Everyone keeps saying the XKR is the better car because of the increased performance. However, there must be some advantages of the XK8 over the XKR. I originally wanted an XKR, but I came across my current XK8 at a great price which I could not pass up. Are there any advantages of buying an XK8 over the XKR? For me, the XK8 has a great ride and probably 85% of the performance for a much cheaper price than the XKR.

 

Some insurance companies will charge considerably higher rates for the XKR vs. the XK8, since some consider it "high performance" because of the supercharger and, on the other hand, resale value is higher for the XKR. IMHO, it would depend on condition and price whether I would buy an R or an 8.

 

-Better gas mileage
-Variable Valve timing (VVT)
-Gauges (on standard model) rather than a navigation system that is not supported with updates.

 

The biggest one is obviously price. You get all of the good looks and most of the performance for several thousand dollars less. My XK8 hauls *** just the way it is. While the rush of an extra hundred horsepower would be cool, it wasn't worth the money for me, personally. Others obviously have a different perspective, but it all boils down to how much you're willing to pay for that extra performance.

 

If you're looking at getting an extended warranty its a lot easier and less costly.

 

The question to ask is to the current XK8 owners - "If you had it to do over again, would you buy an '8' or and 'R'?" Anyone want to set up a survey?

Perhaps the second question to ask is the reverse to current XKR owners - "Would you buy an '8' or an 'R'?" DaleD

 

I'd buy an R if I got a great deal, but for me it would be more about the age, mileage, condition, and price. If the two vehicles were the same price I'd choose the nicer one, whether it was the R or the 8. I might give a slight preference to the R, but I'd use that extra HP so infrequently it wouldn't be worth a lot of money to me. I'm not a kid anymore so I don't need to impress my friends, and I'm married, so I don't need to impress women. Women my age aren't impressed by acceleration anyway.

 

I choose the 8 over the R every time when you consider the value (price you pay for what you get).

The XK8 is:

Less expensive to buy
Less expensive to insure
Less expensive to repair (far more equipment to break on the R)
Less expensive to license (in states where a valuation is used)
Less sales tax on purchase
Plus you get all of the "looks" of the R, save a couple of inconspicuous aesthetic body accessories

The extra 100 hp is not all that useful for the cost. I would challenge anyone with an R to measure the actual use of the extra HP - bet it's no more than about 1% to 3% of their total drive time, if that. If you are using it more than that, then I'd like to see your list of traffic citations....or you're darned lucky.

XKs are great to look at luxo-cruisers (not go-fast sport cars), but the R version is a pretty sad performer by today's "go fast" standards. If you want a true value sports car that goes fast a Corvette Z06 at about $65K/$70K will get that job done in about 3.7 sec 0 to 60. Compare that to a 5.2 sec 0 to 60 R at 90K to $100K. But you cannot use the speed of the Z06 on the street without heavy penalties.

Value is only one measurement, of course. It is difficult to make any true or accurate measurement of the value of emotion in a purchase like an R.

 

Insurance is high enough on my '8 (I'm only 25) and I found such an amazing car that I couldn't pass it up....I'd still rather have an 'R

 

Needless to say for me that I would choose the R any day, nothing beats a car that ticks almost all boxes, and the extra power does make it a bit more special (even if you would use the power only now and then).

But even for me the R wasn’t enough power wise (so beefed it up a bit), the car is just too heavy, although now with the 5.0 SC I think it is good stock wise.

For me it’s not a racer, but boy do I enjoy the moments when I use the power, no need to impress others, I just like a car that is beautifully elegant and has the power to move you ;-)

 

To those that like tinkering a bit, the advantage of the XK8 is that things like fuel injectors and miscellaneous hoses are accessible. With the XKR, it is usually necessary to remove the intercoolers prior to many operations and this does not look simple. Nevertheless, I did not mind paying a few $thousand extra for the R. I probably would have been generally happy with a nice XK8 except for those times where I would see an R and regret not going for that.


Doug

 

As Sophie Tucker once said "I've been Poor and I've been Rich, and it was better being Rich."

I've owned both a 97 XK8 and my 2000 XKR, and the R is a lot "Better".





To be honest, given the high price of the XKs, They ALL should have been Supercharged.

 

All valid points made for and against....personally I think that just to have the choice is good enough. The R has more performance because Jaguar found profit from having different options - what I would like to have seen is a car in the range that had everything the R equipped car has, except the engine. (CATS, vents, etc)
For example BMW made the M3 and the 318is, for some having the extra power wasn't an option, women, younger driver, whatever, the 318is had gearbox suspension and interior as spec on the M3, but not the price tag or performance.

My choice? R all day, the whine alone is worth the extra, oh and it'd be home before a vanilla every time. Overtaking is just one reason more power is safer, in the right hands!

 

I have had my 2005 XKR Coupe for a little over three years now and it has been a superb car. Prior to purchasing the car I also drove the XK8 and the brand new version of each. They were all excellent. The XKR has been very reliable and rather problem free. It gets driven mostly around town with a few longer trips now and then and still averages about 20 MPG. As regards speed, I can't imagine needing to get to 60 or 100 MPH any faster then what these cars will do. To suggest that these cars are not up to current performance norms is like arguing the likes and dislikes of different flavors of ice cream. These cars are fast, smooth and "art on wheels". Find one that has been well cared for, continuing doing so and it will always put a smile on your face. I have been fortunate to have owned several very nice automobiles but never one that so many people, young and old, have fawned over.

 

My XKR has a better **** than Marylin Monroe.....anybody disagree?

 

Wish I had a choice. Here in NJ you rarely see either one for sale. Dealers only keep cars less then 3 years old. Most private owners keep them forever and become part of their estate. A few used car dealers have cars that they bought at auction. These you really have to search history. There were 2 available when I bought my '98 in 12/06. 5 minutes after I made the appointment to see the first one I got a call back from the seller stating someone was coming right over with cash. Had to settle for the second. Owner bought from used lot. Car had some issues. If this had been a XKR I would have paid the extra money just to have the sexiest car on the block. She's almost a teenager and loves to go topless.

 

Because of "buyers pride" its hard to get an objective answer. In my case, i was looking for either the xkr or xk8 in a coupe which made it very hard to find either. I saw some older xkrs that really didn't run that well and none had the known issues taken care of. It took me very long to find a 4.2 liter coupe in excellent condition that was driving distance and priced reasonably. I would say all things being equal the xkr is worth a few thousand more but I wouldn't pass up a pristine xk8 coupe in a desirable color. The convertibles are easier to come by and the minor detail changes to the xkr make the xkr convertible more masculine looking than the xk8, so if i was going to buy the convertible i would have gone with the r. Also you can hear the supercharger in the convertible.

 

Both the XK8 and the XKR are becoming much harder to find, particularly the 2003-2006 model years. Just do a search on AutoTrader and you will likely come up with just a hand fall for sale across the entire U.S.. There is no question that the 2003-2006 model year cars in good condition are one of the best buys on the planet. These cars are classics and will eventually be highly sought after. And, for the most part, they are way more reliable then what the word on the street would suggest.

 

So you've noticed that also. When I was looking for one of these back in 2007 and 2008, there were bunches available in my general area (southern California) and when I would research pricing on Ebay and Autotrader, there certainly were plenty to choose from. However, over the last several months I have noticed a decided drop in availability of these years. I guess that value should hold pretty steady or perhaps increase a bit as more time passes since the prices as recently as a year ago were absolute steals.

Doug