Can you compare these two. A C3 and a series 1 E Type.
Well in my garage sits both, both the same red, both sexy in their own way.

Visually for me, the Jag says " aging screen star " - the Vette says " get out the bloody way "

And on both models I have done total rebuilds.

Financially, the Jag is more valuable, but the parts cost more and its so fiddely, that I literally had to get a very petite girl to do some of the underdash work - my 11" span hands ( ex gorilla ) would just not fit !!


At 6 feet 2", the Jag is a pain for me to get in and out - but passible when in - I only said passible - not great.

Driving ( she's ex USA ), the lower diff is a pain and you only need top gear for everything. Goes well enough, but a non synchro first gear sounds awfull !!!!!!!!!!

So, to the Vette. It has a chassis, I FEEL SAFE , better brakes, power steering, cheaper parts, can use my own hands - this might actually be a bad point - said girl is now grown up and looks ...........

Well, anyway, do I Ebay the Jag and spend the money on a ***** out C3 ? or, keep it in the corner as a financial investment.

Of course, having both parked side by side is kinda nice.

Oh yes- nearly forgot - there is no rust breaking out on the Vette body...........

Bloody rubbish Jaguar tin can.

Any replies or posts, please be as sarcastic as possible - it might help me decide..............


Hugo

 

well i can say this much i had a rust free 1960 vw bug that was completaly restores to a cal custom and sold it even though my family and friends said it was a very bad idea because the car was so nice and i would never get another one like it and i did love the car but now that it is gone and i put all the money i got from it into the vette i am happier now than i thought i would be. but to each his own and like i said its not a Jag but i did love the car BUT not as much as im gonna like my ***** to the wall vette

 

I'm not too up on my older Jags. Is yours like the one that Jeremy Clarskson cruised around in "Meet the Neighbors" If so, sell the Vette and keep that car. That car is ***** man! However, a close friend from Birmingham England says the the old E-types are just ***** mobiles. He isn't very fond of them.

But if it is uncomfortable to drive around in, why the hell would you want it in the first place.

Ultimatly, the decision is yours, but I couldn't part with either of those cars.

 

The series one E-Type is considered the most desireable of the breed and for me is probably the most stunning car ever built (maybe tied with the Ferrari GTO).
As an investment, keep the Jag, but they are a pain and expensive to maintain (especially with the pound being so strong right now).
You want to have a classic and enjoy the driving experience...keep the vette.

Nick

 

Jaguar E-type is a VERY nice car. I'd keep it, if it were mine :-)

Of course, C2 is MUCH nicer car...

 

Just yesterday i saw an e type on the road and i could help but notice just how well built the cars look. I was realy amazed at the way that the rear bumpers seem to be molded right on to the body the fit is just amazing. any way i would say keep it those cars look way cool and besides its probably not to bad of an investment

 

Was not in my mind to sell the Corvette - the decision is if to sell the Jag to get a second Vette - maybe a tuned 454, stroked to 500+ cubes, chrome side pipes, shapely blonde for the passenger seat........... etc

 

Let's see what I remember about my '69 E type:

4,000 miles on it and I take the wife across country. Nevada - won't go more than 115 mph. New Mexico - end cap on heater box under the hood blows off. Car radically overheats. Faulty solder joint. Somewhere around Kansas - rear wheel bearing starts making noise.

It sure looked nice, but was put together like a piece of crap. As soon as I got back home it was traded for a Porsche 911. Should have bought the Porsche in the first place!

 

I don't/won't buy cars for investment and a stable of cars that never get (or rarely get) makes no sense to me.

There is also no guarantee the classic car market will be as good or better in the future.

Why store a car that is uncomfortable to drive when you have other desires that can be fulfiled by selling?

For me, while the E Type is an awesome car, I cannot see owning something for that reason alone. I would sell.

 

Funny you should mention the rear wheel bearings.......... guess what I just had to do for the MOT safety test. Not the outer ones, but the buggers that are part of the diff - 3 day job, whole rear end off the car.

 

what year model color (engine) is the jag? My friend has a 71 12 cylinder pale yellow vert... nice, but it spends more time in the shop than at his house. Saw a very nice red 2+2 12 cylinder at the car show Sunday. Looks a bit stretched out.

 

June 1966 series 1 ( closed headlight - glass covers ). Bright red with black interior. 4.2 straight 6. Lotsa chrome - wire wheels etc.

 

The Jag is pretty sweet. I would keep it.

Tom

 

I'd keep the Jag myself. If you're looking for driveability and performance, you could swap in a Chevy drivetrain and replace the Lucas electronics.

www.picturetrail.com/wesmigletz

 

My opinion? Keep the jag. But then I'm British, so inherently biased!
Is it a V12? I don't know a great deal about the E type, had they even gone over to V12 from straight six at that time? If it's a twelve, I'd be more inclined to keep it, the Jag V12 has got to be one of my favourite engines. Just seeing one, a while back in a old XJ12, was a humbling experience.
I know jags are not the best in the build quality stakes, even to recent times. My mother has a 93 XJ6 which is beautiful, but has rust in places you'd never expect for a garage kept car.
But you overlook the build issues with a jag, because its a jag. Plus which, I'm going to be given a verbal kicking, but even our vettes are a bit thrown together, if you think about it. But we still love em. I'd say you're in a lucky position to have two classics of world reknown in the same garage. Hang on to it!
By the way, I guess from your reference to the MOT, that you're in England somewhere? Where abouts? (Don't worry, I'm not planning to pinch your E type - although perhaps that might save you from deciding whether to sell it! )

 

I would not sell the Jag right now. Just go get the shapely blonde first then she will take the Jag when she leaves. That will give you more time for the Vette. The best solutions are the simple ones.

-Mark.

 

Live in the very West of Wales - can throw a stone in the sea from my windows.

 

Jags are nice, but I agree they are expensive to keep running, and too nice to keep as a garage ornament. I say sell it to some 50 year old that always wanted one when he was a kid and can finally afford it. That way both of you are happy. I don't know if I'd go wacko on a vette with the money though. You already have a house by the shore, maybe a fast boat? Joe

 

I would give my left one for an E Type Series 1. I would also give half of the right one if it was fully restored. Take it out of the garage and drive it like you stole it. When it breaks, fix it. Enjoy that beast.

 

Lucky you - I was born and raised in Cornwall, so I know the joys of being able to smell the sea from my home! Now I'm stuck as far from the sea as it's possible to be in England, in Nottingham. The closest beach is Skegness, and I don't even think that classes as a beach, more like a muddy flat area with some brown water