How many miles is too many miles?
 

Hey folks, brand new here. I just hit 50, inherited some money and want to get an XK or XKR as my mid life crisis car. We already have a convertible Murano for when I have my wife and son with me, and an FJ Cruiser for our SUV needs. The Jag would be my toy for when I need to get out and drive a bit.

I'd like to stay closer to $15K and I know it's definitely possible, but I've seen that the lower prices usually come with higher miles. My FJ Cruiser has 235K and is still running strong.

With this car, is there a reason to stay away from something with too many miles and what would be considered high? What services should I be looking for in the records and at what mileages to know if it's been maintained well

Already asked and answered. See:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...007-xk-211195/

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-up-xk-101440/

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...t-x150-216877/

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...oblems-116151/

These threads should give you some food for thought. As is always the case when buying a used car, BUYER BEWARE! Do your due diligence, pay a Jaguar dealer to do a Pre Purchase Inspection including an estimate of the cost of parts and labor for repairs, and never rely on CarFax or what the Seller tells you - get it in writing in case you need to take legal action against the Seller. Compared to your Mustang, XK/XKRs are rare, so you should search nationwide to find "The One". Good hunting!

For an '07-09 purchase in that price range, 125k. The 4.2 is pretty bulletproof and the power train should last 225k with the maintenance that come with that many mile and years of heat cycles on the plastic cooling parts.

Newer it's hard to say. The direct injection 5.0 can be difficult and expensive to repair.

Thanks very much! I'll read those threads. Do you know know much a PPI costs and how long they typically take so that the seller can be prepared when I ask?

Cost varies by dealer. Call your local Jaguar dealer for specifics, and ask them to use the CPO checklist. It's likely to be around $300, but it's worth the cost because you'll have the information you need to negotiate a lower price from the Seller. You might also want to have a body shop certified to do Jaguar aluminum repairs to inspect it for paint, body and chassis repairs. The X150 is virtually all aluminum alloy and special training and tools are required for proper repairs.

If you find a car that's out of town, protect yourself by getting a PPI at your expense from a local Jaguar dealer. If the Seller won't agree, move on and keep looking.

At a $15k price point I think a PPI is pretty pointless. You're going to be higher mileage, not as meticulously maintained cars. Rev Sam's car is a pretty good bad example. I'd be more concerns about when it was last used and having a slush fund for those first 6 months repairs. A PPI will either bring up a bunch of things you don't want to deal with or have no idea that every car with that age / mileage suffers from or it won't show up the stuff that will break within the first couple months of active use. These cars do not sit idle well.

Talk about kicking a man in the nuts when he has fallen.
Probably best time to remind I guess.

The primary factor is time and environment.

The secondary factor is proper fluid and filter maintenance.

Steady usage and care and I would imagine the mileage threshold to much higher than most realize.

Miles are a poor thing to go by on their own.

A low mileage car can be trashed.

An ultra high mileage car can be in excellent restored condition.

Your own skills and expertise are determining variables.

Things that may wear with miles such as wheel bearings; are not expensive to a person with skill and time.

Many of the engine parts come in contact with oil rather than contact with each other. This means providing oil is maintained, these parts will see limited wear.

Rubber degrades from lack of use, the lack of use promotes localized dry rotting and cracking.

I could wax of great length with this post, but ultimately condition is not linear with miles.

A $300 PPI is only 2% of a $15,000 car. For me, it's worth the cost to know what's wrong and what it'll cost for a Jaguar dealer to fix. Otherwise, how do you know how much to budget for the slush fund? Or to walk away and find a better car?

But I understand where you're coming from because you have the knowledge, tools, experience, and other resources to fix it yourself. It's not as much of a pig in a poke, because you know what to look for and the likely costs.

Not trying to kick him at all. I think his is an excellent example of what looks like a great car to buy. And then he got it home and stuff started failing. It's a classic bad used car buying experience. I wonder how much of his problems a dealer would pick up on during a PPI.

We are past 10 years on the early cars and I feel our cars are coming to the point that they are a horrible investment for folks who are going to pay for maintenance and repairs. If you as an owner can't figure these critters out on your own, you are going to suffer horribly and lose faith in the product. I'm surprised how fast mine has degraded from daily use. Another couple years and even the best current specimens will fall apart with sudden use. I also think this is indicative of the auto industry as a whole and not just Jags.

PPi would not have found any of it.
But just a little bit of homework would have found it all.
For example, you know that all these cars need headliners, dash, water pump, etc, etc, after 10 years and 75,000 miles.
Then you simply ask if its been done, if its not, factor doing all that. Its as simple as that. (and if you factor it in, even 500,000 miles is not too many cause you only paid $2000 for the car. get a motor and tranny for 4k and know what you are doing)

In fact, ppi will not do this for you, that inspector has no knowledge of these cars. So he is not going to pull the service records and 'known troubles' and say, hey the water pump if fine on this car, but they are known to need replacing by 75,000 miles and its never been done.
He sure in hell aint going to tell you, since the water pump has not been done, there is a good chance of breaking these plastic hoses.

Sad but very true...

What part of the country are you located in? Are you looking or a coupe or a convertible? A first gen 4.2L or a 5.0L, NA or S/C?

Are you in HI, and going to need to float it out to the island?

Part of that is because even independent shops are charging so much, insane prices, which is going to kill them.

But the future is bright, they have forced the evolution of man. You should see what folks in 3rd world countries are doing, or even what the average diy'er has learned.
Look at this video of a guy casting a intake at home!! I remember when one had to wait months for a part for an exotic import, the price was insane and it was from one that had wrecked.
(and I could not even get you to cast silicone for a gasket, heck gave you an idea for part time work)

This is not a diy'er, but in a 3rd world country he may as well be. Point is about human ingenuity. I saw this BMW and said no way on earth can that body be repaired.

To your point, see every non government owned car in Cuba.

When buying a used luxury car it helps to approach it from an angle that if it goes kaput you are able to go out and buy another used luxury car.

This brings peace of mind. Buy half your budget or less.

There have been a few users who have shown up that bought these cars at a stretch of budget; they did not enjoy their car from their worry.

People generally speak up when they have a problem rather than when they do not.

This skews the view where only problems are seen. It makes it easy to fear the rare and ignore the common.

The more important aspect is to figure out all the silent people that haven't had problems.

The common is that issues are fairly rare aside from standard wear and maintenance items.
Maintenance item includes battery, happy good battery, happy life.

There was a 152,000 Mile 2007 XKR not too long ago I'd have considered if it were east coat instead of west coast.

It had regular maintenance, was used for regular long trips, whoever bought that got a deal. The miles were not proportional to the wear.

@Aloha Bob, the 4.2 litre cars are easier to work on and maintain.

Look for worn suspension parts; noisy VVT on cold start; gearbox service has been completed. The ZF 6HP26/28 gearbox must be serviced every 60 000 miles for longevity.

Check the top of the fascia for separation and the RH footwell for dampness caused by a blocked evaporator drain.

In addition to the items already listed in previous posts, check for correct function of the headlamps and any stored DTCs.

I researched, searched and tried negotiating on several deals for 7 months before finally pulling the trigger on a private sale for an 07 XK. My research told me that the 07-09 range with the 4.2 was what was best for me. Initially I was looking at the 03-06 (also 4.2), but the improvements in handling and comfort of the 07 up convinced me to look exclusively at that range.

My search was nationwide. Initially I was solely focused on XKR's but with time I realized that to find a good one with less than 100k miles I'd be looking at least 18k and up. It was a tough decision to discard this option, as I preferred the nose on the XKR's with the subtle difference in fog lights, and of course the sweet hood vents and quad exhaust. As this was going to be a part time touring car, I decided to settle on the XK's and I have not been disappointed at all. Performance is more than adequate for my needs. My biggest decision was then to go convertible or coupe. Coupe would provide more storage for road trips, and less potential expenses/problems related to the top. And while the convertible adds a ton of fun factor, the coupe has the aston-martin-ish lines that are soo seductive. In the end it came down to finding the right deal.

My searches had been confined to dealerships, because of the difficulty of conducting the transaction from a distance, but in the end I found the right 07XK from a private seller - 79k miles, for under 13k. The carfax was not perfect with two small dings, but only two owners. The car itself appears to be in good condition and looks to be otherwise well maintained. Not perfect, but very nice. I feel the price was good given all these factors - including new tires, and recent documented service work. I expect to drive this car intermittently for a couple of years, while I have secure covered storage, and maybe 10k miles total. I expect it to hold most of it's value, less service costs etc. because I will still be under 100k miles when I re-sell.

With 15k to spend you should have no problem finding a very nice low mileage, low owner, accident free XK. If looking at XKR's all you are likely to find at that price would be highly questionable quality, many owners, and possibly an accident or two. While I personally did not do a dealer pre-purchase survey, I would recommend one for most buyers. I would not look at anything that has ultra low miles - constant use and servicing is better than a garage queen in my mind. I buy vehicles to enjoy them, not put them on pedestals.

The good thing about the 4.2 is that the basics are built to handle the XKR supercharger load at 420hp. The XK 4.2, at 300hp, should hold up well over the long term with adequate maintenance. I wouldn't be afraid of a higher mileage XK.

Good luck with your search!

Can you elaborate on the noisy VVT?

Cold start, random rattle from up front for the first couple seconds. The VVT uses engine oil pressure to vary the timing and it bleeds around the VVT piston or valve seals when shut off.