Hi all I currently own 2000 XK8 coupe with 96000 miles. I recently replaced the transmission with a rebuilt XF. I am thinking about buying a 2007 XKR with 96,000 miles for $23,900. How do the new series Jags hold up at this type of mileage. My ZF was completely burned up at 95,000 miles and I am wondering if the new car has the same problems around this mileage? My car is going to be 14 years old in the up coming year. The engine is smooth as ever and I am not sure I want to replace the car after replacing the transmission, tires and both upper control arms and fluids, hoses and a power steering pump. How much of a upgrade is the new XKR? I am weighing my options because I own my vehicle with out a payment and I would have to get a loan for the newer car.

 

I've moved your question from Jaguar Forums Advice / Feedback & Suggestion Center to XK/XKR forum.

Members here with the model you are considering will be able to advise.

Graham

 

In general the 4.2L driveline, which was introduced in 2003, and carried through the body style change, has shown itself to be pretty reliable. The transmission changed to a 6spd ZF, which is a very different design from the 5spd model in your car. A slightly revised version is still used today for the 5.0L, even in the XKR-S.

These transmissions are not truly sealed for life though, and ZF does recommend maintenance at intervals of 60k miles or so. They should be good for well more than 100k miles with proper maintenance.

 

I think it should be fine. I have a 2007 XK with close to 80K and it is rock solid.


If you buy it though, you would be wise to change the transmission fluid and filter immediately. Also have the supercharger fluid replaced, which is advisable at 100K. Filled for 'life' is marketing nonsense. The car should also be thoroughly inspected...96K well cared for miles is far different than 96K neglected miles.


The 2000 XK 5 speed transmission have known frequent failure mechanism with A-drum. It also probably would have lasted longer with maintenance at 60K which was never specified by Jaguar.


That being said, neither of these cars is particularly cheap to own, so you should plan on some additional repairs for either.


One drive of a 2007 XKR will hook you though!

 

In my opinion, these aluminum chassis cars seem to hold up much better than their steel counterparts. That is, whereas a steel chassis seems to lose rigidity over time and develop all sorts of creaks and rattles, the aluminum Jags I've had have stayed nice and solid, as far as I can tell. Or maybe they were just not that solid to begin with!

 

This year I moved up from my 1997 XK8 to a 2010 XKR - bigger jump than you're contemplating, but the experience may be relevant.

I too had gearbox issues with the ZF 5-speed - ended up with a reconditioned 'box at about 50000 miles because the front clutch went (about £2,500), then a valve packed up at about 70000. Fortunately my indy specialist was able to swap in a valve from a spare 'box so it only cost me labour. The transmission seemed to be the weak spot for me; I had no Nikasil issues, probably because I didn't do lots of short trips when high-sulphur petrol was around, and I had the tensioners replaced before that became a problem. The water pump went boof last year at 80000, but no harm done.

Obviously it's a bit early to comment on the reliability of my new XKR, but it certainly seems to be screwed together pretty well. The XK8 would get a bit flustered if you pushed it hard - lots of hot oil smells, some brake judder. But I thrashed the XKR on the autobahn and the Nürburgring, and it's didn't even raise a sweat; no warning lights, no rough changes, no brake fade or juddering. It really does feel like a better car than the XK8 was at the same age (I bought both at about 2.5 years from new).

I don't recall any reports of transmission problems with the new XKs - the 6-speed 'box appears to be pretty reliable. The main area of concern is around the electrics, particularly the battery. If your battery is not holding a good, solid charge, you get loads of weird symptoms - infotainment system crashes & lockups, rev-matched downshifts not working, spurious sensor warnings, etc. So an upgrade to an AGM battery, or at least fitting a battery maintainer, is something worth planning to do. The other issue with 2006-2009 cars is the aircon drain - if it hasn't been modified, it blocks and you get water in the footwell (plenty of further info elsewhere on the forum).

As WhiteXKR says, it's really down to condition - if the car looks tidy, drives smoothly and has a good service record (preferably with a stack of receipts if you're buying privately), then it's been looked after and should be solid. I concur with the recommendations for fluid changes, though.

 

Thanks for the advice all good points. This car is on auto trader at a dealership that is small home town type. It looks perfect in and out. As far as the steel chasis mine is holding up well. In fact car is a little too stiff because it's time to change shocks and maybe struts. I have a set of bilstien shocks. That should help.

 

2008 4.2 XKR, bought five months ago with almost 73k miles on the clock. Had the supercharger and auxiliary belts and a front anti-roll bar drop link replaced under warranty but other than that no issues. You'd never know the mileage it had done to drive it or look at it.

 

Ericmoss37
I have 133,000 miles on my 2002 XKR and have had solenoids and shifter replaced but no rebuild on my tranny, and it shifts very well. Unfortunately in your case, the XK8 came with the ZF unit while the XKR had the Mercedes sourced transmission. The Mercedes unit is generally considered a much stouter unit with fewer problems. I have put approximately 70,000 miles on my car since buying it 4 years ago with 62K. The newer models, I'm sure, are even more reliable even at high mileage. Make yourself the best deal on the lowest mileage car you can find and enjoy.

 

I'm a BMW owner and active on Bimmerfest. Since the ZF 6 speed is used in most 2005-2010 BMW's, we've become pretty knowledgeable about it. And, since BMW marketing pushed the lifetime fill nonsense, we've become experienced at early (<100K miles) failure.

The comment about changing the fluid and pan at less than 60K Miles is absolutely true -- this is a "must do" to keep the ZF healthy. That said, we've had great success with fixing the surging/delayed shifting the ZF develops because of old and failed fluid. The solution is to replace the solenoids in the mechatronics. In the BMW frame, the job can be done in a few hours by dropping the pan and the mechatronics.

The solenoids are around $450-500, from thectsc.com -- though some have sourced them directly from ZF. It's a straightforward fix, comparable in effort to a waterpump replacement, perhaps. Always easier on a lift, but several members have done it in their garages. Does not require dropping the transmission.

Hope this helps. Those who've done the solenoids (or actuators) report a return to like-new performance.

 

Blast, I just hit 60k miles today! Now comes an avalanche of maintenance items....