Dear all,

Firstly, I want to thank all of you for your insight and expertise on everything Jaguar. I've been reading a lot throughout the forum, trying to learn all I can about these magnificent cars. I'm been thinking of purchasing one for several months now and am finally ready to do so. I've narrowed it down to 2 cars, and would like your collective opinions on the pros and cons of both.

1. 2001 XKR Silverstone: 78,xxx miles, 2 owners, serviced at a jaguar dealer since new w/ records. Asking $16k.

2. 2005 XK8: 84,xxx miles, 3 owners, serviced by jaguar w/ incomplete records. Asking $15k.

Both are offered by private parties. The 01 was involved in a slight accident (rear impact) 10 yrs ago but has a clear title. The 05 has a clean history. I'm mostly interested in how maintenance costs could vary between the 2 cars, and also whether the Silverstone could still be considered an investment with the amount of miles/blemished history. What are the main differences between the 4.0 and 4.2 (obviously one is supercharged and one not in this case. Overlooking that...). Also the 5 vs. 6 speed tranny? Any and all opinions are encouraged! What would you do? Thanks!!

 

Do you want the extra performance? That was what sold me on the XKR It is nice to have a limited addition model of these cars. The Silverstone would still have the tensioner issue, make sure it has the upgraded metal tensioners. I've had only a couple of usual problems with mine, upper latch hoses(same problem both years), and fuel pumps. the tensioner were addressed by the first owner. If your buying for investment, forget either, I don't foresee these as investments for a long time. I've had two people hit my front bumper, just scratching the paint, I photographed and kept the police reports and the estimates on the damage. both required repainting the front bumper. I don't know what the extent of damage was done on the Silverstone, but in the far future it could have a impact on value. It a hard decisions, but I'm sure you'll enjoy either one.

 

RCSign,

Thanks for your input! I'm leaning towards the Silverstone as well, because of the performance as well as the uniqueness of the limited edition. When you mention the upper latch hoses, is that the dreaded "green shower"? Do the supercharged engines tend to have more issues than the normally aspirated ones as time/miles build? I'll make sure to look into the tensioners as well, thanks. And I wasn't buying it primarily for investment anyway, it was just a thought I had about the Silverstone. Thanks again for your thoughts!

 

Based on your forum ID (01 Silverstone) it seems you may already have your mind made up.

I agree with Doug on whether or not performance is a big factor. If yes, then the XKR is for you. Otherwise the newer, more factory issues resolved 4.2 2005 might be the ticket. Plus, at $16k the '01 is priced a little high even for the Silverstone.

Comes down to which one makes you smile the most when you sit in it. Forget investment, save that for the E-type guys.

 

Thanks for your insight! I've driven an 06 XKR before and its what made me fall in love with these cars in the first place, so that's probably why I'm leaning towards the R. I've never driven the 8, so that's something I plan to do before making the final decision. So... I don't need the performance, persay, but that superchrger whine makes me smile. Regarding the price on the Silverstone, I know it's a bit high, but compared to what I've seen on the market in the last 6 months with comparable miles/year it doesn't seem all that out of line. But if you really think its overpriced I'll wait a little longer.

 

Neither of these cars is as powerful as an '06 XKR. Maybe you should hold out for an '03 or later XKR with the 4.2L engine.

 

Thanks for your opinion. While performance is somewhat important to me, its not my primary reason for buying this car; I'll be using it mostly as a weekend cruiser, around town and the occasional roadtrip.. no track use or anything. So as long as it doesn't feel underpowered (is the 01 XKR underpowered?) I'm ok with it not being a rocket ship.

On a similar note, how would you expect the overall driving experience to differ between the 01 XKR and 05 XK8?

 

A 4.0L XKR is no slug. No XK is pokey. I would go with the 4.2L. My next will be an 06 XKR unless I win the lottery in which case "F type".

 

As written by Steve
The acceleration times are so close on the XKR'S, 0-60 4.0-5.1sec. 4.2-4.9sec. 1/4 mile 4.0-13.5 104 MPH 4.2-13.3 106 MPH It would be hard to tell the difference between the two We're looking at .2 of a second on the quarter mile. I've seen other data with identical times for both.The factory HP rating for the 4.2 is 400 compared to 375 for the 4.0 and the 4.2 has an additional 17 ft. lb. of torque. One thing the Silverstone has is the Mercedes transmission, which is practically bullet proof. There was a lot of internal improvements made on the 4.2. I'll have to agree with Mike, It does sound like you've made up your mine.

 

I'm starting to lean towards the 4.2 as well. I was able to negotiate the price lower so its now $2k less than the 01. I'll update everyone with final decision very soon! And the F Type is stunning... a test drive is in order as soon as they make it to my dealer!!

 

I'll be picking up the 05 XK8 on Friday!! Thanks for all of your input everyone, it a lot helped with my decision. Although the Silverstone was tempting, I think I'll appreciate the technical advancements of the later model 4.2 more than the power of the R considering how I'll be using the car. I'll post pictures (if I can do that yet) after I pick it up. Looking forward to her maiden (well, for me) voyage: Atlanta to Chicago. Should be a nice drive!

 

Congratulations on the new baby! Hope it serves you well. They are great cars and that will be a nice long drive to get to know her.

Check out all the usual stuff before you take off and have a great trip.

p.s. we all expect trip pictures as well.