So I'm lurking for a XK8, never owned a Jaguar but always wanted one. Now 38 years old I guess I'm having a mid-life crisis or something because NOW I REALLY WANT ONE!

I'm looking for a 05'~06' XK8. Thinking coupe and I know that's rare but worried about the long term life of a the top hence why I'm thinking coupe (plus I think they kind of look better... maybe... I can't tell I haven't seen one in person the convertible's are beautiful too so I haven't decided yet...)

But anyway.. my questions (sorry!) been lurking and going through the searches and stickies for days..

I'm not a speed demon I'm a pretty mellow driver so I'm not looking for XJR's but I do run into their ads. I'm wondering about tire size. I've run into a few XJR's that have 20" OEM wheels! Doesn't that bring a harsh ride? I'm looking for a nice ride not teeth jarring harsh.. I would think a non-XKR would ride better as far as ride quality right? Do the XJR's ride worse but handle better? Do non-XJR's have a different set of shocks/suspension?

Shocks.. what mileage range do the shocks need replacement? I couldn't find much information on this. I work for an Infiniti dealer as a parts guy and OEM shocks can be pricey and I can't imagine what a jaguar shocks prices are.. least I can get Jaguar and aftermarket parts at wholesale but still wondering what mileage they typically konk out.

My 99' Miata soft top was wearing out and splitting and I was dreading replacing it.. Have any of you had issues with tears? Rips? Just thinking long term. They've all held up well? That has to be expensive.. I can do a little bit with a wrench but replacing a top sounds like a serious challenge.

last question.. XKR's again... were any of you worried about buying a supercharged car? I mean.. you would think someone has really pushed the limits of the car and punched it and thrown the car aroundat lights owning one vs. a non-supercharged car. That's a lot of stress on the engine.. do these superchargers hold up mechanically? Any failures? Maintenance costs possibilities shoot up with it being a XKR?


anyway I have a billion questions but I'll spare you the rest.. and I know that's what the search button is for but thanks in advance just.. trying to live the dream can you blame me?

Thanks!

 

Good luck with your search for a XK, if you find the right one they are very enjoyable. I specifically bought a XKR but ensured it had a good history, I wasn't worried about people using it, at 91k (in 02) new they guy better have.
If you can perform maintance yourself it's a bit help, in the DIY sticky there is this link, put there since many people ask the same when considering a purchase.
I’m buying a used XK8/XKR, what should I look for?
Link 1 | Link 2

 

I had a 2001 XK8 Coupe on 18 inch Impeller Wheels followed by a 2005 XK8 Coupe on 20 inch Sepang. Never again! Beautiful car but could feel every bump with the larger rims.

My current XK Coupe has 19 inch Carelia wheels and these give a good compromise between appearance and ride quality.

Graham

 

When I got my 2003 it had 20" wheels on it much to my dismay but I've been surprised at how well it's felt. Not harsh at all. The tops are very heavy duty. Even on cars left sitting outside, the tops seem to have held up well.

 

If you are looking for an XK don't test drive an XKR. Otherwise you are at a very high risk of being swayed to the dark side. I purchased my XKR with 19,000 miles two years ago with no worry of what the previous owner had done to it... he was 74. I also prefer the look of the coupes however my next one will be a convertible. Whatever you buy I spect you will not regret it. Go get one now.

 

The years you are looking at are the best years for the XK8. Just be aware that these cars are exotics, and parts and labor prices are on the high side. Obscenely high on certain parts.

When working on the engine, these cars take special tools, because there are no timing marks. You will also need to become very **** about changing fluids, because the engines damage easily, when they overheat, and the transmissions are NOT sealed for life, unless you like changing transmissions.

Those are about all the warnings I have. The tops do hold up well.......Good Luck.......Mike

 

Welcome Matthew. I live in Cottonwood Heights. I've had my '97 for about 5 yrs. I really enjoy the car. Its a base model with 17" wheels. I am not a hard driver either. I haven't seen a coupe in SLC.
Good luck with your search.

 

Friend, don't compare the convertible top to tops from more mainstream cars. It is a world of difference in a good way. I had a 1988 Ford Mustang, the top wore out in 8 years. My 18 year old xk8 shows little to no sign of wear.

Yes the shocks on the XKR are more expensive, I believe all XKRs have CAT shocks. I have to admit, I sure do wish I had purchased an XKR, but when I was looking I just didn't know enough about X100s (Jaguar's name for this entire model line) to consider it.

You may find the XK8 is a blast until you get used to it. After a while you may wish for a bit more power or better handling which are in the R model.

I think some of this is best illustrated in the recent post from a member who was lucky enough to get on a track with his XKR. The author (I forgot who) mentioned that one would never be able to touch the speeds in a XK8 because of its lose suspension. BTW, it looks like i will never get on a track with a stock convertible. You must have roll over protection.

I should recognize and important point- these cars are GTs they are not sport cars. I wanted to point out some of the factors that might help you peg what kind of driver you are, so you can consider whether an XK8 or an XKR would fit you best in the long run. Truth is, an XKR would have been a better match for me but I'm not losing any sleep over it.

To me, these cars are about the whole "experience" and performance is certainly a big part of that. Costs to maintain are too, sounds to me like an XK8 is less costly to maintain in several areas.

Good luck with it,
John

 

We purchased my wife's 2006 XK8 Victory Edition convertible in February 2012 at 36,000 miles. It is her daily driver and recently passed 104,000 miles. It came with 19-inch staggered Atlas chrome rims. I put Yokohama YK580 tires on it within a couple months of purchase and have been very pleased with them (now on the second pair of fronts and the third pair of rears). Yes, I would indeed prefer 18-inch rims but I'm not willing to spend the replacement money and she doesn't complain about the ride or the drug dealer-looking factory rims from that era. The ragtop material is extremely durable. I keep it clean and treat it with 16 ounces of 303 annually. As others have said, you must be able to DIY the majority of your maintenance and repairs or these cars can suck your bank account dry in a hurry. I recommend keeping a rolling $2,000 to $2,500 in a money market account as your ongoing maintenance fund. Once you get the primary well-known issues sorted, these cars become significantly more affordable to own as long as you can DIY whatever happens to bite you. The greatest fear for us ragtop owners is the notorious green shower. New hoses and rebuilt rams are expensive even when you perform the labor yourself. It hasn't struck my wife's car yet but if we keep it long enough, I know a green shower repair is in our future....

 

Thanks everyone for the kind responses - I've heard some bits and pieces about the green shower and I'll have to do more research into that. :S The XKR engine bay looks a bit more crammed than the non-supercharger version.

I've changed a radiator and all fluids on a Miata but the level of difficulty with a supercharger thrown in kind of scares me a little.. but thanks everyone for the responses you helped me out.



Hey MRomanik! Yeah I'm in Murray - I'm not TOTALLY sure on the coupe I'm back and forth on that one.. all the coupe's are a million miles away. One problem I'm having is I'll find one I like.. get ready to drive out to Colorado for example and BOOM it's sold before I even get there.. but hey quick question.. do you drive yours in the winter? How does the traction control and car do in light snow? :/


Anyway thank you everyone hopefully I can do it.. I mean I CAN do it and I want to do it just worried about buying a huge ticking time bomb haha..

 

I run Blizzaks on mine and it's fantastic/phenomenal up to 3" or so. More than that I don't know as I leave it parked until plowed. I'm certain if you are diligent on your pre buy inspection you will not regret getting into an XK whatever. And besides what's life without the occasional BOOM!

 

After seeing the rust the XK8's in the UK put up with on this forum, If I lived where it snows more than once/year, I would seriously consider a rusty beater for the winter and leave the XK8 in the garage until spring.


XK8's have no positraction but even so can get a little squirelly in the slick. My 17 year old has had the back end out in the rain driving like a 17 year old. XKR would be more of the same.

 

I got myself an XKR and I am sure glad I did. I am not a speed freak but got to admit it gives me a thrill to find a nice open road in front of me with the top down. Giving it a little push of the pedal for a few seconds. Beats any fun fair ride.

Do not rule out the XKR, you will regret it if you do.

 

I love my XK8, however, if I had it to do over again, I think I would look harder at the XKR. I also have a Range Rover Sport with the same 4.2 V8 but it is supercharged and it is just fun to feel the power. I haven't found anything unreliable about it either. I guess I'm lucky in that I've had no major engine issues on either. But the supercharger is just another part in the mix, and the mix is pretty full anyway.

 

QUOTE Hey MRomanik! Yeah I'm in Murray - I'm not TOTALLY sure on the coupe I'm back and forth on that one.. all the coupe's are a million miles away. One problem I'm having is I'll find one I like.. get ready to drive out to Colorado for example and BOOM it's sold before I even get there.. but hey quick question.. do you drive yours in the winter? How does the traction control and car do in light snow? :/

I don't drive mine in the winter at all.I keep it on a battery tender.

 

Seems like you are where I was about 9 years ago. I loved the looks of these cars but feared getting a British car based on the usual anecdotal stories. Finding this forum helped ease those fears and I also spoke with a bunch of local independent Jaguar mechanics. I have had 8 years of ownership without problems (other than the convertible top issues). I initially avoided looking at XKR's since I figured the supercharger was just adding another layer of potential problems. But after talking to various mechanics I found out these were pretty rock solid and nothing to be afraid of.

You should check around your general area and seek out some independent mechanics in preparation of getting an XK8/R.

Doug

 

If you are seriously wondering what ownership of the Jaguar XKR has in store for you you can take a look at my 'story' on another part of this forum. Will give you some idea of the work involved.

I started off with a quite dirty and rusty car with quite a few steering problems but with time and effort, and a bit of money, I sorted it out.

So this is a link to my 'story' Franks XKR Story.

Eventually you end up with a car thats a pleasure to drive and own. A bit of a taster of that ownership watch this video of my trip to my local country pub. Top down, sun shining, CD playing, car smoking (thats another story) Enjoy.

https://vimeo.com/179015434

 

My experience was the opposite. I had a 1999 XKR coupe on 18" Double 5s then a 2001 XKR convertible on 20" Detroits. The convertible was noticeable smoother - maybe it has different suspension settings to the coupe?

Either way it looks fantastic and I would never go back the smaller wheels.

 

After having had two SC Jaguars; I can't say I'd even consider the base model. There really is no reliability gap in the SC cars, and if anything, many years they have BETTER reliability than the NA cars.

The base cars aren't bad to drive, it's nothing like that. It's that with the R models, you get basically a loaded car with more power. You can get many of the R components on a NA car, but you still have a pretty big power deficit. The NA cars get better fuel economy, but none are fuel misers. If you want more speed and better fuel economy, go get a Corvette.

I think an NA or SC car would be fine as long as they've been taken care of, core issues addressed. Drive both is my recommendation.

 

Matthew,
I have a 2002 XKR convertible with 160,000 miles on her, that has not been garaged in the last 100,000 miles that I've owned her. The top is in remarkably good condition, not perfect by any means, but certainly many years away from being eplaced. As for 18" vs. 20" wheels and tires, I have the stock double 5's on 18" wheels and it provides for a very comfortable ride. On my 2010 XKR coupe, I have 20" wheels with very low profile tires, and while the ride is much firmer (and potholes are a nightmare), the X150's suspension is so much more sophisticated than the X100's, that it is no less comfortable (maybe a little more comfortable). I love both of them for different reasons, the 2002 for its sensual, classic shape, and its historical link to the XKE, the sense of occasion everytime I drive it with the top down (which is everytime I drive it), and the 2010 for its muscular shape, unbelievable engine and suspension, handling, and poise.
Good luck with your search.