Hey vinman............can you narrow it down even a little, there's aheck of a lot to choose from out there.
Maybe if you specified a few different models you'd get a little write up of whats good and what to look out for on each.
On the X for example..........you'd need to make sure its at least an 03 although 04 would be better as most of the issues have been resolved by then.
Known issues with the transfer case....whining sound and " sealed for life " still a great car though and the AWD is awesome. I had the 2.5 manual...If I did it again though it would deffo be the 3.0 auto in Sport guise ( de chromed )

Good luck

Jim

 

Welcome vinman,

as Jim stated we need some more information to help you out.

First things first would be your budget? Next what kind of weather do you have and is this a daily driver? Color? Zip code for deal hunting...

They are all good to buy especially if you're coming from owning a mercedes! J/K they all have their problems but MB seem to have more of them.

 

So I assume if you live in NY you would probably want something capable of good transport in winter or no?

As for price range a 2002 newer xk is pretty much out of contention, but you should be able to find a good deal on a 01 or older.

Personally I'd never get any car with more than 70k miles so it might be hard to find a lower mileage xk8.

You can easily find a good deal on all s and x-types for 13k. You can find some 06 x-types for 13k and probably a 05 s-type for that range.

Most importantly keep your eyes open and your patience at bay! You can find great deals on these cars.

I used to live in Michigan and now live in Texas, I found this place (texascardirect.com) who sells jags with great deals. Another thing I should mention is how great the cars look from the southern states. My 03 mountaineer looks brand new underneath. So I'd recommend a car from the southern area. Heck if you want pick a car out from texascarsdirect and I'll take you there. But either way look at everything out in the market before pinpointing the car you are going to get.

I'll look into a local search of cars in your area. I'd also suggest a xj8 to look at as well...here's an 02 xj sport...what do you think of that?

I don't know any specifics on xk's or xj's (04 and newer are supposed to be better/reliable) as the earlier xj's had plastic parts that break down in the engine but I'd assume they are probably fixed. As for the x-type 04 or newer are really good but most 02/03 have had the problems fixed. You can find the earlier x-types for around 7-8k so you have to weigh the cost of the cars initially when looking at newer ones. The later s-types (from what I've read) are pretty decent.

The x-type is by far one of the best cars for winter not to mention you can't mistake it for any other car on the market.

If it were me I'd say go for a 04/05 x-type sport with the factory ground effects and call it a day...


This is a 2002 x-type sport

 

04' XK... best car ever built...