Hello all.

I am in total love/lust with the lines of the 2007 + XK. I had no idea they were so affrodable, all things being relative.

I did a quick intro in the noob area and now I'm here to get the skinny.

Quick background - I've been a german car guy (older VWs and Porsches) for a long time and I do most of the work on my cars myself. This venture would be my first time with a "fairly new" car let alone anything a a car with a computer

I've done some looking on the interwebs in an attempt to find out the "problems" with these cars (2007 + XKs) and the only things I find are the antenna and the exhaust drone issues. As well as some of the warning lights if you tend to be "aggressive" in your driving habits. Annnd, that people don't like having to go through the menu to adjust things.
I'm not the kind of guy who thinks any car should forever act as if it did the day it came off the show room floor, and I expect there to be issues.
I just can't afford to have a car that leaves me stranded. I need a realistic amount of reliability. For most of the past 10 years I've had multiple vehicles so if one was down the other was there. My plans are to condense to one car, the XK. I do have a couple bikes that will do me in a pinch but my wife is not a big fan of me having to pick two kids up at school on a motorcycle

Is this a car for me?

My apologies as I'm sure this has been covered in some way in some thread in the past. Thanks again, Mickey

 

I can't say whether the car is for you or not. If you are interested in the body style then look for a good 08 or newer. There were enough updates on those cars to take care of most of the gremlins. The 07 cars are fantastic but the 08's are just a touch better in my opinion. If you find a car and need an opinion on it, shoot me a message. I'm in Wilmington as well. I have a friend with a white 07 he bought new that I've done a little work on. He absolutely LOVES his car. If you are in the market for a 2010 XKR Conv triple black, I might be able to pry it from the hands of the owner of my dealership (although it may be a little smoky inside).

 

Thanks, Mark.
Are you at Union Park?
A 2010 XKR might be a tad out of my price range but I appreciate the offer.

I'm planning on selling my two current cars and buying something along the line of a 2007-08, so I'm in the "research" mode right now. Frankly, I was talking to an aquaintance who owns a 2007 and he told me he paid $35K for it. I'd always liked the looks of the newer XKs but never even bothered because I assumed they were too expensive. I almost fell off my chair when he told me what he paid. He was also kind enough to let me take it for a drive. Needless to say thats why I'm here. I liked it. A LOT.

Annnnd, as it is withmost things I'm attracted to in my life, they seem to be somewhat rare. I spoke with a salesman at the dealership and he said "Yeah, I get them in off lease once in awhile. I have a black XKR coming in in July 2012." Story of my life.
So I guess I'm at the mercy of the market and the timing of when I can unload my cars. If this is a car that is considered "reliable" and won't put me in the poor house with some crazy electrical, fuel injection, computerized suspension, etc... issue, then I am all in.

Just not sure what to expect and was hoping to get some feedback from other owners what issues, if any, they've had to deal with.

With my 911, I knew all the things to look for (easier because after 30 years patterns are more evident) and there was lots of info on just about every model and it's "issues". It doesn't seem to be the case with newer cars.

I appreciate your offer and if you're a local boy feel free to stop in to Corner Bistro on Silversdie Rd or Luckys Coffee Shop on 202 north and introduce yourself. I'll buy ya a beer (at the bistro).

 

As for reliability, my only problems I had were electronic gremlins of the center console such as frozen screen twice and radio wouldn't stop playing after a Sirius update even with the engine turned off and door open. Check engine light came on but that was due to the gas door not fully locked on my part. Also, whistling noise coming from the a/c but there is a tsb out for it. In 3 weeks I will have own the car for 4 years, and I've had no their issues other than those although I only drive around 2k miles per year with this car.

 

Mickey, yeah I know where you are. I guess you own the 911's that i've seen sitting out back for years! Ranch House was an old haunt for me and my friends. In fact the old owner Mitri had a 96 Sapphire Blue XJR that was absolutely gorgeous and fast. He drove that car the way it should have been driven and it was the fastest XJR that came in. I worked at Union Park from 10-99 to 2-04 then was shop foreman at Jag West Chester up until this past April (2011). My family needed me closer to home so I came to Land Rover Wilmington. I still love the jags. As far as the XKR here, i think they are in the 60's for it.

The 07 cars had a couple things that were worked out early on like fuel doors not opening and numerous software updates to the touch screen and other systems. The 08 cars had all the updates and even got rid of the extending antenna (which caused a wind noise) Early 07 cars had warped door panels that never seemed to fit right around the rear view mirror. Driveline and chassis are very stout. I just replaced a front shock on a friends 07 with under 30k on it. There really are not a lot of concerns on the suspension. The engine may occasionally flag a t/stat code which is easy enough to change. Mechanically, the 4.2 is a super engine. The trans works well and those cars even have the flappy paddles for spirited driving. It may develop a leak at the connector to the trans but I've only seen one 2003 version of the same transmission fail out of many many units over the years. The body is all aluminum and trouble free. I personally like the coupe style. Very aggressive look that is as timeless as your 911's. If you need help looking at one, shoot me a message. I do work on the side so if your friend needs anything, send me a message.

 

I am surprised about the Jag dealer saying they get them off lease. I was at a Jag dealer in AZ last week who said Jag picks up the off lease cars and the dealership does not get a chance on them.

As for reliability, I can only speak for my '04 VDP, but it is as reliable as any car on the road. I would put it on par with Honda, Toyota, etc...

 

Thats me, Mark! Small world.
I will definitely gibe you a shout when I find one that needs a PPI. I've got a guy nibbling on my 911 right now, we'll see where it goes.
Please stop by!! I'm usually at the bistro. If you see the black 911, a motorcycle, or a green Scion back there I'm here.

mosesbotbol,
As is the case , I find, with most high end salesman, they don't really put a lot of effort into the first meeting. Tire kickers and all. I can't say for sure what he meant by it. I guess time will tell if he calls me.

 

Mickey,
I'll share with you my own experience with an 07 XK Coupe with 20" wheels. I've now owned the car for about a month and put 2k miles on it. I bought it for $39k with only 7k miles on it. I had to travel 250 miles from MD to get it but the drive home was sweet. It's absolutley mint and essentially new even though it's almost 5 years old.

The only issue I've had is the well documneted exhaust drone @ 1250rpm which I had fixed free of charge. Thankfully the fix hasn't moved the drone to 2000rpm which is the case for some.

As far as the issues mentioned by Mark and others are concerned I've not seen them yet. Only time will tell. Overall I'm delighted with the car. If you're after a classy GT with those iconic curves then there's little out there that can match the Jag.

My main gripes are that the radio performance is below par and the Nav is not the best. However CD performance is great. The touchscreen is not the fastest either.

Happy hunting

Steve

 

I have had my 08 for just about a year now and it is the most beautiful automobile I have ever laid eyes on. I can't park it anywhere without turning back to look as I walk away...

Only real chronic issue for me has been keeping the battery fully charged. I went through three batteries in the first four months of ownership. The dealer has diagnosed everything it could be, from the alternator in the front to the battery in the back, to multiple tests for parasitical draw. Still, the battery struggles to stay fully charged..

So, what do I do about it?

I put the XK on a battery tender in my garage every Saturday afternoon after I detail the car. I leave it on the tender for about 12 hours which fully charges the battery for the coming week...

I know I shouldn't have to do this, but....I just really really love this car.

 

I'm wondering if it'll be easier to find one these in a year or so? And possibly because I'm looking for a coupe.

$39K for an 07 with 7K on the odo? Thats a steal!!!

It's looking like I'm gonna take a hit on my 911 as the market just isn't there. No biggie. I bought when everyone was fat and rich and the prices were high. It is what it is.

I appreciate the input, gentelman. Keep it coming.

 

What year and model porsche are you looking to sell?

I am a big fan of the 911 with two older ones in the stable. I've had my xkr for five months now and I absolutely love it. I've never driven the xk but no doubt its a great car.

When I was searching all over the US for my xkr the best priced ones were right heer in my backyard at momentum jaguar in Houston. You may want to search their site regularly. Good dealership and great service.

Good luck with your search.

 

I sold a 996,drive a Cayenne and race a 944S2. Also have a XK for fun.

 

Hi Mickey... I bought one of the first built current shape XKR's in December 06. I have been driving it for more than five years and traveled 120,000klms trouble free. Our roads here in New Zealand are a little harsher than the USA and so I do not think you will have any trouble with reliability. Even now with the high miles on my car I cannot think about changing the Jag it is a great car. My advice is to go with an 08 or newer as advised by Mark and spend the extra money and make sure you buy an XKR not an XK you will not be disappointed.

 

Ghostrider,
How do you like that Range Rover Evoque?

 

So far so good....had it for 3 weeks now. It's been at the dealer for 3 days so far and bringing it back tomorrow again. Long story short...the dealer put their badge in the back of the tailgate...I didn't approve and told them to take it off. When they did there were some gouges and they agreed to fix it. They had a their independent shop repaint the gouges but then when I went to debadge the LR badge after I got it back, there was overspray around the badge and won't come off. Dealer said to bring it back tomorrow for them to repaint it the correct way (with the badges removed) and so I can debadge with no overspray present.

There are some similarities such as the touch screen which uses flash as the Jag. It's alittle bigger screen, alittle faster (but still slower than I like), alittle crisper display than my XKR and even the steps to turn off the seatbelt chime is the same. Also, one thing I like with Nav, it will show you turn info on the center display on the dash that my jag doesn't have which is a nice feature. Little things that we don't get that the UK cars have.....digital speed display,dual screen (a'la XJ) and the turbo diesel engine. Some other things i wish it had was a menu to program the folding mirrors (only dealer can program it on or off) and although the sunshade of the pano roof opens all the way pass the rear seats, you can't open the roof. Little things I like about the car.....LED foglights, DRLs that mimic the BMW angel eyes and an etching of the car when the puddle lights are on. It's more of a firmer ride and so my GL450 soaks up the road better (possibly also because the GL has air suspension). Did little mods already such as mudflaps, tints, black front grill, and chrome letterings. Won't do any performance mods as this and the GL will be my daily drivers and so rather have reliability for these cars over performance. Probably new wheels down the road and repaint the bull bar in the front and the rear diffusor in the back. Overall...it feels special to me when I get behind the wheel but after not driving the Jag for awhile and just getting it back from Eurotoys for some work done....I went to fill up the tank before putting it in storage and the jag feels so much more special behind the wheel.

 

Thanks, guys!

I have a 1983 911SC that's been slightly "enhanced". It's a blast to drive! I purposely made it a driver. AC delete, heater backdate, ducktail, RS door panels, RS seats, headers, sport muffler, HD shocks, wheels and tires, etc... basically if it wasn't needed, it came off the car. It's loud, rough and "raw".
Admittedly, I'm getting too old for that (besides, I get all that fun from riding my bikes). And thats the reason I'm looking at an XK(R). I don't NEED something crazy fast, though again, I'll admit I really like sports cars. For example, I'm also considering an EVO X, and STI WRX, and maybe another, more current 911. And I've glanced at a few S4s and BMWs. No car, besides the 911s, grab me like the XK.

I wasn't sure what the market was for early 80s 911s so I did a little trolling on Pelican Parts. In the process (and what a silly process it was) I guess a few guys were following the thread and contacted me with interest. One guy I spoke with today was ready to make me an offer! I asked him to refrain until I got him all the pics and mait. records so he would have enough info to make a reasonable offer.
Long story short, I don't think I'll have a hard time selling the 911 for what I'm looking to get for it.
The problem is gonna be finding the right XK, I'm not very patient!
I can't believe how few there are. I'm wondering if more will start popping up next spring when selling cars is more promising for sellers. Or when they're hitting the 3-4 year mark and owners are looking for the newer version (that XKR-S looks SIC!!!).

 

I am torn between a 997 or XKR Coupe, both used. Seeing how you have both, please chime in.

 

Right there with you!
I've been looking at both the 996 turbo and 997s. There certainly seems to be alot omore of those around. Forunately I have a couple months before "decision time".
I've always had german cars. A Jag would be a nice change I think.

 

I want to downsize from the XJ8 and the XKR does not seem that much smaller is one concern. I want less to park and wash; the 911 fits that bill to a T.


Dealer I went to did not let me drive an XKR for some reason. Odd, since I already have a Jag and want to buy another... I drove the Porsche. I guess it's hard for me to get excited about the XKR without driving one.

I have until May to find something.

 

I own two older 911's a 1968 and 1970. I did consider a 997 as well but ultimately went with the XKR. I really liked the 997 and I feel it's definitely a better sports car but ultimately I wanted something more GT like and more unique. I'm am very happy with the XKR and I feel as though it was the better choice for me over the 997.