My mother always wanted a convertible Jaguar and I want to get her anice used XK. I was wondering what the enthusiast community would recommend to look for so that I get her one that's going to be a joy and not a headache.

 

I just went through the research and purchased an XK8. It is the opion of many owners that it is best to purchase a 2003 or newer one that has the 4.2 L engine. The whole tenisioner issue was fixed with these. If you don't want to spend that much I would get 2001 or 2002. These seem to have fewer problems but the tensioner issue is still present. I went this route and got a 2001. I am upgrading the secondary tensioners, along with the water pump, thermostat and drive belt. The parts cost about $500 and I am doing the work myself. It will cost you about $800 to $1000 to have the secondary tensioners done by a dealer or independent. The primary tensioners are more work but the consensus is that these don't fail until about 75,00 to 100,000 miles.It will cost about$2,000 for both primary and secondary tensioners. I would also point out that Jaguar had a problem on the 2001 and some 2000s with the dash wood veveer getting milky. This was due to a manfacturing process porblem. Mine wasn't taken care of by the previous owner under warranty so I am doing it. If you do the work yourself it will cost about $800 to $1,000 to have the panels refinished, and about $1,600 for a new set. I don't know what a dealer woudl chage to do it all. As the wood veneer panels are matched, you run the risk of not having a match if you replacs one panel. You can get more information on these subjects by doing a search on this forum, or on roadfly.com XK8 forum.

Good luck, they are very nice cars.

Chuckben

 

I too am looking atan XK specifically the XK-R Supercharged. I just sold a 06 Mustang GT coupe and want an upscale vert. I want both the performance and lux that the Jag offers. The one I'm looking at is a 04 and it comes with a 100K factory warranty (not sure what it covers, but drivetrain coverage is better than no warranty). It is super clean and I might be able to get it for around $34K with 51K miles. I want some input on the superchaged model if possible. I can afford about $35K and want the best of both worlds, performance, and Luxury. Any help suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2004-...em110211325600

JagWire

 

Actually, Black is not my color. I have my eye on a red and atan colored car. I think I can getit for around $30-31K. Thecar is certified with a factory warranty for 100K Miles. I'm really interested in hearing any pros or cons in owning an 04 XKR.