Well gentlemen, it's been swell, but I've decided to put my XK8 convertible back on the market as soon as I have my title in hand. Just paid off the lien.

No worries, this won't be a derogatory thread to complain about owning the Jag. It's a fantastic looking car and I've always get the tingling rush when the garage door opens to reveal its shape. The engine is smooth and potent. And the car has certain distinctive English quirks to keep it interesting.

In the end, however, I just didn't feel right with it. I'm a city-person (New York, Boston, London, etc.) and am used to smaller cars. The XK8 was a bit large, always had anxiety regarding the limits of its dimensions. Also, I didn't fit well in the seats, I would've preferred more lateral bolstering to hold me in during corners. I know... the wife gives me the raised-eyebrow look like, "well, dummy, why didn't you figure all this out when you first test drove it?" Well, I thought I'd get used to it, but that hasn't happened. It's not too bad here in wide-open Kentucky, but I know eventually, I'll be moving back into a congested metropolis where I'd be a bit nervous to drive the Jag.

Well, at least the next owner should be glad to know the hydraulic hoses for the top, the electronic throttle line, and the automatic transmission fluid all have been replaced during the car's tenure with me, all quite expensive repairs and maintenance.

I did do one mod which I personally like and found on this forum. It's the antenna mod which keeps the mast lowered while the radio is turned on. I listen to podcasts mostly and this mod kept the clean lines of the car while the radio was on.

Well, I'll update with what I get next. I'm pretty keen on a first gen Z4. The new one looks brilliant, but way out of my price range since it's so new.

 

Sorry to see you go montauke! I think you'll have no problem selling the car with those service items taken care of, and I think you should price it accordingly also. What about the tensioners?

Anyway, hope you find a car that suits you a bit better. Several years down the road, maybe find a preowned XF and see if that model better suits your interior and dimensional needs. You take care of yourself!

 

It took me a good month or two to get comfy driving the car. I felt like it was too snazzy, too aluff (spell) for me. Never owned a car like that this that says so much, has so much history. I am over that feeling now though. I just soak in the comments, looks, smiles, etc. People always say "how do you afford a JAG" as I think to myself, lord it's 11 years old, and cost me 10k.

 

I think that's the best thing about expensive cars, they age so well, the XK8 in particular, a 10 year production run means you could still be driving a £30,000 2006 car, in the UK we have number plates that have the year of registration built into the number,ie MX57GGH, the 57 dates the car to between sept 07 to march 08, we can buy dateless plates such as GGF523, I have one of these on my 97 XK8 and so far nobody has even come close to guessing it's age

 

Some lucky person will end up with a very nice car. I hope you find one that suits you better. How did you perform the antenna mod? Just disconnect it?


Rob

 

I REALLY want to love this car. Especially after putting lots of $$$ into it right after purchase. But I just cannot overcome the anxiety.

One of the first things I had checked at the Jag dealer was the tensioners. No problems with the tensioners were found. I then double-checked with a local mechanic while getting new tires and he noted there were no problems with the tensioners.

As for the antenna mod, h20boy was kind to share the instructions. It's the mod where a switch is installed to control the antenna when the radio is on. The switch can be installed next to the "valet" button where there's a blank vent space. I purchased the switch at Pep Boys (I chose the amber light) and paid $100 for a local car a/v to install it.