I am looking for an XK8 (possibly XKR) convertible and don't want to miss any reliable sources you folks might know of. I was directed here by the folks at almost the same URL but without the "s" at the end-

I live in southeast Virginia and as a practicality i am searching from the east coast through Colorado, having limited myself to southern states for fear of rust. I know some northern cars can be cleaner than some southern as certainly there is no restriction of movement; I'm just playing the odds, especially since i'll probably have to fly out somewhere to do a final inspection prior to purchase and as you might imagine, would be beyond "unhappy" if i found undisclosed or understated fault.

Specifics:
2002 - 2005: Reason - 2002 on the low end because the issues with the 4.0 scare the heck out of me and i don't feel comfortable with an out of town receipt of replacing the timing chains, guides and tensioners.
2005 because that was the last year of the body style i love.

Pearl Red: I think i have that right - the deep maroon color. It seems if i would accept black i would have had a car several weeks ago that fit all constraints, but i don't, i want that red!

I prefer gages across the top as i perceive it a more classic look even though i do find GPS very helpful and will work with GPS if that's what i find, now knowing i would have to swap it out with a Garmin unit as i understand that the factory is fairly if not completely useless around here.

$10,000 +\- : From the sources i am reviewing it seems the median range is $8,000 to $13,000 (considering all colors), and $10,000 is what i have on hand to spend (a gift from my daughters). I've had an incredibly lousy business year so let's not go there, my wife destroyed my lovely 2008 Ford Explorer that was in perfect shape and had every accessory possible, and I've wanted the XK8 ever since they hit showrooms at which time my finances were easily compatible, but two infant car seats were not!

I only recently (this morning...) began to even consider the XKR. The reason is that though i have done a reasonable share of DIY mechanical work i am clueless, absolutely clueless, when it comes to supercharged engines, supercharger maintenance peculiarities, and Good Lord forbid, supercharger repair! If anyone can chime in on expected life and maintenance - if either of these topics are to be feared for one who might have adverse issues if these are a substantial consideration, i would greatly appreciate your input!

I am now getting to an age where I've had one heart attack (otherwise good health if that isn't a complete oxymoron), and am getting annoyed with high school newsletters citing classmates who have recently "moved on", including the girl i was dating back then, the girl i had a crush on back then, my best friend back then, and an old acquaintance just yesterday morning. This might be the last car i own so i wish to have as few regrets as possible, and as i only drive perhaps 25 miles/week and an occasional drive to GA or PA to visit daughters, i will be happy if that "last car i own" means it will last me until they pull my license!

I don't mind mileage up to about 130,000 providing proper care.

I have searches set up with a number of websites such as iSeeCars, AutoTrader, Kelly BlueBook, but as i am tired of not having a car i don't want to miss checking a good source, and i know better than to presume i know all sources when i have not bought a car in years - especially a specific specialty car.

Anyone know of any means of finding one that i may have missed?

Notes:

• I am capable (my poor stressed back allowing) to do maintenance and a lot of mechanical work not requiring a lift.
• Purchasing from a private party would allow a slightly higher price as i could belay taxes and registration.
• I even asked YouTube's "CarWizard" if he would kindly flag me if he saw anything as i am fine with paying a finder's fee.

I realize i might have well exceeded the "TMI" threshold - i was trying to resolve any "Why is he doing that?" questions.

Thank You kind folks for your experienced thoughts and expertise!!! (I GREATLY value and appreciate your help.)

Best Regards and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!,
Bruce

 

I know your first color choice is red, but my wife may be willing to sell her lovely white 2006 XK8 Victory Edition Convertible (currently at just over 127,000 miles). She has owned it since early February 2012, and it has been meticulously cared for (I have all service records since it was sold new in Los Angeles in June 2005). While she indeed loves this vehicle, she opted to return to driving a Lexus SUV for practicality reasons. Let me know if you are interested. We are in Raleigh, NC.

 

Thank you so very much for offering!

I'm afraid i am stuck on that red, it's that "could be the last car" thing stuck in my mind-

Best Regards & Merry Christmas,
Bruce

 

Any DVD based GPS system in any car is woefully out of date and is going to stay that way - like 20 years out of date. I don't know how handy you are, but gauge sets are out there, along with the woodgrain fascia to go with them, so it's not out of the question to convert a GPS car to gauges. There is one enterprising owner who managed to convert the GPS into a much more modern unit that does virtual gauges, backup camera, and a few other neat tricks but that system is not for the faint of heart and I don't think he is providing kits. Some lesser options are to replace the screen with another screen that maybe doesn't fit as nicely but is easier to program for other things.

 

Just saw an xkr red on privateauto.com
might work for you, 2004

WJ

 

There are a lot of web sites with classic cars listed for sale, but be cautious because there are also some fake web sites out there that steal pictures from years-old genuine listings and generate fake ads for whatever you are searching, but they're just phishing for your private information as then you have to make an account to communicate with the non-existent seller. The dead give-ways to spot the fakes are too-good-to-be true prices and if you test searching for a really obscure classic car, the fake site will come up with dozens of them for sale despite that in real life you know there can't be more than one or two for sale worldwide at any given time.

Online auction sites are now extremely popular, but primarily with sellers as typically the buyer has only 7 days to inspect the car and decide how much they are willing to bid. I don't know about you, but I can't beg off deadlines, cancel meetings and appointments and arrange travel across country to inspect a car in such a short time span. Unfortunately, my predicament is exactly why sellers love it. They don't absolutely have to show the car to me or to anybody else if they don't want to. That means no dealing with tire-kickers, joy-riders, low-ballers or no-shows (I get that its a pain to sell a car - partly why I still have my last four daily drivers). The worldwide exposure means that their car sells in seven days to a high-stakes internet gambler on the opposite coast who they'll never meet and most likely for more money than they'd get selling through traditional methods anyway. Unfortunately sellers decide where to post their cars for sale and as buyers, we have to go through whatever source the seller chooses and more and more, they're choosing online classic car auction web sites. Anymore, you can't afford to ignore the online auctions because so many are selling that way. If you are lucky, the color you want will appear within a day-trip driving distance and the seller will cooperate to show it to you before the seven days are up. If it's too far, you may also be able to arrange a 3rd party inspection like a Lemonbusters or similar. But you are right to insist on an inspection before bidding. Don't remember who posted it to give credit, but someone once said on this forum, "The best money I ever spent on a car was the $300 I paid for a PPI on a car that I did not buy."

Good luck.

 

Bruce,

You have very fine taste in Jaguars. Other than the year, you are closely describing our 2001 Carnival Red XKR convertible, which has been a joy to us for the last 5 years. When we were looking, we were advised that we would always regret not getting the supercharged model, so we narrowed our focus to the R version.

I would recommend bringatrailer.com for a good look into what well prepared models are like:

• https://bringatrailer.com/jaguar/xk8/
• https://bringatrailer.com/jaguar/xkr/
• Look at this one: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...onvertible-11/
• Also go further down in the model pages to see a scatter plot of sold/unsold prices and you can click on the individual dots to see the car that sold at that price/time.

Since I personally would rather put dealer markup into vehicle upgrades, we weren't looking for any warranties or needed to have a top-end model, I stayed in the individual owner/seller space and used Facebook marketplace and Craigslist as my primary sources when looking for mine. You can set these for 500-mile and 1000-mile search radii respectfully and do national searches with just a few pages.

Some thoughts...

• The advice just above to pay for a professional pre-purchase inspection is very wise.
• Since you say you are mechanically clueless, my next piece of advice would be to both find a local mechanic you trust who is willing to work on your Jag once you buy it AND gain some mechanical skills yourself.
• Don't use all your money with the purchase, budget for some maintenance early on
• I converted my navigation dash to the 3-gauge dash, it was relatively cheap and easy with the kit offered here once I located a complete 3-gauge dash.
• I preferred the distinctive look of the traditional XKR grille to the later, plain, mesh-only grill.
• Get a windblocker, it greatly extends the pleasure and driving season (it is folded down in the picture below).
• Buy a OBD-II scanner to check and clear codes (I use a $70 bluedriver OBD-II scanner)

Click on my "2001 XKR" signature picture at the bottom of this post to get our full purchase & ownership story.
It hasn't been trouble free, but I had no expectations that it would be.

 

Many thanks for the warning!
I ran into one post that cited a (possible) drop-in Garmin unit. I seem to be more handy than most, but i can definitely stand on the claim "I hate dashboard work, especially when i must get under it."!

 

Here's one on Bring a Trailer, but it is real short notice.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...ng_Ending_Soon

 

Many thanks!

The only thing that drives me nuts are those last minute bids - i quit playing Blackjack for the same reason, i get caught up in the game and seem to forget it is real money!

 

Sound words.

I've noted a couple references to Bring a Trailer (or whatever it is called), but any bid i would make there would have to be a relative low-ball to accommodate the risk of the unknown (and i AM watching one of them closely). I have a hard time thinking anyone in their right mind would bid near market on a vehicle they would have to drive hours or fly out to inspect. I am willing to fly out as far as Colorado/Texas and certainly Florida from where i am, but only in the case of someone agreeable to my timing and my scanner. I am not an auto pro, but i do wish to minimize the chances of someone cheating me.

You also enlightened me to the scammers out there. I should have presumed as it seems with the internet everyone who might have had a corrupt tendency came running out, but i simply didn't think of it other than perhaps CraigsList or Facebook Marketplace, so i have not bothered with either of those. I just gave a site called "PrivateAuto" all of my info - by "all" i mean the whole 9 yards, and am just hoping they are legit. I should have run a search on the site first, guess i am growing a little less sharp...

In any and all cases, thank you so very much for the "heads up". I greatly do appreciate the fact that there are still people like you out there!!!

Best Regards,
-Bruce

 

Hey!!! I'm not mechanically clueless! Though it is possible my i typed something misleading as it isn't too rare that i inadvertently blend a couple thoughts... I presently run with a Launch 919E, though i am considering a TopDon Phoenix Plus 2 (i'm afraid i watch too much Pine Hollow Auto on YouTube) - i prefer a scanner well over my head as it gets me to learn, but i just can't afford all the "toys" he has at his disposal.

I stayed away from both CraigsList and Facebook Marketplace because i heard of too many scams there. May i ask what precautions did you employ? I'd rather have every source available than not-

I also am leery over Bring a Trailer for i hate the psychological motivation to get into a bidding war and the pressure of winning a bid then having to get out in a limited time frame to properly inspect the vehicle but perhaps i am letting the turmoil of the season get to me. January should be nice and dead - very flexible. Even though i do have some clue as to what i am doing, i would not only prefer a real tech, especially one qualified in Jaguars, to look at it, and i simply don't have room nor even availability to take a car lift with me (i've wanted to get one for a long time, but there always are other priorities)! What bothers me is finding a trustworthy tech. Even where i live now i have yet to verify a sound operation, though we do have a decent referral from a friend who owns some Harley dealerships (he sends his company cars there).

Besides the power i do like the XKR (yours is beautiful!) for the added braking power. My fear is my limited (OK, here itis "non-existent") knowledge of how to diagnose and repair a supercharger - even and in my view most critically to detect an issue before it becomes a major catastrophic problem.

I also appreciate your advice on the windblocker - yours is the second, and confirming, suggestion for this i've come upon. Once i finally have a vehicle i will likely be looking for advice on a recommended brand - i'm looking forward to that day.

I appreciate your kind and valuable advice. I will now hit up those links and continue-

Wait a minute - is that a dog in the driver's seat???

Best Regards,
-Bruce

 

here are a few unsolicited observations:

don’t eliminate the 4.0 cars from your search.. many (most maybe) have already had the cam chain tensioners replaced, as well as the problematic water pump. All on the previous owners dime. If you find a car, as I did, with substantiating documentation that these repairs have been done, then you are saving thousands of dollars. I even called the shop that did the repairs to verify , nothing you couldn’t also do.

the transmission in the 4.0 XKR is one the worlds best automatic transmissions of all time, much better than the 4.0 and 4.2 XK8 transmission. It has been used in various Mercedes models putting out much more power than the 4.0 XKR. You won’t find the 4.0 or 4.2 XK8 transmissions in any list of top 10 auto transmissions of all time. But you will find the 4.0 XKR Mercedes sourced transmission on those lists. It’s as bulletproof as they come. Even more so if you change the ATF and use an approved fluid.

the cost of repairing a 4.0 or 4.2 XK8 a/t is much more than repairing or replacing the supercharger on the 4.0 XKR. Thats one detail that put me into the 4.0 XKR camp solidly.

The HP difference between the 4.0 and 4.2 cars is minimal. Nothing to swing a person one way or another there.

I wouldn’t be swayed by low or high mileage cars one way or the other. My 2002 XKR had 116,000 on it when I bought it. Eight years later it has 202,000. Aside from money spent on consumables such as oil, gas, and tires, I’ve spent about $400 total on parts (a radiator, a CPU cooling fan, and a heater valve). That works out to be less than $50 a year in parts. I wish all the used cars I’ve purchased had been as reliable as this XKR. The car still has the original fuel pumps in place. Mainly due to the car being driven daily. Let these cars sit unused and the fuel pump(s) among other parts will die from lack of use.

don’t buy the first car you find that meets your criteria. If you do, it’s Murphy’s law you’ll find a better and cheaper car the next week. Plus , it’s a buyers market. These cars have a poor reliability reputation, mainly from sitting unused in my opinion. As a buyer, that works in your favor.

Z

PS / my XKR has the stock base ATE brakes, not the Brembos. The key to getting them to work extremely well is to use the best pads you can find. Those would be the ebc red stuff pads . Nothing better for a street car. Low dust and very easy on the rotors. Very good friction coefficient for no fade braking. Pricey, and well worth it.

 

Lots of wisdom already shared. For us the most important factors were documentation of the vehicle’s maintenance and spending most of its life in a dry climate. I know many love the XKR, but in my opinion a well-cared for XK8 will bring you just as much pleasure.

 

Any used car you purchase comes with risk - no matter how reputable the dealer/seller is. Stuff happens, even if you are purchasing from an original owner with a complete service history. 20-25 years is a long time in car years. The only time a warranty works is if you are local to the seller.

Personally, as auction sites go, it's very hard to beat Bring a Trailer. Most auctions have a herd of commenters that often keep the seller honest, or at least letting bidders know what challenges they might be dealing with down the road. Some of the commenters even know what they are talking about! Follow auctions for XKs you aren't interested in because of color or whatever and read the comments. You should notice some repeat commenters across multiple auctions who know their stuff. They aren't necessarily ever going to bid on a car, but they can be helpful if they participate in auctions for cars you are interested in buying. I happen to know 83-87 Lotus Turbo Esprits quite well and watch all of the relevant BaT auctions. I will ask pertinent questions in auctions where I think the seller isn't forthcoming or really just doesn't know much about the car and I can provide insight about how to deal with particular issues to help buyers out. There are others like me for pretty much any marque. Plus, since auctions run 7 or more days, you have time to do internet research on cars of interest - you can do your own CarFax searches, title searches, reverse image searches, reach out to trusted resources (like asking questions here about particular cars) - lots less pressure to place that bid compared to a live auction or closing a deal after flying halfway across the country to see a car in person. It's Really Hard to walk away from a car when you have made that kind of commitment, particularly if the cost of getting there is a significant portion of the purchase price of the car (been there, done that).

Successful sellers are quick with responses to questions, don't get frustrated with repeat or, shall we say naive questions and they will say they don't know if they don't know. They provide good, clear, well-lit photos, walkaround videos, driving videos, startup videos, and whatever other photos and videos people request. If a seller doesn't do this you simply don't have to bid. On the other hand, sellers that don't do this also don't get much bidding action, so you could potentially get a bargain because other bidders are scared off. There is more of a pucker factor if you get involved with those kinds of auctions, and it helps to know (or have someone working with you who knows) what you are looking at.

Finally, Bring a Trailer cares about their brand. They will kick out unruly or dishonest sellers and also don't tolerate deadbeat bidders. They are up front about cars that have been presented through BaT before and all previous auction results are available. You can tell if someone is trying to flip a car, and you can compare photos from previous auctions to the ones in the current auction. There is a vetting process before a car is even accepted for auction, and they are as diligent as possible to ensure there are no titling problems once an auction closes. They will unwind purchases if the seller is found to have grossly misrepresented the car.

 

Thankful i met you!!!

Murphy's law has been a part of my life like a parrot sitting on a pirate's shoulder.

Reframing my search then, if equipped with the 4.0 should i be open to all years provided documented timing tensioners, guides and water pump replacement?

One other issue i am concerned over is the useful life of the timing chains. Your email reminded me i need to research that, but if you have any knowledge on the subject i certainly would appreciate it - i'd rather they outlast me-

The information on the trans is very significant, i appreciate that so very much. Last year i paid a little over $4k to have one of my daughter's have her trans replaced (have two well established girls and two that have a little ways to go). Less than two months later she was in an accident on I-95 and the car was totaled. I let her keep the $295 (+/-) that was left over.

As to brakes, another of my daughters has a 2021 Traverse that needed new brakes (pads, rotors, check fluid for water content,...) about a month and a half ago. For the price the local shops wanted (Fort Collins, Colorado) she paid to fly me out (NOT Frontier nor Spirit! Flew SouthWest and from a small local airport in Norfolk, VA) (and yes, round trip) and i selected all premium parts - pads were a little cheaper than the ebc's, coming in at around $98/set, but not the $15 specials. Pre-trip running the math she was already profiting by about $400, then we chose to also do her fiancé's 2014 RAM 1500 brakes, change both trans fluid (not full flush), and replace his trans pan & filter. They made out great! But i ended up with a left thigh that is STILL partially numb from sitting on the garage floor and a back that hated me for a week. Anything for a daughter...

And as far as unsolicited observations - keep them coming!!! I hate to sound like a leech, but i'd rather learn from other people's experiences than simply recreate them and share war stories-

Many Thanks,
Bruce

 

You can also check Craigslist. I didn't see any near you but HERE is a beauty in Sarasota, FL for $12,500. I know that's more than you want to spend but you never know what they'll take. Not sure about the tensioners, but the XKR has the better transmission out of the 4.0L Jags. I personally would steer clear of the 4.0 XK8's as the tranny is a ticking time bomb as well.

 

Many thanks!

I welcome the opportunity to drop back to Florida; we moved up here from Palm Bay and though i do like it, i significantly preferred Florida.
My problem is that i am stuck on a maroon color, whatever the people in marketing chose to call it in any given year.

I had ruled out Craigslist because i feared fraud and couldn't reason why someone with a Jaguar would normally publicize it through that medium, but between you and another board member i see i need to do some looking.

Merry Christmas and Best Regards,
Bruce

 

I am admittedly not objective on the 4.0 vs 4.2 and the XK8 vs XKR issues. If there are other considerations besides the cam chain tensioners, I haven’t heard of them. Those are the ones everyone brings up.

Ive never heard of the cam chains failing. They look to be over-engineered. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable will chime in.

my own budget was $10,000 , and that was 8+ years ago. That precluded me from looking at the 4.2 XKR’s which were / are more expensive than the 4.0 version.

had already settled on the R vs the 8. Mainly for the transmission reliability and the fun factor, there are people who can enjoy less power just as much, I’m just not in that camp.

Before I had even settled on the X-100, I had looked at many cars priced under $10,000. I came to the conclusion that the Jaguars were undervalued, and with some legwork one could find a gem that the market had overlooked.

As pointed out, a 25 year old car is always going to be a risk. One has to accept that and not be soured on the car if there are unexpected repairs.

to close, there are always going to be circumstances that will negate generalities. A high mileage car will have more life left in it vs the low mileage car if the maintenance has been outstanding. You will have to look at every car as an individual possibility and not be swayed by generalizations.

have fun with the searching.

Z

 

I read your post with great interest. One aspect is yur references to friends who have moved on, and other similarly related comments. I can relate as I graduate HS in 1966. Please know that I have owned 3 jaguars, 2 were the 4.0 and own now a 2006 xkr 4.2, which I absolutely adore, with 84k miles. Basically, go for it!! buy whatever- and smile while driving it!! I do. and my other cars are 2 amg MB. I am not mechanically inclined and there are plenty of qualified people here. enjoy the holidays. regards to all