2K is going to get you next to nothing considering what is needed to be done and how much prepping painting required.

 

I still say to do my ideas, as have corrosion spot repaired and then buff the whole thing out. It's easy to do and costs nearly nothing if you do it yourself. You DO need to actually wash and wax (whichever kind you choose) it to make sure it doesn't explode later on though.

 

I agree with everything above. That sure does look like aluminum corrosion. Have that repaired by a pro and have the panel sealed, have the paint blended and cleared. Tell them you are on a budget or they will want to clear half the car..... Then do a full paint correction. Follow the advice above if you want to DIY. But it is a lot of work the first time you do it. Watch a ton of youtube. It takes a bit to get a feel for it. If not, pay a pro, it should be about $500-$800. Lots of those scuffs will disappear and the ones that don't will be less noticeable. No way you will get anything better for $2k max.

 

Also, youve got some curb rash on that wheel, and I think it's the left front? Chances are the wheels on the right are worse.
The going rate in LA to have that fixed is $100/wheel, as far as I can tell. I haven't had it done to mine yet (and they're pretty chewed up, I'm street parking a lot), but I saw a friend's get done and the difference is more than you'd think. Worth the $$.

As for the larger question of what to do, I think this is interesting. When we're discussing another's car, emotion doesn't enter into it and the general concensus (which I agree with) is putting thousands in cosmetic work into a car worth probably about $10K and has 140000 miles feels like maybe not the best use of funds. But it's your car, and your memories.
Having said that, I agree with those who say if you plan to keep it for another eight years, go the other way and spend enough money to get it done properly now. Don't wait on that.

 

Also might be helpful if you posted one wide shot of the car.

 

Indeed, cars are never good investments. Even if you take great care and drive it sparingly, by the time you figure in the cost of insurance, ordinary maintenance, years of storage, and the cost of liquidity, then there are far, far better assets to invest in. This is just a hobby and some of us enjoy having classic cars that are like brand new.

But between guy's post and your mention of giving the car to your son, it occurs to me to suggest another way to go that saves money and yet increases its intrinsic value. I have a few toes of the other foot in the classic Corvette world so I'll relate an extreme example in fractured fiberglass. One of our local NCRS members has a 63 split-window that is an absolute turd (even the color) but at the same time the most respected Corvette we've got in the group. He's not the original owner but well over 50 years and it was his daily driver for most of that time. Its been wrecked multiple times and never more than patched and primered. What's left of the original paint is all cracked and crazed and it seems half held together with bumper stickers. But its about as original as they come and is now a judging standard reference car. I personally would have to restore it to like new if it were mine, but it would be a shame to do so at this point. Every crack in that fiberglass happened on a trip somewhere. Every bumper sticker relates to the owner's pop culture or political interests at the time. To restore it would erase every moment of its history after it left the factory.

You should fix your corrosion spot just to keep it from getting any worse, but if you intend to give it to your son, maybe instead of erasing the scars, document them. While you can still remember, write down all the stories of where you've gone in your XKR, the good AND the bad including where and how each chip and scratch occurred. Put it all in a journal, leave it in the glove box and encourage your son to continue to document his journeys in the car. If you both do that, I guarantee in 50 years, it'll be far more interesting at a JCNA Concours event than all the restored "like new" XKRs put together.

 

I wonder how the interior looks if that's the exterior? Even Earl Scheib wouldn't be able to do much for 2K on that exterior.

 

Earl will paint ANY car for $19.95. So, it depends on who does the PREP work.

 

Will do this weekend .

 

Interesting points raised by pdupler and pk4144 , re the ‘emotional value ‘ of the car . The very first car I bought got wrecked and the last time I saw it was when I went to the salvage yard it had been sent to to retrieve some of my things inside of it . It was so heart-breaking , I had it for 7 years and it felt like l was losing a part of myself forever .

my wife on the other hand had no such pangs or emotions when she had to part with her first car ( as trade-in for a new one ) . For her the car could just have been a refrigerator being exchanged for a bigger one lol

I am not looking at improving my Jaguar as some sort of investment in a future ‘collectible classic car’. After a life time of living an average Indian middle-class life intent on just ‘saving money ‘ it was the first time I really splurged on myself and so for me it has a special value .

Even when it dies on me , I would rather use its parts and trims as paper-weight , my man-cave decor than watch it hauled away to a junkyard out of my sight forever lol

 

Yeah, until the wife demands: “What’s all this crap and junk doing in ‘my’ house?”.
Then out it goes, into the trash with your other nut.

 

I did that with my first and second wives. The third and especially the fourth time, I say "It's my house too, so you're free to either ignore it or do whatever" or something such as that. I'm quite done with all the "wife" drama.

 

I take it you are Sikh? Tuesday is Ugadi. Have you considered trading the XK in on another one in better shape?

 

lol … it’s a trade-off … testosterone is a beautiful sexy lovely thing but if left unchallenged by the wife-drama it would prob result in 99.99% of us not surviving beyond 40

 

Yes I am :-) . Not familiar with Ugadi though , did you mean Baisakhi ?

As for trading it in , I really don’t want a nicer better XK . I am just trying to improve my car , the one that I have had for 11 years … doing so would be an atonement for not having taken care of it properly; and would be reassuring psychologically that my life is not irredeemable and my sins not unforgivable :-)

 

The deepest comment I've read on this forum.
(I'm from Irish Catholic stock. Sins forgiven? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NEVER MY FRIEND.)