Wayne, I have the car now. It's a beauty.

 

Larry, this is certainly true for me, even when--or should I say especially when--the car goes home with me every night!

 

Sorry, Guys. I lost track of where I'd had this conversation. Didn't mean to leave you guys hanging. Still acclimating to the forums.

I did buy the car. It had some issues the first day I had it, and I took it back to the dealer and asked that they remedy those items. They weren't eager to do so, but they did eventually take care of them. I've had the car back with me for a few days now and I have really enjoyed driving it. Fits me like a glove--a fine, super supple Italian leather glove (if you'll pardon the mixed European metaphor). They still owe me a new glove box, which is on backorder. And I've started a list of other items that need to be addressed. Yesterday I discovered the shoulder harness on the driver's seat belt does not catch when tested, and I am going to ask them to take care of that as again it is a safety issue--and the service invoices they provided to me stated the car had just passed a safety inspection.

 

Bob, you're right about the wheels. And you're also right about them not being quite my style. They are listed as 19" Atlas Alloy Wheels on the original window sticker, with a corresponding upcharge of $1200. I thought I could always change the wheels, so that wasn't a dealbreaker for me.

In fact, I had recently watched the Spectre press conference where they unveiled the new 007 car, a silver Aston-Martin DB10, and I was left with the impression that it had black wheels. Now that I've had another look, I think they are silver spoke on graphite. Regardless, it would seem I am on-trend with these black wheels. Not sure that's enough to entice me to keep them, though. They are more edgy than elegant, and I don't consider myself edgy, although I do reflect a certain retro element in my personal style.

 

Wayne, I do plan to take the car to an indie shop for an objective assessment. If that finds anything majorly wrong with the car, I did purchase it on a credit card and I could challenge the charge if I find they have defrauded me.

I've been reading these forums for days, and I know I saw someone refer to an indie shop in Fort Lauderdale (Broward County) that does good work on Jags. I'm off to hunt down that post so I can take the car in for an independent inspection.

 

I agree! I think the black wheels are masculine, and not at all my style. But they could be switched out. In fact, I read somewhere on these boards that the XK8 rides smoother with an 18" wheel (I think that's what I read, but I don't have that post handy to verify whether my memory is correct). Coming from a Vanden Plas, I'd like my ride to be as smooth as possible, so I may swap them out for a wheel that would give an even smoother ride.

 

Foxylady, You are correct in the ride being a bit firmer with the larger wheels, in my observation, as I had the 17 inch and went to 18's and noticed a difference. It's not like harsh, just firmer. Be careful of the tire pressures, most run 32 front and 30 back, which seems to help with these wide tires. Look around the Forum for other opinions on different configuration
Glad all is working out.
Wayne
Glad all is working out.

 

Thanks, Wayne. Will do.

 

foxylady,
Congratulations on your new car, and I'm glad you did what you wanted and didn't listen to all of the naysayers. I also knew that the dealer, when faced with refunding the whole amount or fixing a couple of problems worth a couple of hundred dollars, would take care of the problems.

I have 20" wheels on my XKR coupe and 18" wheels on my XKR convertible, and there is no question that the 18" wheels give a much more relaxed, comfortable ride than the 20" ones. If you decide to keep the larger wheels but don't care for the black, it is relatively inexpensive to have them painted. I have black wheels on my silver coupe, and I think they're a little sinister looking plus the light just dies on black wheels and doesn't show the details. I am considering having them painted a gunmetal charcoal (with metallic). A friend who just got a new Viper has this color on his wheels, and it's gorgeous and would look great against the silver.

Enjoy your new car and get used to getting daily if not hourly compliments. Of the thirty or so cars I've owned over the years, including some very nice sports cars, nothing has ever garnered as many comments as my 2002 including my 2010.

Happy New Year, happy new car.

 

tberg, that charcoal sounds mesmerizing. If you do yours, perhaps you could post some before and after photos for us to admire.

I have to take care of some other things on this car before I turn my attention to the wheels. The GPS doesn't work properly, nor does the "analog" clock on the dash. I've started a punch list.

I have already experienced the double-take glances from passersby, especially young guys. The car drives like a dream. I hope we enjoy many happy years together.

 

Foxy, the GPS works on my 2006. Believe me, it is terrible. You couldn't find your way home with it. If you have other things on your punch list I would suggest focusing on them.


Not sure what you mean by the "analog" clock. My screen has a small digital clock readout - lower left corner.


Love the car!!!


Jack

 

The usability of the navigation depends upon where you are driving. It uses 10 year old maps, so if you are driving where the roads have not been changed much in the past decade, it works fine.

If you have that most recent (again, 10 year old) navigation update, and Jack, your 2006 should, then the full-screen analog clock appears if you do not press the navigation joystick at startup.

 

Looks like yours works differently than mine. If I do nothing with the GPS controls, I get a picture of a Jaguar on the screen with a digital time in the lower left corner of the screen.


And my GPS map (should I try to use it) does a poor job of the simple job of showing street names. Mine is pretty useless.


Jack

 

Sorry to say, someone swapped the DVD in your 2006. You have the early (1999 or 2000) navigation version...if you remove the disk you will see the copyright date. You should have the 2003 DVD for your car....that would have the analog clock instead of the Jaguar leaper image.

 

Interesting. Bought the car from a Jag dealer late 2010. Wonder who switched it? Wonder if the later DVDs are available?


Anyway, I use a modern GPS on top of my dash.


The picture of the Jaguar on the screen is nice.


Jack

 

You can sometimes find the later DVDs on eBay. But due to the general antiquity of our cars' nav systems and the typical DVD asking price when you are able to find one, you're simply much better off using your smart phone's GPS apps....

 

Yep, I'd rather use current technology. The GPS stuff keeps getting better.


Thanks,


Jack

 

Re: your recent purchase: I am also thinking about buying a 2006 from a friend. I'm not sure if it's the Victory Edition. It has similar mileage to yours. Can you tell me what you paid?

 

Hi Dougboost,
I'm new at this blog and not sure if my previous post went thru. I'm thinking of buying the 2006 XK8 convertible from a friend, but not sure if it is the Victory Edition. I found pricing on Edmunds but it is no longer allowing me to stipulate that it's a convertible. It's also has around 40k miles. Could you tell me what you paid? It has a special paint. It's called midnight, a sparkle black. Thank you, Debbie

 

The thread is six years old.

You would be better off starting a new one.