I'd like to hear from current 2003 XKR owners who can give me some feedback on whether or not this car is ideal for long commutes. Or any experiences really...

I drive down to San Diego (from LA) about 3-4 times a month. And I also visit family in Vegas every 5-6 months.

I also go to school - 40 miles round trip daily.

Gas prices are kinda nice right now and it seems like it'll stay that way for a good while. So this car is a definite option for me.

I've read plenty of posts from 97 - 2003 XK8 owners - as well as a few XKR's ... but nothing too solid about engine issues regarding XKR's and long commutes.

The one I've found has 79,000 miles... so what should I look for?



Thanks

 

My blue cat is my everyday driver. ~25 miles each way to work, 5 days a week, plus side trips to visit customers. 122k on the clock currently.

We also visit family in Houston several times a year and from Dallas that is a little over 270 miles each way. Never a problem and makes for a very enjoyable drive.

These cars love to be driven and respond well when you do. Routine maintenance and the usual preventative fixes are key as it would be with any car of this age. Just remember it is a GT car first. It was meant to be driven fast for extended periods.

 

Really good to hear. Like I mentioned before - I've read many posts but seeing as how the XK8 and XKR 2003 are different - I figured I'd ask more directly.

Thanks man.

 

I only drive for long distances. It is a great car to drive. My last trip was 700 miles long never got tired or bord!

One of the nicest cars to drive and it is always a real treat to drive.

I would go for it!

 

I have a 2004 but its an easy car to drive a couple hundred miles. They seem to age out more than wear out though and we have a lot of members with an impressive amount of miles on their cars.

 

Very nice. Thank you guys for your feedback...

Is there a list or some specific thing that I should look at or pay attention to whenever I do these long trips? Or anything in general specific to these cars that always need a keen eye?

 

I find my ride to be very comfortable, so trips are enjoyable. As to car prep nothing you wouldn't do for any other car making a trip, air/oil/water and off you go, I do carry a small container of distilled water (1qt) as I'd had a pin leak and had to add water to prevent the low coolant indicator from coming on, but that's been fixed now.

Good Luck and enjoy the ride

ps, if you've just gotten the car read the stickies on some potential preventive maint on purchase of a used Jag

 

The only tip i can gee you is when you buy a xkr change all fluids! DO NOT TRUST they guy who is selling you the car. preventive maintenance will be the key.

Spend a $1000 to save $7000 later.

If you buy one post some pics!

 

First of all, don't be one of those people that buys a certain car just because gas prices are low right now. They're the ones losing their shirts a year later. Buy something you can still comfortably drive a few years from now when gas prices double/return to normal.

That being said, a XKR in good shape still returns good mileage for what it is and would be a great long-distance commuter. Keep in mind they run on premium though. I am moving 'out to the sticks' later this month and my commute will triple to 60 mi. RT. I'm not planning to drive the XKR every day, but at least 3 days, and just being careful not to goose it. I am, however, planning to get a 'filler car' like an older Outback 2.5i wagon to share with the wife on her commutes as well so we can mitigate driving premium gas guzzlers 60 mi. a day. So also consider dropping a few to several grand on something like that to help keep the miles off, and be the all-important backup car anyway.

Good luck! Those are nice drives in any car, but especially a XKR.

 

Understandable. And you are right, I only brought up the gas aspect considering my question was regarding long commutes.

Either way - I understand that this is a car that requires good maintenance and it won't be cheap to service it... my main concern is if it can handle a daily drive and long commutes. Or if it's simply a toy to take out on cruises/that sort of thing...

 

regzy,
I have put a 100,000 miles on my 2002 XKR since I bought it about 5 years ago bringing it up to nearly 160,000 miles. And while I've had to do all of the infamous repairs to it over the years, it is still a joy to drive, and runs as strong as ever. It certainly garners more compliments than any car I've ever owned.

Good luck.

 

Jaguars thrive on regular maintenance and regular use. Across all the model tech forums you'll find members reporting the most unreliability issues are those who have cars which were poorly maintained by the PO or are only lightly used. The later the model - the more prone they are to electrical issues if the battery is not kept fully charged. You won't find Super Charged any more or less reliable than Normally Aspirated equivalents.

I've owned and driven a lot of Jaguars in the last forty five years. My standard commute was 40 miles a day with a return trip to London (540 miles) once a week for many years until I was in a position to setup my office at home.

In recent years my Jaguars have been used for going to meetings with customers (anything between 200 and 600 miles in a day) and Continental holidays (frequently exceeding 1000 miles in a day on the outward and return trips) two or three times a year.

Provided you do your research and check out an intended purchase carefully then 40 miles per day, 120 miles to San Diego or 270 miles to LV will be absolutely no problem.

However, just because fuel costs are low should NOT be a reason to leap into Jaguar ownership. These vehicle are expensive to maintain properly even if you do your own work. Parts costs often come as a very unpleasant shock to new owners!

Graham

 

Your height very much dictates your comfort level in these cars. At 6-foot-7 I have zero legroom, knee room, foot room, or shoulder room and I'm good for about 20 to 30 miles wedged behind the wheel of my wife's XK8 before my various body parts are screaming at me to get out and unfold. The general consensus is that if you're taller than about 6-foot-3, you'd better spend some long-distance time behind the wheel of your potential car before you consider making an offer on it....

 

Definitely can be used more than a toy- it's a daily driver for many of us. These are grand tourers that are meant to get out and drive, and drive often. The maintenance I would say can be considerable, but not scary. Currently, I'm trying to chase down a minor coolant leak, I have a dead O2 sensor or blown cat that needs replacing, and my shocks and/or springs have about had it after 131k miles. But I'm still driving it. I can't help it... :P

 

I bought my XK8 for a long commute. I'd recommend having a backup vehicle for when the XK8 is in repair or symptoms suggest driving it might be harmful to the car.

 

Like 'ENGINE COOLANT LOW'. Bugger, switching to Audi today...

 

My xkr (411.000km) is a daily driver as well, I do at least 2 to 3 times a week a daily round trip of 300 km, and rely on it daily.

Of course things wear and could fail the older a car gets, but I still trust my car well enough to rely on, well have to be as well as I just have 1 car.

 

I commute about 60 miles/day every day, plus weekend trips between 60 and 600 miles. My 2006 (X100) XKR is a joy on every journey, even in the cold, wet UK. If you can afford the running costs - go for it!

 

Mine was good from El Paso to Oklahoma City and then from OKC to Nashville and back. The passenger hates life because the seats don't recline far enough to take a nap.

 

It can be used as a toy to take out on cruises. It can be used as a daily driver. It can be used for long commutes. It can be used for cross-country tours.

So, did you get it?