Good day. I have an absolute passion and love for everything Jaguar has done and stands for. I have a particular interest in an early 2000s xk, preferably around 2005. I have been doing a lot of research into the car and found a lot of interesting things. One being that they aren't as unreliable as everyone would say.

So my question is, is there any advice all you veteran XK owners can give to someone who is a first time Jag owner? Things to look for when purchasing and what should be taken care of after purchase to prevent any major problems. Things of that nature.

thanks in advance.

 

Oh and something else I forgot to add, I would prefer the XKR to the Xk8, and has anyone had any problems with the supercharger on their XKR. Also I would prefer a convertible.

 

LOL

I would say good service history, check for under-body rot and then be prepared to spend some money getting it in shape or much less if you can do the work yourself.

Mine's in bits with the rear suspension off with welding to do and I just know the front will need even more work, then there's the hood hydraulics to renovate, tensioners, water pump and hoses under the hood.

Loads of work but such a beautiful vehicle it will be worth every minute!

Good luck

 

There are two different sets of problems depending upon which year or engine on the early 2000's XK/XKR. If you have the 4.0L engine which was available up to the end of the 2002 models, then the primary concern you should have are whether or not the plastic secondary tensioners have been replaced. If not, it is critical to do so. The 4.2L engines of 2003-2006 had metal tensioners already included. If you are buying a convertible, all years suffer from poor o.e.m. hydraulic hoses that wil eventually leak and need to be replaced. The 5 spd Mercedes sourced transmission of the pre-2003 XKR is probably the stoutest of all of the transmissions offered in all years of the XK8/XKR including that of the later models 6spd ZF sourced ones.

The later models dealt with some of the issues, but they all require some love and care. I have surpassed 150,000 miles a while ago, and drove 700 miles last Thursday with no issues. They are beautfiul (better looking than the newer models, I have a 2010 XKR as well), and thorougly enjoyable to own and drive.

Make sure you get as complete a service history as you can no matter what year.

 

See Jaguar XK8 and XKR buyers and owners guide and tutorial - TheJagWrangler for a good overview of the 2003-2006 models.

 

Tberg: Have you had to replace your hoses, and if so how was that in terms of cost and time?

WhiteXKR: Thank you so much!! I have been doing so much research into the cars and i hadn't found anything near that!

 

You are welcome. Special thanks to the author, member vanremog for this excellent write up.

 

Yes, I have had to replace the hoses, actually twice, because of leaks coming from the flanges. I had my mechanic (who works on all of my cars) do the work and he had braided steel hoses custom fabricated by a nearby hose and belt fabricator. But I kept getting a small leak from the side outer footwell panel on the driver's side for several weeks. Finally replaced the hoses, but it was leaking from the flanges where they joined the actuator. Finally it stopped. I would guess it cost me about $1000-1200 including the custom hydraulic hoses. I also had a subsequent leak from the actuator seals and we sourced a used one from a local dismantler for a couple hundred dollars.