Hey all, thanks for taking the time to read this. Just a quick one... I am buying my father in law's 1998 XK8 convertible with 83k miles on it. He bought it used and has just had the brake and transmission service done as well as a complete check over at the Jag dealer down in Tampa. They took some extra time to listen to the tensioners with a stethoscope to see if they are going bad and told him they sound fine. They said their records only go back to 2003 and they have no way of knowing if they were ever changed. They said that was the best they could do without tearing into the engine. The brakes are good and the tires are new. He is selling it to me for $11k. I am a little nervous about it because of all the problems I have read about pre 2000 models. In you guys opinion, is this a risky purchase? I will be using it about 2-3 times a week (200 Miles or so). I just live in a high traffic area and don't want to get stranded with it. Thanks for your input!

 

You could break down in any vehicle ,lets be honest.Ive got a 1999 Xk8,and yes I get a few little problems,but have had nothing major and I put on about 300 miles a week on average,just be careful you dont get a speeding ticket like I did yesterday

 

To me, the price seems to be a little high given the fact you have no idea about the tensioners.

 

Depending on condition the price is OK...but $9500 would be better. I won't even go into buying a car from family. Checking the tensioners is as easy as removing one of the cam covers. The tensioners don't make noise until one breaks. When I bought my 98 xk8 the first thing I did was check and then change the tensioners. Both looked fine on the car, but upon removal both were cracked. There is also 1000's of these engines running around with orginal tensioners with no problem. Any car that is 12 years old will eventually have some issues.

 

maybe it's just me; but as a rule, I don't do business with friends or relatives....

any 1998 car with 83k miles is going to have problems 'sooner rather than later' ... who needs one more potential Father-in-law problem

IMHO, I'd run from this deal

 

If the dealer put a stethoscope on the engine to check the tensioners, I wouldn't trust any of the service work done by them!!

p.s. Price is too high for that year car!

 

I am not sure what part of Florida you are in but Kelly Blue Book lists the following values of a 1998 XK8 Conv. (Private party transaction, in Orlando, FL, by condition - options not specified)

Excellent
$8,425
Good
$7,925
Fair
$7,075

see - http://www.kbb.com/used-cars/jaguar/xk-series/

 

Thanks guys for all the replies. I am really on the fence about this one. I agree that the price is up there, unfortunately I live in Charlotte NC and every one of these they try to sell here they usually get close to KBB retail and it usually has accident history. Not always the case, but there are a lot of people here that just seem to buy without researching. I am thinking I may hold off though. If I buy it for $11k and replace the tensioners like I really should, I will be into it for $13k. Not a great deal at that point. On the flip side though, it will be hard to find something that has new tires and had the service work done for this price around here. I may have to look in other parts of the country if I want one. Thanks again to all, your imput means a lot.

 

You need to look beyond Charlotte. I bought my 97 Coupe back in February in Raleigh for about $10,500 with only 68k miles on it and a clean Carfax report. No body damage aside from the holes left over from when I removed the hood ornament that the idiot prior owner installed (seriously - an XJS hood ornament!). And no, I did not bust out the stethoscope to listen for a problem that can best be detected by sight.

Instead I took no chances and had the tensioners replaced, which cost me $1500 at the dealer, but they did it fast and now one less worry. The tensioners they took out had just started to get slight cracks near the bottom.

I'm at 82k miles already and glad I went with the precaution of replacing them. Now to find a place that can do a proper transmission filter change...

 

ital976, keep an eye out at Scott Jag. I got my 99 XK8 there a couple months ago, granted it's had some minor problems which I've been able to work on myself and save labor, but it's an 11 year old car and it has it's quirks. But it was in great condition with very low miles. So nice, they had it on the showroom floor the day I bought it. I would not discount them, but you gotta wait for a nice one to hit the market. Good luck in your search.

 

Thanks for the tip Dave. If you don't mind me asking, what were you able to get it for? I see it has pretty low miles....

 

They were asking 18k, I got it for 16k. Was a little more than I wanted to spend, but considering the condition I couldn't resist. It came with the original window sticker -- list price 71k

 

ital, this '97 showed up on craigslist Charlotte today.

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/1926119653.html

 

Nice. Not sure I buy the part about timing chain replacement being essential at 75k (unless he's talking about tensioners, and that should've been cheaper), but it's not a bad example of an early XK.

 

Thats not bad, depending on the condition of the interior, how the suspension is, and if the convertible top lines have been changed. My guess...they haven't.

At least it was detailed, the paint looks beautiful.