Hi Guys,

As mentioned, I recently started to look at the 2008 or 2009 Jaguar XK Convertible (possible even XKR).

My question is, can you guys tell me some things to be on the look out for? This would be my fist Jag and with the stigma attached to this brand from years bygone, I am a bit wary.

Any hints would be much appreciated. Thank you

 

Check the rear window on the convertible for separation.

 

The early second generation (07-09) xks had a problem with the duckbill on the end of condensation line getting stuck closed with the result being flooding out of the AC/Heat fan motor necessitating replacement. A second problem is drying out of the leather on the upper dash and "pulling" from its anchor points causing unsightly bubbling of the leather dash covering. This can be solved by re-anchoring the leather.

The third issue is that these cars with all off their electronic gear tend to eat batteries. This is indicated by crazy readouts and extraneous warnings popping off. There are various solutions to each of the above named situations. The easiest and most straight forward to deal with is to buy a CTek battery minder and install it in your garage and plug your XK into it on a daily basis. Beyond the above described problems the cars themselves are very reliable and will give you many years of enjoyment. Check out the threads dealing with issues listed in the first paragraph and you will be fully informed and prepared to go on your quest. Good luck!!

 

Thanks Ralphwg, I have been reading up on those issues and they seem to be very manageable (besides electrical gremlins).

So at which miles are the expensive tune ups due? I am just trying to avoid buying a car with 69K miles on it and then realizing that at 70K I have a $5K tune up coming up that has not yet been done

(ie timing chain,...)

 

Nothing too unusual on the regular maintenance. I'd flush the tranny fluid at 60,000 miles. That's about $6-700 at a shop. A new top is about $1800 installed, they won't last forever. Tires are expensive because they're so large, better budget for that. Everything else is just like any other car.

Govtslug

 

And BTW, keep things in perspective. This web site is somewhat geared for blokes to sort out their problems. Jag got it pretty much right with the 07 and up XK. It's reliability is as good as or better than most cars in it's class.


Do your "due diligence" and you will come out OK. For instance, I never had a battery or electrical gremlin issue with my 07 XK.

 

And please note: there are no "electrical gremlins" if the car is in almost daily use. It is only when the battery voltage is allowed to drop by infrequent use or very short trips that electrical anomalies - quite random in nature - crop up. There is nothing wrong with the car; it is always a battery issue. Solution: a good (CTEK IS RECOMMENDED) battery maintainer for when the car is not being driven . It takes 15 seconds to plug in or unplug the unit - but the result is zero problems. My 07 XK has exhibited no problems of any kind. A wonderfully reliable, comfortable, fast, gorgeous machine, and future classic. Don't be afraid - but as always with a used car, check not only condition but the service history. By the way, the 4.2 engine shows none of the issues you might find cited for the 5 litre cars and even the naturally aspirated 4.2 is faster than you can ever safely use.

 

Thanks to all of you for the good info. I certainly understand that such forums are going to focus on issues that people had and not everyone will experience those issues. I just like to know about the most prevalent problems with a car i am looking to buy that way i wont be surprised when one of them hits me

I went and test drove my first XK convertible today, and long behold the top went about 3 inches up and stopped (with engine running). That was the end of a very short first test drive. I made it a solid 5 inches

Then i went on to another place to drive a 2008 XKR convertible. While i have to say, the driving experience was extremely nice. Almost no cowl shake, very solid and great power. The looks of the car are stunning, yet there are some down sides to this car that I did not realize before this drive.
The navigation/Control system is utter rubbish. If you are in the navigation screen and realize that your *** is on fire because of the heated seats, it takes a lot of clicking and waiting till you can actually perform the simple task of turning of the bum heater. (very slow reaction of touch screen)

Also, while i understand the rear seats are not really meant for passengers, these are not even suitable for double amputee kids. The seating area is slanted at a 45 degree angle?!? Here I thought the leg room in my Camaro convertible is bad.

In conclusion, I can certainly see the appeal of the car and if its used exclusively for joy riding for a max of 2 people (even short distances). Unfortunately, I couldn't even pick up the kids from school and drive home without a ton of understandable whining coming from the back seats. Sad to say I don't see an XK in my future

 

I guess we kinda assumed you were looking for a "3rd" car for fun with your bride or GF. The back storage area was never meant for anyone to sit in but for marketing and maybe insurance purposes. If Jaguar would have offered a rear seat delete I bet it would have been a good seller. So for future reference anyone interested looking at these cars with the belief you can fit a 3rd person "safely" in the back then you don't want one. As for the nav. you're right it is slow and cumber sum but after a while you get used to it. The XK was an attempt to bridge the gap between sedan and sports car via the GT class. It just didn't meet your purpose so good luck in hunting for your fun car. Oh as for the top , no excuse as it shouldn't have happened and the person showing the car should have had this fixed before anyone took it for a test drive.

 

In reality you would probably find you wouldn't interact with the touch screen much. In your scenario you would just press the home button to get back to the home screen where you can control the heated seats. You can control nearly all aspects of the stereo using the steering wheel controls and the air con using the push buttons. That just leaves the Nav and phone.

Don't write off the rear seats, my 17 year old daughter often hops in the back when I pick her up from the shops with a friend and I have a posted a photo a few times of me with all three 17-22 year old kids in the car. Up to 20 minutes is easily tolerable if you compromise a little on space.

 

That's about right. My wife rode back there for ~2.5 hours, and said the first 20 minutes were tolerable (she hung in there for the whole 2.5 hours, as there was something she wanted being transported in the front passenger seat).

 

I'd go for the 2010+ XK over the older 4.2 XKR for similar money.

 

Please keep in mind that the 4.2 engines have absolutely no issues whereas the 5 litre engines have both water pump and timing chain tensioner issues (neither being particularly serious, but still....).