I'm looking at purchasing a 2000 XKR, any advice as to what to watch out for as far as problems with this year and model?

 

You can start with some reading

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-advice-24282/
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...001-xk8-10043/
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...w-owner-99500/

 

Gaineya, Welcome to the forum!

The XKR/XK8's are a blast to own and drive! A well cared for XKR will bring you lots of joy. That being said, owning even a well cared for cat, is not as easy as just filling them up with gas, driving them and changing the oil every now and then.

Budget some $$$ for maintenance and the unexpected. If you are a mechanic or a hobby mechanic and can work on your car, you will find ownership is not that expensive. As the owner/hobby mechanic of a well sorted 2000 XKR convertible, I can tell you that I've spent time, money and patience getting it into and keeping it in the shape it is. When I take it for a drive, it's all worth it!

Here are some of the big things to look for.

1. The original 4.0 engine's secondary timing chain tensioners were made of plastic and were a lousy design, prone to cracking and failing without warning, resulting in possible engine failure. The fix is to install generation 3 tensioners made of metal. Make sure that the previous owner can document a previous repair. If undocumented, you will have to pull the cam covers and check to be sure it was completed. As the new owner, be ready to spend $200-$300 in parts as a DIY repair or an independant shop will do it for $800 to $1000.

2. Convertible top hydraulic hose/windshield latch failure. (Green Shower) Over time, the original convertible top hoses degrade and can fail. The weak point is at the locking latch above the center of the windshield. When it fails it will shower the inside of the car with green hydraulic fluid from the top of the windshield. Ask for documentation from the PO that the repair was made. The fix is to replace with aftermarket hydraulic hoses, which is labor intensive. To replace all the lines and leaking lift cylinders could cost upwards of $2000 to $3000. DIY would cost $400 to $700 for hoses. There are also some motor voltage reduction and pump pressure reduction methods mentioned in the "stickies" section that can reduce the chance for a recurrence of the problem over time.

3. The XK8/XKR have complex electronics. A weak battery will cause the check engine light to come on and throw a lot of different codes, cause window open/close problems, etc.

4. The XKR has a Mercedes transmission that is really tough. It should shift smoothly and not slip or shudder. Jag says it is sealed for life, but we know better...it needs fluid changed every 60,000 miles or so. See if PO has documentation for a tranny fluid change.

5. Before you buy, find an unbiased mechanic who will do a thorough inspection of the car. Put it on a lift to check the brakes, suspension, for leaks. Hook up to a scanner to check for pending codes. (I recently purchased an XJ Super V8. While I was test driving several cars, codes popped up on two of the cars I was driving. I checked the codes and discussed with my independent mechanic and ended up passing on those cars.)

If you can find an XKR owned by a Jaguar enthusiast, you will more than likely find a car that has been well cared for.

I hope this helps. Good luck on finding the perfect car for you!

Cheers!

Jon

 

The FAQ's will give you a guide to all the regular issues:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ts-data-29800/

Be patient, do the research and if in doubt about a prospective purchase, walk away. Buy the right Jaguar and it's a joy to own - buy the wrong one and it can be a serious disappointment.

Graham

 

Much of the work that needs to be done to maintain these things can be done by an owner with hands, tools, patience, a OBD II scanner for $25 off ebay kept in the glove box and the abundance of info available on here and on You Tube. Don't buy one as your daily driver, not because they aren't reliable but because if it does break, it might force you to take it to an expensive professional instead of taking the time to fix it yourself. If you intend to just be an owner/driver get a Toyota or a Honda.

 

+1 on all that has been said. I've had my 2000 XK8 going on 2 years and have put 32K on her since purchase as my daily driver. With the outstanding help and support of this forum and doing as much of the work myself, as reasonably possible, ownership has been a blast.

If you are in the Lowcountry area of SC, I can recommend a great indie that specializes in Jags who can inspect potential purchases for you.

 

Thanks for all the input. I located an 2000 XKR out of state and paid for an inspector to check it out. The car has some minor scratches and normal wear/tear with the interior. What's odd is that the headliner is sagging and the door panel has a part missing. This car only has 46,000 miles and the price is extremely low in comparison with other XKRs for sale. I got a carfax (which really didn't helped) and I'm concerned that this car might have been sitting/baking in the hot florida sun for awhile (sold at auction/repo). Normally, I would walk away, but the inspector said the mechanics were good (no leaks, smoke when started etc...) Also, some service reports showed that the water pump/thermostat was replaced, but no knowledge of tensioners. Should I pass on this?

 

Really depends on your trust in the inspection and the sales price.

CarFax can be trusted to provide the info they have but absolutely not the info they do not have. I have seen a completely clean report on a car that had the entire rear end welded on . . . poorly. There is a good market for salvage rebuild cars. I had a '00 XK8 totaled with a hit in the left front so hard that it bent the right 'A' pillar. It was snatched off the insurance lot before it even went to auction.

Your comment about the headliner would seem to indicate a coupe which is kinda rare.

Ask about keys, especially repo's. A new key and fob at the dealer is going to be hundreds and only a dealer can do the key (or an extremely high end locksmith).

We danced around the hobby mechanic issue which is significant. If you are capable or willing to work on these cars yourself they can be a great bargain. There is a never ending supply of advice available here on the forum. Sorta like having a couple tech buddies come over to share a beer and help with the repair. Dealer or even an indy service and repair is going to be a great disappointment financially.

 

Great advice above....

Much of the decision boils down to whether or not you can do the repair work yourself. If you cannot, the expenses can eat you alive....

 

I had to replace the headliner in my 2000 and 2003 XKR.

 

+1 on everything above. Lots of great information. Don't forget you are buying a 14 year old car so radiator hoses and heater hoses are ripe for failure. So far I've replaced most of the hoses along with a thermostat housing and expansion tank. Most if not all of the before mentioned issues can be repaired by a hobby mechanic. What you end up with is a fantastic car that is a blast to drive. I have not regretted for one moment purchasing my XK8.

 

Part of your decision is the relationship you feel (your gut feeling) with the previous owner. Is it a dealer, or private party. Can they provide maintenance records. 46K is very low mileage for a 2000. BTW XK8/R Instrument clusters showing various mileages are available all over ebay. The reality is buying a used vehicle without seeing it yourself is always a matter of faith, intuition, trust and due diligence which is affected by emotion.

Headliners have always been a problem area on Jags but can be repaired. If the mechanic you hired was a real mechanic and not "Inspect My Ride" from ebay you will learn more. "Inspect My Ride" does not perform any mechanical inspection and won't even pull codes.

Alot of what you read on here can scare you, with all the talk of tensioners, waterpumps, fake gauges, sealed for life tranny, etc. It doesn't all go bad on every car the instant you drive it, especially at 46K. You'll have time.

Carfax is a resource but I had a Euro 500SEC with a VIN that never came up as valid half the time and got a clean bill of health and a guarantee from Carfax. But that was a rarity. It is still a good resource.

Do you have the hands to fix all these piddly things yourself? Is it your hobby or daily driver? If the price is below private party in Kelley, NADA, ebay, etc and you really love everything (like color) it sounds like a good deal.

Have owned about 50 cars. Just remember the chase is the fun part. The joy is in the wanting not the having.

 

Say does anyone know if the mileage is stored in the CPU and if it will read correctly if the Speedo is changed. Also any feedback on rollback issues. Reading more and more about how easy it might be to rollback a digital system. Old story...traded a 69 Mach I in at a dealer specializing in high end imports in Minneapolis back in the 70's. Showed about 20K when I took it in and the 69 Mach I I bought showed 5.5K. (I had my reasons......kids...needed one with a fold down back seat) A week later I dropped by the place and the car I traded was on the lot showing 5K. Sure it still goes on in this hightech world. It was a mystery to the dealer when I called them on it and I was too young and stupid to do anything.

 

If you are really interested in purchasing a 2K XKR please contact me. I have one that has 52k miles. Much of what has been said about the cars in this thread are true. I had issues some of the issues noted but all are fixed. The car is very very nice, with the paint turning heads everywhere. 100% stock. If interested please let me know and your mechanic can go thru it and we can discuss the price. It's a convertible, british racing green and cashmere.

 

We seem to have identical cars except VIN. can you tell us what problems you found and what was done. Did you actually find cracked secondary tensioners, etc?