As someone who has had several XKRs and still have an XKR all I can say is get an F-Type. Its the best car I ever had. To really experience the F-Type in its rawest form you must get a convertible its a whole different experience. If you were to get an F-Type the best model in my opinion is the V6S convertible and its more than enough power for me especially since I have an XKR. I have driven an V8S model F-Type before to me its too much power for me to really use and it sounds like a muscle car I like it but only suggest getting it if you want maximum power. Other than that the V6S exhaust to me is the best sounding exhaust out of modern cars I ever heard it is so exotic and intoxicating. Also make sure the model you get has switchable exhaust, bsm and backup camera is a must. I traveled about 1400 miles to get mines and it was a blast and awesome roadtrip. Lots of stares and lots of attention from drivers of other brand cars. Just make sure the tires are in great shape and bring an air pump to make sure the exact air pressure in each tire my F-Type didnt come with a spare. Far as comparisons between the F-Type and XKR they are different cars the XKR is a GT and F-Type is a sports car. F-Type is more fun but the XKR is more practical especially since there is rear seats and larger trunk. But I prefer driving the F-Type the most so much so that my XKR will be on sale soon. I must warn you please be prepared to get lots of attention and some hate from other drivers for the most part the F-Type turns lots of heads and lots of people asking what it is. You will definitely stand out in an F-Type compared to other brands from other makes. Far as model year I would suggest 14-15 because those models have the best sounding exhaust MY 16-20 a lot of them has been muted due to updated software and doesnt sound as raw as the earlier MY cars. Also 18-20 has a DRL issue on the headlights so its best to either get 14-15 if you want the original exhaust. Also the 14-15MY has the best instrument cluster there is a bluish tint to the numbers compared to 16-20MY the numbers are white. Inspect car thoroughly make sure all functions work as others has suggested. If you want LED headlights you can also upgrade those for 14-17 models with newer sequential DRL to give your car a more modern look.


14-15MY cluster


16-20MY cluster

 

About the vents, as explained in other threads. All RWD cars (V8, V6, I4) up until the 2nd facelift in 2020 have the vents further up on the hood above the engine block. RWD cars with the base silver/chrome trim pack have the worst completely open "waffle" vents. Any such car which hasn't been garaged poses the highest risk of injectors being stuck due to corrosion. RWD cars with the black pack have the much better shrouded vents which let in much less water. There are no model year specific differences or shields under the hood in the RWD cars. That's the hood vent setup for all RWD cars until the 2nd facelift when all cars got a different front and hood.

AWD cars are a different story - they always had the vents further down on the hood away from the engine with plastic shields under.

I'm biased but think the 1st facelift cars (MY18-20) are pretty much peak model year wise. Lots of minor improvements were introduced in the MY18 facelift and the F-Type never really got much better after that. Those cars definitely have no interior plastic issues, better/lighter optional performance seats with cooling, the latest tech etc etc. To be fair though, for a vert only used for occasional drives those improvements probably aren't that important. The one and only issue with the 1st facelift cars is that the driver's side DRL gets dim over time but there's a fix coming up for that so I wouldn't worry about that issue.

Good luck, these cars are awsome!

 

I found the thread where the shields under the hood vents were discussed. Link is below.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/f...covers-282291/

 

Thanks to all for so much great input and information. I very much appreciate it and will help me narrow down the choices.

Most of my toys are fair-weather cars and rarely get caught in or driven in the rain. But the hood vent thing is still a factor. Are there no aftermarket solutions for the early V6 RWD models?
It always amazes me how an auto manufacturer can stick with the same design (hood vents that dump water on the engine) year after year. One would think that after, say.... two years, the problem would be remedied.

The hood vent issue reminds me of my '74 Lotus Europa JPS. The hood (rear deck lid) vents were directly over the engine with no diversion for water coming directly down on the engine. Being an overhead twin cam, the water collected in the center of the head submerging the spark plus wires. On the few occasions I let it get wet; I would have to dry off the head so it wouldn't misfire. Not unexpected out of Colin Chapman, but not Jag.

Thanks again for all the great information.
Cheers.

 

So you can buy the better vents (the black pack vents) to help, but on my 2015 I just bought a few 12x12 sheets of high temp silicon rubber and secured them under the engine cover to shed incoming water off to the side of the block (there are just a couple spots under the vents where the water makes it onto the injectors). Not a big deal. Mine is a 2015R, no sticky button issues at all except for the start button - just bought a $5 aluminum button cover off ebay and problem fixed (and looks better than the stock button IMHO). Solutions exist for most of these minor issues, except the DRL issue on the later cars, that is a problem but I think folks are working on a solution for that too.

 

As Frank says, the mods to protect a pre 2nd facelift RWD car from the vent water ingress issues are:

- get the shrouded black pack vents if the car doesn't have them
- add something to the sides of the engine cover which then diverts any water that gets in away from the sensitive areas

I used pieces of a black high temp oven mat I had left over from some other project to mod the engine cover, usually drive without the engine cover but put it on before washing or if there's a risk of rain.

And just to be clear (depending on what you mean by early), this concerns all RWD cars until the 2nd facelift in 2020. We're not talking about the P300 here and it also had the same types of vents but I think that engine may be less affected due to its different construction and shape of engine cover.

Then it's also debatable how much it actually matters if there is water ingress causing the injectors to get stuck. The water ingress doesn't seem to damage the injectors but just make them get stuck and under normal circumstances you should never have to pull the injectors anyway. There are many stories of failed injectors but I suspect that it often is due to owner neglect like running the car on crappy gas and never using an injector cleaner.

 

I'm also starting a search for an F-Type. Just waiting for the insurance company to pay me for my totaled XK8. I loved the ride of my XK8 and have yet to locate an F-Type near me to test drive. Thanks for starting this thread and thanks to all who have added to it.

 

Where in MA are you? Plenty of forum members in MA, pm me if you like.