a mini industry sprung up recently importing Jaguars back to the UK from Japan.

I've no idea if the Japanese really do treat their cars like one of the family as it's often claimed in adverts - and even if they do you have no idea if your particular one has been, nor will you have access to previous history in the same way as you can for a UK registered car on the internet. If you have any service history or supporting documentation for example or receipts will it be in English or Japanese? How will you prove it's not all faked?

If originality is important will the radio work? Can you live with a km speedo? Whats the differences between the cars, do the Japanese ones for example have a different spec on some components and where will you get those particular parts if you need them?

I'd take the view that whatever price I paid for an import it will include auction and storage and agents fees, the cost of shipping something large and heavy half way across the world, as well as import duty all of which will be topped off with VAT and a pocket full of cash in profit for the dealer on it's arrival in the UK. I doubt any car dealer would touch a import with a bargepole as a purchase unless you were giving it away so your 10-15-20 grand V12 XJ isn't actually worth anything like that to the Classic market in a private UK sale and that's really not what you want to hear if you decide to sell it on.

You'll need UK documentation, a UK MOT and a UK registration number too and I've no idea how any insurance company would view cover on a import compared to an original UK car either.

Robert Hughes and Hurst Park occasionally have S3 V12's for sale - If I was buying something that was already a bit flaky and a long way past its sell by date when it left the factory some 20 to 30 years ago I'd take a punt on their established reputation and buy from a UK specialist rather than some unknown import/export guy from the Arthur Daley school of car sales.

Edited by Jaguar steve on Thursday 25th January 20:01

[Orcadian]

As always Steve’s advice is spot on and I too would go for a well looked after UK car. They are around but rare now. Jaguar Enthusiasts club would be my first area to search. I had 2 of them and a well maintained V12 running properly is a wonderful car. Don’t lose sight of the fact that the very last ones were built over 25 years ago and the gearbox was only a 3 speed GM400. Leaving one outside and using only occasionally can give rise to many problems - rust proofing was never a strong point on these cars. Have a look at a few really bad ones to see where the vulnerable areas are. Windscreen surrounds, wing bottoms, bonnet below the headlights and rear quarters are often poor and petrol tanks often leak. At least with a UK car you can see the mot history and whether serious corrosion has ever been noted.

Ian

I regularly got 22mpg on decent runs and it didn’t change much however I drove, although when on instantaneous consumption I could get it to read 1mpg if you floored it ??

Edited by Orcadian on Thursday 25th January 22:30

Edited by Orcadian on Thursday 25th January 22:33

[mph]

I've read somewhere that Japanese cars always have a well-documented history and the mileage on imported cars can be verified. I don't have any personal experience but it may be worth looking further into the subject before dismissing an import out of hand.

I've owned a Daimler Double Six and remember it as being a fabulous bit of kit, but that was many years ago. I recall that 22mpg on a run was achievable.

Here's one for sale at a sensible price, I assume it's not an import.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Daimler-Double-Six/3025...

Robert Hughes also has a low mileage one for sale but it's more than double the price.

A friend of mine bought a low-mileage imported Mercedes SL a couple of years back. It was remarkable value and turned out to be a cracking car, pronounced as genuine by an independent Mercedes Specialist and totally rust free.

Personally I'd prefer to pay £10k less for an import (assuming that's feasible) and spend a few hundred having it inspected professionally.

Edited by mph on Friday 26th January 07:44

[sjc]

OP the way you’ve described you are going to use it wouldn’t a V12 XJ40 or X300 be a better choice maybe?

[Jaguar steve]

Whatever you buy you'll need to source the very best one you can find and despite the S3 being a charming old thing it's quite likely a V12 X300 would be a better bet. They are a lot less complicated and much better made and have a 4 not 3 speed auto box and have improved engine management and HVAC systems and a much improved use of cabin space. The X300s benefit from a huge improvement in build quality over both the pre and John Egan era cars after Fords takeover and investment and it really shows if you compare the build quality of the two cars.

I've virtually rebuilt a S3 in the distant past and even then it was a nightmare of corroded components and bodywork and a startling mix of crudely engineered complexity. It did have however the best ride quality of any XJ I've ever driven and was a lovely place to be, but the later car will absolutely run rings round it in terms of drivability and durability.

Before you decide and part with a whole heap of beer tokens you really must have a go in a V8 XJ too...

[sjc]

Jaguar steve said:

Whatever you buy you'll need to source the very best one you can find and despite the S3 being a charming old thing it's quite likely a V12 X300 would be a better bet. They are a lot less complicated and much better made and have a 4 not 3 speed auto box and have improved engine management and HVAC systems and a much improved use of cabin space. The X300s benefit from a huge improvement in build quality over both the pre and John Egan era cars after Fords takeover and investment and it really shows if you compare the build quality of the two cars.

I've virtually rebuilt a S3 in the distant past and even then it was a nightmare of corroded components and bodywork and a startling mix of crudely engineered complexity. It did have however the best ride quality of any XJ I've ever driven and was a lovely place to be, but the later car will absolutely run rings round it in terms of drivability and durability.

Before you decide and part with a whole heap of beer tokens you really must have a go in a V8 XJ too...

Steve, apologies to the OP for going off topic but did you live in Danbury but moved away Suffolk area? You're email is set to not receive so couldn't PM!

[liner33]

My experience of JDM japanese imports is that their mileage goes backwards everytime they cross water

[Dinoboy]

Jaguar steve said:

Whatever you buy you'll need to source the very best one you can find and despite the S3 being a charming old thing it's quite likely a V12 X300 would be a better bet. They are a lot less complicated and much better made and have a 4 not 3 speed auto box and have improved engine management and HVAC systems and a much improved use of cabin space. The X300s benefit from a huge improvement in build quality over both the pre and John Egan era cars after Fords takeover and investment and it really shows if you compare the build quality of the two cars.

I've virtually rebuilt a S3 in the distant past and even then it was a nightmare of corroded components and bodywork and a startling mix of crudely engineered complexity. It did have however the best ride quality of any XJ I've ever driven and was a lovely place to be, but the later car will absolutely run rings round it in terms of drivability and durability.

Before you decide and part with a whole heap of beer tokens you really must have a go in a V8 XJ too...

I think your spot on here but I suppose the op needs to decide if he wants a classic, which a Double six undoubtedly is or a very nice modern car, which an x300 is to me.

[Jaguar steve]

sjc said:

Jaguar steve said:

Whatever you buy you'll need to source the very best one you can find and despite the S3 being a charming old thing it's quite likely a V12 X300 would be a better bet. They are a lot less complicated and much better made and have a 4 not 3 speed auto box and have improved engine management and HVAC systems and a much improved use of cabin space. The X300s benefit from a huge improvement in build quality over both the pre and John Egan era cars after Fords takeover and investment and it really shows if you compare the build quality of the two cars.

I've virtually rebuilt a S3 in the distant past and even then it was a nightmare of corroded components and bodywork and a startling mix of crudely engineered complexity. It did have however the best ride quality of any XJ I've ever driven and was a lovely place to be, but the later car will absolutely run rings round it in terms of drivability and durability.

Before you decide and part with a whole heap of beer tokens you really must have a go in a V8 XJ too...

Steve, apologies to the OP for going off topic but did you live in Danbury but moved away Suffolk area? You're email is set to not receive so couldn't PM!

That's me .

I'll sort mail

[mph]

Jaguar steve said:

Before you decide and part with a whole heap of beer tokens you really must have a go in a V8 XJ too...

I've currently got an X358 XJR.

It's a long time ago since I owned an S3 but with its effortless performance the XJR seems to me to be it's spiritual successor

[themule]

Thanks for the advice guys, I am going to have a think a keep on looking around.