So as I continue to browse the web for the perfect XK8/XKR I am starting to wonder what mileage is too high a mileage. I see many many cars at the 90-99k mile mark and it has me thinking that either this is the either the time that everything goes to hell in a handtruck, or are people trying to sell before the dreaded 100k mile mark.
Theres always going to be the theory that a well maintained higher mileage car is better than a low mileage garage queen with cracked seals and God knows what else, but ideally I'd like to land in the 50k area. Any advice appreciated.

 

Last November I bought a 2004 xk8 convertible, with no maintenance history. 161000 km. 100,000 miles. I did get a chance to look it over well and it seemed solid. Over the winter I did all of the maintenance items and fluid changes. Coated the bottom with POR and cleaned up the leather. This is a Canadian car but shows no signs of rust so expect by the mileage and condition it was never winter driven. So far since April I have put on 6000 miles with a long trip to the eastcoast and daily driving. She has not used a drop of oil, or any other fluid, the gas mileage is great and everything works. In 4 weeks we are off to Myrtle Beach and looking forward to the drive through the smokey mountains. I think that these cars like any other mechanical device thrive on not being pushed to their limits all of the time and maintenance. I had a 1994 XJ6 which was taken out y Canadian road salt but was mechanically sound at 195,000 miles so I do have confidence in the power train. This car will never see snow so I think it will be good for a long time. I guess she is a garage queen now, only goes out on sunny days.

 

<p>In 2012, I&nbsp;purchased my 2000 XK8 with 91K on the clock and no maintenance history (before I found this awesome tool of a forum).&nbsp; I bought her as a daily driver and&nbsp;knowing I may have to do some repairs&nbsp;because of her age.&nbsp; Aside from general maintenance items (tires/oil changes/brakes/etc.), have had some&nbsp;things needing fixed and biggest repair for me was transmission rebuild but the tranny fluid/filter were still original when that occurred at 134K - so my fault for not changing as soon as I got her.&nbsp; She's still going strong at 144K.</p><p>Find out as much about the car as you can - the more the better.&nbsp; see if you can find an indie to perform a pre-purchase inspection.&nbsp; Don't fear the mileage if the car has received the necessary TLC</p><p>Steve</p>

 

I am another guy who bought my car with 90k+ miles on her. She now has 130k miles and is running well.

These cars love to be driven, so knowing what I know now I personally would not touch one that had below 50k miles. No way it could have been exercised enough to keep it running correctly. The newest of this series is nine years old, so do the math.

My blue cat is my only car and my daily driver. Don't be afraid of a few miles if it has been taken care of. Plenty of guys on here with 150k+ and still going strong.

Check the stickies and do all the preventative maintenance and stay involved with this forum. Best bunch of cars guys I know.

 

You are considering a model which ceased production in 2005 and the latest is now at least ten years old. Rubber components in particular deteriorate with age as well as mileage so suspension and tyres should have evidence of replacement regardless of miles.

I never worry about high mileage on a Jaguar with a well documented history. After all, it doesn't take an idiot long to wreck one so low miles in no guarantee of condition. I do worry about several previous owners, especially if any have only kept the vehicle for a short period which could indicate a major issue they didn't want to fix. With the XK8/XKR first thoughts are transmission followed by unreconciled error codes. I always put my scanner on a potential purchase - it tells me more than any vendor will!

What does surprise me is the number of members who have bought vehicles where basic servicing and repairs have been missed. Check the owner, check the paperwork then check the car.

Graham

 

Excellent advice, cheers

 

I agree DRIVE IT, low miles does not mean great no repairs needed car. 2002 and newer you don't have the timing chain tensenior issues. If possible ask for documented main history, not any verbal crap. If you don't a ton of cash to pay folks to fix it when it goes down, either you better know how to fix many things or I would not buy one. These cars can run for ever but they can make you sick real quick of fixing it if you are not used to cars like that. Suspension parts are know issues, cheap quality with bushings, springs, etc. Cooling hoses tend to give many headaches, get a southern car if you can. read up on the GREEN SHOWER issues for some. DON'T take it to a jag dealer to fix it, find a good local shop that works on them. If you get one, if you can't tell how old the battery is, REPLACE IT. These cars do NOT like batteries that don't put out (ha ha ha) A low battery may start the car every time, seems like there are no issues, but many of the small components on the car HATE a weak battery and will act up, aka the windows lose their memory settings, etc.

 

Definitely agree on the battery thing.

 

I just bought a 01 XKR with 132k on it. The car ran great had clean oil and it passed smog not problem so I didn't worry about the mileage. The front seats need some attention and does the paint but at $4300 I couldn't go wrong. Also it was a Southern California car so no rust, just left out in the sun a little to much. It runs like a stab rat, fastest car I have ever owned.