Hello all, this if my first proper post here after a month of lurking and absorbing. Unfortunately, the more I read the more conflicted I become. Here is my story, and I apologize for being a bit long winded...

Let me begin by saying that until about a month ago, I was not a car person. All my cars so far have been Japanese sedans. Used Japanese sedans. I put nearly 300,000 miles on each of them, but couldn't really care less about the ride or the cars themselves.

I am, however, an old fashioned person who greatly appreciates art and craftsmanship. As such, I admired these cars for their longevity, but there really isn't anything about them that would get my heart racing .

A few weeks ago, I found myself behind the wheel of a 2000 XK8, purely by accident. 15 minutes in the car, and I was hooked. I went from literally never thinking about cars, to dreaming about a car. It's really quite shocking.

This prompted me to begin researching the cars. I first found out that I can actually afford one. Then I found out that the real price is in the maintenance. Then I read all kinds of stories here and just about everywhere else that make it seem like buying a Jaguar leads to selling your organs on the black market and moving in with the mechanic.

I guess what I am looking for is some honest perspective.

Can a 1998-2004 range XK8 be a daily commuter (18 miles on country roads) without manifesting all kinds of mechanical problems?

Can a regular car mechanic (old guy with lots of experience) work on these cars, or do I HAVE to take it to specialized shops who charge $100+ an hour?

If a Nikasil engine hasn't shown any problems yet, is it safe to assume that current fuel sulfur content is too low to cause problems with these engines in the future?

Are there specific (reasonable) things I can do to ensure an enjoyable, trouble free ownership experience?

Thanks very much for your help!

 

Hello and welcome!

My first point would be your climate. Being in New Jersey, you have to deal with difficult winters just like I do in Chicago. I'm not sure I could recommend an XK8 as your only car all year around. Perhaps consider picking up and old Jeep or something for the bad weather. At the very least you would need snow tires and some patience.

To address your question about whether or not you need to take it to a specialized shop for repairs, that depends on what it needs. Basic jobs like brakes/tires/routine maintenance could be handled at a regular shop. However, more involved problems require access to Jaguar diagnostic equipment and special tools that you won't find everywhere.

This is in no way meant in any offense, but you will be spending significantly more to maintain an XK8 than a Camry or Accord. Especially for one over the 100k mark. So long as you're aware of and ok with that fact. In an average year, between my 2 Jaguars and my Land Rover, I spend between 2k-3k in maintenance and repairs. But I also use a very skilled indy near me who charges $118/hr.

It appears that you're looking at 4.0L cars. If so, take some time to read into the high failure rate of the cam chain tensioners, as this is (most likely) something you'll need to address if it hasn't been done by the previous owner.

I'm not by any means trying to scare you away. The XK8 is a wonderful machine. Mine is just over 90k largely trouble-free miles. So if the car has been well taken care of previously, and you continue to be diligent about maintenance, it can be a wonderful experience.

I'm sure many others will chime in on their experience as well.

 

My 2 cents worth so this shouldn't take long. While researching your purchase on forums is definitely a good idea especially when buying a used jag keep in mind we generally only talk about the bad. Rarely is the good mentioned. You cannot buy more car for the money that I am aware of. I would concentrate on a 2003 or newer unless you have bullet proof documentation of timing chain/tensioner upgrade. I believe these years will get you away from the nikasil issue also, if I am wrong others will correct me. Make sure everything works as it should, have it checked out if you are able. Do not rush into buying as you do not want your dreaming to turn into a nightmare by purchasing the wrong jag. If you are willing to travel you have thousands of cars to choose from. Reliable for a daily driver... absolutely.

 

If you buy an xk8 and try to run it on a shoestring with other people working on it, you're asking for trouble. I'm not saying they're unreliable, or that parts are super expensive, but I will say that you will pay more for parts and more for labor. Jaguar reliability has come a long way and for the type of car it is, a luxury grand tourer, it's excellent. I daily drive mine 9 months of the year.

My xkr has been fantastic, but I do everything diy from oil changes to engine rebuilds. Little stuff like timing chain tensioners, fuel pumps, o2 sensors, etc is expensive when you add in labor and shops marking up parts. Just secondary tensioners will set you back 700-1k at a shop, versus 200 diy. Fuel pumps on an xkr, 240$ for diy versus 1400 at a shop. I don't even know what all 4 o2 sensors cost in a shop when I paid 200$ in parts for all 4.

If you pay a shop, budget at least 2500 a year, most years you'll be under that. I don't want to discourage a new owner but just don't want someone to come in and be disappointed.

 

Thanks very much for the response

I already own a Nissan which would remain my primary winter / bad weather car. My intention would be to baby the Jaguar as much as possible and hopefully pass it on to my son one day and not have him hate me for it.

Having done a bit of research already, I've become familiar with the cam tensioner as well as the water pump issues. Would replacing these parts require a special Jag shop or is this a fairly standard procedure that most mechanics can take care of?

I can certainly handle $1-$2k a year in repair costs, but I would like to think that once some of the major design "defects" are sorted out, the car can last and perform reliably. In other words, I would like to be able to relax and enjoy driving it as opposed to having to worry about what might go next.

Thanks again for all you input, guys. I like to research to death every purchase I make, and this place has been a great resource for me.

 

Well Varnavald,
Here's my story if it helps. I saw a 2002 XKR on ebay 5 years ago; I had never looked at one, sat in one, or driven one, but this one was so beautiful, I made a ridiculously low bid, which although it ended up being the highest one, was well below the reserve. The shock that came a day later when the seller contacted me and said that they would accept the offer has still not worn off. The car had 62000 miles on it when I bought it and every service record ever done to the car at a Jaguar dealership. Fast forward approx. 5 years and I passed 150,000 miles on it about 2 months ago. So I am putting about 18-20,000 miles per year on it. It has certainly required all of the infamous and regular maintenance procedures that have been well documented on the forum including secondary tensioners/timing chain replacement, convertible hydraulic hoses/actuator replacement, supercharger rebuild, transmission solenoids, shifter sensors replacement.........so now it's cost me what I probably should have paid five years ago. But, I love it, been worth every penny, and even though I recently bought a 2010 5.0L XKR coupe that is worlds faster, better handling, more modern, great paddle shifting tranny........my main reason for doing so was to extend the life of my 2002. I have both series, and without question I think the first series is a more beautiful, classic design.

It will take work to keep it running well, and it's never going to do double duty as a track car, but the special feeling you get from driving it is incomparable. I have had many cars (in the past and present), many of which are exotic, but the amount of attention and compliments that I receive on mine on a daily basis is incredible, every day!

Remember, it's never going to be a Toyota (except in purchase cost), but look at the effect it has had on you already.

Good luck.

 

To paraphrase Dirty Harry: "You've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky".

 

Driving the car and then passing it on to your son is a noble thing indeed. Since you mentioned that you would baby it and would work on it yourself I say go for it. As an option or backup plan for the future consider an LS1 conversion. Check out LS1 conversion in this forum. I, like you, was not that much of a car guy, more crotch rockets, but once I got the Jag and the tranny packed it in I HAD to do something to keep it. These Jags are going to be timeless classics. Your son won't be disappointed stock or converted. Lots of documentation online (get the JTIS disk) and lots of support in this forum and elsewhere.
Happy trails!

SK

 

I'll add my 2 cents worth as well. In August of 2011, I bought a 2002 XKR with 33k miles on it. Engines manufactured after August 2001 (mine was made in February of 2002) have the 3rd generation tensioners (that said, I still had them inspected to verify). I now have almost 67k miles on it and have really only had one problem and that was 6 months ago when the fuel pumps failed. This cost nearly $1800 at the dealer but that's not bad spread out over 3 years. However, I have gone beyond the standard maintenance and replaced fluids ahead of schedule and hoses before failure. You say you have worked on cars before, so with the help of this great forum, you should be able to do much of the work yourself. For the rest, find a good independent Jag shop and enjoy one of the most beautiful cars ever made. No matter how bad my day has been, when I drive my XKR home at night, it puts a smile on my face.


Mark

 

My '01 blue cat has 119k miles on her and is my daily (only) driver. I put on about 12k miles a year now and I have spent ~$1k a year on maintenance and repairs, but I do most of them myself.

As other folks mention, the 4.2L engines on the later years have the upgraded tensioners and other good bits, but I would not shy away from the earlier model years. I didn't.

Any nikasil engine still running should be fine. Jaguar is not the only OEM to use this liner, Porsche had them for example. Without the older gas issues, they are actually better engines.

The best way to keep these cars purring is regular maintenance and lots of driving. They do so much better when they are driven. Put them in the garage for long periods of time and they will punish you for it.

Good luck and I hope you find good one. Just remember the forum is here to help. Plenty of knowledgeable folks here with the answers you need.

 

My wife's 2006 XK8 is her daily driver. She's taken it from 36,000 miles at acquisition in February 2012 to approaching 85,000 miles today. As others have said, you need two important factors in your favor to make these cars relatively affordable to run: the assistance of this forum, and the ability to DIY most maintenance and repairs. With those things going for you, an XK8 can be a very enjoyable vehicle to own....

Do plenty of reading and research here and ask questions as needed. This is the most helpful automotive forum I've ever been a part of and I would not own either of our two Jaguars without being a member here. I'll echo the advice to stick with the 2003-and-newer models. Jaguar made revisions and improvements as the model years rolled by and the later cars typically benefited from those actions. They all have their quirks, but the quirks are well-documented here and if you can resolve them yourself with the advice and guidance of this forum, you'll stay ahead of the cost/benefit curve....

My philosophy for all of my vehicles is to keep a rolling $2,500 to $3,000 maintenance fund in a money market account for each of them. Rarely do I need to spend more than a few hundred dollars at a time. My latest example was new rear shocks on my wife's XK8 earlier this month. About $300 for parts ordered online via one of our good sources here, and the fantastic assistance from one of our esteemed forum members during which we did the job at his home shop. The dealer wanted about $1,500 and my favorite local indie shop wanted nearly $1,000. That's a no-brainer decision for me so I drove to Wayne's house about two hours away, we did the rear shocks, and I made two new friends there in Wayne and his lovely wife Christine. The forum came through for me once again with flying colors....

So read up, ask questions, and begin looking for the right car. Do not be in a hurry because it may take some time and you want to get it right. Good luck and keep us posted....

 

Hi Varnavald,

+1 to what everyone has posted in this thread.

My wife and I are long time car nuts, but I know what you mean about being hooked on the xk8/xkr. I fell in love at first sight during the 90s. This is just a quick note to give you my experiences using my 2005 XKR as my daily driver.

I bought my 2005 XKR with 109,000 miles on it from the original owner in May 2014. It is a Texas car that had all maintenance performed by Jaguar, it has always been garaged and it is nearly perfect cosmetically. I commute from the west side of Houston to downtown Houston daily during rush hour traffic. We'll be in Houston through Nov 2015, then I'll retire and we'll relocate to our retirement home in the Catskills.

I had identified a few issues with this particular XKR prior to purchase and I had them corrected by a Houston indy Jaguar specialist (rear pinion seal, differential lube change, transmission fluid change, CATS control module for suspension fault, . . .). In addition, I bought a set of Lexani wheels and stashed the BBS Sepangs in storage because I wanted wheels with a more open look, replaced some bad gauge bulbs and converted from the nav system to the three gauge center display using the harness from JagWrangler. So, as planned, I've spent about $5.5K in addition to my purchase price to get the car where I wanted it cosmetically and functionally. I've got a little over $21k in the XKR all together.

We maintain our cars well and do not abuse them, but we do not baby them. I've put nearly 4,000 miles on the XKR since May (mileage is 113,470 today) with absolutely no issues (knock on wood!). I could not be happier. We've owned a lot of high performance cars, but the XKR is definitely my favorite even though it's not the fastest, quickest or best handling. To me it has a lot more soul than my wife's Audi S5. I would not hestitate to set off this afternoon for a coast to coast trip in the XKR. YMMV of course, but my short owner experience to date has been great.

Ah, the move to NY next year. The XKR is not a winter car. At all. Frankly, I don't know what I'm going to do. I have heated garage storage in NY for the XKR but I'm not looking forward to seeing it set up for the winter. I may end up offering it for sale right before we leave, but I know I'll regret it.

Anyway, just some musings from a long time admirer and recent XKR owner.

Best of luck for your decision and search,

Best Regards, Fred

 

You know when I started to read your note, I thought to myself "tell him he's gonna get hooked - these things are adictive. . " then I read about your first drive. Think it's got you already . I live in NJ and wanted to give you a quick comment on snow and the xk8's. I drove my 1998 from Lamberville to Hillsborough in 2 or 3 inches last winter (about 20 miles). You know she did OK, I was surprised. It wasn't stress free, cars were sliding off the road, but these cars actually do go in the snow with the Traction Control (come to think of it that may be only an option on the XK8's. Make sure you get that if you are not buying an XKR, they all come with it and more I believe). I remember turning off the traction control to see the difference - scared the *** out of myself. As a comparision, my first Jaguar was a 1985 XJ6. That car had the traction of a hockey puck in any kind of snow over 1/4 inch deep. It was virtually useless in the snow. The XK8's are surprising in that they can handle the snow the way they do. It isn't a Bronco but I didn't want you to think they were absolutely useless in the snow either. The worst part of driving her in an inch or two is thinking to yourself why am I doing this to the Jaguar (salt, higher chance of accident, other drivers mistakes), I should be driving my old bomb. . .

John

 

No,don't sell. Get a winter car and park the XK .

 

Well these cats are fiddle as they say but I don't think anyone has got stranded.
Bought my 03 and a week later we drove from Rhode Island to Maryland with no problems. Enjoyable top down 700 mile round trip. This is not my daily driver. Not because of any reason but that I'm a locksmith and my daily is a Astro van. I plan to drive it all winter but not in snow or salt. If it were my daily I'd buy a winter beater for snowy days.

 

I have to agree with Loxmith. I live in Texas now but was born and raised in New York, went to high school in New Jersey and have worked in New Jersey. The Jersey winters are not bad. Yes, it does snow but not all that much. The last winter I spent in NJ, there was only 1 day when I had to drive in snow. When I lived up north I, as well as many others with nice cars, had a "winter rat" to drive when the weather was bad. Don't sell the Jag, you'll regret it the rest of you life.


Mark

 

I recently purchased a 2000 XK8 with 58,000 miles on it. Not a lot in the way of service records, but I decided to roll the dice anyway (such is car lust). Did all the research and made a laundry list of things to check and/or replace. I'm a pretty decent mechanic, but I was facing shoulder surgery, so working on the car was out of the question. Took the laundry list (and one kidney) to a recommended indie Jag shop and had it all done; tensioners, water pump, thermostat, hoses,belt, spark plugs, fuel filter and new updated transmission valve body. Expensive? Probably. Worth it? Definitely!

I also have a 2007 Ford Freestyle with AWD that I use all year round, but I drive the Jag every chance I get, even to run errands. Addiction, with no rehab required.

 

Wow, you guys are incredible and very convincing. My mind is all made up Now it's just down to waiting for the right car to come on the market.

What would you say is a reasonable price for a 2003-2004 model in good condition (i.e no known mechanical issues and very clean cosmetically), with less than 60k miles?

And what about a 98-02 with original tensioners and cooling system components but again cosmetically great and no current issues?

My budget is about $12k max.

Thanks again for all your help!

 

You can buy the very best of the pre-'03 cars for your $12k or with somewhat more wear of the later cars.

DO IT!

Being a hobby mechanic makes all the mechanical issues fun rather than a problem but the paint and interior are the more expensive issues for me.

 

For 12k, you probably won't be able to get an 05-06. But, not to worry, as you should be able to find an 03-04 4.2L car in decent shape with 80-90k on it for that price. Best of luck in the hunt!