Took possession of our 98 XK8 today. I think it was a great find with 65k and a one owner from Ca.

Love this car

 

RadJag1
It's a Beautiful Coupe! and 65,000 Miles is really good for the age....Appears well taken care of!

Hate to ask this question: Have Plastic Tensioners been replaced? My first XK8 was a 1998 in Topaz, looked really good like this one.....until the Right-Bank Tensioner let go: $3,500.00 to repair it! (Several Valves and a Piston + all the other stuff) Please make sure the Tensioners have been replaced! That was a long time ago but it still Hurts!-

Billy Clyde in Houston

 

They have not been replaced. That's on the list.

 

I understand! Please make this your Number 1 priority....DON'T put it off! If you do, you will never forgive yourself...…...

Billy Clyde in Houston

 

My old '98 XK8 vert was a real money pit. 56k mi, one owner car from posh La Jolla, full service records, etc.. owner had put in $6k maintenance before sale. A few weeks after purchase, started leaking coolant, then water pump was shut, then the driver's seat back detached itself! Last but not least, the radiator fan kept running after engine shutoff. I was happy to get rid of it and bought an aluminium-bodied X350 XJ8L -- turns out the most reliable car I've ever had.

Good luck.

 

Radjag1,

Welcome to the world of the X100. Lovely Gen1 in white you found.

+1 to BCP’s suggestion on the secondary chain tensioners.

Fellow Forum member GD, recently pointed to a YouTube video on the Car Wizard’s post inspection of an XK8. Link below.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...s-shop-233808/

It’s good general info on this first Generation (of 3 during 10 year production). Lots of experienced and helpful people on this Forum who have saved me many times, even when I’m stuck in the middle of a job.

If you’re a shade tree DIY home mechanic, this car will probably keep you busy. Also the Cooling system and suspension are worth a closer look and some dodgey electrics are known faults. Parts aren’t too expensive but some plastic trim bits are getting tough to find.

The car will have stories. Don’t get me started on my trunk lights’ fiasco. AWOA start new forum threads for individual issues, as forum members will respond on issues they are experienced with.

If you’re letting others do the work, I hope you have a friendly mechanic/garage as the labour charges could get expensive.

 

Radjag1, welcome to the club! I have a 1998 too.
1) you know about the tensioners mentioned above.
2) the water pump on this years cars came with a run of black plastic impeller that disintegrate.
Don't get caught, its super easy to replace the water pump in your driveway for about $40. If you want instructions just ask.
3) warning: if you're like me, you'll find it awfully easy to enter the car by leaning against the left side of the seat back, slide down into the seat, then swing your legs in. THE LEFT SIDE OF YOUR LEATHER SEAT WILL WEAR OUT! Happens little by little, next thing you know, you've got leather repair on your work list.
4) the engine thermostat housing is made of plastic. Jaguar changed this to a metal version which is compatible with the 98. (Folks will please correct me if I got the name wrong).
5) your car did not come with bluetooth, but you can add it for a huge sound improvement + hands free phone. I never expected it to sound better than the cd player, but wow it sure does. I use the JAGHD-CD from Discount stereo. Cost about $130.
6) you have incandescent bulbs in your headlights. It will not be long before you start buying and trying every version of "Extra Bright" bulb in your local auto parts store. It's a waste of time and $$$ (ask me how I know). You can purchase LED replacement for around $25 on Amazon for your low beams. Yes you can purchase HID replacement, but IME the LED's ease of installation + price difference more than makes up for the slightly better brightness on
HID.

Hope this helps
John

 

Thanks. That was great info.

 

After all these posts, I hope you did not run out and sell this beautiful car!!!
Yes, there are problems, but as I keep saying here, if all you wanted was reliable transportation, you could buy a Toyota Corolla. Find a good Mechanic, get it checked out, do what has to be done, and ENJOY this car. You have found the best forum for answers, so any problems you find have likely already been discovered by someone here on their car. Solutions abound(maybe not always the best, but....). Check the 'Stickys' and other parts of this forum. You have a great car to enjoy.

 

Thanks.....I needed some positive news......

 

Get that Head up radjag1, Think of all the Good Times Ahead for you and your Jag Convertible....It's still the most Beautiful Car in the World!!!

Billy Cllyde

 

Great choice in model year and a beautiful looking car. The early models are, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful cars ever made. I bought a '97 coupe last year and it's been pure joy to drive from day one.
Mine had all the major work done to it and had a binder full of receipts and paper work of the work it had done to it, even down to windshield wipers and tire replacements. I lurked around the various Jaguar forms before
I bought it to find out what to look for and found this one to be the best for advice on repairs and answering even the dumbest questions I had, great forum members here. Don't be scared off by what you see on the
forum. Typically people post here when they have a problem so you only get one side of the story. I've been driving the snot out of mine, long trips and high speed and the car handles and drives like a dream, although
as mentioned above, get the timing chains and tensioners done as soon as possible. Good luck with yours and I'm hoping you get many years and miles of great driving experiences.

 

I'm a smaller person and used to sell cars. The slide in sideways is what I do. It saves the bolsters. We have a 2018 Volvo and do not want to wear those bolsters.