A couple of nice instances lately of compliments on my car. The first was a few weeks ago when we were at a restaurant and had to valet the car. Afterwards when we had the car retrieved, there was another group waiting for their car. When the valet rolled up with my XKR, the older gentleman in that group said to his companions that he would rather have mine and then jokingly asked if he could come along with us. It was a bit embarrassing but I thanked him for the compliments.

Today I had to get my car smogged for the first time (Kalifornia don't you know) and went to the station that I have been using for many years. The tech there kept going on about how great the car looked, how much fun it must be to drive, how it must be fast, etc. Given that these guys see a lot of cars it made me feel good.

Not that I need anyone else to "approve" of the car but with all of the new cars and models that have come out in the last several years, I like the fact that these cars still look as sweet as they do--timeless.


Doug

 

They are great looking. Very stylish. I always get compliments on my car.
Nice conversation pieces.

 

The lil woman always gets compliments on the XK. Great lines no doubt and timeless. Our previous car was the 300C, you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting 7 of them here, the XK I've seen 4 in 6 months. So Doug, Debbie and all the other XK Owners...E N J O Y !!!!!

 

being that theres so much traffic and hundreds of people walking the streets here in ny, every time i pull up to a light i always get a compliment or someone is gawking over my car. i may have had some problems with her and i HATE the sorry excuse of aftermarket parts we have for our cars but at the end of the day shes beautiful, rare, timeless and im in love

 

In terms of the "dead cat" criteria, what you get around my area are endless Mercs, Porsche, and BMW. XK8/XKR are very rare in the general Los Angeles area although I tend to see these more along the trendy beach areas like Newport Beach, Malibu, etc. What is interesting, though, is the fairly large number of the new XK style I am seeing.


Doug

 

Yes, you don't see that many of them that's true. I like that.
I also like that it's not too exotic looking. It's just sleek and not overdone.
It's feminine yet macho. Purrrrrrfect!

 

I only live a few miles from the Jag plant an see all the new models that are being road tested, obviously under disguise, and remember when the XK was getting some miles on British motorways around '95-96, fell in love and promised myself I would have one, one day!
On my third now
Bob

 

That must be really cool to live near the Jag plant. Are they still making them there?

 

EERRm Yes, Jaguar still make cars, but not our model and not from the same Browns Lane plant in Coventry. The production now is at the site where Spitfire airplanes were assembled during WW2,on the outskirts of Birmingham, only a few miles from Coventry.
And when I passed today they were still loading the beasts onto trailers for delivery! Not to me though I may add .
Bob

 

I guess I must have thought that since they had been sold to an Indian company they ceased building them there. Duh on my part.

 

I drove out to the Hamptons today (I live in Long Island, NY) and while there were tons of convertibles, including Audis, BMWs, Mercedes, ect... they all blend in with each other, while my XK8 got all the looks.

 

Your rides are timeless pieces so I am not surprised why you are gettin' compliments

 

When you're old you're not going to regret not buying that Audi A4 Roadster or that 3-Series Convertible. I know plenty of people that looked at E-Types and regretted not getting them; even those that suffered through the old English daily reliability roulette game still remember how damn cool they were.

 

Doug, you hit upon the exact allure of these cars. Their beauty is both classic and timeless. As the years go by, their look will always be contemporary.

Like many of you, I have a car that is several years old, but in immaculate condition, and when people see it, because they see so few of these cars, they have the impression that it is a one or two year old car that has been very well kept.

Beyond all of that is my own enjoyment at owning one of the prettiest cars ever made that is also a joy to drive. And, even better, I am not having any mechanical problems with mine. (oops, maybe shouldn't have said that last part!)

 

A few weeks ago I pulled up to a stop light next to a new (and I mean so new it still had the window sticker on it) Corvette convertible. I overheard the new owner's son (I assume) saying to his father that he should have "gotten one of those." The father replied, "that's a Jaguar, I can't afford that." Oh if he only knew mine is a 2000 and significantly less expensive than his new 'vette. I won't tell him if you guys don't

 

Yes, same with mine. It's a 2001 and they can't believe it.
Now that the style has changed you'd have to be Jag savvy
to know any different. I was just looking at some mighty nice ones
on ebay. What a deal on these cars. They were 80k or better when
they were new and most are in excellent condition. But let's keep it a secret!

 

i get those same looks and replies when i drive my jag 97xk8. people think its 2000 and something and they think its really expensive, so i just go with it

 

You are so correct. One week ago I was content driving my F150 and putzing around in my 90s MR2 while contemplating getting another RX7 convertable because I so miss the 'vert. Then I accidently stumbled upon a 1997 XK8 on Craigslist that only needs a power steering hose (I hope). I couldn't believe how low the cost was on them.

I now have a XK8 in the garage (for $4,000) and an MR2 on Craigslist. Once I get down with the current time consuming house project, I am locking myself in the garage until the car is fixed.

B

 

Good for you Beep. Hope you will get it fixed in no time and be sporting around town!

 

Interesting posts about the comments people are getting, as they all seem to follow a common theme....other people are clueless about these cars and think they are almost an "exotic" due to how rarely you see them.

I'm in an interesting position...I have a 99 XK8 that was ordered in a special color, a light green with tan top (purchased by Jack Kemp in 99) and I believe there were very few made in my color combo. I have had it about 2 years and have enjoyed it, and gotten a boat-load of compliments. About 8 months ago a client of mine was moving out of the country, and I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to buy his 2005 Mercedes SL500 convertible. Long story short, I'm in my 9th month of owning two convertibles! It's just been a tough thought of parting with the Jag (paid off) and I had to jump on the SL500 deal, which in all reality, is light years above the older Xk8, which it should be. But needless to say, having two convertibles isn't the most practical thing in the world, yet I do have an SUV for the kids and wife has her SUV, so I'm not in too much trouble yet

Moral of the story is, even with a sweet car to compare it to, it's still hard to part with Jag due to it's character. When I drive the Jag for a couple days, I don't miss the SL....the Jag is just a completely different car with it's own unique appeal.