Generally, for a classic car to become a pot of gold, a large set of people need to feel nostalgic about it. This way Toyota Supra is already collectible, but a much better driver's car Alfa Spider Series 3 or 4 are not.

 

SinF,
I agree with you that a groundswell of enthusiasm for a particular model of car can make it collectible sometimes immediately such as in the case of the 2005-2006 Ford GT and the BMW Z8. Often though, it can take decades before a car reaches that collectible status, usually as a result of rarety or limited production. However, there is merit to the higher performance models as a more valuable collector car. If you consider a 1969 Camaro vs. a 1969 Camaro Z28, or a 1969 Pontiac GTO vs. a Ram Air IV Judge GTO, one version is worth about 20% of the other, though they're the same body style. But, I don't think buying an X150 XKR vs. XK will show any of the signs of collectibility anytime soon, and if that's why someone purchases one with the hopes of appreciation and a pot of gold down the road, they've made a mistake. The reason to buy is to enjoy now, future be damned. Sometimes you get lucky, my 1972 De Tomaso Pantera's value has probably doubled, maybe tripled in the last 5 years, but it never entered my mind when I purchased it a dozen years ago; I was in love with the look, the performance the sound, and it's what I could afford at the time. When I bought my 2010 XKR, I essentially stopped driving the Pantera because the XKR was just so easy to enjoy without the worries of overheating, non-starting, breakdowns, etc...So, I had to make a choice, do I sell it or make it more driveable? I was still infatuated with its look, so I decided to make it something more driveable, by changing it to fuel injection from carburation, putting more comfortable, seats, and a more luxurious interior, add extra cooling fans to prevent overheating, and put a 500+ horsepower engine in it to make it more fun. While those improvements will make for a much better car, they actually de-value its collectibility as they are not "original" to the car. Who cares?! I'll have a car that works and that I'll actually drive and enjoy. My heirs can worry about its collectibility value when I'm gone. Next up is restoring my 1968 GTO, my favorite car of all time.

 

Ditto. The XKR is one of the most dependable cars I ever owned.

 

I bought my liquid silver/black 2010 XKR 6 months ago with 13,000 miles on it for 34k. Had a new battery, brakes, newly powder coated OE wheels (stunning dark grey metallic), and new Pirelli tires on it. No accidents or paint work. The car is in beautiful condition inside and out. The only real flaw are some deep scratches on the pass side rocker, which can only be seen though if you know that they are there, and you need to go at least 5-6 feet from it to really see it. She's literally perfect from 6 feet away. I am the 3rd owner. The car has a great service history too. She has been a dream for the 5,000 miles that I have put on her thus far (touching wood right now). My point to this is that there are some killer deals out there if you are patient and are willing to expand your search across the entire country.

 

 

Yup, that is normal.....mines sounds exactly the same and it is NA not SC. I tracked sound down to the DI injectors.

 

Wowsers... sounds like a little diesel.

 

 

I had a very similar rattle that was terrible, and we thought it was the supercharger. But it turned out it was the water pump rattling back and forth. Replaced the water pump, death rattle gone!!

 

If you're looking for a 5.0 litre car, one of the first things to look for in the service history is water pump replacement.