How accurate are the book value estimates in Kelly Blue Book? I'm starting the process of buying and XJS, have seen several on-line that have caught my eye. Some are listed below KBB, most above by $2K or so. Does KBB accurately reflect the value of the car, or is there something, market-oriented or otherwise, that KBB misses.

Submitted by SE21-31278 on Thu, 01/04/2007 - 23:48

Hey,
Ditto what Doug said! Most XJS's which have not been maintained WILL need 5-7k worth of work to get them up to snuff. KBB really does not take that into account. Now, when someone does all the stuff needed to get a car sorted out, it doesn't mean he or she will get that money back, but that car, to me, would be worth a bit more than one with spotty history. Just look on Ebay.... you have dealers who pick these cars up, put AS LITTLE into them as possible, squirt some Armor-All around, gloss up the tires and think they are worth premium dollar. Hell, some of them don't even know what an XJS is, how many doors it has or how many cylinders in the engine. Now that would scare me away.....

Bill Cooper
1992 XJS V-12, 1995 XJR, 1985 Sovereign, 2000 VDP

Submitted by dougdwyer@adel… on Wed, 12/27/2006 - 22:15

KBB may be somewhat meaningful on the latest XJSs, '94-'96 or so, but I don't think it means much on the older models.

History and condition is paramount on these cars. You gotta look for the right car, not the right price. There are limits to this, of course....but a truly premium car is worth some extra money....and will probably save you money in the long run.

The best way to gain perspective on this is to do lots of shopping around. You'll see what I mean.....

Cheers

Doug Dwyer
Longview Washington USA
1995 XJR
1988 XJS