Hello fellow XK fans!
Last week an impatient SUV driver decided to run over the nose of my BR Green 02 XKR. Insurance has totaled it. My settlement is close to what I need to purchase an 07 XKR but it is located in Salt Lake area. I was hoping I could find another XK enthusiast to take a gander and test drive, look for codes, rust etc instead of me dropping $$ to fly out and find it's a bad deal. I have open heart surgery to replace a failing mitral valve (yes, my heart needs a valve job!) scheduled in about 3 weeks and want to get a replacement back in my garage before then as I will be layed up for months - and would love to just sit in a chair and stare at the artful design of an XK! If you are in need of parts from the 02 I can try to find out where it gets sent for salvage. Motor needs new octopus hose and right cat is failing. Deck lid is damaged, 3rd brake light busted too from tree falling on it late October. Other then that pretty good - has BBS Detroit wheels which are rare.

If you are in the northern burbs of Salt Lake I would appreciate it if you could help me out.

Thanks!

 

First and foremost, good luck with getting your ticker running smooth again.

I think Mandrake lives in that area. You might want to send him a PM.

I'd be happy to help if you find one here in MPLS.

 

Hey! I'm about twenty miles from the center of Salt Lake City, and I'm usually bored.
Depending upon the details, I may be able to do this today. Course it would all depend on those deets... Dealer, PP, weather (it was 19f this morning with snow on some yards).
Hit me up on a PM and I'll do what I can for ya.

 

Black and tan, 96,000 miles, convertible?

 

Correct. At A.I. Monroe Auto. 1231 S 425 W Bountiful, UT 84010

 

I'll go take a look later today. Bountiful is about ten miles. A.I. doesn't have good ratings though.

 

Cee Jay,
We know that you are very qualified to provide the evaluation. Please post your assessment for the rest of us to enjoy.

 

WELL, not much to say about this, really.
The body was pretty good, paint not bad for almost 100k miles. Interior was in surprisingly good shape, leather-wise. The dash had lifted pretty bad and the rear headliner around the convertible window was hanging.
The window had NOT come loose from the top, maybe a symptom of being a California Car and it was always down? The fabric was in very good nick also.
I got mad at myself, I left my code reader on my kitchen table, so I'm stupid, okay?
Summary:
A/C did not work, and add what I said above.
Handled quite well and seemed to be strong.
All lights and switches worked.
THEN....
RESTRICTED MODE
When I first got in I checked the trip odometer, it was at zero.
Hmmmm....
Weird, but after five miles it was STILL at zero, and the Av Speed and Av Whatever was still blank.
Car had been at a shop yesterday, listed as "Checked Wiring and Computers".
Evidently, it either was not fixed and just reset the computer, or something shady.
Regardless, this was a HARD NO on a purchase.
Sucks, man.

 

Thanks go out to Cee Jay and his wife for the video test drive - beyond what I expected! I was feeling OK about the things he saw as I had videos from dealer until no A/C and the Restricted Performance. I've chased those codes before and still have not resolved 1 on my XJR. I've still not completely written it off but they'd need to drop price significantly. I'll see if they call me. It was kind of sad as he called just seconds after collecting my things from the totaled 02 and closing the door for the last time. Fond memories of 2 years in "HULK FAST"! Still searching for replacement XKR.

Thank you again CeeJay, it was very nice to chat.

 

My strong advice would be to find one from a private seller. At least you know you're getting something from someone that has vested interest in it and they're far, far more likely to be asking book. Used car lots buy cars at auctions or take in trades, then spray some of that oily crap on the tires and engine and ask $6k over book.

Speaking of that... my wife and I have been casually looking for a 5.0L XJ to add to the collection and out of curiosity I called a few used car lots on cargurus to inquire how they expect people to pay 20-30% over book when most insurance companies and lenders *ONLY* go by NADA, and their response was more or less, "that's what everyone else is asking." NADA is the industry standard for valuation and does not reflect what everyone else is asking. Personally, the only situation where I could see paying over valuation is on something that will appreciate, such as real estate, and only if I were planning on holding on to it long enough to recoup that overage. If you're in doubt, ask your lending institution and your insurance company if they'll cover you for 120 to 130% book value and then you'll be wondering the same thing I was.

You can blame the rental car companies for driving up the prices because they can't get new models right now due to the chip shortage. You and I can't compete with the buying power of these companies, so they're who are basically setting the used car prices right now. That's not to say they're buying 14 year old Jags, but they're buying up all the newer affordable cars, forcing private buyers to look at older cars, which drives up those prices.

Now's a really bad time to buy a used car. If this is a want vs. a need, I suggest you wait a while until the used market returns to sanity... unless you can cover the difference between what your lender is willing to float and what the closing price is, if you and your insurance company can agree on an insured value (Hagerty's always down to clown, but you'll be billed accordingly), and if you feel that the instant loss is worth it. Nobody here can make that decision for you.

Then again, we are just talking about a 14 year old $14k car here, not a 20 year old $750,000 Hatteras...

 

100% agree on buying from a private seller. But in this market, sometimes you have to make a deal with the devil. And if you do, you have to get a PPI or do the the inspection yourself if you have the tools. Plane Jane used cars are scare enough.....then you try to find a specific color combo on an XK....be ready to wait or write a check. Good Job CeeJay for making the trip, hopefully others will see this first hand report.

 

I found my replacement to my 02 X100. I found an 07 XKR in St Louis at Plaza Jaguar. They had it come in on trade. They repaired the peeled dash, some rear bushings, antenna and a leak from timing chain cover. Drove back to Michigan with a bright sunny day, but now it has a foot of snow on it. I like the updates that Jag did from the X100 - it is much quicker and feels more solid.

 

Cool, man! That one looks much better than the SLC one did. That one is still for sale with a higher price now anyway and probably still broken. I think you did good on your purchase.