I am currently looking to buy an XK8 and have joined this forum for further information. Since your newbie page states "It is always polite 'forum ettiquete' to post an intro about yourself in the New Member Area" I have decided to do so now, rather than wait until I have made my purchase.

I reside in Las Vegas and envisage that over the next few weeks I'll be taking several trips to Los Angeles - there are not many XK8's for sale in Vegas.

Best Regards

Geoff (dounraey)

 

Welcome to the forum Geoff,

Good luck with the search, I'm curious about your name (dounraey) it's almost the same as a nuclear plant in scotland.

 

Welcome to the forum Geoff and I wish you luck in search for a car.

 

Norri and Gus - Thanks for the welcome. Norri - I'm impressed you knew of the scottish nuclear plant from where I took my name. I am in fact English and have lived here for the past 7 years - I am a huge fan of the US. I am hoping to buy an XK8 over the next couple of weeks. It will be a second car that I intend to maintain myself as a pastime. I hope that over time I will be a contributor to this excellent forum - a great resource for Jaguar enthusiasts.

 

Hi there Dounraey welcome to the site my friend thanks for the intro
Norri beat me to the punch on the naem....I was wondering the same...lol

Some great guys / DIY'ers and top techs here all friendly and willing to help if able.

There's also more than a few laughs and plenty going on in the Off Topic sections + the regional areas, so check them out.

I've manually upgraded you to full forum access so you can immediately enjoy all the benefits this site has to offer, enjoy.

 

JimC64

naem - lol

Thanks for the manual upgrade - much appreciated.

Geoff

 

JimC64 - just noticed the 'Cheers' bit - nice one - you obviously know some Brits.

 

Geoff,
I bought my XK8 on ebay 5 years ago and couldn't be happier. Check out ebay, it might help you at least identify some sources you don't already know about, and maybe avoid driving to LA too much! Also identify what they're going for. One thing that doesn't cost more on a Jag is shipping (although I decided to drive mine home!)! Another good thing (from the point of view of buying used and keeping it a long time!) is that Jags depreciate very quickly, so you can get a pretty great deal on a car a few years old.


Pat
'03 Pacific Blue XK8, 44K miles

 

That's not a problem, so no need to worry.

Did you check the location on Jims header?

 

Norri - Newbies eh - no, I didn't check JimC64's header - all is clear now.

PatK - Thanks for the info. I am checking ebay, autotrader, autotraderclassics, yahoo autos and aol autos. There are three XK8's on autotrader in the Vegas area, one of which I would be interested in, a 98 59k miles at 10,900. I rang last thursday but the seller is delaying viewing. Silly really, because if the car is genuine I would happily pay the asking price in cash. I have 3 cars lined up 3 cars in LA, ranging from a 97 to an 04, and hope to make the trip this Thursday.

I know there was a major upgrade to the XK8 in 03, where the 4.2L engine was fitted. Is it better to purchase the later model, or are they all good.

When you bought your car from ebay, was it close enough for you to view personally. If not, did you get a pre-purchase inspection or did you go on trust.

Did you buy from out of state? There are problems in moving a car across state boundaries - still haven't researched that one.

Regards

Geoff

 

Geoff,
I would go for as late a model as you can reasonably afford (maybe with a year at least left in the warranty), in my opinion it will extend the good times till you have to start paying expensive repairs or spending a lot of non-driving time with the car. I think it helps then to remember all the good times and makes the repairs go down a little easier than if you're paying right away for things that happened on someone else's driving time.

On the other hand, one of the great things I like about Jags (or at least XK's), is that they depreciated pretty quickly. I bought mine three years old for $32K, its original sticker was about $90K! And the good thing about buying a little newer is to get inside the warranty window. So if something is wrong or goes wrong shortly after you get it home, the dealer fixes it for free.

As far as buying "from a distance", here was my logic. I screened the sellers I found to only those that had large numbers of sales and very near 100% positive feedback. I figured they had a large ebay business and did not want to ruin their near perfect rating. Also, so many pictures are posted any more, you can see at least if the car looks good cosmetically. If their ad says "it runs great", "no problems", "just inspected by local Jag dealer", etc. they're in big trouble if you show and the transmission doesn't shift or something like that. You can also hire an independent mechanic to check it out, many dealers will allow that.

I bought from a small dealer outside of Pittsburgh, which is about 6 hours away for me. Wife and I rented a car and drove to Pittsburgh and went to the dealer and checked out the car. Only then did I give them the cashier's check. Up to that point they just had my $400 deposit, so I could have even backed out and wrote up that cost to "lessons learned". Dropped off the rental in Pitt and had a great first road trip.

But I have also bought a car on ebay and had it shipped to me with no problem. Again I think if everything in the add looks great, and the seller has 700 like sales with 100% positive feedback, they don't want to ruin a good thing! 1 negative recent feedback can keep a lot of bidders away, especially on a high ticket item.

This approach may definitely miss the "great deal" where the guy has never sold anything on ebay, he needs to unload the car, and he's an honest guy. But the risk is too high for me here (unless the ebay buyer protection is available for the purchase price).

If you find one you really want on ebay, beware of last minute snipers. Be one, don't be "taken out" by one! Snipers are folks who don't even bid till the last minute of the auction. Since the Jag was my first ebay purchase, I lost out on a few before I figured this out (but I'm glad I did, I got the pacific blue color that I wanted!).

Good luck!

Pat

 

Out of state purchasing is really no big deal. I'm in Ohio, purchased in PA. Just need to figure out how the purchase state handles tax issues. I'd send the ebay seller that question, or call your local BMV.

 

Pat
Thanks for the info. As a point of interest, buying a car with warranty still on is not an option for me, as I so much prefer the clean lines of the pre-2006 model. I don't wish to offend people with later models; it's just a personal preference. Your advice still applies though - as near to 2006 as possible. I've been checking out this forum and can see the updates that have been made to the original 96 model - 4.2L engine, 6 speed transmission etc. Ironically, the one thing in your post that really hit me was taking a rental car to pick up the XK8 from LA. I had been wondering how to get the car back and the obvious answer of car rental, for some reason, just didn't occur to me - lol. As you mentioned, I'll check with the DMV for details on moving the car.

Many thanks again for your reply.

Geoff

 

Hello Geoff,

I am a full 2 months into my 1998 XK8 purchase off ebay. I know your anxieties well. So far it has been the best purchase ever made.

You are smart to browse these boards before buying. There is a major engine issue with the 97-2000 models which if not addressed can be a big liability.

If you buy an older model, ask if the timining chain tensioners have been replaced. It is not cheap to do so (1,200+/-), but not doing so seems to be playing a game of russian roulette with complete engine replacement. Google or search for timing chain tensioner problems here for more information.

Also, around 2000 some of the optional accessories became standard, and new accesories were offered. You'll see on the boards that lots of people spend money on adding these options to their older models. Its easier to finance them!

If great audio sound is important to you, know that audion upgrades are not easy and swapping out the head unit has an impact on the cockpit look and feel. A kenwood with lots of color and backlighting simply doesn't look right in the console.

Other than that, the car is everything you think it will be and more. Its design is striking and the attention to detail is genuine British in nature. Look at the owner's guide, they have tried to accommodate everything!

The biggest coup was that my wife was anti-Jaguar citing the legacy electrical issues. In fact, I didn't even seek her approval beforehand because I knew her answer. I picked her up at lunch and she said it was love at first site. My biggest problem now is that she wants to drive it all the time.

Best Wishes!
Joe

 

Thanks Joe. I'm so glad I joined this forum. I have received so much really helpful advice. I checked the forum for timing chain tensioners as you mentioned. So much out there - I downloaded two excellent documents by tbird6. I am becoming convinced to go for a post 2001 model, however there is a really nice looking 97, 42000 convertible on ebay at the moment - I'm tempted to hit the bid button - lol. In actuality I will wait until early next week and do a tour of the LA dealers where I can view the cars. Ebay is tempting though - the URL is Jaguar : XK | eBay

Regards

Geoff.

 

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Geoff,
I actually agree with you! In fact, I got very lucky to buy in the window I did, because I like the pre-2007 lines much better myself. But the "old XK" was still new enough then to get the warranty. Later design is too severe in my opinion. It'll probably grow on me as time goes by (especially as gas prices force us all to go buy that good looking Prius!). But isn't it great - you like something that's much less expensive! How often does that happen?

 

Wow! I hadn't looked at older ones myself, but went to the link you posted. Cosmetically, that car looks as good as mine, which is six years newer! And at 1/4 the cost! What's underneath will obviously drive your long term operating costs. New trans with 2 year warranty sounds good. Five owners doesn't sound the best, although no way to tell. I'd send the guy an ebay message and ask for info on the accident (what was damaged), how the engine runs, if there's a Jag dealer inspection record, and if you could have an inspection done. Since there are 4 days till the auction ends, there should be time for someone to check it out for you if he'll allow that. Even though the pics look great and his feedback is great, might be worth the expenditure.
Could be a great deal if it goes for near the current bid. But look up the book prices and be ready to put in what you're willing to pay during the last 15 seconds if you decide to bid. It could easily "spike" a couple thousand in the last minute if the book says its worth that much.

 

Geoff,

That car is in beautiful condition and rare to have that low mileage. I love that color!
It has the premium sound package, so that is good. I agree that Pat that 5 owners is a lot for a car with only 42K, but that number can be deceiving. Sometimes its not actually 5 buyers who acquired the car and drive it and resold it; it can be dealer purchases and transfers included, without a cosnumer acually having driven the car.

At that price, I'd would give that car serious consideration!

 

Gents,

This is the welcome area, and I think we are past that stage now, please continue the discussion by starting a new thread in the relevant area.

Thanks.