I am new to the forum. I have an S type R, but am thinking of trying out an older XK. There are several convertibles out there with 35k to 45k miles in the 00-02 model years, but locally I found a 97 coupe, black on black, that is stunning inside and out but it has 104K. They are asking 8K, which is about right I guess, and will let me take it out for an inspection.

Am I insane to consider buying a 15 year old car? I have heard the tranny is good for 100K. Let me know what to look out for.

I am in Dallas. The outfit selling the car suggested Jag Mac. Has anyone used them? I use British Auto Specialists in Haltom City, but they are pretty far away from the dealer in Dallas.

Thanks,

nfbandon

 

Welcome to the XK8/R forum.

The early cars come with their particular set of issues, at least one that must be addressed; the plastic cam chain tensioner failure will take out your engine. Without verification of that work being done you have a $1200 repair negotiation point. That is the dealer cost. Not a difficult job and can be done DIY for $200. Plenty of how-to posts around.

Look for a dealer installed label on the driver 'B' column stating that a throttle body recall had been preformed. If not you need to explore that issue as a negotiation tool.

Other than that I suspect that a car that has reached 104k miles has had most, if not all, of the common issues handled. There is a thread in the FAQ Sticky above that has the entire check list.

The 'sealed-for-life' transmission does have a higher than desired failure rate but, after a number of years of debate the latest ZF ATF change is now recommended at 100k miles for 'normal' driving and 60K for 'severe' use. Unfortunately, when you read the definition of 'severe' it pretty well describes what I consider 'normal. But then, a significant number of transmissions have failed due to an inadequately designed 'A' drum failure of which has nothing to do with ATF. Not a terrible transmission but does present a higher than average failure rate.

My first XK8 was purchased at 106k miles with little documentation. After careful and courteous exploration with the dealer that the previous owner had used I found that the transmission had been replaced 14K miles ago, the front end had been completely rebuilt at the same time and it had a new battery in it! Plus a lot more stuff!

A black on black coupe is a highly desirable car. Due your due diligence enough to understand what the situation is and then BUY IT!

 

I bought mine about three years ago. 2000 XK8 with 88k miles for $13k. He had receipts for $20k work at the dealer for the previous 4 years. I just have done regular maintenance and added the pressure reducer for the top mechanism and added bluetooth. Recently replaced the radiator and heater hoses.

Get as much previous history as possible.

 

I talked to my guy Jeff at British Auto Specialists and he said to avoid anything in the 90s. I also talked to the Jag Mac guy, to whom I was referred by the dealer, and he wanted me to buy one with 130k that he had just fixed all of these issues. That is too many miles for me.

I don't know. If that cam issue is a $1000 fix and the tranny checks out I may go against Jeff and buy it. I am eyeing a black/tan conv. with 36K, however.

Thanks for your help.

 

I've heard good things about jag mac, and my car has been into British Auto Specialists on probably 6-7 occassions over the last couple years. Mostly positive results, with a couple pretty disappointing repairs too. I won't go into detail here, but if you want some more info, you can send me an email to matt(dot)hopper at att.(fish)net

My next repair need will go to someone else, if that means anything to you.

 

We do have a bunch for sale in DFW. I've decided that maybe I'm not ready to give up driving a 2 door, and have started eyeing 00-06 XKRs.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my XJ8, but maybe in a few more years.

I've got half a mind to wait another month and see if the prices on the rag tops start dropping, after our first cold spell.

I use car fax and autocheck to see where the car has been titled, and length of ownership to lend clues on how it may have been maintained. Then I use publicdata dot com to search for the last owner.

The one I'm interested in was owned by a medical professional for several years. I'm hoping it was well taken care, but I still have some more research to do.

Good luck.

 

I am looking at a used XK8 with very low miles. It has a clear title, but there is an accident report on the carfax. The current owner said there was damage to the driver's door with the original owner, but no actual frame damage. I would have the car given a lookover prepurchase. It it gets a good report is this something I should consider. The current owner did not know about the accident when he bought the car four years ago, and realizes he is going to take a hit because it is showing up. So I would get the car well under KBB, but, of course, then the accident on the report would be my problem.

Thoughts?

 

if you are serious about buying, it's looking like I'll have to sell my 2003 XK8 because of my job. if you are bargain shopping, I'm not your guy though.

My car is black on black convertible with Apollo wheels, navi and xenon headlights; 3 owners and everything is OEM Jaguar including the new set of Conti Extreme Contact tires I recently put on. First owner was lady from Beverly Hills, second was a guy with an extended warranty. Car has always been back to the dealer. I have everything including 2 sets of original keys and window sticker, all records, Jaguar windblocker. Even have extra set of Hancook V-12 tires if you want. Car had 69k miles when I bought it in January 2011 and I put on another 21k, mostly going back and forth from SF to LA. Very nice, clean and un-molested. $18k

 

@nfbandon
Does the door appear to be original? If so, check with a magnet to see if there is a lot of body putty on the door. How does the paint look vs the fender or the qtr panel?

Stuff happens everyday. Door dings, shopping carts, other car doors hitting your car.

You have to decide which is more important. Low miles? No accidents? Good service records?

If you get a better price because of the repairs, then the savings needs to make up for the fact you have a hickey on carfax.

Good luck.

 

Subject to prepurchase inspection here is my new XK. It is an 01' with 36K. It comes with a warranty to 100,000 or 12/2013. Seller seems to have babied it. Paid $15.7K. Wish me luck.

 

those thumbnails sure are tiny looks good on a microscopic level.lol Where did you get the car from, btw?

 

Looking through my reading glasses it looks pretty good. Lol.

Good luck! Hope you enjoy it.

If you find yourself smiling every time you look at it, then you've made the right decision.

 

Good for you. Not so good for me. Gawd, what must my '01 with 80k on the clock be worth?