I'm searching nationwide for a used XK convertible and using Goodcar to review histories by VIN. It's amazing - to me - that so many cars after 20 years show odometers with 20-40,000 or even less miles, confirmed by CarMax and Goodcar. Many sellers report "always garaged" and the cars SEEM to be in really good shape.
Do people just buy and hardly ever drive? Is is possible there is a vast conspiracy or network that rolls back the odometers?
FWIW I'm hoping to find a low-mileage 2009+ XK 2+2 convertible at a fair price and then invest the $8,000 or so to replace the notorious troublesome plastic coolant pipes, timing chain tensioners/guides and water pump.
Your thoughts and advice welcome.

I need a cool car to go with my guitar.

 

We who drive them ignore the garage queens and sunny sunday drivers ;-). And keep them longer??

Smart thinking having a slush fund for refurbishment. There are a number of maintenance items that some ignore, then ditch the vehicle.

 

I bought mine in August of last year. An 08 XKR convertible. Had 83k miles and I've added about 1500.
I won't drive it in the rain or below around 45F. Have three cars, so no need.
If you are looking for the naturally aspirated (XK not XKR) an $8k budget should be fine.
If XKR, that would actually be tight from what I've seen so far on mine, depending on if it will be DIY or all shop work and what the previous owner documented has been done.
How much has been done will of course influence purchase price.
I was told when I was shopping, documented maintenance history is everything. This is 100% true and can mean the difference between $2k and $8k+.
Heck, my tires alone were $1300, but again the XKR has 20" offset.
All that said, once you've done all the maintenance, you'll have a reliable (4.2L slightly more so than 5.0) car for years to come.

In my search I'd found plenty of good example XKs out there. Various special editions are nice as they offer unique interior color combos and some upgrades that the XKRs get stock. Not sure of the current market, but last July/August a nice XK coupe could be had for $12-15k. Convertibles a bit more.
There were examples under $12k but after speaking with the owner, I wouldn't touch them with a 100 foot pole.

Good luck! They are beautiful and amazing cars that can be had for a song compared to their Aston Martin cousins, and other similar cars.

 

Thanks for a thoughtful and informative reply.

 

Lots of people consider these cars as Point A to Point A vehicles, never using them for transportation. Take a drive and park it back in it's little beddy spot.