I have been considering getting a XK8 preferably a 2003-2006 mainly because of the engine improvements in those years I've read about. I'm thinking that something in the 75000 mileage range would be a sensible choice . the theory being that most any 'bugs' would have been dealt with.
I have looked at some vehicles that the Carfax report said that the drive belt had been replaced. would this be the timing chain and possibly the tensioners? I have a Mercedes 560sl that I purchased a few years ago and getting it with no service records I had the timing chain, tensioner and guides redone mainly so I could sleep at night.
I realize that there would be cosmetic issues and the like. I'm mostly wanting information as to some 'big bucks' issues I should ask about.
any help is appreciated.

 

3 and up timing chain issues are gone, no worries there. Drive belt prob was serpentine belt.
At 75k you are approaching the miles that the front suspension more then rear end stuff is ganna start going bad, the bushings and the like. Car may not have a ton of miles but it is old, been sitting around for years now and the jag suspension components are not the best for long lasting quality.
You may want to be PROACTIVE and have the battery load tested, I think any test that comes back 12.5 or less you may want to consider replacing if you dont drive her much. These car LIKE to be driven. These cars have many electric components that like to have the proper juice going to them or they can act up, for instance a common first sign of a weak battery is the windows loosing their settings, aka, they don't go back up when you close the window and instead every time you pull the handle they drop more.
Prob a good time to find a European repair shop (NO DEALERSHIPS) to drop your trans pan and replace it and the filter (they are one pc) as these 03-06 trans can start hard shifting. typically a pan/filter change and new fluids fixes it.
Finally, you are headed into the years and miles where the cooling system stuff like hoses and WP go out. Just keep an eye out for them, these have more then just rad hoses, lucky us it has MANY. The temp gauge is a dummy gauge more or less, by the time the red light in it goes off it is a REALLY HOT and REALLY late in heating over process and you MUST shut it off now, dont try to get up the road a mile or so to the house. Pull over where safe and shut it down NOW, no YESTERDAY.
These can be great cars, that can give your many smiles and miles but be smart and educate yourself on the car also.

 

thanks for the help. the car I'm looking at is a 2003,has 65,000m. it is out of state at a Mercedes dealer. I may have to fly in to look at it then try to figure out what it will cost to ship it. don't know if I want to try driving it back at 1000+ miles.

 

Welcome to the forum fishbait1,

You're considering the best years as far as development had resolved most of the early mechanical issues such as tensioners. Transmissions benefit from fluid changes at around 70k miles so this probably hasn't been done.

Check the FAQ's ( https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ts-data-29800/ ) for details on regular issues.

A comprehensive service history is always an essential to me when considering a used Jaguar. Great cars when well maintained, they can be a money pit if neglected. Service interval is on mileage OR time elapsed (12k miles OR 12 months intervals) so a 2003 with 65k miles should have had 12 annual services.

Often overlooked by buyers are items that can cost serious money to fix. All XK8/XKR should have 2 master keys, 2 remotes and 1 valet key. Missing keys are expensive to replace and have programmed to the vehicle. Damaged or missing trim can also be costly or difficult to source.

Using the Driver's Handbook, make sure everything works. Niggling electrical faults are high on the list of faults posted on the forum.

Concerned about driving it back 1000+ miles home? You'd have to use manacles and a general anaesthetic to stop me doing that.

Graham

 

another issue I came across on you tube is the issue of the engine going into fail safe p0121 code. this is evidently an issue with the throttle body and requires the throttle body replacement? is this a common problem? has anyone experienced this?

 

If you search you will find most any issue you can think of happening to an XK8/R. At 10 to 20 years old depending on the MY these cars are entering the high maintenance years. While they can be very dependable more maintenance than one might expect is required to keep them trouble free. However most anything is repairable with the help of forums like this one.

Can anyone here assure you that you will not experance a particular issue, no. Educate yourself and make as good a decision as possible but be prepared for a lot of pleasure along with a lot of aggravation.

Awhile back I was considering selling my 03 as was getting a little tired of the little irritating issues, especially electrical and sensor related issues but I stopped and looked at my beautiful XK8 and said to myself " anybody can drive a corvette or BMW or etc, but only certain people are able to drive a Jaguar and I'm very proud to be one"!

 

Fishbait If you don't want a car to tinker on get a Miata or a Mustang. The Jags are more maintenance intensive than either of those. However, you will get a lot fewer "Nice Car" comments. Keep in mind that the 03 model has a lot fewer problems with the motor and transmission. Also remember that of the 10 people or so posting problems here there are an average of 600 people looking. You will also see the same problems posted over and over. Mainly suspension, brakes, and electrical. Having said that I wouldn't trade my 2001 XK for anything. Even after spending $2400 2 weeks after purchase for the green shower and tensioners. Both problems you will not have

 

Fishbait,
My 2002 XKR had all the typical problems at the 60-90K range. Green shower, tensioners, timing chain, suspension bushings, cam sensor, octopus hoses, supercharger rebuild......it is now more reliable at 160,000 miles than it has ever been, no issues except headrest motors. The 2003-06 allows you to skip the tensioner/timing belt issues. One of the issues not commonly reported are rear wheel bearings and hubs. Beautiful cars.

 

Eveytime I see this car in the garage I can't believe it's mine.


When I got my 2004 XK8 last year I was at this forum everday. It had me so nervous reading all of the problems, that I would say I was almost afraid to drive the car and I bought an Autoclub membership. My car had 110,00 miles and I had no service history. It was solid, it was evident that the previous owner had maintained it so I took the chance. Here in Canada there isn't many of them and you have to grab it when you see them. I fortunately have a nice warn garage so over the winter I changed all of the fluids, serpentine belt, filters and spent hours waxing her. Last summer I drove it 15000 trouble free kilometers to the Gaspe Penninsula and to Myrtle beach. Yes there has been the odd engine check light but get yourself an ELM327 and you can get to the bottom of them. If it looks reasonably cared for you should go for it, everytime you see one go buy you will wish you had. I can't imagine anything closer to heaven that driving through the smokey mountains on a nice summer evening in an a Jag convertible. It just doesn't get any better!

 

Owned several xk8's, best years are 2003 and up. The transmission is the biggest improvement! The chain tensioners are super simple/cheap to update, it's really almost a non-issue on the early cars. What you can't update on the early cars is the tranny.

Plan on spending $$$ on bushing now and then, but that's about it. 'Car years' are counted in number of miles driven more than anything else. So if you find a nice garage kept 2003 xk8 with about 75k, it's really only about 6 years old (in car years). And you can expect it to be mostly trouble free

 

Honestly if you already have a 560Sl you know what you are getting into. Several of the posts above outline the areas you will probably need to refresh. These are all that same items I have addressed as well on my late 02.

I would also agree that driving your Jaguar makes a happy Jaguar. I put 165K miles on my 96 XJ6 VDP and 205K on my 05 XJ VDP. Both cars had no more than two failures during their ownership but I kept up with every maintenance item. Strangely enough we had more problems with our 05 Honda Accord than the 05 Jaguar which is stil hard for me to comprehend.

Drive and enjoy!

 

I think it is worth mentioning that the change to metal tensioners came in late 2001 and that on the 4.0 litre cars, the supercharged versions (XKR) got the Mercedes W5A580 transmission which has proved to be more robust than the 5 speed ZF transmission on the non-supercharged cars.

In other words don't just limit yourself to 2003 and up cars. If you find a well looked after 4.0 XKR at the right price, it would be worth looking into.

 

My 01 Accord is giving me fits right now with random no start issues. Jag has been good after my upfront repairs when I got it (things I knew needed fixed) only repair that has came along since was a leaky WP I did not expect. Have put about 6k on it in the 2.5 years we have had it (don't drive it much in winter)