I recently discovered the incredible low prices that the early Xk8's are selling for. I started reading this Forum a few weeks ago to educate myself. I find myself more and more interested in purchasing one. It seems wise to find a 2003 or later but I am not sure if my budget will allow. today I test drove a 2002 XKR convert with 40,000 miles on the clock. The car is in very nice condition and the power is quite remarkable. The dealer is asking $19.800 but I think this late in the year they would be flexable. Can someone tell me if I would have to deal with the tensioners on a 2002? The manufacture date on the door jam says 11/ 2001.. Also are there an negatives with having a supercharged Jag? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Now that you have started your search the fun begins. I spent several months trolling around forums asking questions and calling/visiting mechanics prior to finally finding my dream car and diving in.

Have a look at the new FAQ thread and it should answer most of your questions. If at all possible, you should try and go for a 2003 or later model due to (1) 4.2 versus 4.0 liter engine; (2) tensioners are supposed to be better than earlier; and (3) 6 speed transmission is supposed to be better.

When I started looking, I was really just considering the XK8 (non-supercharged) since I was concerned about another thing to possibly go wrong. But my research convinced me that the superchargers are pretty bulletproof plus there were a few other goodies with the XKR (better brakes, CATS system, better headlights) not to mention those and those crazy hood louvers!

Good luck with your quest.

Doug

 

I recently bought a 98 XK8 with 50,000 miles on it. It was in excellent condition and the price was right. The first thing I did was upgrade all the tensioners, new chains, idler pulley, belts and also a total upgrade of the cooling system. I had it done at at a jaguar shop and it cost about $4500. Add that to the price I paid for the car and I've still got a great deal and no worries about the engine. It cost me far less than a 2003 would cost.

 

The conversion to metal tensioners occurred in August '01. You November '01 manufacturer date should include the latest engine. That gets you 99.9% of the way there since manufacturers, not just Jaguar, will use any and all stock to build cars.

A Jaguar dealer can pull a report based on the VIN that will provide the engine serial number. Encoded in that number will be the engine manufacturer date (yymmddtimeXXXXX). Anything after 010813timexxxxx will include the metal tensioners.

Sounds like a good buy to me. The forever styling and dramatically depreciated prices of these cars is what got me involved.

 

Thanks for the information. This is exactly what I was looking for. Looks like The next step is taking the vin # to the local Jaguar dealer.