Hi folks,

I am a relatively new member and I am looking to get into a nice second hand Jaguar. I have set up an appointment to look at a black convertible with just under 45 thousand miles for this Saturday.

Unfortunately, the car is at a used car dealer and it was apparently traded in for a new BMW at an affiliated dealer. I have done some research and according to Carfax, the car has had 4 different owners--2 of which were lessees-- and decent maintenance records up until it was purchased by it's last owner, who only put a few thousand miles on it.

It was built in May of 02 so I think that I would be okay with regards to the tensioner issue. I am most concerned about the tires it is wearing. They appear to be new, but they look like Pep-Boys specials. I just feel like if an obvious corner was cut, one can never know what else has been rendered incorrectly. Is there anything else I should be aware of?

They are asking $15,000 which is ostensibly too high according to KBB and Carfax. Is there demand for second hand XK's that pushes prices up in ways unmeasured by those two entities? Any ideas on what a fair deal woul be? The car appears to be rather nice aside from the cited flaws.

Thanks,
Matt

 

Dear Matt,
$15K for a 2002 XK8 is just too much money. Almost 3 years ago, I purchased a nearly mint 1 owner 2002 XKR with a full service history done at the local Jaguar dealership with just a bit more mileage for $15000. XK8's were well below that even then, and there are beautiful 2002 XK8's as well as XKR's around now for considerably less. The low mileage is seductive but even if it has updated tensioners (and my 2002 did not, I recently had them changed, and you should verify), you should have transmission and its electronic components checked as that is the other expensive system that seems to go after a decade of being on the road. Do some careful shopping and be patient.

 

+1 Price is too high, especially if it is an XK8, and the 2002 MY likely still has the plastic tensioners. Don't be lured in by mileage, it's still almost 11 years old.

If the last owner did no maintenance, put only a few miles on it and sold it early, sounds like there could be problems. These cars are very picky about how they are driven (or not driven) and taken care of.

Personally, I'd keep looking.

 

Thanks for the advice. I knew the car was over priced but I thought that it wouldn't hurt to look at the car and see if the price was negotiable. The car really pulled me in as it is just so beautiful looking. I understand that I should probably wait for an 03 or 04 but I thought that an 02 may be alright if the engine was built after August 2001. I will keep my eyes open for something better.

 

There is nothing wrong with buying a 2002 (or older for that matter), obviously, I bought one. Just know what you're buying and pay an appropriate price. My guess is that the dealer will be very negotiable on that price as it simply is not realistic. Good luck.

 

There is really nothing wrong with an '02 MY, especially one that the driver 'B' column label says was built late in the model year. In fact, if your car was built after Feb of '02 it even has the upgraded cam chains of the '03. There is a car purchase check list at the top of the FAQ Sticky above. Show up with a several page check list and see what kind of negotiated price you can get. Black on black is a slightly premium color as is some locations over others because of potential exposure to road salt. We don't have the level of rust problems that the UK folks seem to have have but such exposure can put a sever damper on the desirability and price of a car.

Personally, my concerns would be any sheet metal damage and paint quality, leather quality and maintenance records. Another major issue is anything that uses electricity. Check every function of every item. If you have not owned a Jaguar before you simply cannot imagine the cost of what would seem to be a simple item. A non functioning climate control system can end up costing as much as an engine.

The link I mentioned is here:

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

 

Just a short clarification on the MY tensioners issue. The engine build date (located on the engine block) is what determines the type of tensioners. The date on the B-pillar can be misleading. It could have a late year manufacturer's date for the car, but an early year engine installed.

Maintenance records, if available, are your friend.

 

Get an XKR. Mechanics here in Denver have told me several times the XKRs turn out to be less expensive to run as the transmissions are more stout as are numerous other components. The extra oomph is incredible and you won't find yourself wishing for more power when you see a Mercedes AMG, Mustang GT, Porsche 911 (etc.). I too was first shooting for an XK8 but after losing out on two at dealerships I got antsy. If you can wait, take your time and kick the tires. Find Jag mechanics in advance.

In my 6 months of ownership, I've really come to savor the car.

 

take your time I just got my 2001 with 75k miles for $10k two months ago.

 

Okay, I will take my time. Point taken about the XKR, I think that I would regret not having the extra punch.

This is the ad for the one that I referenced: USED 2002 Jaguar XK8 Convertible #CB1429 | Carlisle Pike Preowned, your Harrisburg Pre-Owned Dealer

I obviously know 15 grand is out of the question, but just for the heck of it, what is a fair number for a car like this?

Regards,
Matt

 

I just purchased a 2002 XK8 with 4700 miles, one owner southern car, build date of 11/2001 and clean carfax for $11K. I thought I was in good shape until I read this thread.
The only thing I could see wrong, was the drivers seat had some cracking and will need a new skin.
Do you think it will have the plastic tensioners? Is there any wat of telling besides pulling a valve cover? What other things should I be looking for?
Rick

 

Welcome Rick. You probably feel the way I did after buying my car and then discovering this forum(what did I get myself into?). Don't get nervous, just explore and find out the things that deserve preventive maintenance. All older cars reveal their weak areas sooner or later, and everyone here will help you out with them. These are just cars, afterall, and not that bad to work on. Yes, pull the cam covers and see what you have. You'll sleep better if you do. You could regret it if you don't.
Good luck.

 

@redmerc04

Headlights are foggy, the car is expelling an insane amount of white smoke via the exhaust. (it's burning oil) I would pay around $10k for that one.

 

Rick, it is easy to change the tensioners. Have you done any wrenching before?

 

Thanks Mike I felt better after you comments.
Steve, I have wrenched before but I have never opened a motor and pulled a cam.
After I calmed down last night, I read through the installation a couple of times and I think you’re right, there isn’t anything there I can’t handle. With that said a couple of observations:
It looks to me like loosening the cam would be easier than taking the front sprocket off. I believe the sprocket is bolted and pressed on so it would take some force to get it off. That means I will bend something, gouge something, snap something and definitely skin my knuckle. Am I missing something about the ease of taking it off?
The other problem I see is getting the oil dipstick bracket off. Isn’t there a way to disconnect this tube at the oil pan or engine to give you the slack to raise it of the bolt?
The more I think about tackling this the more excited I get about doing it. I just hope there aren’t more surprises in other areas of the car waiting to come.
Thanks.

 

I have an 04 xkr coupe black on black, you'll love the punch.
There's a xkr convert. on ebay silver 12,900 or best offer.
I was tempted to buy it but got a 2 car garage and 3 Jags.
Of course pay the fee and have jaguar check it out, shoot the guy a low ball you may get lucky.
Good Luck!

 

The Sprocket is not pressed on. Once the Special Cam Clamp Tool is in place, a 10mm allen key with a short length of pipe on it will easily loosen the bolt. The washer and Sprocket is then loose.

The Oil Dipstick Tube may be easy to pull out of the block. If not, you can use a Side Cutters to cut a Slot in the Bracket and slide it sideways to allow the bolt to be removed.

 

Yeah, I did mine by undoing the camshaft blocks a little at a time. Knock the end of the cam with a ruber mallet once in a while to get it to move up uniformly. Used the zip tie method.

The oil dipstick will come up, mine was a little tough.

 

Last year paid $14000.00 for 2002 XK8 Convertible with 36k miles. Love driving it!