Hello all, I have been to the newbie forum and posted this;

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/n...hi-guys-72969/

Any thoughts, or info - must do's and must not do's would be very welcome. This will be my first Jag - and I want it to be a good experience as opposed a bad one?

Cheers!

 

With that kind of budget you should have no problem in finding a very good car. The first question is pre '06 or later. Jaguars of this era had become very reliable vehicles. All the chronic issues of the earlier model years had been engineered out after eight year of field testing using owners as test subjects.

 

Welcome to the forum...... Whay kind of XK do you fancy? if you was to go older you would get a very nice X100 and have plenty of money to play with for "toys", if you go newer you would get a X150 XKR except the choice of toys is greatly diminished and £5K will not go very far..

I guess it depends how mad you want to go and what you pay for in the first place, lots of choices!

 

I paid 13K for mine from a family firm dealership and spent another 1K getting minor problems sorted. With your budget, as everyone's already said, you'll get a superb XKR.
Pre '06 (I'm biased) are prettier and probably more economical.
An XKR convertible is a wonderful car for fun. I'm 68 and happily give mine some stick on the country lanes. Keeps you young.

 

Better pics of your "slate gray" please. That color looks pretty awesome with the 04-06 body kit.

 

for all of your responses.

I think probably on reflection I should have posted this in the 2006 onwards section. I tend to look at mileage of prospective cars above anything else. The chances of getting a 'low mileage' example of a pre-2006 XKR diminishes with time. PLUS I am attracted to the 4.2 engine and updated technologies.

My modifications, if / when would be modest - possibly extra 100bhp and whatever that takes. Also, brake upgrades if not already done. Looks wise - maybe wheels and subtle styling. Having said that, I have not looked into any of it - either what's available, or price here in the UK. These are early days for me - I am just getting into research. This is my project for possibly the next 2 years or so.

Once again - thanks for your input guys. More welcome.

 

Hmmmmm extra 100BHP is going to cost about £1500 that would be a pulley and a remap, brakes will be Alcons thats £3500, wheels £2K and up for a good set plus tyres cheap ones which will only look good for a year £1500 with cheap tyres.

Styling can be expensive depending on the route taken, an RS kit would be about £5500 painted and fitted, a mix n match using aero packs and maybe some XK60 stuff like I did on the car below can be much cheaper..

This is a 2007 XKR

 

Thanks for this - always good to get an idea of pricing in UK. I guess the spend can be as infinite as funds allow. I cant decide, styling first or power. I'm thinking styling whilst I get used to the car as standard - that way I will appreciate the extra horses when they come along a lot more.

I never tend to go 'cheap' option as my wife will testify. Having said that, I dont drive cars hard as a rule but opt for occasional 'blast' - so, I opt in tyres for the middle ground whilst getting the best of engine and styling.

Any thoughts of upgrades to standard exhaust?

Lovely car BTW !!!

 

Just a point of clarification: The 4.2 engine was standard starting in the 2003 model year.

 

I did the exhaust, it is a active system made from stainless, much better sound and flow, also fitted an additional switch to shut of the vacuum pump to keep the baffles open just for those occaisions you want a bit more noise at low speeds

That costs about £1750 fitted

 

Ah ok - that was something I didn't know so thank you. I suspect I will still opt for 2007/8 or even 2009 model depending on what's about when I take the plunge - purely thinking long term ownership and mileage.

 

What do you consider "low mileage"? I just picked up a 2001 XKR with "only" 34.8K miles. For an eleven yr old car, I consider that low mileage.

 

Sure 34.8k miles on 11yr old car is a good find. My point being there wont be that many out there. And even less as time goes by.

I'd like a model with 30k or under if I can get one - regardless of age. A higher mileage newer model is more likely to have motorway miles than urban driving which isn't a bad thing. Its all about doing the research I guess.

I guess its pointless to second guess what I'm going to find out there.... so will go with the flow when the time comes.

 

I really do want to figure an exhaust into the bigger picture.
Just as a matter of interest - who's done your work? Any recommendations?