(Another one of those "Should I buy?" threads. Sorry. But I really like this car. )
 

Not since seeing an XJS for the first time as a kid has I had any interest in owning a Jaguar. Tales of V12's and British electrics fairly or unfairly served as a two-decade detractor. And sorry, I'm new to this forum, but do we mention the Taurus thing?

…but the other day.... I see this gorgeous car pulling out of my parking garage. Then I figured out what it was. Then I figured out that I could afford one. Danger 401K. Danger.

Full disclosure. I'm an admitted Kraut-snob, with an '07 Cayman and a '08 128i. I'm not getting rid of the Cayman. The 1 series, on the other hand, although a great car, seems to have "Trade Me In" popping up as a system message every morning, and unlike the "Service" warning, I'm listening.

Within a couple of weeks I had located an ’07 XK Coupe with 49,000 miles in great shape and commendable ownership history. Drove down from Indy. Fell in love. And now I’m just wondering if I can afford the divorce.

Which brings me to this forum. I’m very, very close to buying this car. I want to buy this car. And just need that extra push to either push me over the ledge, or someone to slap me in the face with a bit of reality.

So I guess here are my concerns. And like all of my concerns, I’ve numbered them.

1. 2-owner. 49K. No accident history. Near-perfect Gray on Black with the “Tin Foil” Jeremy Clarkson hated so much but I actually kinda dig. Offering me a fair trade. Have it at $23,500. Certified Used at 43K. For sale again at that same Jag dealer.

At a glance, how does this deal sound?

This ones multiple choice:

a. Can I get a number?
b. Great Deal
c. Good Deal
d. Average Deal
e. Not Enough Information

2. Is 2007 too old of a car? And how much does age matter? (And I hope that didn’t sound creepy.)

After browsing this forum for a couple of days, there seems to be an “unofficial” assessment that if you can afford a 2010 or beyond, and I guess I could if I gave up cable or paying my taxes, but after a quick look, we’re talking at a minimum another $14-15K with similar or slightly less mileage. Sure, the 80-odd extra HP is quite appealing, but short of that, are there major reliability gains with the 2010 pluses? Can a 2007 be a reliable (and moreover, affordable) daily driver?
Do offer some kind of metric, should I expect more issues from my 90K+ plus BMW 1 Series or a year older but 30K lighter XK?

(As an aside, I probably only drive 5-6K miles a year. Love cars. Oddly just don’t drive that much. I generally find its much less expensive to sit in my garage and make “vroom!” sounds.)


3. Am I missing anything?

…Because I’m almost always missing something…

Thanks for reading this.

There are many parts to your questions:

Should you buy it? That's for you to decide. Are you really going to take advice regarding your finances from a bunch of people you've never met on how to spend your $25K??? Gotta make up your own mind here

Regarding daily driver, maintenance, etc that question gets beaten to death at least once a week here. Use search on this site and all those are answered many times over, and over, and over

Is it a good or great deal depends on you. The price paid and "it being a good deal" are not mutually dependent. I've recently seen a conv (conv usually dictates a slightly higher resale price over coupes) w/23K miles going for $23K on eBay, car looked perfect. If it has the features, color, condiion you want then pay a bit more, if it is purely about dollars and cents then there is cheaper out there. Someone here in San Diego had a beautiful black on black XKR with 70K miles for only $22.9K. This the season of getting great deals too. Check out the completed sales on eBay to get a good idea of what the cars are selling for NOT what people list them for as asking prices are irrelevant.

Good luck

1. C
2. No, yes and I don't know
3. A fantastic time if you don't buy it. :)

Jag will be less issues than your BMW IMO.

I would opt for 2008+ minimum to avoid the antenna. You have to factor in a possible 1K service for the AC condenser drain issue.

If you bought a 2010 XK, you'd have a car for the long haul. Get a 2010+ XKR and you could trade in the Cayman as the XKR will be leaving that one in the dust.


My advice is to drive all the iterations and variants of the XK and decide for yourself. They are beautiful cars, well built, joy to wash and drive. They do have particular spring dampening setup's that you may like/not like... Jaguar is building some great stuff in general.

Haha. I wanted an 08 to avoid the fishing pole antenna. But instead, I bought an 07 and unplugged the fuse for the antenna motor. Now I just have diminished FM radio and no AM reception. I rarely listen to radio in the Jag anyway since it is, for the time being, a pleasure car that is for joyriding only!

All very sound advice, thank you. And it has been helpful. Will do some additional research on the AC drain plug issue, and great thinking on the antenna fuse! I'm assuming the Sat. radio has a separate antenna; and I only listen to terrestrial radio when something else is not working.

Taking another look at the car this weekend and am feeling more confident now that I'll probably take the plunge.

Oh; and this is kind of an odd one, but one thing I have not been able to figure out is why, on the right-hand side of the steering wheel, there are two roller-switches on this model. Most of the wheels I have seen have 2 on the left, but only one on the right. This has four total. Some sort of option that I missed?

Thanks for all the help everyone.

The extra roller switch is the Adaptive Cruse Control (ACC) option which uses radar to let you set how many car lengths the car will maintain automatically on cruise control. Its a nice feature on long highway drives. It will even auto brake the vehicle if a car cuts you off while it is engaged. It also adds a bit of extra value when you consider the price of the car.

Do it. I own an 07 which has been perfect in every way - and I have no idea why people hate the electric aerial! It works just fine and is another neat toy. And they last for decades if kept clean and lubricated. The beauty of the XK is the making of a classic (see photos below - if that does not make your testosterone level rise then you need help),
The performance of the XK with the 4.2 litre and the 6-speed ZF is far beyond anything that can legally and safely be used off a track. But set it in sport mode and use the paddle shifters if you want to scare yourself! I have driven a 2013 XKR back-to-back with my car and honestly, the real-life differences are overstated by those who have chosen the XKR; in normal driving I noted no significant difference - except that I like a shifter better than a rotating knob! And to my eye the XK front end is far cleaner and better integrated. There is a greater purity of design to the front end of the 07-09 cars, to my eye at least.

Thanks. I do believe I am going to.

That is a very fine looking car. I really like the BRGreen and you keep a very nice shine on it.

That sounds like the one in my hometown, Louisville. Bluegrass is a good dealership. I bought an 07 with everything and only 39000 miles but I had to go to Oregon to get it at that price. If I hadn't bought that one yours would be mine. The only time the aerial is a prob for me is when I pull in the garage and park under the lift without retracting it. It tends to rip it out :(

Could someone kindly point me toward a thread dealing with this issue? I've found many references to it...but not much on the subject/resolution itself. I would be purchasing from a Jaguar dealership. Is this something I should insist on?

And on that note...any other maintenance (50K service, etc.) items (aside from the tires) that I should attempt to get them to factor in?

There are many threads on the issue. Basically the duck bill valve that drains water from the AC on the XK is a poor design. What happens is water collects instead of draining will flood the passenger foot well. The dash seats, and rugs have to be removed to fix it per Jaguar technical specs. There are some other methods that have worked, but the dealer will fix the Jaguar prescribed method.

I would insist in writing that this is done and if they waiver on this, say you meet them half way at paying $500 towards the service. Insist on pictures of the dis-assembly to prove that it was done.

The transmission pan/filter/fluid should be changed by 50K ($500), along with brake fluid if it hasn't already been done.

Have had mine as a daily driver for close to three years...33K on the odo at purchase with 80K now.

A couple of minor issues. Replaced the thermostat AND housing as preventive maintenance two years ago. The housing is plastic and there's virtually zero warning before you reach dangerous temps. Had a crack in the engine coolant reservoir a few months ago. Yup, plastic. Replaced for $200. Other than those just routine maintenance.

The antenna didn't exite me so I pulled the fuse. No AM, FM is ok but satrad is on a different antenna so no issue.

There has been a fair amount of discussion here as to when or even if the transmission fluid/filter should be changed. I don't believe there's been a consensus. I asked my indie jag shop to do it at 60K. He advised that it is not necessary and not to even bring the subject up until at least 100K. :icon_lol:

I still regularly stare at the car in awe. When I'm out with it hardly a day goes by that someone does not comment in its beauty.

Good luck with your decision. Assuming you've done your due diligence and you purchase the car I have no doubt that you will shed a tear or two with joy.

I had an '08 XK and for the years I owned it it was 100 percent trouble free. (except the air cond drain issue, fixed under warranty) Sold it with 30K miles.

The 2010+ engine is definitely an advantage but, not a deal breaker. As to suggestions for going with an XKR; do that if you truly use the extra power. If not, you will be paying for that supercharger in diminished MPG numbers. The 4.2 XK will do close to 30MPG highway!

The car is a classic now that production has stopped and it turns heads everywhere. It is something I love to walk up to and just look at its gorgeous lines. After I traded my '08XK for my XJL I missed it enough to finally go out and purchase the 2010 XKR. Now, I am happy to be back in the XK/R family.