I love this car and I've been reading these forums for a few days to learn more about it and try to get an idea of how long a used car could last. Ideally I'd like to purchase an XK8 and keep it for a while.

I'm looking at some local used dealership options for an XK8:
2001 XK8 w/ 74k miles for $16k
2002 XK8 w/ 36k miles for $19k
2005 XK8 w/ 45k miles for $25k

I have some bias preference for the newer model, but I'm most concerned about the best value for owning a car for the next 5-8 years. It looks like an extended warranty might cost 4k for 4 years. I dont know if thats a good deal or not.

Looking through the carfax info, it looks like all of these cars have been serviced at the same place: jaguar of south bay.

All 3 cars have had scheduled maintenance and inspections. The 2001 has had the 'lower control arm' replaced as the only major thing in 8 years, besides brakes. The 2005 has had nothing replaced.

The 2002 car looks like its had some overheating problems: 1st the coolant reserve tank was replaced, then the thermostat, and just a few months later, the thermostat and the water pump. Is that a bad sign of a history of overheating or is it good that those parts are all newer now?

Any comments or opinions would be welcome. I hope to be driving one of these soon.