On Saturday, I went to meet the owner who was selling the silver XKR 175 at the dealer's lot who is acting as the broker for the car. The owner was very knowledgeable about the car, but sadly other than anecdote, didn't have any provenance of it being sent back to the UK for repainting. That said, whoever did the paint job *should* be employed by the factory! It was pretty much perfect and we couldn't find anyplace that wasn't silver. Impressive, to say the least.

Then we went on a test drive... We decided that due to the excessive traffic (for some reason traffic was absolutely insane...and not just on the city road that the dealership sat on, but the beltway was stupid congested...it took almost an hour and a half to go about 15 miles for no real reason other than 'traffic') the owner would drive the car for the test drive. That was fine with me as I wasn't planning on committing to the car right then and would drive it on a later date when things were a little calmer.

Wow.

I think my exact words were, "Mother of GOD!" as we went from 0 to 60 and back to 0 again in about six or seven seconds and within less than the length of residential block. I thought my 2001 Lotus Esprit was fast off the line and had acceleration, but it's nothing compared to the XKR's retina peeling acceleration.

Going into this I wasn't sure whether I would like the car or not or whether it would live up to my expectations that were fueled solely from reading other peoples' accounts of driving it and watching videos. The mind can easily build a fantasy about something that real life just can't support.

My expectations were not the reality that I encountered; reality was far, far more impressive.

I'm heading back on Tuesday to look at it again, take it for a test drive, and discuss a final price and trading the Lotus. If it falls through, I'm not worried; while this one is "unique", I'm not buying it for the uniqueness, I'm buying it because it's a freaking XKR! There are two others that I'm seriously considering, but have held off on because they will require either about 12 hours drive time or a flight to get there, while this one is two hours (assuming no stupid traffic) away.

 

Told you...

Now just don't get overly excited and wet yourself over this one car. Keep looking for one that has the options that you want at a price you can afford. These critters are out there and they are way under appreciated.

 

Absolutely! This is simply the first and if it doesn't work out I'm not going to be broken up over it; the final destination may not have been what I was hoping for, but the journey was still worthwhile and valuable.

Are the brakes different on the 175 than on a 2013 XKR? The brake discs and calipers looked positively enormous.

 

You may be willing to overlook the paint issue but when its time to sell, you may find few takers because of it. I'd keep looking. As Ranchero50 said, "These critters are out there and they are way under appreciated."

 

Thanks for the advice! Unless I get a good deal, i.e. no out of pocket costs, I'll probably walk. It isn't critical that I buy an XKR by the end of the week, so I'll keep my eyes open for the right fit.

 

2010-2015 XKR and XKR-S I believe have the same brakes.

It is the XKR-S GT that went expensive.

The 5.0 XKR and R-S have very large rotors but the pistons are still fairly simple.

I have not seen one for sale with it fitted, but the Alcon brake package is very near the real deal in design. It won't fill out the rear wheel gap like the regular brakes, but the piston design is quite good for a street car. The XKR is still adequate.

 

Thanks! The brakes are, as you say, adequate! They were able to stop is extremely quickly, so I'd be ok with them. I just wondered if they were different from model to model.

 

Alcon brakes were not available for the 5.0L cars, only the 4.2L.

kfeltenberger, if the paint is as good as you say, and you're planning on keeping the car for a decent amount of time, it just won't matter come resale time. The ease of driving the XKR quickly and with little effort is the reason I wasn't driving my 1972 De Tomaso Pantera, so it didn't bother me to take the last 3 years and change it and restore it to make it easier to drive (getting it back in the next couple of weeks). I'm sure you'll find the same will be true when compared to your Lotus. While the few trouble spots for the 5.0 L cars are known, it still behooves you to find a car with as complete a service history as possible. If this car has that, take the plunge if the price is right. If not, there will be others.

 

There is a label on the LH door jam with both the paint and trim codes. What is the code on the label. The factory code for Rhodium Silver Metallic is MEN. If that is the code on the label then the chances are that that is the original color. If it something else then it has in all likelihood been repainted.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll check it when I go down on Tuesday.

 

What's interesting is on the XK build video they said the car goes into the paint shop before anything is bolted in place. I can only imagine the effort to strip a car down and put it back on the line would be much higher vs. do it on an off line shop at the factory. I can only imagine all the one way clips for the wiring harness that would need replaced as well as pulling the glass to do it 'factory'.

Just those custom emblems on the dash would have me looking for another one. They just look gaudy and aren't symmetrical.

 

IMHO, that XKR-175 is ruined, from what it was originally, that is. It's no longer a 175. In fact, no matter how good the re-paint is, it's no where as good as factory. The dash is ruined as well. Now if you get it for a steal, go for it but I wouldn't pay any premium because it's a 175. In fact, I'd pay less than what an equivalent regular XKR is valued at because of the mods. And there are plenty of XKRs on the market to choose from.

That's just me though.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

Thanks!

I got the impression from the dealer that he was going to try and lowball me on the Lotus, which if he does I'm just going to walk out. I know what the selling price is, I know the upgrades and recent key parts that have been replaced, and I'm not going to allow my "want" to override my common sense. I can wait another week or two and then won't have to worry about needing to trade/sell he Lotus right away after real estate deal closes.

This car is convenient; I can drive down in the morning and be back in time for a late afternoon nap if I want. The other two on my list are ~10-12 hour drive time or a flight away; not so convenient.

I'm using something that happened in 2002 to guide me on this...at the time, I decided I just *had* to have a SIG SG-550-2 rifle. One of about 550 that were imported into the country before the 1989 import ban, and dammit, I had to have one. So...when I found a willing seller, I allowed the male irresponsibility gene (you know we all have one!) to override common sense and I liquidated several rifles that couldn't be replaced (due to specific markings and such) to raise the $8300 needed for the SIG.

After I got the rifle I realized that it "wasn't all that" and had some serious buyer's remorse. When someone who *had to have it* contacted me about nine months later and offered an unsolicited $9500 for it, out the door it went.

And now, 15 years later, I'm still remorseful over allowing my irresponsibility gene get the best of me!

And thus ends Kurt's sharing of painful memories for the day!

 

Ha! Buying and driving an XKR will help you forget about those painful memories

 

On the plus side of getting one that's 10-12 hours away, the drive home will be a blast. I bought mine in Tennessee and the drive from Nashville to Vero Beach, Florida was an amazing trip!

 

Agreed. Bought mine in Topeka, Kansas and drove it to Baton Rouge.

 

I'd off $15k for this XK and see if he bites.

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...335823561.html




Or just go buy this X175 speed pack and black pack car. Much better car vs. the silverish one in VA.

https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/...338118496.html

 

I wonder what the problem was with the 1st car as it had a salvage title.

 

Salvaged title could be totaled and rebuilt. It could also be stolen and paid for by the insurance company, then found. A salvaged title is always a red flag, but it's not always a deal breaker.

 

In Utah, not like anyone cares, but a Salvage Title means a Wreck or Total of some sort. After any repairs, the title must be rebranded to Rebuilt/Restored. To get such a title, a safety inspection must be accomplished by a State Authorized Shop.