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I just bought a 2001 XK8 convertible for $7k. It is in like-new shape. All maintenance records at Jag dealers, 2 owners, California car. This car was $70k new. Why is it so cheap? I've checked around and that is the going price for this model. Could it be the very expensive repairs that scare buyers?
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Could it be the very expensive repairs that scare buyers?
Originally Posted by GGG
YES
All high end luxury cars depreciate very fast. Part of has to do with the luxury aspect. After a couple of years, a few dings in the paint, a few creases in the leather, a few squeaks and rattles and its no longer a luxury car, but just another means of transportation with little or no value in excess of a fully optioned Honda the same age.
But Jaguars also still suffer from the reputation they acquired 30-40 years ago as being unreliable and very expensive to repair. Ford largely did away with those issues at Jaguar in the 1990s after they invested heavily in quality control, but urban legends persist for generations. Almost everyone who has seen my Jaguars, the first thing they ask is how many problems I've had with them. And it often comes from people who weren't even born yet when Jaguar was part of the nationalized British Leyland. They just remember a grandfather, uncle or some other old geezer grouching about a Jaguar they once owned. Your XK8 was for the first five or ten years of its life just as reliable as any other Ford product.
That being said, it does have two "Achilles heels" now that its getting old. Jaguar used a plastic timing chain tensioner that is prone to self-destruct without warning. Search for threads on the secondary timing chain tensioner. The next issue is the "A-drum" in the transmission tends to crack but we've pretty much concluded that its actually caused by hydraulic overpressure due to a worn main pressure regulator valve in the transmission valve body. Search for threads on either Sonnax or Transgo valve body kits. Review your car's service history documentation and see if these have been addressed already. If not, we highly recommended to fix these proactively.
But back to the original repair cost factor, consider that despite that the car has so greatly depreciated, the parts and labor now cost much MORE than when the car was new. Most of us on this forum tend to be DIY'ers, otherwise it would be exorbitantly expensive to keep up a 20+ year old luxury car of any brand. Welcome and good luck.
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Hello,
In agreement with Graham (GGG) above, Jaguar IS expensive to repair, but that's why these forums exist; to help owners like you drive such a Wonderful car without having to sell your first-born to keep it on the road.
Phil, thanks so much for your input. I've printed it and will address those 2 issues. I've had many cars and built a few and can DIY a lot of stuff. But this is my first Jaguar. I've been smitten since I saw an XKE 50 years ago. Now at 75 I'm gonna have one of my own. I figure I'll die before it does!
Good luck with that XK8. They are lookers. I've been on this forum for a while. It seems that the thing to do is to have these two possible problems addressed before you put any miles on your new car. Unless there is a detailed service history that documents the work fully. Most older Jags have spotty or no service documents if they've worked their way through numerous owners.
Thanks for the sharp eye, Graham! That's probably a $1000 item, huh? I'm texting right now with my brother who's driving the car from Vegas to Dallas. He's about 6' and says the headroom is tight. I figured as much. I would have gone but health issues at the moment. Advice: don't get old.
Showing as NLA (No Longer Available) from Jaguar but dealers may have old stock. List was around $150 last time I saw one.
Sorry to hear you have health issues. I'm five years behind you and have so far been very lucky with my health although I can't throw engines and transmissions around as easily as I could only a few years ago!
I dunno, my 70's have been rough after a lifetime of full-tilt activity. I've been a skydiver, pilot, drag racer, fallen down many mountains (while trying to ski down them), built a hot rod from scratch at 50. Now my doc thinks I might have Parkinson's. But it's really hard to diagnose at first. Symptoms can fit many diseases. So I'll keep truckin' 'til I can't.
Now my doc thinks I might have Parkinson's. But it's really hard to diagnose at first. Symptoms can fit many diseases. So I'll keep truckin' 'til I can't.
Oh no, don't like to read that. One of my best friends was diagnosed in 2006 and he was considerably younger than you at that point. We used to do some racing back in the 90s and both had Toyota Supras. I helped him install a new clutch in 2011 so he was still spinning wrenches five years after diagnosis. He eventually did have to give up driving, sold his Supra in 2013, and last February went into a nursing home. Sure hope that's not what you've got.
Why are used Jags so cheap?
