Doug, I searched for six months before I found the 2005 XKR I wanted: Coupe, Zenon blue, handling package, red Brembos, Recaro seats and mint condition. When I finally found it I flew 1500 miles from Florida, drove the car and brought it back home. I knew at the time that such opportunities would go away once others realized the 4.2L cars were selling for around a third of the original sticker price. It has been over three years now and I have never regretted the purchase.

 

After having super charged motor with damn near 400HP, I don't think I will ever be able to live without one...an R that is...

 

Bwahahaha! C'mon, I like my car and everything about it, but I don't kid myself into thinking it will be 'highly sought after.' I'd have bought the XKR for all the reasons stated, but for the extra money and at similiarly low miles to when I got my XK8 it just wasn't worth it.

As soon as I can afford a 2007 or newer model (updated body style) I'll be looking, especially as the older body style starts to become pimp-fodder and showing up in trailer parks. Snobbish? Yeah, I admit it. But I like the idea of not looking like the loser with the washing machines on his front porch.

 

Actually, BurgXk8 thats usually how it goes, the future classics seem outdated, become undervalued, spend time in the "trailer parks" and then many years later the few survivors that were unmolested and well cared for become highly sought after classics. There is no doubt in my mind that the xk design will age very well ( better than the new ones for sure) the only question i have is if all the electronics on the car will make saving them for a long time practical or even possible. I'm a classic car buff and i was attracted to the xk coupe, Because in my opinion it has a timeless beauty to its design without being an obvious retro remake of a past classic. I could care less about keeping up with trends. For a long time the guy with the old stingray looked like trailer trash and the guy with the early c4 looked like hot stuff, strangely enough overtime people wised up, the examples are endless.

 

Actually thats pretty funny. I have a hard time envisioning my XK8 in a slum with washing machines on the front porch. But hey, you might be right. The good news about depreciation is it turns $90k cars into $20k+ cars in four years. The bad news about depreciation is folks who would pimp them out notice the depreciation too. The first time I see one come by with spinner wheels or Dubs or coffee can exhausts I think I'm going to need a drink.

Jack

 

LOL ! I'm a little late to the thread, but this made me laugh Reverend.

 

maybe the high maintenance cost will prevent that from happening. I also don't think Jaguars are on their radar. I don't recall seeing many 80's- 90's Jaguars being molested. They will probably stay in the hands of enthusiasts. Just hope that Jaguar doesn't make it into any rap lyrics.

 

Too late! And for the guy who said he's going to need a drink, have a look at this one:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...parole+revoked

 

Not an obvious retro remake? Have another look - that was the whole point of the XK8/R body style when it came out - to bring back the Jaguar appearance as people remembered it, pre-XJS myopia.

About the only thing that (thankfully) wasn't remade was the horrendous unreliability record of the Lucas electronics that Jaguar refused to get rid of until Ford bought the company. I nearly passed out when I found a Lucas-labled part in this car, but at least they got rid of most of the Prince of Darkness legacy.

 

I'm heading for the Jack Daniels right now.

Jack

 

Getting back to topic as I think we wandered slightly

I have both and by the time I have finished my 8 it will be faster than my R, but then again I get my kicks from speed, so if I had to choose I would go the R every time.

There is nothing the XK8 can offer me over an R, unless you do what I did and most people/XK enthusiasts would sooner cry into there JDs

 

There really is only one advantage of an 8 over an R, cost of ownership. The initial outlay will be returned when you sell it. In all other aspects the R is a superior car. I've had both and you guys can say all you want about not needing the extra 100HP, and I agree that once you get to a certain age you are not out to impress anyone with it, but once you hit that pedal a few times, it's the difference between a shrug and an ear to ear grin.

It isn't just the power either. It handles, brakes, and rides better. The sound it makes when you hit that pedal embarrasses the anemic sound from an 8 and yet is still civilized and does not draw too much attention to you. Sure you can change the exhaust on an 8 but that will cost half of the additional outlay to go with an R to begin with.

How many of you that prefer the 8 have actually driven an R?

 

I think I see the purpose and use of the XK8 in a different light than many people. A week after I bought the car a fellow Lotus nut asked me how it handled. Told him I had no idea. Still don't. I may never know. To me it is a magnificent GT car. Drove 40 miles with my wife today to have lunch with an old college buddy. It was great. I love this car.

Before you conclude that I am some geezer driving slowly in the fast lane with my turn signals on - I own and have owned some great, really fast cars and love them. I know how to drive fast and I am good at it. My Superformance Cobra has lots more power than an XKR and weighs little more than half as much. I can tell you all about how that car handles. Different cars for different purposes.

I just don't see the point of hustling a 4,000 lb. car through the twisties.

Jack

 

While that is sad, you can find that done to every car online, i doubt that we will be seeing these cars pimped out on the streets. I do agree that the design of this car shares the same aesthetic philosophy of its predecessor, thats what i like about it and what i mean by timeless. But it definitely is not an unoriginal retro copy or redo like we have seen recently in some other cars. In my opinion it fits in the tradition of the past but is still an original modern design. Thats a difficult balance but i think they have achieved it.

Back onto the subject of the thread, i would say that some benefits to the xk8 are that many of them don't have the terrible navigation (unfortunately mine did ) and i would bet that they were not driven as hard as the r, which is an important consideration when buying something used, especially when its using forced induction.

 

There is one very big advantage of the R over the 8 in the 99-2002MYs. The R has the stronger/more reliable Mercedes transmission. When the 4.2 came out they all went to the ZF 6 speed.

 

I have an XJ8 and the XKR now. Its not easy to compare them but the power in the XJ8 is similar to the XK8. I actually like the 300 hp engine better as it has higher compression and more low end performance than the XKR, better for daily driving. It also runs smoother under throttle with its variable cam timing. The XKR doesn't really hit its stride until the RPMS get up and the pedal is down pretty far and everything is whining pretty good, then it's a rush. My driving in a big city doesn't give much opportunity for this so the R seems kind of boggy as a result. I do like the occasional rush of the R but it's too rare. I need to live in the boondocks to have fun with it. Around town, it just feels like a crouching tiger, ready to go but never gets to spring.

 

Just to set the record straight, the M3 is actually a quite different car underneath than all the other 3 series (especially the 318). I'm a 20 year BMW CCA member and have owned my share of 3 and 5 series cars. Most 3 series share many of the same body panels...differences mainly between coupes and 4 door sedans. But that's not true in the original e30 "boy racer" M3 or the e46 and up, where every body panel is different (park 2 e46's side by side, an M3 next to any other, and look at the headlights as just example). In fact, those newer M3's are made in Germany while lesser 3 series are made in South Carolina.

However, the big difference is underneath. The suspension components, brakes, engines, transmissions, rear diff, exhaust, etc. are different in the M3. Suspension components in M3's are actually stamped with the M and are much beefier with different settings. The 5 speed transmission in my e36 M3 is bigger than the one in my 5 series! Likewise for the rear diff and halfshafts...much larger than even my 5 series. There have been some cases in different model ranges where you could essentially get the suspension and brakes of the M3 (e46 330i, e90 335is) but the engine/trans/diff are different, not to mention in those cases the body panels are different (side air vents, hood bulges, etc.).

I think some of the same is true in the XK8 vs. XKR, especially if you got the big brake option on an XKR. Unfortunately the XKR also has CATS and some other things I'd rather not have to deal with once out of warranty. So I have a C5 'vette as my sports car and use an XK8 as a GT car.

 

Underneath the XK8 and R are actually quite similar if not almost identicle, same suspension except for the rubbish cats (which I agree with you 100% and would happily do without).
The only real difference is the XKR has a 2 piece prop and the XK8 has a single piece aluminium prop.

I often get asked "can I turn my XK8 into an XKR", and I say cosmetically yes, brakes yes, engine no, there is just too much to change and is not cost effective, go and buy an R. I am just waiting for someone to bolt a couple of Rotrex superchargers to an 8 or turbos, turbos would be fun!

 

here in middle east particularly in Kuwait, only few XK's running here about less than 1% (i think). you can barely see Xk's on the road and even used car dealers so if you want to buy one at least you should know somebody who owns an XK because most of the owners knows eachother.

 

My XKR doesn't seem boggy in town, but I don't drive real hard in the city. It is adequate for a guy who uses a BMW 740i as a daily driver. I use it mainly for fun days, so I do get to open the taps when I drive it.

I like the power when I step on it. When I drove 2 different XK8s I was doing the Jeremy Clarkson rock back and forth going "More POWA!!!!" I've driven plenty of C6 Z06s, a C6 ZR1 on numerous occasions and my aunt's SL65 several thousand miles; I have 2 bikes that are significantly faster than this car as well. I know this isn't the end all be all of high horse power motoring, it is really fun though.

This car is as fast as a C5 Corvette Auto in stock trim; the difference is that the Jaguar is prettier, has a significantly better interior and is more luxury oriented. The C5 is better on gas, significantly cheaper for parts and is more sport oriented. I also have a C4 Convertible(had for 5 years) and will be replacing it soon with a 6sp C5 Convertible; so I do see the merits of a Vette and am not trying to just crap on them.