Hi folks, I'm back. Joined last year when I was looking at a 1999-2002 XK8 then went on a 3 year wait plan to afford an 07 XK. Well, my wife loves the Honda Crosstour I am leasing so I sold her 05 Acura MDX and she now drives the Crosstour and I have $16k cash in the bank. My 2010 Harley Road Glide is not getting enough riding time since I moved to Dallas so I'm seriously considering selling the bike to raise another $18K or so and go get a 2007.

I know most folks say save even longer for an XKR but I will be more than happy with an XK. I drive 15 miles RT to work and don't get on the freeway so it's stoplight to stoplight. I've been averaging 5,000 miles/yr. Plus I recently owned a Chrysler 300C SRT8 and satisified my need for speed and lived to talk about it.

So now the search begins in earnest. Craigslist? Cars.com? Ebay? Dealerships? Auctions? Any tips on where I can find the best deal? I have a friend that sells cars from auctions and he is very sucessful and buys them all across the country but I'm nervous on what he might find. He sells 1,000 cars a month - that successful.

I'd really like to buy something with around 30K miles, one owner, documented maintenance records, accident free, and from Texas or the southwest regions.
Am I being too picky? I saw someone mention the Premium and stereo options so I would like both of those as well. Best wheels?

What are my chances on finding that perfect car? I know many of you here have found your ideal car so wondering what steps you took to be sucessful.

Which resource do you think is most accurate for private sale value? Edmunds always seems to be lower than either KBB or NADA so of course I like their values better. I don't mind paying a low fair price, don't want to pay retail.

Finally, I'm wondering if this is the right time to be looking for a convertible? Maybe I should just ride the Harley over the summer and wait till the fall? Thanks for any suggestions.

 

Mine came from Texas. 31k miles. No paperwork but was able to get it from the dealer once I purchased it. Found it on Ebay. I gave 35k for it and thought it was too much until I started looking at prices. It's been a great car after I fixed a couple things. But I like perfection in a car and most things no one would have noticed at all. I usually call the bank and see which book they are using at the time and go by it. I bought mine back in January and that may be why I got my for a little less.

 

You are going through exactly what I went through. My quest for a 2008 XK convertible started three years ago when I started looking at the 07s. I decided to wait for an '08 because I have this "thing" about buying a car the first year it comes out, especially in a brand like Jaguar which tends to be a little "tempermental" anyway.

I looked everywhere you mentioned (E-Bay, Cars.com, Craigs list, etc). I live in South Carolina and quickly decided I would HAVE to buy out of state. My search took me to virtually every one of the lower 48. I finally found an Indigo Blue XK in Maryland and had it shipped (One owner, pristine condition, perfect CarFax, accident free, with the luxury package, Alpine Package, and 19" designer wheels) It had 30,000 doctor owned miles on the clock and I paid under $40G out the door.

The secret? Know the cars, know the current prices, know what the option packages are and how much they should cost, and get an inspector (they can be gotten for $100.00 - $200.00) Even then, they don't inspect every little thing (My XK needed brakes on all four wheels and inspectors don't put the car on a lift). My boss bought a BMW 750LI and insisted the dealer take it to the BMW store down the block where he paid for a full "on the lift" inspection.

Good luck with your purchase. BTW, don't worry about selling the bike. When people kid me about the money I spent on my Jag, I simply tell them that this sports car represents to me what for most people would be their Harley, their bass boat, their RV, etc. This is my toy, my passion, my new girlfriend. Even my wife stays out of the garage when I am having a deeply personal moment with my indigo beauty...

 

The good news is that there are quite a few 2007s for sale so I bet you can negotiate a pretty good deal. I think the 2007 year probably sold a lot of cars (maybe even more than 2008 given the design/mechanical upgrade over 2006). Also, these have come up off of their leases by now.

One thing I did notice is that most of the CPO Jaguars come through auctions. Basically, when the lease is up the car is upside down from a residual value perspective so it doesn't make sense for the owner or dealer to buy out the residual. When that happens, my understanding is that the credit company sells them at auction where a dealer (maybe even the same dealer) picks it up for a discount vs. the residual.

I don't think you're being too picky although the mileage # may be a little tough to hit at that price tag as it will thin the heard a bit...but then again, it depends on the motivation of the seller like anything else.

 

Thanks guys, looks like I have an exciting adventure ahead of me. I will become an expert on options and cost for this car and will build a spreadsheet with all the cars I see looking for any trends or when a good deal stands out. I'd love to find something for $35K.

Regarding the Harley, I decided I spent enough time and money on that without the payback especially since my wife doesn't like to ride. I rode a lot more when I lived in Northern VA and rode to York, PA to visit my family every other week-end so now I would like to invest all that time and money into a car I rwill really enjoy. I've considered buying a 2003-06 XK8 and then I could keep the bike but once I get the jag I think all my time and energy will be focused on that. Plus I really like the sharper looks of the 07's.

If anyone stumbles across a good deal on an 07 please send me a PM. I'll be listing my bike for sale on the Harley forums over the week-end.

I am looking forward starting a new thread "I've found my 2007 XK and picking it up soon!"

 

have you checked here:

texascarsdirect.com

Since you are in Dallas. If you search here on the forum there have been a couple of discussions about Texas Cars Direct. They have an ebony '07 'vert right around your price range.

 

For what it's worth (no pun intended), I just paid $47.5k for a pristine 2008 CPO Black/caramel XK conv with 23.3k miles from a dealer on Long Island. I thought it was a very fair price considering it came with luxury package, 19" wheels, 3yr select ed warranty tires they took off another car with only 4,900 miles on them. I recommend buying from a dealer with the 3 ryr warranty if you can get a fair price.

 

I have bought from Texascarsdirect.com before and got a great deal on my wife's 05 VDP, but I just got my 07 XKR from Texasdirectauto.com in Houston for $45744 - had 11,574 miles on it. I drove it back to the Atlanta area. The car is practically brand new. I also purchased a warranty that covers everything except wear items for 5 years/through 100K miles. That cost $4079 but these cars are expensive to repair if newer, so for me the warranty is worth it.

Texas - Dallas and Houston - always seem to have some excellent deals on Jags and other high end cars. They are willing to sell them at substantial savings over dealers just about anywhere else - or so it seems.

The same car I got at the mileage would have been listed for at least $10K more at a local dealer.

 

2007 Jaguar XK convertible4400MI

This guy is willing to give me $20K for my Harley on a trade plus wants another $25K so it works out to $45K for the car. While it's tempting to just get it done, I think I can save quite a bit more by selling my bike for hopefully around $20K and finding a car for $37500 or so. That is more like $17,500 out of pocket vs $25K out of pocket for this car.

$45K for the car seems too high even with the $4K wheels, right? I never thought he would give me $20K for the bike so I'm confused! HELP

 

Wes,

I would steer clear of this one. There are MUCH better deals out there (e.g., I bought and '08 with 31,000 miles for under 40g.)

 

Stillwaters,
That's quite a find! On all my searches I've been narrowing it to only 2007, maybe I should include 2008's? My gut tells me some of these cars are just sitting out there and if I find a motivated seller at the right time I should be able to score as well. I'm posting my Harley for sale this week-end and once I have that cash it would make it easier to do the deal although I was looking at a 2007 BRG XKR convertible at Texascars for $43,900 and could swing the deal now and then pay down on the loan once I get the Harley cash.
How did you find the car you bought from Maryland and how long were you looking? PM if you don't want to post it here. Thanks!

 

Mohrd;
Thanks for the link, I'm going over today for a test drive. Another great reason to be living in the GREAT state of Texas!

 

Good looking car! I hope I am as successful finding one at such a great price! $35K works way better for my budget than $45K. I just have to be patient.

 

Wes,

After a 2+ year search, I bought my 2008 XK Conv from a dealership in Maryland "Elite Auto Brokers" in Gaithersburg. I found the car on an E-Bay listing, but like I said earlier, I had been looking virtually everywhere for what I considered to be "just the right deal"

Definately expand your search to the 08s. These cars are starting to come off their 3 year, 30,000 mile leases and the prices have dropped as more have become available. That's how I found mine.

Keep in mind, unless the work has already been done, the 30,000 mile mark is when most cars start needing the basic maintanence items (tires, brakes, batteries). Surprisingly, although these were very expensive cars owned by some pretty rich folks, you will find that in many cases, this work has NOT been done. As I figure it, if I was some rich guy turning his leased car in every three years for a new one, I am in no hurry to spend money on expensive maintanence items (like tires) on a car I am getting ready to give back to the dealer (I guess that's how the rich, stay rich).

Now, if you buy "certified" used, then these items are supposed to be at least at the 50% mark, but you will pay an average of $5,000.00 more for a "certified" car. Good luck...

 

Later today the wife and I are headed to Texascarsdirect to drive two of their 07's and then stopping by Park Place Volvo who has the exact car I'm looking for with the exception of being about $5k more than I want to pay.

It's a 07 XK, BRG with tan interior, 25,500 miles, one owner from DFW, Luxury, Premium sound, 19" 10 spoke wheels, in service date Dec 07 which means there are 8 months of factory warranty available. Asking $39,983. Thoughts? I also talked to Bob at Britauto and they do a complete vehicle inspection for $95 which seems very reasonable.

Oh, anyone looking for a 2010 Harley Road Glide in Vivid Black?

 

Just food for thought. I found the retail price from NADA, Edmunds and Kelly Blue Book, and averaged them out and came up with $37,200.00 US. This is an average retail price. There are a lot of 07 XKs for sale right now so if you are in the right place at the right time you should be able to make this deal.

 

Not happening with the one at Park Place, the window sticker still said $42,900 and they just reduced it on the internet to $39,9. He told me how they had $38k+ into it and could not sell it for less. I'll wait, thanks for checking. While that might be the avg, seems like everyone still wants $40K or more. It might take till September to see them drop a bit.

 

how were the xk's at texascarsdirect?