Simple question. Maybe some XK8 owners here also own or have owned a XJS and can report?

I would like to buy either a XJS or XK8/XKR but after horror stories about the XJS am more leaning towards the XK8 now. I'm not a mechanic and I am not in stage in my life where I have the time to be under my car every weekend or can afford to have the car looked at at a Jaguar dealership for every little thing.

Thanks for your input.

 

My 03 XK8 is very reliable however as with any 12 year old car it takes maintenance. Jaguars are more prone to quirky issues than most other makes. If you are not able to work on the car yourself than I'd suggest you stay away from an older Jag. Repairs can be expensive if you are paying someone. These cars are best owned by hobby mechanics.

 

I agree, steer clear unless you want to fix it yourself, I think I have spent at least 300 hours under my car.

 

^^^^ What they said....

 

Wow. VERY disappointing. 300 hours in how many years?

 

I advise everyone who admires my 2004 and is amazed at the low price they are available for,that unless you can do your own maintenance it is probably not economical to own the car. That is probably the same with any older high end niche car. It also should not be your only car here in the north, I can't imagine trying to get this car through 6 inches of snow.

 

I don't think this is true at all. From what I hear a BMW 850i is pretty trouble free to own and a great daily driver. So is a Mercedes S-class coupe.

 

A couple of years ago I was in the market for a convertible XJS. Around here it was a PIA to find one for sale. Seemed like they would come on the market and be gone the next day.
One day I drove by an XK8 convertlble for sale. I was ready to dismiss it, then at my girlfriends urgining I called a friend of hers who is a Jaguar collector extrodinaire. He's got an entire 2 story garage with Jaguars!

I introduced myself to him and voiced my nieve concerns - was an XK8 a "Ford uar" or did it have that "Jaguar feel" I found in my XJ6? He didn't hessitate and explained to me that the XK8 will do everything an XJS could do, just way better. He assured me this would feel like a Jaguar, nothing like a Ford.

Well I took the XK8 for a test drive - bought it that day. He was right, boy he was right. I don't miss finding an XJS one bit anymore. Good luck with your search.

 

I also kind of like the XK8. But if it is indeed as unreliable as the XJS then I'm not sure it's for me.

 

I have had my XK8 for 3 & 1/2 years adding 55000 miles to the 91500 I purchased her with. I bought it without knowing its maintenance history and have had a few issues crop up but it is my daily driver. I was left stuck twice - alternator died and tranny needed rebuilt, but aside from replacing a hose here or there, some aged bushings/shock mounts and regular maintenance - she puts a smile on my face every day!

This forum is the best tool an owner can have in their tool box - readily available information and manuals, members willing to help - even call you to walk you through procedures - I would do this again in a heartbeat!

do the research, find one with documented maintenance history and you should be fine

 

Anything that is not maintained correctly and thoroughly will eventually become unreliable.
Both my XJS And XK8 were completely reliable and did not let me down once in the 6 years that I owned them.
Very difficult these days to find a well cared for XJS but equally the early XK8's are suffering somewhat from neglect.

You pays your money and takes your chance, but a great deal of research will aid in finding the right car for you.

 

Sure normal maintenance is needed with any car. But there are high maintenance and high maintenance cars. An oil change, brake pads etc is normal. But something going wrong often is not. Like I said, the BMW 850i is a supercar with a V12 and it seems to be very solid and never breaksdown. Same with Mercedes S-class coupe. They seem to be low maintenance. But XJS owners tell me the XJS needs constant work and is high maintenance. I was wondering if the XK8 or XKR are the same?

 

I've looked at Mercedes CL, S Class, Maserati Coupe, Porche, etc owner web sites and they are all full of the same or worse repair histories than this one. Mercedes CL owners especially recommend not purchasing a CL without also buying insurance, and Porsche maintenance costs far exceed Jaguar.
Once the known issues have been dealt with, and for the XK this essentially means pre 03 issues, these cars are as reliable as any other comparable 'small' volume product, and a damn site better looking!
Regards,

 

Actually my XJS was more reliable than my XK8 has been so far. Many more smaller things broke on the XJS but it never came back on e rollback and left on the side of the road like my XK8 has.
The XJS was mostly things like switches, rubber parts, a fuel injector leak, ignition module etc.


Dave

 

And the XK8?

 

It was going to be my daily driver and its my only car. I've had it since July of last year and put about 1800 miles on it. I am on disability and don't drive much anymore.

A plastic idler for the serpentine belt disintegrated in the middle of nowhere so it had to be towed home. The fix was easy at least and now it has metal idlers.

ABS Module had the infamous bad solder joints and that was a fairly easy fix.

I have all the parts and still need to replace the secondary tensioners before the engine self-destructs.

Lower ball joints and stabilizer links were bad causing inner tire wear.

The ECU died and put the car out of commission for about 4 weeks.

Now it has a cylinder 8 miss that has kept me from driving it the last 6 weeks because I don't want to ruin the cats. Still have not figured out the cause.

I am mainly just pissed at it because I have no other car and no money to get one or to pay someone else to work on it. Being without a car sucks and I am worried that after this problem is sorted out something else will die on it in short order. I just cant trust it.

My XJS did a lot of things but it never stranded me or took weeks to get it fixed.
It did have a problem where it would run until it warmed up then die but that was the ignition module and an easy fix.

Dave

 

My blue cat now has 132k miles on her, ~40k of those put on by me in 3+ years. It is my daily driver.

However, I do agree with the early posters. If you cannot do some of the work yourself, it will be an expensive car. There is a thread on the forum where several people list their cost per year to drive. If I remember, it was about $1200 - $1500 per year mostly from members doing their own maintenance.

I paid to have the tensioners, a dead fuel pump, and the starter replaced, plus correction of a heater problem. Otherwise, the skinned knuckles are all mine. As a result, my cost has been higher at ~$1800 per year averaged out. Not bad for a 14 year old car with high miles and worth every dime IMHO.

You could easily double that amount if I had used the dealer. Triple it if I had not done the other work myself.

 

Well, I wouldn't say that. I usually spend less than 200 on my cars yearly maximum. Unless the odd year I have something bigger. But normally it's just an oil change or something basic and the price for the MOT.

 

I think you need to be somewhat of an enthusiast and able to turn a wrench to own a Jag ( out of warranty)
I think we sometime enjoy the challenges. and yes there are quite a few. It is why this forum is important so we can pass on the wisdom of our past, and bruised knuckles onto others Jaguar owners in need.

I would not dip into this sport less you are handy or can afford it. Rich

 

heh heh

"Never" is a dangerous word

Reliable = "can be relied on".

After 17 years of Jags as daily drivers I can say that none of my Jags have ever broken down on me, either. In that sense they've been 100% reliable. But....I try to take care of known issues before they actually cause a problem. On the XJS, for instance, all the common break-down faults are well known and the cures oft discussed. You can address them before they actually cause a problem.

The later models have various known faults as well. You could buy one and address the known faults before they become worse and/or leave you stranded.

Of course, a high level of reliability doesn't mean that the car is entirely care-free or expense-free. It takes some care and effort ...and money...to keep a care reliable.

I've also owned several Hondas...a car generally know to be quite reliable. And they are. But over the years it has taken money and effort to keep them reliable and in good operating order. None of them have ever broken down on me, but that isn't to say that they've been totally care free, either. I've spent thousands on them over the years. Head gaskets, wheel bearings, relays, electrical glitches.....

Just like my Jags

Cheers
DD