Hi
My next car is going to be an xk8 or xkr..
I'm basically reconsidering my position on what to aim for after reading roadhogg's thread about his electrical issues. Which used to be to buy the best I could afford.
Here in the UK, it looks like around £7500 to £8000 would get me a pretty tidy example of a 4.2 xk8. Alternatively I could spend 4-5K on a 4.0L and expect to do a bit here and there to get it back to new.
I'm fairly mechanically inclined, and won't be buying the car until I'm in a house with a garage that will let me work on it at my leasure..so the question is - would I be likely to spend an additional 3-4K on an older 4.0L to fix normal age related niggles? At the moment 3-4 K would be no problem but 7-8 would clear me out.
I know nobody has a crystal ball, just asking in a general kind of way, assuming I can steer clear of a complete money pit.
Thanks for your opinions!

 

Pal... Buy the 4.2. If you need to wait a while , then wait. You'll be bucks(pounds) ahead in the long run. You really need a garage also.

 

Never driven a 4.2 XKR, but I can tell you that driving my XK8 is great.

Hope you find a good deal soon and hit the road.

 

I'd normally go for the latest available within my price range but the figure you're quoting will get a late 4.0 or an early 4.2.

There's plenty of XK8's and XKR's around at the moment and prices are falling so the longer you wait, the more you can get for your £'s.

Additional spec is tempting but can rack up running costs. For example, do you want to pay the premium for replacing rubber on 20 inch wheels?

Similarly with insurance. The additional for an 'R' needs to be taken into account.

Mainly though, it comes down to history, condition and any work required. There's plenty of good cars out there but there's also plenty where owners haven't been able or willing to spend the money. Year is less important than this.

Enjoy the hunt.

Graham

 

Mine is a 2000 xk8 which I have owner for a year, the repairs that I have made I would call maintanance. Hoses, belts,plugs,thermostat tower, coils going bad etc. My old Chevys and Fords had plastic parts that failed will age. New will extend the time but parts will fail. Just like we do with age!! Jim

 

thanks all, will stick it out until I have a garage and a few more bob :-)

 

With a budget in mind my first pick would be to go for a later year 4.0 XKR, if not, then a newer 4.2 8. No issues with mine, just basic maintenance so far.

 

Speaking as someone who just owned (and sold) a 2000 (4.0) XKR after 3 years of ownership and continual reliability issues, I'd say definately go for the 4.2.

There are all sorts of potentially expensive issues with the 4.0 that had either been fixed or are much cheaper to fix with 2002/3 onwards cars, such as throttle body (position sensor issues), ABS module issues, less robust cam chain tensioners, plastic water pump that basically dissolves over time, the 'green shower' (overhead roof latch hose issues), seat controller issues, etc, etc. I basically had all these and more in 3 years of ownership. Keeping it running got so expensive I feel I'm actually saving money by trading it in and buying a 2008 XKR.

On 4.0 XKRs, the throttle body position sensor is a significant fail point. Its just basically a 2 track potentiometer so should be a $50 part but you cant buy them separately. You have to buy the whole throttle body. If you're very lucky you might find a used or reconditioned one but they're rare and usually snapped up because of the TPS issue. A brand new throttle body for a 2000 XKR (part # C2A1445) is like $3500 (at least from my local dealer). They're a different part for the 4.2 which is maybe $500.

Also, avoid buying a car with nikasil-lined cylinders (around 1996-2001).
Here's why: JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource
Any nikasil car that has survived this far has a good chance of being OK but as you have a choice now, its better to just avoid it, especially as its basically a terminal problem if you get it.

Neil.

 

My experience of my very low mileage '98 XK8 suggests you wouldn't spend 3-4k. I replaced the brakes, renewed some suspension bushes and spent a weekend detailing/touching in the bodywork. No reliability issues and after a good clean it hard to believe it is more than a couple of years old.