Hello everyone:
This is my first post of many to come. I am a Jag man. I have had two xks conv., 1999 and 2005. I have had two xjs, 1999 and 2002. Now its time to buy another one. I have a chance to buy a 2011 xkr black pack coupe with 80,000 miles. I have done my research. I have read almost every article about 2011 xkrs. I even went to the Jag dealership that serviced the car. Service manager printed out all the service records. BUT. Several service records indicated in Jun 2018 that this car need upper and lower front control arm bushings, upper and lower control arm bushing in the back, as well as the bushings for the sway bars. The Jag Dealership total was around 13K. I have a chance to buy this car for around 24K. BUT it is not in pristine condition. A lot of scratches all around the car. Many other cosmetic problems. Another dealership has the car. The dealership that has the car said they would put on new rear brakes, rotors and pads, fix all the cosmetic paint problems, and put on 3 new tires. (it has one good michelin on the back and they want to put 3 pirellis on the car. WTF)
Now the question, Is this worth buying? Or should you wait for another one that is in better shape? I know the Jag dealership is way more expensive for the repair work but the car still needs to have this suspension work done. Is this normal for 8 year old xkrs for this suspension maintenance? The Jag dealership also tried to sell me a CNA third party warranty. They told me they love CNA aftermarket warranties for Jags. Does anyone know about CNA?

Any help would be appreciated. Yes, I do love this car. ONly XKRs from now on.

JDog

 

JDog, when a customer has a complaint about the suspension deterioration, even if it is cosmetic (like rubber dust boots cracking) some service writers are quick to recommend replacing the bushings and since Jaguar doesn't sell them without the control arms, they become part of the repair. As for the 3rd party insurance policy, read it very carefully so you know what they will cover and what they won't. There seems to be about a 50/50 split on the forum between people that swear by those policies and the ones that swear at them.
As for the dealership that has the car now, I would not allow mixed tires on the car, make a deal to replace all four or knock of $600 or so and replace them yourself. Also, bear in mind that black paint is very hard to correct and have it come out looking good. I would want to know who is going to do the job and see before and after examples of their work.
Without actually seeing the car I won't comment on whether you should talk or walk. Just bear in mind the whole care is aluminum so if some of the scratches are minor dings they will need to be removed by someone that knows how to work aluminum. I am local to you and would be happy to view the car with you and offer suggestions.

 

I don't think you were meaning to but by adding an s to the end of XKR, you are making reference to a completely different model car. So just to clear up any confusion the car you are looking at is a XKR with what appears to have the black pack & speed pack, which make the car a little more unique and worth a little more. So for that amount of mileage I would say that it is a fair deal, but it would depend on the service records and what the condition of the car actually looks like in person. Only you can determine what you are willing to deal with as for the cosmetics...

 

Post a link to the actual car. Makes things simpler.

 

I'd say no it is not worth buying and move on. Plenty of these are around with no stories or issues. You could be in the same position on another car with the bushings. I'd research who could do the work without replacing the control arms in your locale. You want the car to handle tight and correct.

 

Dont simply turn your nose up because bushes are worth (very common) the positive factor is you know exactly what is required to get it up to scratch and once done you'll be fine for another 8-10yrs

If it's going for a good price that is lower than other Xkrs on the market you speak to a independent mechanic replacing these parts are pretty straight forward .

Whilst there ask for a brake fluid flush as they will need to disconnect the rear lines as they run through the rear upper control arms

 

I am also in the process of thinking of getting an XKR. I'm not in a hurry, and will probably wait until late spring or summer to pick something up. I have a feeling I'll be traveling to find what I want, for the price I'm willing to pay, so I've been doing national searches on both Autotrader and Auto Tempest. What I've been seeing is that your area is one of the 4 hot beds for these cars ( the others being southern FL, southern CA, and NJ), and there tends to be a good selection around. So if it were me, I'd bide my time, keep my eyes out, and find exactly what you want. If you really want something specific it may take a bit longer. The price is in line with I'm typically seeing listed, I've seen some for less, but they usually sell fairly quick, and I've seen some for a lot more.

 

As JJ said Black is very hard to correct, I saw two late (14/15) XKR's last year in black, both had less than 30k on the clock and the paintwork was a mess...and these were from main dealers and both cars cars had been prepired for the showroom!

I ended up paying £32k/$40k USD as a cash sale for a dynamic R in white (a colour I'd not have considered when I first started looking).

My message would be to keep your options open

Whenever I go to look at cars I know exactly what I want in the colour I want and the interior trim, but crucially the dealer NEVER knows this, so when I went to buy my Audi I wanted an automatic black diesel salon with black leather interior

What I told the garages was that I wanted a light coloured BMW manual petrol estate with cloth interior, as a result I got £3k off, a full tank of fuel and both rubber and cloth mats

Those that stand there and say 'I've been a Jag lover/owner for years and this is exactly the colour and spec what I want' shouldn't be surprised if they get nada

There's nothing that makes a salesman more happy than selling someone something they don't want...and I want them to fel good about themselves....lol

 

I was doing another search on Autotrader tonight, and this popped up.

Houston XKR

I don't know if this is the car the original poster is looking at or not, but it sounds pretty similar. If not, a couple of dealers in Houston have very similar inventory, and pricing.

 

Well, the good news is that the CarFax show the service history and it currently has 79,245 miles. And it did have the oil changed - but only once, at 53 300 miles, at a carwash! You couldn't pay me enough to buy this XKR. I bet the wrong oil was used and other required maintenance wasn't done. It's a nightmare waiting to happen

 

I've not even looked at the car in question, but if you're baseing a car on 'records' you would be dead wrong if you were to look at my XKR.
Why? The common phrase comes to mind 'Your judging a book by its cover".

I wont try to defend this particular car, but my oil changes are done every 5000 miles and done at a muffler shop! How do I know it is done right? I bring them my own oil, and watch them do the work. I talk with the mechanic (try that at a Jag dealership!), while I watch. Also, with a top mounted oil filter, I change it myself every 2500 miles.

I trust very few shops, and to date, my dealings with Jaguar has been an exercise in temper control. 8 out of 10 of the dealership mechanics out there are kids that couldn't pour **** from a boot if the instructions were written on the heal. Take away their computer and ask them to change a spark plug, they would give you a blank stare...

Will this hurt the resale of my XKR without 'Jaguar' records? Maybe... But I can tell you my car is in far better condition because it has no Jaguar records.

Just sayin....

 

+1 on a lot of good comments here.
My hunch, having not seen it, is take your time. You might end up buying this car. But in the meantime, it's probably not going anywhere (and there's a lesson in that...).
Also, if I could do it all over again, I'd be more aggressive on price. Lowball the HELL out of your offer. What you're thinking of buying - a black XKR coupe - is not particularly rare, as these cars go. Truest advice on this thread: if this one doesn't work out, another one will come along.

 

Just because car fax only has one oil change doesn't mean it hasn't been done.

Car fax is not omniscient.

 

CarFax isn't worth the paper on which it's printed. Read their Terms and Conditions and disclaimers. They report only what's reported to them. You can't rely solely on CafFax, but It's a starting point to reject a car; it should never should be the reason to buy one.

That's my point in my Post #10, above. That CarFax raised red flags, particularly only one oil change - and it was done at the carwash!

 

That is the car I am looking at. No pictures on the listing. BUT this one came with the Black Pack . I have not seen many Jags for sale with this option. I talked to several Jag shops. One wants $300 for a complete inspection. One wants $150 for a complete inspection. But I have a good friend that owns a repair shop that will inspect it for free. I talked to the MB dealer rep yesterday to find out how the make ready was progressing. I told him about all four matching tires, the aluminum body and how that you really need someone who knows how to repair and paint aluminum. He reassured me that MB dealer knows this and it will be taken care of. I told him that it needs a spare. He confirmed they will get a spare. One thing I noticed on the delivery invoice that it did not come with a spare tire. Unusual to me. I just hope they are not just putting a band-aid to major problem. I will see the car again in a couple of days and will decide what to do. Thanks for all the comments. I learn something with each comment. Keep them coming.

 

I'm sure someone with more knowledge than me on the subject will chime in, but it is possible that the car in question since it has the black pack & speed pack that it may have the larger brakes and didn't come with a spare. Now there are members that have come up with a solution for that by getting a spare from a different jaguar model that will work with the big brake calipers, again maybe one of them will chime in on this...

Edit: Might not have anything to do with brake size, I found the following on one of the 2011 XKR press releases,

A tire repair Instant Mobility System (IMS) becomes standard on all XK and XKR models. This frees up the spare tire’s wheel well, which is now carpeted and can hold a specially designed and tailored XK accessory suitcase, substantially increasing the versatility of the car.

 

Hey guys, forget the sale, one would be a complete fool to buy it.

But its very illuminating- its never been back to a Jaguar dealership since it was sold.
Zero updates, zero checks by trained eye.

And the oil change at Cypress car wash must be so through that they report it to carfax.

 

After the inspection, take the list of stuff it needs, and either have them reduce price or have it explicitly listed in writing that it will be repaired before delivery. Since I trust car dealers like a drug dealer, I'd lowball it versus trying to get it fixed via them in a contract. At least then the transaction is concluded and I'm not suing them.

I personally would walk away. The car is priced too close to what no excuse cars are going for.

 

Just for the sake of having some pics here is the add from when the car was sold in 2013...

Sell used 2011 Jaguar XKR "BLACK PACK' 12K ONE OWNER CLEAN CARFAX WE FINANCE in Gallatin, Tennessee, United States, for US $72,981.00

 

For all the reasons noted above, if I were in the market, I would take a hard pass. There are far too many on the market to bother with one so iffy at that price. Body work is expensive, at least to get it right. If you're just Jonesing for a black pack so be it, it's your money, but the advice by most who have chimed in is "wait for a better opportunity."

Last comment and this applies to any and all cars including the one you linked from Spring, TX. All cars who've lived in Texas, NJ, Fla (and southeast in general), should be thoughorly inspected for flood damage. Disregard carafe in this instance and have an indy comb through it. If it were me, and it isn't, I would only buy a car that spent it's life up North or out west, unless it was confirmed by a reputable dealer/ mechanic. Not saying they're all flood cars but there are a bunch out there.