Am I the only member who prefers the Coupe over the Convertible? I live in Oregon and see little use for a Convertible. (Rotting/leaking roofs and repair/replacement hassles being the primary reasons). I prefer the solid unibody structure and lack of "cowl shake/shudder" when I roll over rough patches of roadway.
Convertibles have a limited span of "drop-the-top" time during our drizzly seasons (September through May). I really cannot see the "added value" of a soft-top Jaguar.

Comments? Opinions?

 

I love my coupe. I think the body lines flow perfectly- the car is smooth, but sharp. In FL where the rain is entirely unpredictable, I wouldn’t benefit much from a convertible. Furthermore the harsh sun is not kind to aging convertible tops. Without functioning air conditioning I might prefer a convertible. It took me about 5 recharges before I found every leaking A/C seal, but now my cabin gets nice and chilly. Anyways, rant over.

 

Paraphrasing "Duke The Crow" in the 1972 Animated Film "Fritz The Cat" remarked, "the car just has coolness". This is how I feel about the XK8. It is as iconic as the Ferarri Daytona was in the first two seasons of "Miami Vice'.

 

When I went looking for an XK8, I only looked for a coupe, either XK8 or XKR. Found one in perfect condition from original owner and am very happy.

 

You either love it or hate it. there isn't any "middle ground". If I could restore mine with a 6-speed gearbox and a 5-liter V8 engine, it would be "the ultimate transcontinental Grand Tourer".

The car is so cool!

 

Coupe for me. Mind you, I already had a BMW Z3, so I have topless travel covered!

 

Always been Jaguar Coupes for me - E-Type, two XK8's and two XK's. An MGB many years ago convinced me Convertibles and English weather aren't the best combination!

I love the design of all of the Jaguar Convertibles but, as I use my vehicles all year round, they just aren't practical here.

Graham

 

I love my 97 xk8 coupe, personally I wouldn’t even consider a convertible, but that’s my personal preference. I’m just not a convertible type of guy. My first car had t-tops and I think I removed them like 5 times of its four year run in my ownership. Most cars and even a truck I owned after that car had sunroofs and I never used them save for a few times each.

 

You aren't the only one, the coupe looks a lot better in my opinion but I can understand the want to be able to take the top off when the weather is nice. Sometimes on a really nice day I wish I could have a convertible but as I live int he UK that is about 2 weeks of the year and the rest of the year the coupe is just a nicer place to be inside.

 

My wife's 2006 XK8 Victory Edition is a convertible (we acquired it in early February 2012). As rarely as the top has been down during the past five years or so, she should have gone with a coupe. And in my opinion, the coupe is more visually attractive and no having to deal with the dreaded green shower....

 

We prefer a Coupe also,

 

The coupes are just not as easy to locate. I don’t the recall the exact ratio of convertibles to coupes, but do recall it’s heavily weighted in favor of the drop-tops.

That said, I just kept looking until I found a 4.0 L car that already had all the known issues fixed. It happened to be a coupe.

But nothing wrong with having a convertible for a daily driver. Aside from the many fine years I spent on 2 wheels, I’ve had many British cars as daily drivers and none of them had more than a little canvas covering my head.

 

I recall from previous threads it's around 70% of X100 sold in the US were Convertibles.

Graham

 

Having grown up in the Portland area of Oregon, no, there is little use for a convertible and I remember thinking so as a kid. We did have some friends who had one, and I thought it was pretty cool, but I also realized how impractical it was.

Now... living in SoCal, things have changed. About the ONLY thing good about driving around in this gawdawful traffic is the ability to drop the top on a sunny day, crank up the stereo, and enjoy the drive a bit.

The main damper in all of this is that the stereo in the Jag is dire, at best. But that's another thread for another time.

 

I am a convertible guy all the way! The coupe is nice but having the top down on a beautiful day or night is perfection! My first car I ever bought was a trophy blue 1969 442 convertible with a four speed and that car was AWESOME! That was when I was in my late teens and I always did miss that car. So when I moved to South Florida in 2010 I wanted to get a convertible! I love the way this car looks with the top up or down!

 

Graham,

Some people can get away with spending their time periodically rehabilitating a ragtop. I can't see the point. My father once told me, "A convertible (in Oregon) is just 'a leak waiting to happen'." While Jaguar arguably makes the best "soft top" on the world market, unless you routinely exercise the mechanism, the hydraulic fluid will gel and render the mechanism inoperative until you flush it out and refill it. this is just another complication I don't need. Others may like them, but I don't need the hassle.

Thank you, no.

 

Grew up to in Penna during 1960's was lucky. Had a convertible and a Bronco. Winter hit an car got covered waiting for spring...top down all the way!
Moved to Texas, lost a interest in vert because of severe sunburn. Old now, love my convertibles but if I didn't have a suitable d&d hardtop I'd have an XK with sunroof. Different strokes depending on ...

Wj

 

Coupe for me but if I could find a similar color convertible I would buy one for my wife.

 

Definitely a fan of the Coupe, think that they are beautiful, and the better looking car. My friend has a perfect silver specimen which i would love to have. Probably one of the nicest colors for the car. This is said as a Convertible fan and owner, see sig.

The Convertible is an example of a good compromise in the design process as it does not look like it was a Coupe design made into a convertible.

It is merely my preference, and i even had the roof down in cold weather within the limits of the hydraulic mechanism. FYI it is about 36 deg F before it starts to complain. It is a different feeling even when the roof is closed.

Yes, the car flexes a bit; it is merely my preferred trade off, until i get that extra garage space...