I recently purchased a 1997 xk8, based on my understanding of vin#, the vehicle appears to be the second LHD produced. Does anyone see any additional value the brings?

 

Well, as long as the known issues of the 4.0 L cars have already been addressed (fixed), your car should not be worth any less than any other 4.0 L car (1997-2002, more or less).

unless the factory already has # 1, they might be interested in you donating it to them.

But on the open marketplace, imho, there’s no way to answer your question without actually placing the car for sale and seeing what what the supply / demand ratio of an early
serial numbered car turns out to be.

it would help the value if the entire X-100 market were to jump upward by double digits at least. A rising tide lifts all boats as the saying goes.

But as far as I can see, the opposite is happening. Demand & supply are fairly equally matched, with the price movement ranging from stagnant to barely moving upward.

The forum is instrumental in keeping many XK8’s and XKR’s up and running. So the supply is not shrinking by much, another damper on increased value, thereby further depressing values.

Flooding and car wrecks remain to be the main two horsemen of the X-100 apocalypse.

Z

 

Zray, apart from the idea of a factory donation, I strongly agree with your comments. The true potential of these cars will likely be realized once EVs have come to dominate the market.

 

I bought my 06 to enjoy owning and driving it. I don't see it as an "investment". See current BaT and CA retail prices. Upside is that we get to own and enjoy exceptional cars w/o breaking the bank.

 

Eventually original early cars will be sought after. The same goes for the very last of the series, and the limited edition models like the Silverstone.
This can be seen now with the XJ-S pre HE V12s, and final Celebration models fetching good prices.
As mentioned though, it will take the rarity factor to have any effect on the general pricing overall.
You could look at it as an investment, if it's in great original condition, well maintained and you plan to keep it that way.
Keeping it that way can become expensive, especially if it's used as it should be, and not treated as a collectors item.
Above all, enjoy owning a wonderful machine, and do check those timing chain tensioners if there's no history of replacement.

 

X100, I entirely agree. Although Jaguar made quite a few of these cars, there's nothing quite like them being made today. Their time will come. I have a fair amout of experience with x-types and they seem to be getting few and far between. Recently, having rebuilt a salvage 2005 Lexus SC430, I was struck by how boring it was to drive, which in turn brought me to the xk8. As of the other day, I'd never driven one despite purchasing two in poor condition.

 

When I was looking for an XK8, drove several SC430's. Comfortable but they have the sex appeal of a toaster oven. Call me crazy (my wife often does) but I still look back and grin when walking away from my car in the parking lot.

 

So you've had a couple of ropey examples then, there do seem to be plenty around. real shame when they end up like that. Lexus, while technically brilliant, as you say, that's about it.
I always liked the look of the x-type, and felt it was very under rated. People say they're not proper Jags because they benefited from tried and tested Ford components. Well they looked more like a Jaguar than todays models.
Even the X150 shows fewer Jaguar design cues than Geoff Lawson captured in the xk8 and X type. Those days are gone though. Jaguar had to become more mainstream trying to compete with mass market rivals, so traditional Jaguar individuality has been sacrificed to capture the masses.
I really wanted to like the F-Type, and still keep looking, hoping they'll grow on me, but the concept was flawed.
They tried to do two things at once.. replacing the X150 tourer, but in a sports car size package. The result is an outwardly stylish, heavyweight, luxury tech-laden package that does enough things to be able to sell enough.
I accept a true sports car, Porsche, TVR or Viper for being Brash and loud, these qualities in the F-type, as it's packaged just feel wrong.
If only they'd made a stripped back lightweight version, without 12-way adjustable seats and 10 speaker 800w stereo, but everyone wants cup holders and infotainment, while they're going sideways nowadays it seems.

 

no

 

The SC430's with a body kit don't look too bad.

 

Precisely!!

 

I frequently checked the value of my 97 on various websites and found it was much as I paid for it ..£2999 ...but since it has reached 25 years old they are only offering scrap value ...£500

 

Pretty much like those E-types.

 

There was an article online recently about a guy who bought a new car to celebrate his daughter's birth. He stored it in a heated garage. Each year he would change the oil and drive it briefly. After 18 years, he sold it in concours condition with only 60 miles on the odometer. He used the proceeds to pay for his daughter's college tuition.

 

I dont know where you get the idea that E types are scrap value ..they are £60-£120K over here in the UK

 

The early ones do seem to fetch a little more money but to be honest I like the 2004 model the most. It doesn't have the silly sill covers from the later cars and doesn't have the side trim line things on the early cars. Also mean you have the 4.2 engine which is just a better more reliable engine then the 4.0 engine. But like with most cars the early models for some reason always fetch more money, probably because the people that pay for the early ones only see it as an investment and don't actually have an opinion on the cars design.

 

Just a weak attempt on my part at being facetious.

 

Perhaps they can't afford a newer one. Here's an interesting video concerning a 2004 that sold just recently in the UK. What's deal with folks driving their xk's all year round over there? Are the summers really brutal?

 

It's just damp and humid for most of the year even during most of the summer. I drive mine all year round, I know it rusts and it's getting worse but I will deal with it eventually. Every car in the UK rusts, it's just sort of how car ownership is here. As for why we drive them all year round? Well not all of us do but if you own a car and a nice one it's better to dive it then let it sit in a garage for 50 weeks of the year ecept for the very few where the conditions are perfect to not cause rust to form. Granted I shouldn't drive it in the winter with all the salt on the roads but it's my daily car and I don't really want to buy a second car if I can help it for now. Car ownership in the UK is fairly expensive with the taxes, insurance and repair costs so you might as well drive the thing if you are taxing and insuring it.

 

Understood. That's a shame.