This morning I pulled the trigger and now have a 2003 Blue/ivory XK8 with 45K miles. Turns out that less than 5000 miles have been put on since 2009 so it's been sitting around a bunch. Everything except the back windows works on it now. Be interesting to see what issues arise once it starts being exercised again. Thanks for all your advise, I'll be coming back for more.

 

Congrats.

Do yourself a favor and just change the battery now. It's the one thing I will always do when I buy one of these cars. Too many things depend on proper voltage.

 

Congratulations Ken and welcome to 'the club'. You're in great company here.

Enjoy.

Mike

 

Congratulations and welcome aboard.

Another vote for a fresh battery.

Question on the rear windows: they're stuck but the convertible top functions?

 

Ken,

Interesting and apropos that I read this thread now....

I bought my 2006 XK8 November 2010. Sold my '99 Miata to the wife of my old college roommate. I saw her last weekend. She said she was going to sell the Miata because she only put 5,000 miles on it in the 5 years since she bought it from me. I loved that car.

I am going to their house tomorrow to see my old Miata. If it is in the same perfect shape as when I sold it to her I will make her an offer. I want the car back.

I will not sell the Jag. I have come to love it. My wife is not enamored with the idea of me buying another car, but she understands and is going along with it.

I have owned many neat cars. Sold most of them. I wonder where some are and how they are doing. The Miata is the only one that meets the criteria that I not only want to know where it is, but I would buy it back if given the opportunity.

So now I have the opportunity and I plan to exercise it.

I believe Papa John of pizza fame sold his Camaro to fund his first pizza restaurant. Years later after he made it big he wanted to locate the car and buy it back. He found it and has it back. I understand.

Jack

 

+1 on Battery. Been taken care of.
Yes, top goes up & down. First time I tried the top, rear windows went down but only 1/2 way up and then a bunch of noise like gears not meshing but no movement. The good news is the previous owner is taking care of it. Turns out there is a rear windows mechanism rebuild guy right here in Dallas.

I wish I had my college MGA inspite of the fact that every time it snowed, I had to shovel out the INTERIOR of the car.

 

Yep, and then there was that cruel joke called the heater. And being locked out by frozen side curtains. And wipers that didn't so much remove snow as pile it up in front of you.

Loved every minute of it. Mine is a college car too but I could never bring myself to part with it.

 

Mine would also die sometime at idle and the start button would be dead. After replacing a bunch of stuff that apparently was good, i learned the woven metal ground strap had enough broken wires that it would sometimes just not pass current. So when this happened (usually at stoplights), I had to get out, remove the parcel shelf, wiggle the ground strap, put the parcel shelf back and drive off. Loved that car.