I've driven my 98 XK8 coupe 125K miles including NH winters (studded snow tires) and love it more than any car I've ever owned. Unfortunately my 2 sons are now large enough that they don't really fit in the pretend back seat anymore. The XK8 had a few engineering defects such as a plastic cam chain tensioner, plastic thermostat housing, poorly designed cup holders, visor mirrors and way too many mufflers, all long since fixed. Over the years we've come to an understanding that it will continue to burn through tires and suspension components, but it agrees to never leave me stranded.


I'm thinking about trading Betty (named after another British queen) for an XF (4 doors and a back seat), likely a 5.0 sc if I can find one, and was wondering what the typical bugaboos are that need addressing in this model? Also, has anyone made the switch that would like to share their feelings on the matter?


Thanks all!

 

I've not made the switch but the newer Jaguars are a revelation. Reliability is much improved. The XF will certainly fit your bill. The suspension of the XF is actually superior to that of the XK8 which dates back to the XJS and even earlier cars.

There are no known faults in the new XF that are common. Most of the faults will have been corrected under warranty.

For pre facelift cars there is a transmission shifter issue which requires an new circuit board, all warranteed cars will have been fixed. A few suffered premature diff failures but those have all been fixed by now and are the 4.2 drivetrain, not the 5.0.

The peach of the lineup is a 5.0 supercharged, it's like an XFR but more civilized but with almost equal performance. The non supercharged 5.0 will blow your XK8 into the weeds, four doors and all.

 

I made the move mid May 2015. I traded my BRG 1997 XK8 with 117,000kms or 73,000 miles after 5 years of ownership.Just love the one owner 2008 XF which is a 2.7 litre diesel, 6 speed auto. Exterior colour is Vapour grey with champagne interior and has covered 115,000 kms or 72,000 miles. Runs on 245x45 x18 100W XL Continental C-Max - C -MC 5 tyres.In fact had them fitted yesterday as I was not happy with the old 245s on the car.Mixture of Pirellis and Bridgestone Potenza.
The XF is beautiful to behold, fast with plenty of low down torque from the 2.7 litre diesel. Power is 152kW (203 HP) and torque is 435Nm (321 ft pounds).
The XF is supremely comfortable and economical too returning about 7.5 litres per 100 kms. May the good times continue.

Rob Seignior, Australia 2008 XF 2.7 L diesel, Vapour grey with champagne interior, 115,000 kms.Previous Jaguars owned 1997 XK8, 2 XJS, 1x6 cyl XJR

 

Waterpump leak and broken sunroof clips were two items that required replacement on my XF, fixed under warranty. These problems have been found to happen on other XF's. As said above the V8 supercharged has most of the options as standard and has 470 hp. If you can afford the 2012 or up, there were many improvements over the earlier models as well as the headlight styling change. Looking back I would have chosen a 2012 XFR for the seats and more aggressive styling. It has 40 more horsepower but the underpinnings are the same. Depends on what you are looking for and what is your budget.

 

I'm not coming from an XK, but still have an XJ in the stable, and while you can sense the common DNA between them, they are as different in the dynamics as could be.

I'm not disappointed with either one, by the by. They are targeted (as was your XK) at a somewhat different demographic and were designed to meet the perceived needs of said population (quite well, even with their perceived faults)

I don't think, especially because of the need for a true 4 door saloon, that the XF won't meet your needs, in fact, it will exceed them. There is enough of a range (from the 2.0 liter to the monster supercharged model) to do what you want...

My own thoughts? Take the range out for a ride at your local dealer. If you are buying used, make sure it's a CPO'd model. Don't just do the 'round the block', but take it on the interstate, back roads, etc. If the sales droid kinow you're serious, they shouldn't have a problem with that. Choose the one that, as James May would say, gives you a fizzy feeling.

And enjoy the ride. The XF is a beautiful, sleek, and capable machine.

 

Get a Carfax report on any Car your considering BEFORE you buy. It may not tell you all that's been done to the car, but things like, dealer maint. miles reported, number of owners, where the car has been (Lots of gluggers coming out of the flood areas recently) and clear title are well worth the cost of the Carfax. And buy an extended warranty, Jag repairs get $$$$$ real quick.

 

Only a few things.

As was mentioned above the rear diff but that is more limited to certain years.

On the 5.0 V-8 they go thru water pumps. But the pumps are not too expensive and pretty easy to change. Some cars with as little as 25K miles need it replaced. I would not worry about this one just check so the engine does not overheat.

One not mentioned yet but be very aware of is the bubbling leather dashboard. A number of threads on it and it's easy to spot once you know where to look. It's expensive to fix and you want Jaguar to fix this at all costs!

Don't know what year you are looking at but it seems the 2012 and up have a number of improvements and small updates that people like.

Black console buttons instead of chrome. Chrome ones can reflect a lot of light. Improved (slightly!) navigation as they added some extra buttons around the nav to get you direct access instead of going thru screen after screen to find things.

The headlight change which is just cosmetic. Do you like the current style or the older "Bug-Eye" style?
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