I have a 1998 XK8 with 143K miles. I bought it new. The car has had only 2 problems in its lifetime: A timing chain jump at 70K miles and a leaking heater hose recently. It still drives great, uses no oil, is quiet, etc. However, lately a few annoyances are showing up. They are:

Driver's window won't remember the up and down stops (You know--the 'hold the switch' down in the 'up' position until it clicks, etc.)
Cruise control no longer functions
'Headlight on' indicator (the green symbol) won't come on unless I switch on the turn signal, whereupon it appears and everything is okay
The "Clear, Memory," etc. functions of the dash display no longer work

Obviously electrical gremlims are beginning to appear, and I can't foresee them repairing themselves. Since there's no way of knowing what next may happen, either electrical or mechanical, what would you do with the car? Trade-in value is only about $5,000, retail is about $9500. Or would you just run it into the ground since I've gotten my money from it? BTW, car looks very good, never any body damage, very clean interior.

 

Maybe you can find an independent guy who happens to know Jaguars to economically address these type of annoying issues.

Doug

 

Do you have any children, nephews, nieces, etc. near driving age? It would be an awesome car to to sell to them cheap.

 

Hi, Those issues seem quite minor, and i wouldn't say it was a sign future failures are on the horizon.
Almost certainly,the window problem means you need a new battery, the headlight warning light will be easilly fixed with a replacement stalk or repair to the wiring or connections to it.
The trip unit is a simple replace or clean contacts fix.

I have a similar issue that i have not fixed, as it's little inconvenience, being the memory positions for the steering wheel and seets which never reember settings.

All these things are common problems with the model, and by no means represent the overall quality of the electrical systems.

 

The car has been very good to you. It was a major investment as you bought her new. Think of the pleasure it has brought you, and she still looks great. You have taken care of it, you know everything about her past. Unless you are prepared to spend a large sum for a newer car; what could you replace it with for the kind of money you could sell it for? If you still enjoy driving it, my opinion is you should definitely keep her. I've only owned my coupe since October and have done lots of work to get it up to par, and I can't imagine I'll ever want to sell it.

I've had my 62 Vette for 30 years. I totally restored it before ever getting it on the road. It still runs good, but has always been a challenge to drive...drum brakes, vague steering, uncomfortable seats, etc. It's looking a bit tattered and worn now; chrome on bumpers bad, paint showing lots of chips and stress cracks. I don't enjoy it as much now; however, I know if I ever sold it I would regret it. I would love to put a modern chassis under it, an injected LS engine and 5 speed trans, new interior etc. Even with me doing all the work including paint, it could cost 30-45k to redo. So what do I do? I bought a Jag! Maybe someday I'll redo the vette, or just keep driving it the way it is...I don't know.

KEEP IT!!!

 

Did you love the car before? I am guessing yes. Are you loving her less because she now has developed a few wrinkles? Like in any long term relationship, the individuals (or indivdual and machine in this case) evolve and change. Your relationship with this car is beginning to enter a new phase. It will begin to cost more money, TLC and effort to keep her up. Maybe you will start to learn a little more about her. How many problems will you have?...hard to say...but likely some.

You can easily get her back to being a joy again, likely for not that much cost. But you need to be honest with yourself as to whether she still gives you enough pleasure and satisfaction when she is running well to make up for the occasional hassles and cost.

The actual book value of the car is irrelevant unless you are selling it. The question what is the car worth to YOU iin terms of joy, utility and saving the cost of buying a new comparable vehicle.

Last year I spent about $2,000 in parts on my 22 year old Jeep Cherokee that I bought new. Its book value is maybe $500, if that...its value to me is many times that. And the XK8, well, thats MUCH easier to love that an old Cherokee.

 

I wouldn't want to burst your bubble or upset you, but, I am sympathetically concerned about the perceived value of your car.

If you want to get a better feel, go to autotrader.com and put in the following:

Car: Jaguar xk8 convt.

Years: 1998 to 1992

Price: $5,000 to $16,000.

There are dozens of cars in that range that have literally a third to a half of your mileage,
and range from $9,000 to $13,000. Again, these are asking prices, and final sales will likely be at least 10-20% less. Private owners always think that their cars are worth far more than the real market value because of their emotional attachment.

After speaking with my friend in CA, (I bought my first Jag from him years ago, he sells 30-50 cars under $20K weekly), he suggested that if you could get $5-7K for it, you should jump on it pronto.

It's the mileage that is killing you on this car, not its condition. There are '98's with starting prices of $9,500K with less than half your mileage.

Personally, I would drive this car till it died. That's what I'm doing now with my first XK8 Coupe. It has 121K miles on it. My list of failing things exceeds twenty, including: rear view mirror, driver's seat module, no fm, rear center tail light cracked, unattached, badly faded paint job, worn-through leather on driver's side, worn center console,cracked shifter knob, various cracked plastic parts, a tranny that doesn't shift properly about every 300 miles, and even more fun stuff.

Amazingly, the engine is still very powerful and smooth, and the suspension is firm.
I listen to newstalk, and the CD changer is still working, so music is no problem. And, when I give it a good wash, it still gets compliments. Unbelievable!

I recently bought a black 2003 XKR, a monstrous beauty with low miles, which gets pampered and dreams of escape as it sits around in a warm garage.

So, I get the best of both worlds, a fairly dependable Jag driver that I can park anywhere, and a beauty for dating, scenic drives or those days I just really just want to go fast and look cool.

The upside of the old Jag, is that it is ready to sacrifice itself for many of the interchangeable parts that might fail on the XKR.

It's almost unbelievable that you've had so few issues with your car. It's been a good friend. Good luck.

 

I appreciate all the replies. Yes, I still love the car; it still drives great, with plenty of power. Tight, no rattles, etc. But, as someone pointed out, it's the miles that are killing my car. At 143K now, and I couldn't imagine it'd live to see 200K...could be wrong, but who knows. What I'd like to avoid is winding up with a car that needs a lot more money to repair than it's worth, even though I've gotten my money out of this car.

I think I'll start looking around for a used XK8 or XKR with low(er) miles. That in itself may answer the question, since I may not find one.
amost forgot: a member suggested I find an independent mechanic who knows Jags. There's not one here, except for me, but I have my limits.

Thanks again!

 

Man, you guys are something else! You talk like these cars are nearly human, like they have personalities and emotions and stuff. Sheesh! Get a life! I mean, they are only . . . . . . . hang on a minute, I think I hear mine calling me.

Yeah, she's winking her right turn signal at me. Gotta go.

Later,

 

FWIW, I'm no Jag expert but ... The original complaints were noted as all electrical related. At this age of car and located in a humid location like Mississippi, I'd suspect the electrical connectors in the related systems. The indicator light not functioning until a turn signal is activated sounds suspiciously like a bad ground connection. I'd bet the indicator is not a full brightness even when it's on. Get a spray can of electrical contact cleaner and start cleaning the connectors of the poorly functioning systems. My experience as an aerospace electrical engineer says you should always suspect the connectors.

 

2 problems since new!!! you dont have a Jaguar, you should be on the Maytag forums
Oh wait consumer reports doesnt rate them that well anymore,....
slap slap wake up Spence, youre dreaming!!!
ok to seriousness, disconnect the door electrical canon plug bewteen the door and body when the door is open. clean the connectors and reassembly. Actually many times just disc/reconnecting a electrical conn will clean and restore proper function. So do that with all the electrical issues you have. If you have a good and I meen no lower than a 12.4volt battery after sitting, and or passing a load test. If its over 4yrs replace it, you got your money on that too, and dont come back and say that original too or youll need to go buy lotto tickets.
If it persists youll need a drivers door module, and it has to be programmed at the dealer

 

my 99 coupe has 80k and is having issues now but keeping it running is still cheaper than a half a year of car payments. besides what on earth could you buy that looks anything like this car. The compliments I get about my car get more plentiful the older it gets. yeah its just a car, but unless you are going to buy technology for your new car keep burning the dino while you can. Besides you could always get buried in it. Way cheaper than the boxes........... wrong sermon.

enjoy the car!!!!!