I've been looking around at a second fun car and the XK has popped up on my radar. I have been mostly contemplating a C6 Corvette or a 987 Boxster, but have been a little reluctant about them because I feel like more of a GT car would be a better fit for me than an all out sports car. Notably I'm looking for something I can drive comfortably around town, take on trips on curvy roads and maybe do the rare track day (or at least a high performance driving class). I do not plan to race it much at all beyond the driving class, so that's not my focus.

The XK seems like it would fit the bill nicely. Would get me more luxury and comfort than the Boxster or C6 for around town driving, but presumably would not quite match the handling they may offer. But that seems like a decent tradeoff. On top of that IMO the XK is far better looking than either of those cars...

My one concern is that jaguar does not have the best reputation for reliability, but I feel like that would mainly plague older cars. My budget is around $30k though and it looks like I could pick up a 2010 XK around there. How reliable are the newer ones? I would definitely stick to 2010+ and I really want a car that is not going to be a hassle to own. I don't mind somewhat expensive maintenance but I'd like a car that has a good shot at not being in the shop multiple times a year for annoying little issues, and Jaguar has kind of a bad rep in that department.

Anything else I should know? Anyone compared this to a Corvette and Porsche and have thoughts about how they stack up? I live in a relatively small city and it's hard to track these cars down to drive so I'm trying to keep my list of potentials as small as possible...

 

gnarfle,
For $30K, you can probably find a decent 5.0L (2010+) XKR that will give you a very large performance upgrade that will have no problem rivaling a C6 Corvette. Jaguar has come a long way in terms of reliability, and these cars require very little maintenance out side of the norm. If you don't need the extra power, the XK can be had for well under that price and will still provide a considerable amount of performance. Things to watch out for are water pump failures, oil consumption. There was a gorgeous red 2010 XKR on the Jaguar Classified for sale forum that had some significant upgrades and was about $30K. Good luck in your search.

 

There is no down side, for the price you get the most stylish, accomplished, comfortable coupe on the market, with a fabulous racing history that few manufactures can match. Porsche may have won LeMans more often, but Jaguar did it before they did, 5 times.
Only two coupes can match the style, presence and exclusivity of the XK, the Maserati Coupe and the Aston Martin, both much more expensive, and much less reliable.

 

I think I would go Corvette just for the resale value. Corvettes have amazing resale value and cheaper to maintain.

 

Corvettes are too prevalent for my tastes. Go anywhere and there are at least a few of them. So far where I live I have seen ONE other X150, heading the other way and I was in the wife's car at the time. Haven't seen it since. Hundreds of Corvettes, several Maseratis, four F-Types and dozens of X100 XK/XKRs.
So it also begs the question..... if you plan on selling it within a few years or so, you will lose a bit more on the Jaguar. Me, I don't buy cars based on resale. I buy cars on how much they make me smile. This 2010 XKR makes me smile a LOT.

 

As the guys have mentioned the real downside is if you are only planing on keeping it for a few years. The depreciation is large and you will not get the payback. So if you are keeping it for 10 years then no big deal but if only for a few years then you'll need to bite the bullet. XK's are a rare breed to see on the road. Corvette's are a dime a dozen not saying they are a bad car but just to common. They are a different kind of ride and also fun to drive but 2 different worlds. So drive them both and and make your choice. Enjoy

 

The depreciation hit on a 2010 will greatly diminished, losing 10% of a $25000 car is a lot less than 10% of when it was new. No matter what car you get there is a depreciation curve, perhaps the C6 is less, who knows who cares. It is still there, so you would have to judge the differential between the two if that is a factor in your thoughts. Peronally I find that is not worth consideration.

If you like the XK and that is what you want who get it, there won't be a massive depreciation down to half in a couple of years.

The XK is more reliable than most but you are buying a 7 year old car as you are well aware, if you keep it 3 years it will be a 10 year old car. When I buy a car that old I expect that eventually stuff outside of normal will start to fail.

 

Downside? There is no downside to an XK unless you plan to recoup your entire investment when/if you sell it. These cars are beautiful, reliable, fast, economical given the power/speed, comfortable and luxurious (these are not always the same thing), and best of all they are Jaguars.
If the car is not to be used almost daily, invest in a CTEK charger for permanent installation. The cars like full battery voltage at all times.
The 4.2 engine is trouble-free. The later 5 litre engine may have water pump issues. The 4.2 has much more than enough power - but in any case the issue of "reliability" compared to other makes is a thing of the distant past.

 

Not much downside IMO for an honest purchased XK. One door would not close in below freezing weather. Tried everything outside of replacing latch. 3 days a year an issue for me in Boston, keeping my car outside.

CTEK is needed if not a weekly driver.

 

I have had my 2011 XKR since June 2015. It has now done 64,000 miles - 8,000 being done by me. I keep it in my garage so don't have problems with the cold weather. I keep the battery topped up with a CTEK conditioner after having one experience when my battery was absolutely flat and failed to start the car, so now even though I don't use it on a daily basis, I've had no more problems . I did have an issue with corrosion on the boot (trunk) lid just above the Jaguar chrome nameplate - this was sorted by Jaguar, through the main dealer that I bought it from, free of charge as a known issue - follow this link:
http://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xk...rranty-150303/
I'm very pleased with my car and love driving it - never fails to bring a smile to my face. Much more enjoyable than the SL500 that I had previously.

Marco

 

Downside to owning an XK is it's not an XKR, love mine ,have had several issues from time to time, several posts to read, but love driving it and as for the look it's still stunning.

 

I was waiting for someone to write that

Yes the downside is its not supercharged apart for that it's brilliant

 

I thought about it but held back and sure enough....

 

One downside is you'll not want to let it go and choosing your next car will be tough.

 

The normally aspirated XK has far more than enough power and speed for any circumstance found in modern driving. The XKR is super-potent, no question, but I often think that those who own the supercharged version feel a need to justify the extra hp. I can tell you that the normally aspirated XK can get you into trouble very, very quickly🙂

 

....... but it is no where NEAR as FUN!

 

+1, completely.
My one additional observation: I've owned a 2010 and 2011 (Had an '11 XK, went to a '10 XKR). I've noticed more of the little "XK issues" that you read about on this site with the 2010. As you point out, 2010 was the first year of the "new" version, feels like it took a year to work out some of the issues.

And yeah, get the XKR.

 

The only downside I can see is addiction. There is nothing on road like an XK/XKR (X150) at a comparable price. I have found them to be reliable, comfortable, very fast and delight to drive in the twisties. You can't go wrong with either and XK or an XKR. Here in S Cal having a convertible is a definite +. If you should get one as others have suggested get and use a Ctek battery maintainer it is cheap insurance. Good hunting and post pics when you have captured your cat.

 

Don't feel the need to justify the R extra HP at all, simply a better drive. You can get into trouble in a Prius

 

I found the 5.0 R had so much power I had to be far more restrained than I was in the 5.0 XF. I never drove the 4.2 R (had a 4.2 XF) but I wonder whether that engine could be exploited a bit more than the later version by someone with merely adequate abilities like me (I'm finding the 380hp in the F Type plenty).

While I had a ball in the XKR and found the tendency for the back end to step out at the slightest provocation to be a lot of fun, it meant I could never really give it the beans except in a straight line.

I also thought that the engine note in the 4.2 was nicer to my ear, especially after it had the paramount exhaust fitted.

But back to the OP, no downside at all. The XK (and XKR) are gorgeous cars, inside and out and very little trouble, though the media tech is dated and the stereos average at best if that is something important to you.