I must say I agree with all of the thoughtful responses. these cars are gorgeous by any measure. they are rapid transit in all configs. they gt cars and not sports cars. they are extremely elegant and have a huge sense of occasion...even in Beverly hills. they are comfy and reliable. the is no car that I am aware of that provides the value proposition?


buy an immaculate example and keep it immaculate and you will be a long term owner. I just don't see the down side.


let me close by saying that I have and currently own a bunch of very cool cars and I must say I really enjoy uncovering my xk on a Saturday morning and finding a coffee shop far away to go to. I enjoy the java, the comments on the car and just sitting back and admiring my beautiful british car


good luck in your search and let us know what you find!


best,


peter

 

In response to your inquiry of the educated here, I'd like to add my .02.

I'm certainly no Jaguar XK expert, but have been an owner of a 2015 XF 3.0 Portfolio for two years. We thoroughly enjoy the car, for a multitude of reasons... style and speed are but a couple of reasons which come to mind. I could go on for a while, but his being an XK related thread, I'll skip any further descriptive narrate regarding how much I love that car.

About eighteen months ago, I set out on a quest to find myself a new (to me) fun car. I've owned and enjoyed all kinds of fun cars, foreign and domestic, and I wanted to find a car that was relatively unique in many ways. A conversation piece maybe, that might hold its value, or at least regain some of it between now and when I decide to part company with it. I read, until I was beyond saturation, about Porsche, Aston Martin DB7 (My Fave!), and Jaguar. My Son even told me I ought'a get an American muscle car, suggesting a new Camaro or Mustang... the Corvette was a consideration, but the Camaro offers more power. Well, all the reading and searching the internet became exhausting over time. Then one day, about a month ago, I stumbled upon a very nice 2008 XKR Portfolio Convertible. At first I didn't realize the significance of the find, that is, until I read extensively about the car and its limited production. The rest, as they say, is History.

Having driven the car for only about a week and a half, I can honestly say that I am as happy as I can remember in owning a car. The Ian Callum styling is outstanding, the ride is unbelievable, the power is fantastic and the novelty of owning a car that not too many folks have is priceless. I believe I accomplished my goal of obtaining a very fun, very low mileage car (less than 30 thousand miles - for less than $30K, I might add) that will be with me for quite some time to come.

Best of luck in your search, and enjoy your new "XKR" when you find it!

 

As the owner of an '07 XK, and a 2010 XKR, I will tell you that there are some slight bits of bias here that border un-truths.
Keep in mind that there is a sharp distinction between the first generation xk with the 4.2L engine vs the 5.0L second gen...
The 4.0/4.2 (ended production in 2009), is a well sorted out drivetrain, with something nearing 2 decades of refinement and reliability built in. Not at all the equal to output in power of its competitors, but none the less known for near flawless craftsmanship and reliability.
The 5.0 is coming along, but it has struggled through its introduction in 2010, with its "new" design, and the bugs that have accompanied it.
It lacks the trustworthiness of the 4.2, but give it time to mature as the 4.2 has, and I am confident it will be up to the task. Right now, the early 5.0 needs to have a close eye kept on it, and one should expect repairs to be more frequent and costly.

In the end, I can fall back to my 07' and still marvel at what a amazing car she is, and I have no reservations in recommending the lesser powered 4.2L as a car worthy of respect.

2cents,
Vince

 

[QUOTE=sov211;1636802]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./QUOTE]



Ummmmm, Hmmmmm, Well... I am at a loss for words, so I think it's best I just

 

Keep in mind that that the supercharged 4.2 XKR (2007-2009) only has a few more ponies at 420 hp versus 385hp in the naturally aspirated 5.0 XK (2010+). When I was looking, I had the choice between the two and chose the NA 5.0 2010 over the 2008 supercharged offering I looked at.

 

I have an 08 XKR Coupe and just recently considered changing for a 2010 XK vert, only around 5k miles but in the test drive if felt the power wasn't right. Could have been the lack of an aggressive drive and would have corrected itself in a short time but decided against the swap

 

Perhaps it was the added weight, less sporty suspension and less torque when comparing to the supercharged variety that made it feel less aggressive

 

This ↑ is excellent advice.

 

I don't know, man. 60,000 miles and not even CLOSE to a problem of any sort. Plus, I am not the most gentle driver by any means. Wifey calls me "Nut Behind the Wheel".

 

I liked my XKR, I made the mistake of test driving an f type when it was getting inspected. I ended up trading it in for a v8s vert and the difference is night and day.

 

I also test drove an F-Type R AWD, and even though it was a bit sportier, it didn't have the "panache" or the smile factor I still get while inside my XKR.

 

A bit sportier, more like a lot sportier. You can keep the "panache" I personally was sold on the f type the minute I drove it.

 

One mitigating factor for me in the convertible was that I couldn't check the driver-side blind spot very well with the top up, the C-pillar was way too intrusive. Of course with the top down it was fine. Don't know about the coupe.

 

It (the f type coupe) is bad when you are looking over your shoulder passenger side, say at 7 - 8 o'clock for me, 4 - 5 o'clock for you. Mine has blind spot and approaching vehicle sensors but they only do the traffic from behind, not cross traffic. But that has only been an issue for me once in a year, where I was at a T section but at a fairly acute angle.

The AWD F type isnt as nice to drive as the RWD IMO, but then it can be exploited to closer to potential.

 

Fair points, I had eps considered the extra weight. I think the learned driver style could have also been a factor

 

Your right about the blind spots, the car makes you learn how to drive it. Parking is another issue, I never park where I have to back out.

 

I've owned a number of Jags, including an '08 4.2XK, a '10 5.0 XKR and a "12 5.0 normally aspirated XF. For the $30k price limit my choice would be a '10 XKR. Not only does it have the added, very enjoyable extra power but, it has a tighter, better handling suspension and a more precise steering than the normally aspirated XK. Second choice would be the 5.0 XK which has noticeable more power than the 4.2 version.

 

I purchased a used 2011 XK (base) with 48k miles on it in August of 2015. It is a weekend car for me, so I have not put a lot of miles on it since I purchased it. So far the only issue I have had with the car is a faulty wheel height sensor, which caused a dash light, but the car ran fine. The dealer charged about $500 to diagnose and repair. Since it was only a broken wire, and the sensor was not replaced, i felt the cost was about $250 over what it should have cost. I was also hit in the rear wheel well when a driver went through a stop sign. The repair bill, paid by the other drivers insurance company, was almost $13,000 at a Jaguar certified body repair shop.

I would research to see if you have a good independent repair shop nearby that won't drag you over the coals like the Jag Dealers will. Also... any body repair on this car will be expensive due to the aluminium construction. These high end cars will often get totaled by insurance companies once they drop below a certain book value due to the high repair cost.

I love the design and performance of the car, and I like the fact that it is pretty rare to see another XK on the road... but I am not 100% sure I would buy the car again if I could travel back in time.

 

If were to do it all over again, and if I had the patience, I would hold out for an XKR. I love my XK, but I drove an XKR before I got it, and upon driving my XK when it arrived, it didn't have that 'giggle' factor that the XKR gave me.

 

I went from a 4.0 XK8 to the 5.0 XKR. THAT was a kick in the pants. From that first drive I knew that the more elegantly bodied XK8 just wouldn't do it for me anymore. I kept it a couple more years, but it mostly just sat there. I found a guy to buy the XK8 and he was absolutely thrilled to have it. Gorgeous cars, but not quite up to snuff in the power and handling department.