Morning, boys and girls....

I'm becoming addicted to craigslist... For the past few months there has been the post of a 1997 xk8, 127k miles, some minor cosmetic issues... The current owner has no records of any maintenance or problems, for that matter...

The car is $5500, here the link to the post 1997 Jaguar XK8 Coupe...

Every time the car comes out on CL, i drull... I finally gather enough ***** to go and look at it today...

I'm aware of the issues these cars might/will have... I wonder what do you think...


Thanks, a bunch in advanced...

 

Badkitty posted a great quote recently that truly applies to these cars:

"I have come to understand that owning a Jag is like owning a horse. There's no joy in it unless you love taking care of it."


With a Jaguar background I assume you have a set of wrenches, you will do fine.

 

go look..i looked at loads before i got mine..as soon as i saw the one i have now..my wife said "your going to buy that" she was correct..youll know if its right

 

What is the likelihood of bad chain tensioners and/or cylinder lining in this car?...
That is something I would need to take it to the chop for... tensioners look to be not as complicated... just detailed and patience work... but cyl. liners... that is a whole different beast....

Is there a test so that I can get an idea about the car regarding those issues?

Thanks, again.

 

Never any harm in looking. I would think that major problems would already have shown up and been taken care of. A compression leak-down test (or whatever they call it) would be wise.

Otherwise the car looks great, even with the hash stripes.

Doug

 

Rama,

There is an excellent Jag purchase checklist here.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-update-53496/

hth,

 

Lemme see.....what's the list? Oh, yeah.

cam chain tensioners
wheel bearings
front end bushings and links
brakes
inside rear view mirror
speakers (mostly rear)
hoses....especially under the plenum
water pump
water distribution tower and crossover pipe
combination switch (lights, turn signal...they go out more than u think)
console drink holder
starter
coolant reservoir
anything rubber eventually
and, the big one...the transmission.

Of course, I'm assuming the engine itself is ok and has had regular oil changes. At 127K either those have been done or WILL need to be done. What's the location (wet, dry, cold, hot)?

 

To specifically answer your last questions: i

If the cam chain tensioners are original they absolutely, positively need to be changed. Good negotiation point if the seller cannot document their replacement. About $1200 at the Jaguar dealer, $800 at an indy, less than $200 in your driveway, 4 hours work even for the inexperienced. Without documentation you will have to pull one or both valve covers. One poster found only one of his had been upgraded so pulling both sides probably a good idea.

A compression test will give a definitive reading on the Nikasil cylinder plating condition. My first XK8 was a '00 with 106K miles and the compression was at the lower end of a new car expectation (155 - 160psi). The Nikasil was intended to result in a much longer wearing engine and if not corrupted by high sulfur gas and short trips it will deliver that.

All of the previous post applies. These cars are best owned by a hobby mechanic or someone with pockets deep enough that it doesn't matter. In the second case the recommendation is to buy a much later, lower mileage car.

 

A '97 with 127K miles. If it was a daily driver that's a little over 9,000 miles a year. That should keep everything well lubed. If it some point it was just a summer car with a lot of "dry starts" that could cause lot of wear on the engine. Nothing beats a cars history.