My wife got a surprise this weekend. I bought a replacement for her Miata, a nice 1998 XK8. Got it from another forum member in Cali (Los Gatos if you can believe). Needs some TLC but she can see the potential.

 

Aw, YEAH! THAT is how you outdo a Miata. =)

 

You must be making amends for something really serious.

That's a better combination in the garage.

Graham

 

A good looking pair.

 

Congrats--looks great. I did have a question though. You are in Florida and the seller was in California. I would be at a loss in terms of how to consider and then buy a car across the country. What are the logistics of this? Did you have some local person look at the car first? Once the deal was done did you ship the car or come across country and drive it back?

Again, I am not trying to be a wise guy but I have wondered how deals like this are done.

Thanks,

Doug

 

Doug,

I can't speak for Cat Man Do, but I can give you our story of how we did it. I'll try to keep it as short as possible....

Made the mistake of taking my wife to see a local Lincoln dealership's 2006 XK8 in early November 2011. Had no intention of acquiring it, just wanted to drive a ragtop for an hour or so on a gorgeous autumn morning....

My wife instantly fell in love and wanted it (uh oh - I'm an idiot). It had not been cared for well enough for me to attempt to buy it. I told her I would search around on my own for a better one. I found two worth considering during a two-month-long search, but could not manage to get either seller to come down far enough on the phone to make the drives worthwhile (one was three hours away, one was four hours away)....

So I contacted forum member George Androulakis (screen name "androulakis") in New Jersey knowing he buys cars from auctions all over the country. Told him exactly what I wanted and what I was willing to pay. Within two weeks he found the car in Jacksonville, Florida and sent me a bucket full of photos. He felt he could buy it pre-auction for my price, but we had to make a decision within a couple of days. My wife fell in love with it online and we decided to chase it, pending inspection by the local Jaguar dealership in Jacksonville....

George bargained it down to my price, it sailed through inspection, and we bought it, all within a two-day period. Had it trucked from the Jacksonville dealership direct to our driveway over a two-day span. It was exactly what we expected - I already knew the few flaws it had based upon the inspection that was done....

First time I've ever purchased a vehicle without laying my eyes and hands on it, but George saved me at least $5,000 vs. what I could find on my own. That was nearly 18 months ago and my wife still loves her XK8 more than any other vehicle she's ever had (and she's had some nice ones, particularly SUVs)....

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. It saved me enough money to establish a well-stocked maintenance fund for the XK8. That alone makes the process worthwhile as far as I'm concerned....

 

Hey Jon--interesting story AND interesting wife. My wife is such a non-car person especially when it comes to cars that I am attracted to. At best she just looks the other way but I suspect she would be calling the guys in the white coats if I started negotiating a proxy buy of a car across country.


Doug

 

Doug,
I bought it sight unseen from a fellow forum member. He had posted in our classified area and after a couple phone calls and emails with a bunch of photos, I felt confident enough to make the deal. The car just needs paint and body work and my father in law has done this for 30 years and has access to a shop. Even at the worst condition category on KBB, this car is worth twice what I paid with shipping.
I bought my STR off eBay last year much the same way from a luxury dealer in Cleveland. My luck seems to be holding, so no worries here.

 

Graham,
I had bought the Miata as a Christmas gift last year, but forgot I would have to ride in it too. I'm a fairly big guy and the fit was not good. I would always make an excuse for nor taking her car anywhere. When this opportunity came along, how could I not take it?

 

Hey Dough,

For a while I wanted a 2003-2006 XKR Coupe. On daily basis I went on ebay motors, autotrader, as well as few other sites - in search of the elusive feline. Coupes from 2003 to 2006 are extremely rare or so I learned. Currently on ebay there are 7 Convertibles and Z E R O coupes... Imagine that. To make a long story shorter, I made a Google search for "2003 - 2006" Jaguar Coupe (I did this on daily basis for about 3-4 months) and the search query returned a result for a 2005 XKR Coupe in Zircon (read: light blue) exterior and Dove (read: white) interior. The car was offered by Scottsdale Ferrari/Maserati Dealer. I called immediately to ask about the car. The sales person was shocked that I called for this car, because they had just place the ad in their internal website the night before and Ebay ad placement was not going to take effect until after that weekend.
I learned that the car was woman owned/driven and that it had all service history from Scottsdale Jaguar. I was sooooo skeptical and nervous on considering the purchase without a test drive, but, I asked all the right questions and got all the right answers. Here are some of the reasons that made be finally take a chance on buying the car without seeing it 'in person':
1. Reputable Dealer - Part of Penske Automotive group - They would not want to knowingly deceive a customer
2. Clean CarFax
3. Complete service history since the car was new. The dealer also had the car completely inspected by Scotsdale Jaguar and provided the result in writing. The only 2 things the car needed were the brakes and the tires, which, although pricey items, I was okay with it.
4. Dry Climate - West Coast car - no issues with rust

I also managed to shave off $500 from the asking price and the dealer agreed to waive the documentation fees (close to $500). These savings paid for the truck shipping, which I arranged through UShip(12 days in route).

Upon arrival, I inspected the car and it looked showroom new. I've owned many fine vehicles in my life - way more than what my signature line(s) shows, but I am so exited about this particular car... So far no regrets at all.

 

I bought my wife a Miata, and hated it too. I just didn't fit in the car. We replaced it with a couple of Audi TTs then an S5 and most recently an F-Type. Now we are finally both happy. Funny thing on the TTs she liked the series 1, I liked the series 2 but we didn't like the same series. She is off in the F now and I expect I'll never get to drive it again.

 

Wow, this thing sure takes up more room in the garage than the Miata! According to factory specs, it is just less than six inches shorter than my STR.

 

Yes these are surprisingly big cars, and a nod of the hat to the original designers for creating the illusion that it is not. You really don't notice the size of the car until it is parked next to other cars. The first time I pulled into the garage next to my wife's 2000 Acura TL (at the time) I was amazed to see that it was about as long.


Doug

 

Always nice to see two Jag's in the garage. Bring them both to the All British Car Show at Safety Harbor in October.

 

Well done, Tommy- you did it right.

Very carefully! As alluded to above, the key is a 3rd party inspection at a reputable shop that you find and hire (for about $100) to report directly back to you and verify that the seller is advertising a legit car with no surprises. CARFAX reports help but shouldn't be the determining factor. If the seller has a clean title in their name in-hand, it's just a funds wire transfer to their bank or a bank draft cashier's check you bring with you for the agreed amount, a one-way ticket on the airline of your choice, trade a couple signed bills of sale for your records, a handshake, and hopefully a great drive back experiencing your 'new' car, likely through parts of the country you haven't been before. And that's a key factor as well- make the drive! Transport costs average about a grand to get your vehicle halfway across the country. Think of the fun you can have with (half) that money making the trip yourself. Some of my best life memories are doing this. I've done it several times and it never gets old. In fact, if it gets to be much more than a year since my last transaction, I start to get itching to do another. Even for a friend or family member. Something. I would make a job out of it if I could, and maybe I will when I retire.

Screw (most, typical) dealerships. Private enthusiast party sales are the best way to acquire fine autos.

 

Also agreed on the size- it's only about 8" shy in length of my sportluxbarge S8. No complaints either as I'm not a fan of owning small cars, whether that's a Miata or a RS4.

And I thought the F-Type was about the same size, until a member here recently posted a side-by-side shot of it with a XK100. It's even bigger than ours in comparison! Whoda thunk it? Btw, they look best in silver I've recently realized.

 

Amazing post Cat Man Do, Tommy the Feline looks right at home! Likewise fellow contributors, and congrats to the new addition and Sentinelist keep up the good vibe, I hitch-hiked 350 miles to get my Ladys Jeep, ok it's not a CAT as refined as the XK and it looks Lovely but it was a thrill and I met a few very interesting people and now keep in touch with 2 of them!
Well Done!! Regards, Stu

 

Thanks guys! This one was all done on faith in a fellow forum member to do good by another. I am glad I was able to keep one more Jag on the road and out of the recycler's hands.
I will try to start a thread on the refurbishment process as well as incorporating some of the proven tips, tricks and mods provided by all of you.

 

I have so much respect for you guys, it's unbelievable!
Keep up the GOOD WORK YOU ARE INVALUABLE, I CHERISH YOUR CHARISMA AND ENVY YOUR TASTE!
OOh and please keep us posted? Best Regards, Stu

 

Well I found out that the XK8 is finally not that big. so it all depends on what you compare it to