Anyone who does an enginee swap does not consider the resulting vehicle to be an "investment" It is a way to get a vehicle that meets the owner's emotional and performance criteria.

One could look at it this way. A low mileage later model XKR will cost $30+K, With the pulley swap, one might get 460 HP max.
An earlier XK8 donor with higher mileage, good body and interior can still be purchased for around $5K. If you spend $30K on a LSX N/A swap, then you have an equivalent or better performing car than the later model XKR.
If one spends another $1.5K on LSX engine upgrades during the installation, and a tune, the HP is easilty bumped to 550.

The LSX based XK8 is already fully depreciated, the value-add of the money spent by the owner on the swap, will bring its value (of the owner) up to or beyond the late model XKR, The later model XKR is still depreciating as it ages, and it would be many years before it begins to regain any value.

 

.........................no mention yet of the money you will need to spend on brakes and suspension. Nothing says Mickey Mouse more than a lumped upped HP car with stock brakes and suspension.

 

Read my post #18 again. I did write about a suspension refresh. As has been written about in other threads, many believe that the KXs can handle up to about 800 HP before the rear end and axles will have problems. (AVOS's conversion is a good example.) With a 6-speed manual trans, there is no data regarding what will happen if you pop the clutch on a regular basis, but to date I have not read of any of the Jaguar Specialties conversions having brake or suspension problems. Regarding brakes, upgrades are almost always needed if you Track or Autocross your car. But for regular street driving OEM brakes are fine.

 

The ceiling is higher in horsepower on the ls car. You mentioned the word investment and you mentioned 430hp; hence my response.

I agree though it's about emotion because financially modding a car in general is a poor choice. However i do believe late X100 xkrs are pretty much as low as they're going, and you can be 18k into that 430hp pulley swapped car.

 

You got me, I was wrong in using the work "investment" because the meaning of this word normally implies a return or gain over time. I was thinking more of a "material return" as the result of building up the car.
(Better way to phrase the swap would be; "Money pit", or "black hole" or "pouring money down the drain"... (LOL)
Still wouldn't stop me from doing another swap if I wanted to spend money that way..

 

The way I see it every situation is different... I love my xk8 but it was a tad too slow for me before, but I had my Kawasaki Z1000 for power... I had put a bunch of money into my Jag (new head unit and 600w JL audio amp in the trunk, new convertible lines, rams and latch, just lowered with new springs & shocks & powerflex bushings, and many other personal touches), so when the motor blew I saw it as a chance to get an upgrade! If I were to buy the muscle car I wanted it would be $50k+ at a minimum, so to drop $25k on my jag and make it PERFECT made total sense. This is a perfect, rust free, 40k mile beauty that will last me for the rest of my life and beyond... easy choice for me. Sure, I could have had the original motor rebuilt and all, but it just would never have the power I wanted...

 

I love my 2003 XK8....I put around 800 miles on it a year (mostly taking my wife out for ice cream on a summer in the evening...Mystery driving w/ no nav.) I spend about $1500/yr keeping it running. That said, 25K to make the car smoke the tires? Maybe, but happy now with the beauty i have. Seems like complications would arrive with the swap taking away from the simple beauty of this car and going out....The "Kid" in us always wants more......not sure this GT should be your outlet....When i was a kid I built a go-cart w/ a 15hp Briggs & Stratton engine- It would only do wheelies - I was NEVER happier!!!

 

So it costs you about $3.00 per mile when you drive it? You need to drive it more and get that number down.

 

$3....$1.50 for 3 hours....