Gentlemen, New member Blues

I am contemplating purchasing a USED XKR 2006 Victory coupe. Can you advise me what YOU would look in assessing this beautiful car. I have been around cars(mostly American Muscle,Tiger,GT-6) my whole life. This car is interrupting my Rem sleep and sleep cycles.Kinda excited but want to know the inside scoop on what to expect and to look for. Can anyone assist me??
Cappy

 

Cappy,

I bought a 2006 XK8 Victory Edition convertible a year ago. Great car. Last year of the run so they got most of the bugs out. Still, it is a complicated, electronics rich English car. So do the math.

I too like muscle. I own a Superformance 427 Cobra. Huge power. Not much weight. Short wheelbase. The Jaguar is different. Much different. To me, this is not a car to muscle around. It will do it, but it does not want to. Too heavy. Too long a wheelbase. It is however about the best GT car you can get. Great on the open road. Every comfort. Drop dead beautiful. Just gorgeous.

Pretty much all of my other cars have been either light nimble sports cars that make mincemeat of twisty mountain roads. Or powerfull sports cars like the Cobra that are like smoking three packs of unfiltered Camels a day. The XK8 is very different.

I love it.

Jack

 

I have owned a similar spec August 2005 XKR 4.2S for almost a year now. Easily the most beautiful and powerful car I have ever had, but it's not really a sports car, IMHO. More of a mile muncher. And yes, the electrics are a pain. Also be prepared to shell out $1000 for absolutely everything that goes wrong or needs replacing.

I see my car as being like a beautiful woman: a pain to maintain but the source of pleasure you just can't put a price on

 

Talking of muscle cars......

Check out this video on YouTube:

Two Turkeys on Thanksgiving Wrecking their Corvettes in The Woodlands - YouTube

 

I saw this. Someone posted it on one of the Cobra boards.

Dopes.

*** Clowns.

Jack

 

What you think of a car like this will depend greatly on where you are coming from. The car that I was changing over from was a 1995 Corvette that was like a part of me after driving it daily for 14 years. Going from that into my 2005 XKR was like a Lincoln Towncar cruiser in comparison. Where the Corvette was light an nimble and response the XKR was heavy and (comparatively) lethargic. It does have plenty of power but it just delivers it in quite a different way--just a smooth rush once you get rolling. It definitely feels at home when cruising along on open freeways (a rarity in SoCal but maybe not so bad in Nevada).

For the price at which you can get an XK8/XKR nothing comes close to sheer beauty and class and pleasurable GT cruising. Going with a coupe will eliminate the issues of having a convertible (glitchy hydraulics) and they are also rarer over hear in the States.

Doug

 

BLKCAT and all

I love those two seater cobras and have the leg scars to prove it. Never got use to those side pipes getting out. My first muscle was a 1967 Midnight Blue Shelby GT500 which I drove daily-even in the snow.Ahhh...the good old days of Sunoco.
I was contemplating another Shelby GT500 but there are so many of them. I prefer something different-refined??
Does anyone think the Victory model will hold it's value more?
Thanks for your insight all, Cappy

 

The Victory Edition might be worth a few more bucks now because it had all the options available. More important that it be a well taken care of car. I think that would make it most valuable. I believe the lighter Elm on the dash is Victory Edition only. Not sure.

In the future I believe these cars will depreciate for a while. Many of them will end up in junk yards because they will be old, maintenance happy cars. In the longer run, well maintained examples may well be worth a good bit. Wouldn't surprise me if you kept the car a long time - you may get all your money back when you sell. Or more. It will still look drop dead gorgeous 15+ years from now. Cars like this look good forever if they are maintained. Don't buy it for the investment. If you did a present value analysis of $ out over 20 years (R&M) against whatever you sold it for you would probably be better off buying a Ford Focus every couple of years. No fun though.

Jack

 

Beware! Kitty cat bites! I've had Corvettes, Lexus, Mercedes, Infinites, nothing beats a Jaguar. The look and feel of driving one is like nothing else. I am in my "happy place" when I'm driving down the road.

They can be finicky, so you got to love'em.

 

Check for uneven tire wear? By 05-06, the XKs were pretty dependable and had almost all of the previous year's issues resolved.

Green shower of death is the only thing you really have to look forward to.


Agreed. And it'll probably be 20-30 years before people start deciding these are classics, it's gonna take a long while if anyone is thinking they're buying one of these as an investment.

 

So far it seems the coupes haven't been plagued with this issue ;-)

 

I've had my xkr for 1 1/2 yrs. and grin everytime I drive it. The other day my wife commented while sitting at a traffic light that the lady across from us was staring at her---then she finally said---"oh, she's not staring at me she's looking at the car". The only problem I had was the intercooler aux. pump wasn't working which threw a RP when I drove up a steep incline at 70 mph. Other than that it's been great.

 

Thanks for the feedback. It appears quite positive. Money makes the Jag go around...the Jag go around...the Jag go around
xenophobe-GREEN SHOWER OF DEATH?
Cuse my ignorance-is that antifreeze on the ground or the green stuff that never grows in my pocket? Cappy

 

The Green Shower refers to the leak that convertibles will invariably get with the hydraulic lines that power the top. The typical leak occurs at the front latch that is right over the rear view mirror. When you start to see a few drops of greenish fluid in that area or dripping onto the shift console below--watch out!

Doug

 

The first thing to look for is the Carfax, then the dealer records, then a thorough inspection by an expert. Finally, the results of a good test drive. I have had one of these for three years and it has not been expensive at all, needing only an ABS sensor during that time. The only thing about it that I am not enthralled with is just that it's high performance thresholds give it a slightly nervous feel to me compared to a cruiser like the XJ8 or Audi A6. The 20" wheels and low profile tires with the sports suspension rides very tight. This is not my favorite car for a trip.

 

I love it..brill

 

+1.

I've bought two cars where the carfax was clean but the owner disclosed previous accidents (Corvette with a roofing shingle off house in transit ripped top and cracked windshield and also had a mirror busted up in a garage backing up incident; and a Chevy Impala that had been vandalized and repainted), and looked at plenty where the carfax was clean but shouldn't have been. So trust when carfax says there was an accident, but not necessarily when they don't.

I do all my own work and can inspect cars without taking it to an expert, but another set of good eyes can spot stuff you overlook. Plus, if they have more experience with that model and era car, they may spot a major concern you may be oblivious to.

If the test drive reveals any issues that weren't disclosed, bring it up. I've bought most of my cars with problems, like slipping transmissions, head gaskets, rod knocks and such. BUT the seller disclosed that and the price reflected it. If you think ANYTHING is off about the seller or the car, even if you can't place your finger on it, walk away. There will always be another car and another deal. You have that feeling for a reason.

These cars can be fun, reliable and overall an enjoyable ownership experience, with the key being to buy a well maintained example and keep maintaining it.

 

Thanks for the valuable insight and information. The XKR I'm drooling over has NOT been serviced by schedule. The gentleman and I went for a test drive yesterday with the gas guage on empty(the red light was glowing). That was quite a distraction().I've always been the type of guy who rarely ever let my gas guage get below half(condensation in the winter time in the tank). He just didn't seem to be a "type A" with his car but a nice fellow. This car is immaculate. Small chip in the windshield and a scape on the rims( ) of the Perseus rims-curb kisser.
The car fax is showing a discrepancy in mileage-appears to be a mistake by the Smog station-put in 20,000 more.This is a problem...red flag??
I'm taking it for an inspection at a local Jag shop(NO DEALER IN RENO)-that makes me cautious also. I just love this car.Stay tuned...

Cappy