You can absolutely do your own maintenance, they are surprisingly easy to work on compared to a more complicated german car like a porsche, audi, or benz.. they are pretty reliable cars, not too much to worry about there.. To my knowledge only the brand new XKs 2007+ have active rollover protection with bars that extend when the car senses a rollover, but I may be wrong about that.. They are quite hard to rollover though, but I actually have a friend whose teenage kids manage to do just that, when the slid the car off the highway doing over 100, but its a very rare occurrence, and they were fine (wearing seatbelts of course).. and you can probably expect over 20mpg in combined fuel economy (city/highway) as opposed to the 13.5mpg average I get in my S-Type R...

 

csa, welcome first of all. The XKs are probably the most trouble free models that jag has produced, as evidenced by the higher price tags. There are always a few areas of concern, however, and I recommend you browse through the XK section of the forum for the last year or so to catch up on the most important to you. There is a big difference between engines and transmissions on a 2002 vs a 2003. If you can afford it, get the '03 due to the 4.2L engine and updated, solid, 6-speed transmission. Other items that are maintenance items include the hydraulic hoses on the convertible, various suspension parts & bushings that wear after 4-5 years, telescoping/tilting motors on the steering wheel tend to break eventually, CCV and vent tube that causes emissions leaks and throws an engine code, and other minor repairs. If you can secure an extended warranty, most of these will be covered if they do fail (you may want to make sure it is included, like the 'hoses' on the convertible, easily disputed in regular warranty language).

pretty sure whiteSTR is correct on the active rollover protection on the '07s and up. I'd feel pretty safe about jaguar producing a line of convertibles for 9 years that have remained un'changed in design in respect to the frame and safety. Aftermarket bars would look ugly in my opinion, and if you are concerned, get a coupe instead. win - win scenario, except you couldn't look up and count the stars any time you wanted.

good luck in your hunt, and take your time, be particular and find the right one for you.