Hi I am almost done my lease on an 07 BMW 335i. I have good credit, good income, and no debt. I'm a single engineer. I was looking at a 07-08 xk or xkr between 50-55k. I live near the beach and a lot of night life. Low crime rate. Looking at Lunar gray and black convert. I can def afford the car and keep the monthly payment 10-15% of my monthly salary. But my only fear is it practical at 25? I don't want the 6 series and porsche isn't me. It's either a used jag xk or lease a new range rover sport (which are all over the place in the summer). When I sat in the jag I felt like a man, where in my bmw I still feel like a boy haha. The xk just isnt a car I see a lot of young professionals driving., Please any advice from xk owners would be appreciated.

 

Hawk, not to question your driving record, but you may find that based on your age, insurance may be more than you are willing to spend. You are right on that cusp of having high rates. So, I would do some looking and see how that compares to other vehicles you are looking at.

As for whether the car is "right" for you or not, I see it this way: Is this the car that YOU!!!! want? If you want it, you get it. Don't let others talk you out of it. Are they driving the car? I bet you will find that if you are enjoying the night life, you are going to get a lot more looks (and girls) in the Jag than any Range Rover.

I bought a fairly new T-Bird when I was young and everyone was envious of me. I could afford it, so I bought it. You are in that same boat. If you want the car, GET IT!!!! You won't be disappointed.

 

Thanks and that's what I keep telling myself, if I want it get it. Jag is classy, I would def feel uncomfortable in something like an SL550 or CL. But the xk has some young flair to it. Too many guys my age drive bmws and audis. Jag is different. I like it.

I called my insurance company and the xkr is actually almost the same as the 335i. I was shocked, as I was expecting over 2k/yr. The range rover is actually more to insure for me, I guess due to its size.

 

If you have to take out a loan or have to lease it YOU CAN'T AFFORD IT! In the economy, with the job market a mess, with the future of things still in limbo I think anyone is CRAZY to get into any type of loan or lease (fleece). Just my .02.

 

My 19 year old grandson thinks my XK8 looks a lot more like him than it does me.

If you think it would feel good, do it. All that logical BS above does not apply to the desire for a Jaguar.

 

Do it! You are only 25 once.

 

Back in the early 70s I had the chance to buy a 1966 'E'Type FHC that my uncle's neighbor had to sell. I bought it for $1200.00 and it was how I got my start in Jaguar repair. I was driving a 1958 MGA and a 1958 VW Beetle but the Jag was in a 'whole nuther league'. I could afford the parts but not the repairs from the dealer so I read the repair manual from cover-to-cover. All my friends were driving Camaros, Firebirds, Javalins, GTOs, Mustangs etc. so they thought I was weird with the MGs and VWs. They changed their minds about 'crappy little English cars' when they tried to keep up in the corners and then rode in the car! WOW. I did manage to convert one buddy into a 1968 'E' roadster. He still has the British car 'bug' but now has an MGB roadster as the Jaguar was so rusted that it was unsafe. (he had to grab the steering wheel and pull himself up to close the door) Buy what you want, Drive what you like. Yes the girls liked the car, but I had the car longer than I had most girlfriends. I wish I still had the car but I remember my dad telling me about some of the cars he had and some that he drove off a cliff (not with him inside) 'just because'!!!!!!

bob gauff

 

Get the car you want now, before you end up married and compromising on a 4-door family car (which you'll then easily transition into an XJR) problem solved

Unless you really need the 400+ horsepower, the XK is about $10k cheaper, and nobody but us jag lovers will be able to tell the difference...hood louvers, different wheels (which you can easily mimick), but drive each and see if the regular XK suits you.

 

I paid 10k for my 97 xk8 that had 65k on it, and have put way less into it in repair costs then car payments I would have had to make over the same time frame. Sorry I just don't buy things cause it FEELS GOOD. That is a dangerous way to do things in life.
By the way I got mine WHILE I HAVE 2 KIDS and a WIFE. And I also just bought that 4 door sedan, 96 Impala SS, that I have to say will eat the pants of my wifes xk8.

 

Invest that cash you spend on big FANCY big car payments at the age of 25, do some math and see what it makes you if you put it in a good investment at 25 and don't touch it saaay, till your 50.
It may all be BS about not taking out a loan, spending money like that. Hey, how is it workin for our Gonv right now!?!?!!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!!?

 

You forgot to tell him to listen to Andy Williams and buy a second hand Buick.

 

Hey Hawk. I asked myself that very question many years ago - they were XKEs then! I always found reasons to not own one and then the question last year became "Am I too OLD to have one?" I'm glad to report that I finally came to my senses and am the proud owner of a 2002 XKR.

Go for it - and expect to move up the ladder to more appropriate cars as your needs change - and better ones at that! D

 

I just found this on another blog - Go for it while you can - AND - it is available!

After years of daily pleasure, I have had to sell my 98 XK8 owing to retirement back home.
The Cat has gone to a good home with a fellow enthusiast, and yet another state! I guess few have been so well travelled - this one has been registered in Germany, Holland, Dubai and now Sharjah.

I can think of no other car that has treated me so well; and no other has given me such driving and ownership satisfaction. The Cat never let me down, and in return it left my hands in much better shape than when I bought it six years ago. As the Cat went out of the gate for the last time, I felt a flutter in my heart and a dampness in my eye. It might just have been the sand in the air...

I can only say to anyone reading this forum, and thinking about buying one of these wonderful cars, do not hesitate. Buy it now, before the forces of eco-darkness force it off the road, and the unfranchised state implements cruel punishment for a second's slip of the right foot. Like its namesake in the forests of South America, the Jaguar is an endangered species, with its natural range being reduced every day by the forces of "progress".

What next for me? In a land of high fuel prices and speed cameras round every bend, let alone the gridlocked roads, I guess it will have to be some anonymous box with the soul of a kipper. I am sure, though, that every time I see the Growler passing me, I will smile, and my eyes will follow those sinuous lines as the roar of that wonderful V8 fades away.

As I sign out of this forum, I'd like to thank everyone here, past and present, for the sage advice they have provided. It has made all the difference to my ownership.

 

Thank you all for your responses. I like to think about things before I do them, that is why I posted the question. I'm going to go with the jag, currently looking to buy this month. Even with my payment I will still be saving, plus I have always saved. It was the practicality more than the finances I was concerned with. I seriously am in love with this car and every competitor I test drive just doesn't compare as far as looks and lux go. Also I feel it is a good time to buy with the 07 xk body style still having 3-4 years left, whereas they are changing the 6 series this fall.

As far as xk or xkr it really dosn't matter, just the lux package is important. Finding the color combo is hard enough and to be honest I won't be racing so I don't "need' the supercharged V8. But I do love the front mesh grill on the xkr. Also is the xkr lower to the ground?

I have thought about the coupe because it seems more manly, and smoother body obviously. But in the summer I know i'll be kicking myself. Figure if I stay with dark colors i'll be ok going topless.

I'm looking to purchase through a jag dealership because I'm more comfortable, but I have also noticed a few cars I liked from other sellers. I know pre owned certified is the ideal way to go but would it be a bad decision if I bought off a non-jag dealership?

 

I don't want to give you bad advice, so do your research, but I picked up a used "select edition" 2002 xkr 100 with just under 50k miles on it from e-bay for what I considered a fair price.

I talked to the seller on the phone, got comfortable with the process, noticed that e-bay had a guarantee for up to $50k (which looked pretty rock solid if the car was not as advertised), also got a promise from the seller that if I wasn't in love with the car he would return my money(didn't have to test that theory thankfully!) and went for it.

Safe to say, I am extremely happy with my purchase and figure I saved a few ,000's in the process.

Having taken it to the local Jaguar mechanic to give it a thorough once over, he reported back to me that he had not seen a car as meticulously maintained as mine. He replaced a faulty brake sensor and it has been magic ever since.

4000 miles since then and many broken speed limits and happy to report, the car has been a thing of both beauty and pleasure. Cannot recommend the experience highly enough actually.

I concur with some of the cautious comments on this thread about borrowing to buy a car like this (because it is an investment in ego not economics) but you are a big boy and can make his own decisions. If it makes you happy and you can afford it and your future is pretty secure, then go for it!

Kip

 

I'm 25. I have a 2000 XK8. Take a guess on my stance.

-Keith

 

I had one of these

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf4lSk6rFxs

when I was 22 in 1975. I told my friends that if I lived through that car, that I would probably live a long life.

I have a couple of photos somewhere, and if I can find them, I will post them.

Mine was not souped up, as this one is, mine was stock, and it was fast enough as it was. Three speed auto, and it would burn both tires for about 20 feet when it hit second gear at about 57 mph. Second gear carried it to about 93 mph, and the speedo read to 140, and it would read about 135 at top end. Speedo may not have been really accurate, as road tests on this car at the time put the top end at about 128-130.

This was a totally different vehicle than an XK8. It was faster ( to about 100 or so), and much more visceral.

The XK8 is a very refined, luxury touring car, with tremendous looks, and pretty good performance.

I was looking at XKEs, for about the same price, on lots when I bought the Duster, but, every salesman would tell me that I should not buy one for a daily driver, which I already knew.

There was a guy in my college town who had an XKE, and had put a Chevy 350 engine and transmission in it because of all of the repair issues.

 

Hey again Hawk - I'm beginning to sound like a father, but I want to pass on some of my "research" - at least a west coast view. (San Francisco) I spent several months in looking - online and locally.

The mechanics I talked to said that by 2002, most of the original problems had been taken care of, and that the 2003 models introduced a new engine, new transmission, and a new set of gremlins - not really resolved until about 2005. Big $$$ difference today between a 2002 and a 2005 - mileage being the most important factor.

For several months i would just walk up to owner/drivers of XK8s in parking lots, on the street, etc. and ask them how their experience was. To a person, every owner/driver loved his/her car - but every one told me that if they had it to do over again - they would go for an XKR. No one satisfactorily explained why...

After driving both - I think I know why! Take it for what it is worth. This is one of my last cars - not one of my first. The way the world is going your next one may be a Tesla!

Buy something you can enjoy to the hilt! Dale

 

I think Jaguar suits for any age .When I was 18 years old my very 1st car was XJ40 and bear in mind it was a sedan not two doors coupe .Some people would not believe in me that it was my car and even I got some funny conversations like I would be driving a Rolls Royce when I got 30 years old

 

Go for it. I was 24 when I bought my 99 XK8, it had only 33,000 miles on it. I loved it and I miss it. I sold it because I was in the Jag dealer once a week with it. I paid cash for it though, big mistake selling it despite all the repairs. Now I drive a car that does not break down but I have a $756 monthly payment.