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next week will be 7 years with the Mistress and hit 175000 miles on her today. It hasn't been all roses and she's going to need a paint job soon but still enjoying the ride!!! Thanks to this forum and the outstanding members for helping me keep her on the road!!!
Well done, Steve! I hope I'll be that lucky. I've had my XK8 about 2.25 years and have been really happy with it, so far. I agree: This forum is priceless.
Well done indeed. It will be seven years of XK8 ownership for us as well on February 3rd as the car approaches 118,000 miles. Since the acquisition of our 2015 Lexus RX350 SUV in late October, the XK8 is no longer my wife's daily driver but she still wants to keep it as a toy. She continues to exercise her XK8 at least weekly to keep it as happy as possible, and I even take it out for a spirited spin every now and then although I am far too tall to fit into it. While I would prefer to sell it, I must admit that it remains a drop-dead gorgeous automobile after all these years....
sklimii,
Congrats on your ownership milestone. I have about the same mileage as you do on my 2002 XKR. I don't drive mine as much as I did when it was my daily driver (which is now my X150), but I still love putting the top down and cruising around town. About a month ago, I got it back from several months of a mini restoration as I figured it was either sell it for nearly nothing or make it look and drive like new for less than I could buy a ten year old Camry. So I had it repainted, had the engine rebuilt, all the shocks replaced, new convertible top, and took the side body mouldings off (before painting), new slotted and drilled rotors, brakes, and tires.and a few other goodies. While I love what it looks like and its obvious heritage ties to the E-type, when compared to the ride, power, and handling, and general feel of my 2010 XKR, it is hard for me to drive it and enjoy the "bowl of jello" jittering of my X100's ride. I guess I had expected that after replacing most of the front end components along with the shocks it would feel better.
I hope you get another 175,000 miles' worth of enjoyment out of yours.
While my wife indeed still loves her XK8 and considers it the most beautiful vehicle she has ever driven, it will never be her daily driver again. Her recently-acquired RX350 is much more comfortable with far more safety features and amenities. After daily-driving various SUVs since the mid-1980s, her XK8 was a gorgeous detour for nearly seven years but she wanted the room, practicality, and safety of daily-driving an SUV again. If we wind up keeping her XK8 for the long run, I doubt that it will do more than 1,500 miles a year. It truly belongs with another owner who will give it the exercise it prefers by daily-driving it again. Time will tell....
Jon, I guess it's simply that the equation 'benefit/cost > 1' still holds true for your good lady in the same way as I believe it does for most of us who drive these cars
I have, though, taken the liberty of converting 'benefit' into subjective style/panache/feelgood factors...
Impressive miles indeed! My 7 years of my x100 ownership comes round in the summer too. Gotta say, I am seriously thinking about what do. Love the car, the looks, the power, the presence. But, I'm down to a couple thou a year on the road now. Wont drive it in the wet (which theres a lot of here in the uk), obviously salt on the roads (even when it's not wet), and most of the villages we love going to for our drives are right next to beaches, with sand everywhere. Its only done 52k (26k when i bought her), and love every minute driving her when I do. I'm on top of mtce and theres nowt wrong (as far as I know!) with the xk anywhere (apart from maybe a 4 wheel refurb). It's in great con for its age. Just finding myself driving her less and less - which ain't ideal for the car. Decisions, decisions.....
Just to add, I'm no true DIYer but this forum has been an immense source of information. Not too confident in posting much, but I read and follow everything everyday.
Coming up on 10 years for me with my 2005 XKR. Currently has about 53,000 miles. My wife and I have always been at odds as to how long to keep cars. I tend to get attached to my cars and the shortest I have owned one is maybe 7 years but I have owned a couple for 13 years (and would have kept them longer). So I am having to endure my wife's bugging me to get some newer vehicle with all of the modern doo-dads. To me the Jaguar is kind of like a Picasso--you don't get rid of it just because you have had it for some time.
IF I was to replace the Jaguar the only vehicle that has really caught my interest lately would be the Giulia in terms of looks, price, and decent performance.
michaelh, redeye - thanks and 250k is certainly achievable
I hope so! Coming up on a year and a half with mine (but was my uncle's for over 15 years prior to that). Unfortunately, I've only been able to drive it for about 5 months of that due to winter and repairs, but have clocked probably about 10k in that time. Hoping to put an obscene number of miles on mine in the coming years. Trying to get everything prim and proper in the hopes of a massive road trip in 2020 (think Reverend Sam, but about twice the miles covered).
I don't know what Sam did but we have done this road trip up to Vermont 1.5 times (used Amtrak auto train once just for fun up to DC) and back to Florida 2 times. Top was down 90% of those 5000+ miles driven in early Octobers.
Not sure if it qualifies as massive but was a lot of fun. And zero problems with the car.
I don't know what Sam did but we have done this road trip up to Vermont 1.5 times (used Amtrak auto train once just for fun up to DC) and back to Florida 2 times. Top was down 90% of those 5000+ miles driven in early Octobers.
Not sure if it qualifies as massive but was a lot of fun. And zero problems with the car.
Hoping to do a western trip eventually.
I did not know about the auto rail. That is super, super cool.
Also, I would consider that pretty close to massive. That must have been fun. Before I head off to grad school in (hopefully) 1.5 years, I'm hoping to take a month, maybe month and a half and pretty much circle the country. I'll have to have the car completely sorted by then, and even then I'll want to have a solid reserve of cash and bring some tools as well. For some reason, I'm really into high mileage cars. My family has an owned-since-new 2004 Audi A6 3.0 with 223,000 miles, and I think that's just the coolest thing. My first car was an owned-since-new grand cherokee that my Dad bought a year after I was born. I got it to cross 200k on the day we traded it in. We'll see if can join the ranks of some of the forum members in their high-mileage x100s.
I did not know about the auto rail. That is super, super cool.
Also, I would consider that pretty close to massive. That must have been fun. Before I head off to grad school in (hopefully) 1.5 years, I'm hoping to take a month, maybe month and a half and pretty much circle the country. I'll have to have the car completely sorted by then, and even then I'll want to have a solid reserve of cash and bring some tools as well. For some reason, I'm really into high mileage cars. My family has an owned-since-new 2004 Audi A6 3.0 with 223,000 miles, and I think that's just the coolest thing. My first car was an owned-since-new grand cherokee that my Dad bought a year after I was born. I got it to cross 200k on the day we traded it in. We'll see if can join the ranks of some of the forum members in their high-mileage x100s.
Yeah the Amtrak auto train runs between DC and Orlando. It was fun for sure. Its an overnight run so you get on in afternoon, get dinner on the train and when you wake up (we got a sleeper cabin) you are there. Not cheaper than driving but way better than a day on I95. :-)
next week will be 7 years with the Mistress and hit 175000 miles on her today. It hasn't been all roses and she's going to need a paint job soon but still enjoying the ride!!! Thanks to this forum and the outstanding members for helping me keep her on the road!!!
@sklimii , What a great milestone! It's good to know that plenty of people are getting high mileage and even higher enjoyment out of a properly maintained Jaguar V8. Definitely gives me hope my decision to buy a XK8 to fix up and drive more often was a good one.
I just realized it's been 10 years since I picked up my Silverstone. January of '09, flew to Dallas and drove her home. Great stuff and long may they run!
Originally Posted by rothwell
I don't know what Sam did but we have done this road trip up to Vermont 1.5 times (used Amtrak auto train once just for fun up to DC) and back to Florida 2 times. Top was down 90% of those 5000+ miles driven in early Octobers.
Not sure if it qualifies as massive but was a lot of fun. And zero problems with the car.
Hoping to do a western trip eventually.
@rothwell , that is a truly awesome idea! I may have to try that when my kid gets old enough for a booster seat to fit her in the back seat, sounds like a nice laid back journey and your car is there when you get there...
"..........Hoping to do a western trip eventually........"
c'mon west, young man !
Your car has long legs, a great match for our wide open spaces . Most states west of Missouri have a great network of seldom traveled 2 lane roads that are a drivers joy, particularly in spring or autumn. From the Dakotas down to New Mexico and West Texas, you'll have these 2 lane roads to yourself, especially by east coast standards.
My first XK8 was a Coupe, it was Topaz, that was in 1998, Had to drive up to Louisville to buy her....I drove it until the Lady stopped me and made me pull over! Had to wait until her Husband could get there with his Check-Book! Momma wanted that Car NOW!...That lead to the Black on Black 2000 XKR Coupe that I found in NYC!. Drove it until 2003, when my Dentist's Wife blocked me in a Parking Space at his Office and guess what? She wanted it more than I! That lead to the 2003 Onyx/Cashmere XKR Coupe that I found in Chicago...drove that little jewel for several years until the Lady crossed 3 Lanes of traffic to total it.... That lead me to "Sweet Sugar" my current 2005 XKR Coupe that I found in Dallas! That's been since 2009.....We have been pretty good friends for sometime and about the end of January, she crossed the 100,000 mile marker....At my age, I have decided that if some Lady comes along, I'm not gonna sell her this time!! Let's count the years, Boys.....I believe that's 21 years now that I've had a Coupe and 3 of them were Black or Onyx, but I'll tell you back in 1998, that first Topaz Coupe was the most beautiful Car in the World! No one had ever seen one in any Color....and everyone almost broke their neck's looking at it! That was some Car, even with the Revolver Wheels! Even today, I still have to stop and look every morning when I come out the Kitchen door into the garage! It's like the very first time I saw her...….Just Beautiful! Absolutely Beautiful...……..
still enjoying the ride
My "Sweet Sugar"
