One month and ~2k miles of XKR ownership
 

My what attention the 'Jaggy' (gf's moniker) attracts...both good, and maybe some even naughty. About 1 month into ownership and just a touch over 2k mi, and it surprises me how few know what it actually is, or how shocked they seem when they find out it's a 12 yr old car. The car get lots of comments and looks. Disappointingly, I have been asked, 'Is that a Mustang?' Also the inevitable, '..my father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate had one..', but goes with the territory I guess. Might surprise you how many times my old 1969 Dodge Coronet, the loud, low, bright yellow, beast of a B body Mopar that it was, being referred to as a Nova. Anyways...
​​​​ As for the more naughty attention this car recieves...seems everyone wants to race or tailgate. And I'm fairly certain, although not 100%, that someone spat at my windshield when passing by once. Pre-Jag me might have been a might irked. But at that moment I surprised myself and found I simply could not be bothered, switched on windscreen washer, and resumed my commute whilst listening to Tom Johnston's voice fill the XKR's cabin.
The car itself had been a jewel of a daily. Aside from one or two small issues. Both which seem to have (sort of) remedied themselves. An odd low tire one morning before leaving for work. Passenger rear had 4psi, I filled it. No issue since. And in particularly cool weather,or more than a day without driving, my center display in instrument cluster is blank on startup. Although switching the car off, then back on again usually fixes this. Car will be going up for winter soon, will drive it until the first snowfall (or sleet, or what have you), then likely tuck it away until warmer days prevail.


....as for that race. I did race a Challenger Hellcat. I lost 😅.

Welcome to the world of jaguar lol for looks and comment galore try an Aston :D

A weak battery causes all sorts of electrical gremlins. Many Forum members use a CTEK brand battery maintainer to keep their battery fully charged. Various CTEK models are available on Amazon and are easy to install. There are lots of threads on this Forum.

Did almost consider a 2003 DB7 Volante. Only 27k miles. But not a fan of the convertible. Drove an XKR convertible and simply just liked the coupe more. Figured the Aston would have been about the same. Also, if I'm honest, stories on forums online of troublesome Astons shied me away from it more than anything. Everything from faulty switches, to degrading interior trims, to transmission issues just sounded like a headache. Maybe someday.

Pic of that Aston here. It's still available.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...d0742c5fa6.jpg

Dealer gave it clean bill of health before I picked it up, but I will check the battery. I do have a Ctek maintainer already however 😁

Glad to hear about the fun you're having with your new toy,
I"ve had the same pleasure with my new XK (2010), can't tell you the number of heads that turn when I drive by. Much more than when I had my BMW Z4.
I've also had my Jag only a month now, put on about about 200 miles (mostly due to weather) but have enjoyed every one so far.
It would normally be in the barn by now, but I have a scheduled maintenance for 50K this coming Friday, it's a 250 mile trip, but the first time I get to take mine on the highway.
I bought it from the local Cadillac dealer, but they were no help in explaining all the features, spent a good day going through the car'r handbook figuring out how to set the clock, use the radio and what all the buttons were for the seats. Still only know about 50% of what features are on the car. Hoping I can get a little education from the Jag Dealer.
I figure it'll cost me a few $$$ but I"m going to have them do everything, LOF, fluids, air cleaners, check belts and hoses, tire pressure sensors and battery. My Carfax shows the battery is 6 years old, no problem with it, everything functions on the car, but I'll just buy a new one for my peace of mind.
Going to be a long 5 months, but spring will come.
Good luck with yours., Oh ya "GO BLUE" (he'll know what that means :>)https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...44a9b9750d.jpg

Very nice!! My 50k service is up in about 1800 mi. There's a Jaguar/Land Rover dealer about 25 min away. I may schedule with them. My 50k service may wait until Spring however.
Crazy that I've had a very near experience to your own dealer wise. Purchased mine from a Ford dealership that also couldn't tell me much about the car aside from its carfax and what the VIN told them. I've been reading the OM, but hoping the Jag/LR dealer can shed a bit more light.

How do ya like the XK compared to the Bimmer?

Oh and I knew what ya meant, my Pop's gf is a huuuge Michigan fan. Don't follow it too much myself, but I do know Buckeyes tend to beat you guys more often than not lol 😝

i've had mostly the opposite, nobody wants to tailgate. i think they're picturing the repair bill they'll be on the hook for if they bungle it. :)

There is little similarities between my Z4 and XK other than some people will call both a Sports Car.
I bought my 03 Z4 new, back in Feb. of 04, Mid-life Crisis (turned 60) drove it for 16 years about 6 months out of the year. It had the 2.5 w/ 5 speed manual. NIce performance, but certainly not a Muscle Car.
The thing I liked was it's 32mpg and quick handling, really fun to drive.
The XK is much nicer as a driver, very comfortable, love the power and looks. Wish I had something like it back in my college days.
Sold the Z4 about 3 weeks ago, for a 17 year old car it was in excellent condition and caused me little problems, last year I finally had to buy a new starter and fuel pump, that was it, other than tires and a brake job. 17 years, 77K you really can't complain. The only reason I got rid of it was at 76, I have arthritis in my right elbow and all the shifting was painful.
I really was looking for a 4 year old or newer Corvette, but ran across my XK and fell in love. If it gives me the same service as my Z4 I should enjoy it for years to come.
It's a 2010 and if I keep it for another 7 years I'll be 83, by then gas vehicles maybe illegal and it'll be in a Museum. :>;)
But until then I plan to enjoy my 6 months a year out in the sun.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...5148586c10.jpg

I almost bought a Z many, many years ago. I tried to like it, but it just felt........ wrong, somehow. Even the M3 model wasn't what I wanted/needed.

I would think that would be the case, and maybe I'm just being a bit nervous or paranoid, but man it does seem like they are awfully close when headlights disappear under the deck spoiler lol 😅

Wow, very clean little car! I had a 325i years ago, when I was in the Navy. It was given to me actually by a shipmate, only requirement was I had to pay impound fees haha That Z4 looks like it would be good fun! I'm not sure if I could live with a convertible everyday though. I tend to prefer hardtops and coupes, but then again, I've never driven a Z4 😁
Like you, I absolutely fell for the Jaguar after a test drive. Its honestly like nothing else I've ever driven. Hope to keep it for years to come and I do currently use it as my daily.

The nice things on these Jaguars is you can drive the wheels off them, fix em a bit, then do it again. I know there are people with 150k miles plus on these cars on here; and basically the issue with owning them long term is like your BMW. You will replace cooling bits, but at least unlike the BMW, they didn't go completely plastic with all the cooling system. In 2 years with my 07 XKR, so same engine as yours, bought with 50k miles, now at 70k miles; mechanically, I've done a coolant overflow tank (stripped bleed screw, I dont blame Jag but former owner/repair shop), VVT solenoid, belts and fixing a wiring issue with the tpms.

I honestly find these cars easy to work on. They won't be like your old mopars (my dad had a 70 Challenger 440-6 Convertible until I was 9 and that was so simple), but compared to their competition in the GT class, they're robust and straightforward. Work on an R230 or newer SL, BMW 6-Series, Maserati GranTurismo, and you find these pretty easy. You can acquire the diagnostic system (SDD, IDS) and cable (Mongoose) quite affordably too.

At 46k, I'd preventatively do the Supercharger Oil, Transmission Pan and Oil (the pan IS the filter), diff oil, brake fluid, coolant and power steering fluid; then do air filters and belts. Really with that you should be good for quite a while! Check your hoses though, this coming year is when my 07 is getting all new coolant hoses (including the valley ones that require supercharger removal which is not that bad) because they'll be 14-15 years old and thats usually then I see them start to fail.

Great info!! And that is most definitely reassuring. Some that do talk to me about the car always comment, '..repair bills are huge', ' that must be finicky and hard to maintain', so its very cool to hear they are pretty reliable, and even better, straightforward to work on.
Over the years I've messed with GM, Ford, Mopar, one previous Jaguar (XJ6), a Mercedes CLK, Porsche (928), AMC, and some Japanese makes....so a car that is straightforward and smartly put together makes it almost as fun to wrench on as to drive lol So looking forward to getting into my XKR
I still will likely take it in for its 50k check up at the dealer, just to make sure everything is just so.

My has owned a lot of classics, and I've worked on stuff from the 20s to now, and from a lot of more common exotics as well (Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati). I have not had the fortune to work on a McLaren, Pagani, or anything of that stuff. These cars honestly aren't that bad. Literally the most angry I've ever been working on a car is my former 05 Audi A8L W12; it had supermodel neediness and just above average looks. I will say that my 07 XKR is actually easier to work on, and less needy than my 00 XKR that I've owned for 10 years now; partially since the X150 overall is more reliable than the X100 platform.

The biggest naysayers about these cars are people who knew a guy who had a brother who had a shit example of an old Jaguar that was needy. You absolutely have the potential for higher bills compared to a Mopar, especially a classic. I think you can rebuild a 383 or 440 for under a grand and have it fresh as a daisy. One thing I will say is that the Jaguar Dealer near me in Grand Rapids, MI is terrible, luckily they're the BMW dealer so I get to doubly deal with them... Initially I wondered if their dismissiveness of me was because I'm a relatively younger woman (been dealing with them from 18-33 now starting with BMW), but I know middle aged white dudes that said they're always that way to everyone; so #equality I guess.

Well 80sRules, wish me luck, I'm taking my 2010 XK for it's 50K check-up at your favorite Grand Rapids Jag Dealer.
CarFAX says it was regularly serviced and had maintenance done at 20k, 30k & 40k so I'm hoping nothing major shows up.
It runs like a dream and only thing showing is a Maintenance Required message every time I start it. I'm thinking the Cadillac Dealer I bought it from didn't reset something when they did a LOF.
I'll let you know the outcome.

I've never heard they did bad work though; I just didn't care for the attitude and I also am never a service customer anyway, parts only. So you're likely fine; I don't know if they are competititve on pricing on service but their parts can be ok.

Thats awesome! Most of the stuff I mess with is older American cars for sure. Never had the pleasure to mess any super high end cars. However I started helping my pop when I was a kid with his cars/trucks. Got my first car at 12. And then got really into tinkerig at 19, when I had to pay almost 400 for a starter replacement in my Camaro! After that I def didn't wanna do that again lol. Been taking stuff apart since lol.
And you're right ha, last Mopar engine I did came at around 2200 for machine work and assembly. A bit extra for ancillaries, then I put on the fun bits and dropped it in. Also just recently did a minor rebuild in my 66 Belvedere beater. Nothing fancy, bearings and rings, and a gasket kit. Intake and Holley and ebay headers lol Maybe into it for 800-900 for everything? Compare that to the 2k exhaust Id like to put on the XKR, and well, cost difference become more apparent, and heartwrenching haha.
I feel you on the Audi, I played with a friends VW (some of them share some architecture I believe) and it was a miserable experience! She tried to get me to work on it again after an overheating issue, and I quite happily declined haha
Haven't been to the dealer yet. Closest one to me is Miamisburg. Kind of dreading it, especially for stuff I'm certian I could do on my own. Buuut I would like it check over by someone's who knows these cars. I'm still very much a noob lol
At least your own dealer seems consistent if nothing else. I guess hating on everyone is still some form of equality ha
Cool ya wrench on your own stuff. Rare to find these days.
How did ya like the Audi....when not working on it? That W12 was same poweplant in some VW Phaetons and Bentley Continental right?
And fav car so far?

The message you are getting has nothing to do with the mechanical condition of the XK and everything to do with the mileage since the last time the message was reset. You are correct in your assumption that someone forgot to reset it.

Honestly that A8 was an outstanding car to drive. 450hp, basically 200hp per ton, great handling, nice air ride ride, great brakes. It just was needy; i did 5k in parts in 24k miles; many used or it would have been a lot more; and the repairs sticking but other stuff would fail. This was not even doing engine and transmission work (unless you count remove, rebuild, replace a starter as that). I still would consider the Bentley CGT but would not go in thinking it'll be as cheapand easy as a Jaguar lol. That and my former e38 BMW 750iL were my favorite sedans I've owned.

My first car was a 1973 Triumph GT6 but i bought it the same week as my first real usable car, a 1997 Dodge Neon 5sp SOHC base coupe. No abs, no rear defrost, no ac, no factory radio, no factory passenger mirror, manual Windows and locks, no cable operated trunk release (key only), no fold down rear seats, no body side molding but the indents where it would go... I bought it 6 years old, 61k miles, immaculate cosmetically but had a blown head gasket (traditional gasket, iron block and aluminum head). I did a new MLS gasket, water pump, timing belt, tb tensioner, water pump, serpentine belt, plugs, plug tube seals and new heater hoses (pinhole leak is why the overheat and hg failure occurred). I had like 800 total in it and then drove and owned it 8 years. Had about 1500 total in it at time of sale (battery, brake pads, muffler and tires) when i sold it for 1700. Best car I've ever owned!

The longest I've ever owned a car has been my 00 XKR at ten years. Up until I bought my X150 XKR I'd say this was my favorite, now I'd say it's my 07 XKR. The 07 has been so good at being an everyday car that's a blast when you want it, and an easy cruiser when you don't want to drive hard. My 00 XKR is going to move on next year and be replaced with either an Aston Martin DB9 or Maserati GranTurismo; both more expensive to operate, maintain and repair than an x150, but i want to try an entry level exotic next. My X150 is absolutely staying though, it's just too good and i like multiple toy cars.

One thing i will say about the dealers is that my local one considered my 2000 XKR old 5 years ago, not that i wanted them to service it, i was there to buy the thermostat housing to coolant overflow plastic pipe as a part. I don't know if they consider the x150 old? I know there's some outstanding independent jag techs on here that know their stuff, especially on older stuff the dealer may now be less knowledgeable or less likely to work on. There's some great ones like brutal, jagtechohio and more (it's 3am, i mean no slights to others!).

Talk to the dealer and get a feel, but for most of what these cars have go, they should be fine to see leaks, suspension and steering play, etc; standard used car stuff. The ac drain they'll know about (i know was an issue on my 07 but has been fixed, i don't know what years thatwas an issue). Anyone with eyeballs can see if the dash has shrinkage lol. The transmission though, any shop that deals with the 6hp26 will remind the fluid and pan replacement by 60k though. They used variants of these in bmw, jlr, aston, i think even some hyundai genesis. Good unit, just lifetime fluid may make you realize lifetime means different things to different people.