OK, I've admitted in an earlier post that I'm a Jagaholic, having owned nine Jaguars over the years. As you can see from my signature line, all but one of them were XK DOHC 6-cylinder engined cars. (The one exception was a 1948 3 1/2 Liter DHC with the pushrod six.)
Anyway, the dormant Jag addiction was reawakened this past summer when my son was looking at an XJ40 that turned-out to be a dog.
BUT, I've now got the bug for an XK8 drop top and would like to know what some of you think would be the best year to look for: 1997, 1998, 1999 or 2000? I doubt my budget will allow a newer year.
I'm aware of the hydraulic top issues and the tensioner problems with the XK8s, but don't know if one of these years is a better pick than the others for less overall problems. I know each individual car is different and condition and maintenance is very important, but I would like to narrow down the field while I search for one this spring after I sell my current toy, a 1990 Allante.
I also realize I'm asking for opinions and, like a certain part of the anatomy, everyone has one. So if you prefer a certain year XK8 over the other three, I would appreciate your reasons.
Thanks in advance.
Jim
Webster Groves, MO
Previously owned: '48 3 1/2 Liter DHC, '51 Mark VII, 2 -'55 XK140MC DHCs, '61 E-Type OTS (274th built), '63 E-Type FHC, '70 XJ6, 2 - '76 XJ6Cs

 

stretch the budget and go for at least an '01 because you get the steel sleeved cylinders.




John

 

I agree with Beauregard,, but as long as you're going to '01, why not go all the way to '03 and get a 4.2 liter engine? That's what I have, and I'm very thankful I didn't buy a 2002 or earlier. I got mine for a mere $14K.

 

Thanks!
I'll broaden my search parameters to '03 as noted. So far, the '02s and newer I've seen have been in the upper teens pricewise, and my budget is lower-to-mid teens, but maybe I will find a newer one in my range. I've found '97s for as low as $5k, but they were POS. I'm not interested in a restoration, so I would like to find a well-kept car with mileage not a major factor as long as it's been maintained well and properly updated (e.g., tensioners replaced, etc.). My experience has been that private sellers who are enthusiasts are the better sources versus dealers who often don't know much about the cars they sell and are usually higher priced than private sellers. Of course, there are exceptions.
Thanks for the info. about the cylinder sleeves!
Any other watch-outs?

 

You have owned great classics namely Mark Series are my fave
I wish you can find a decent Jag like you want

 

Beauregard had a good point about the steel liners. I didn't think about that, I was going to tell you there really wasn't a difference, But the steel liners didn't come to mine until he said that. There really isn't much difference except engine management differences from 1997 vs. 2000, Try and find a 01 or 02. If your worried about the tensioner issue, you can at least pull the valve covers and see if they have been done. If not the just do the secondary tensioners, those are the only ones that fail. I've never seen a primary tensioner ever fail. If you did the secondary chain tensioners, you will should never have a problem with the timing chains ever. The convertible top lines are something you would just have to live with. They would leak from 97 cars all the way up to 06, which was the last year of that body style. I've never been a fan of the those xk's, because I don't like the way they handle. 2007 and up through in through. I guess I just like the new stuff. I can't stand old XJ's, except the mid 90's which were solid. In line 6 was a great engine, except for headgasket weapage. But anyway try and stick with a 2001-2002.

 

Plastic primary tensioners do fail at times (if you work at a Jag dealer for a few years you see almost everything fail, if it's made by people it will break)
When the primary tensioner fails it will rattle the curved blade at certain RPM (usually low RPM) The 'O'ring and groove in the tensioner bore fail and the oil pressure will not keep the blade tight.
The newer primaries have a ratchet type system and won't retract unless manually reset.

bob gauff

 

You should definitely be able to find a 2003 in your price range. I just found a 2005 in Charlotte for $15K. http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/2074625137.html I only paid $15K for my 2003, and that guy was asking $15K. Hmmm... now I'm getting confused. Maybe I paid $13K. I have a bad memory. I paid $13K. He was asking $14K and I paid $13K.

Anyway, there are lots of them out there in that price range. Mine had about 72,000 miles on it when I bought it, but I've added another 10,000 miles to the clock since then with no major problems.

 

I see you're in Missouri. Here's a 2003 in St. Louis for under $15K: http://stlouis.craigslist.org/ctd/2075329664.html

And here's a 2003 near Kansas City for about $15K. http://kansascity.craigslist.org/ctd/2045615109.html This one is in a beautiful color combination. I'd love to sell mine and go buy this one. It only has 43K miles on it, too. You could probably talk him down a grand or two, especially when you consider the time of year. This isn't prime convertible-selling weather.

Heck... now that I think about it, if you're interested I WILL sell you mine. You can read all of my posts on here to see the history of the car since I've owned it. Make me an offer. I'm looking to buy a 2005 or a 2006. If you're even slightly interested let me know. I can email you dozens and dozens of pictures. I want to finish the lower suspension bushings before I sell, though.

 

You all have posted some very good information!
Rev. Sam, I'm tempted by the grey XK8 in O'Fallon, MO, but I have to wait to sell the Allante for the garage space. Plus I don't have the $ right now. I'm a pretty deliberate buyer, but if I see "the right one," I'll jump on it.
My early fascination for Jags was fed by those full page ads of the E-Type in R&T in the early 60s that showed a FHC and an OTS in red with a biscuit interior. When I finally saw an OTS in the flesh one fateful day in downtown St. Louis, the hook was set. If I found a bright red XK8 convertible with the tan interior that was in good condition, I'd probably buy it and end up sleeping in it after my very understanding wife threw me out!
I'll look anywhere in the US to buy "the right one": I bought my Miata from a seller in Milwaukee and my Expedition from a dealer in DC.

 

Been with Jaguar since 1998, I've never have seen the primaries fail once. But if you say you have, then I guess you have.

 

If you're willing to go anywhere to buy the car, just use one of the websites that allow you to search all of the different craigslist sites at once. Go to google and type in "search all craigslist" and you'll find a number of them. I've used allofcraigs.com before, but there are many others. You'll find a lot more cars on Craigslist than you will on cars.com or autotrader because CL is free. You'll also find a lot more private sellers on CL, and that's where you're going to get your best deal.

 

I had a deposit on the following XK8 in Springfield, IL

http://www.greenfamilystores.com/?p_...guar XK Series

I ended up buying a 2003 XKR. I was in communication with Scott Pillsbury and the dealer was going to sell the car to me for $15,500.

 

Dr. No,
I was just in Springfield, IL, last week! I would have taken a look at it if I had known it was there. It looks like a good car for a decent price. I may contact them to see what they would give me for my 1990 Allante as a trade-in.
Rev. Sam,
Thanks for the tip on CraigsList. I currently use CLGenie to search for certain items on the STL CraigsList and occasionally use it to search other nearby cities, as far as Chicago. I'll definitely use the national search.

 

Don't mean to make this a thread about tensioners again...but my 2000XKR had cracked guides...the new replacements are suppose to be better plastic..of course I changed everything; uppers, lowers, guides and chains..it's a question of longevity, peace of mind and infact the guides along with the secondary tensioners were cracked. Also, from what I've learned, if you have good compression with the nickasil lined engine and today's better gas, then it should outlast an iron lined engine...so if your price range dictates an older car then don't be put off by the earlier years. Nuff said.

 

Steve's right, if you have a strong running Nikasil engine it shouldn't be a problem. I was looking at a XK8 originally, until I test drove the XKR( there's no comparison between performance). You may want to test drive a couple of different models first. I have 80,000 on my Nikasil engine and it runs strong.
Doug
2001 XKR Silverstone

 

I am the OP and I originally posted the question about which year XK8 would be best to consider. I had zeroed-in on the XK8 because I thought the XK8s would likely be less abused and a bit less complex and therefore less expensive to maintain than a comparable year XKR. BUT, is that assumption correct?
What are the advantages/disadvantages of the XKR vs. the XK8? The prices for the two are not very different for 8 to 10 year old cars. (The only thing I've noticed is that the XKRs generally have more miles on them than the XK8s of similar vintage that I've seen advertised, but that's only drawn from a small sample.)

 

I honestly don't think to many people buy $70,000 to $90,000 cars and literally beat them( a side note I did witness a snot nose kid on Hollywood Blvd in LA beating a Ferrari). I found my XKR, a one owner who had taken care of all the known problems, and shows no signs of abuse. The difference is the XKR is more of a high performance car. See the thread above about XKR performance and quarter mile times. The suspension and and drive train makes a different handling car. I have not seen much complaint about the supercharger. I think it's pretty much bullet proof. A test drive did convince me.
Doug
XKR Silverstone

 

Don't neglect looking for a late '02 XKR! After a manafacturing date of 6/01, the engines had at least 2nd generation tensioners, and most of the other early issues had been taken care of. There was still the tried and true 4.0 engine and very solid transmission. Some issues came with the '03s that relate to the newer engine and transmission. 2002 XKR was a low production year, and there aren't that many of them - but I have one and love it!

 

The Eaton M112 superchargers in the XKRs rarely cause problems and are used in may supercharged cars of the era. They have a design life of around 100K miles, and require no maintenance. They are also rebuildable at a relatively modest cost. As was said, the Mercedes 5 speed in the 2000-2002 XKRs is a smooth, reliable and heavy duty unit.