I bought my '97 XK8 when my '87 Alfa Spider got totaled by an illegal immigrant last May. I had always wanted an XK8 so set about looking for one. I bought the one I thought was the best one I could find in my budget after 3 months of looking. That was three months with no car as the Alfa was the only car I owned. I ended up having to bum rides and pester people when I needed a lift to the Docs or whatever. I really hated being in that position. Now after only putting about 2000 miles on the '97 I bought here I am without a car again for more than a week so far. I had been hoping to scare up enough money to buy a 2nd cheap car for times like this but could never get ahead enough. So here I am broke with a broke Jag. If the problem ends up being deeper than just the ECU being bad I can't afford to fix it so it will either sit for months while I try and save enough on disability to get it fixed or try and sell it as is and get a cheaper car with whatever I get out of it. I need a reality check and this is giving me time to think about it.
I owned the Alfa since it was 3 years old and it was my daily and usually only car. Not once did it leave me stranded. All the things the broke was stuff I could easily handle myself. Even at 118k miles when it got whacked it still was on the original clutch and only the 2nd set of brakes. Got great mileage also.
With my health and financial problems the last thing I need now is a car that leaves me without transportation and broke for weeks(or months) at a time.
If the ECU is the problem and its back to running great I may change my mind about getting rid of it at this time but if its a deeper problem I can't afford to fix for months I'm afraid its going up for sale as-is.
Heck, even my XK150 never left me stranded and I drove it 50 miles a day for work. I can't say that about the XJS though,



Dave

 

There is really no way to answer that question. I have had my 2002 XKR for almost 3.5 years and, while I have had it in the shop for upgrades, the only time it has left me stranded was a year ago when the fuel pumps went out on it (that was the only mechanical failure I have experienced). I have a friend with a BMW, her fuel pumps failed in November of 2013 and again this past December, less than 13 months after being replaced but more than the 12 month warranty. These are high end cars but I don't believe that they are any more or any less reliable than other cars I've had, however, they are more expensive to fix when something does break (unless you can do the work yourself). I guess it all comes down to what Dirty Harry said "Do you feel lucky".


Mark

 

I have also owned Alfa Spiders (73, 74, 86 Quadrofoglio). Although they are good cars, they are not without issues (Spica injection, fuel pump etc.) I restored one from the ground up and it was the love of my life (wife called it my mistress lol) but I have found the XK8 to be the better car to own and drive. It has the right balance of power, sportscar feel and luxury all rolled into one.

Enough selling, now onto the task at hand: it aint running. These cars are reliable if you address the problems as they come up- I have not been left stranded by any of my Jags save for the time I bought one and in a rush to get it home drove without a thorogh checkup.

I take into account how much it would cost for a car payment and then look at repair costs- at $300/mo for a car payment I could litereally rebuild the car from the ground up in 3-5 years so it is a no brainer for me. As for being left stranded, rent a car! That should cost about $40/day but at least you wont be without transpo.

Out of curiosity, what led you to believe the ECU is the problem? Sorry if I missed one of your earlier posts- I have seen many a diagnosis overturned by the expertise on this forum.

D

 

If you're cash poor and cannot afford to keep a rolling $2,000 maintenance fund at your disposal for unplanned repairs and emergencies, the sad reality is that these XK8s are probably not the best transportation option for you. I would seriously consider a much simpler, less costly Japanese sedan if I had to rely on just one vehicle and a minimum of cash to support it. Best of luck either way....

 

Can't afford a rental, don't even have a credit card and I am on disability. I'll answer your last question in the other thread.

Dave

 

Unless I stumble across a nice Datsun 2000 Fairlady I won't be driving a Japanese car any time soon. If anything I'd get another Alfa as I know them inside and out and can work on them myself.



Dave

 

You don't need a credit card for a rental.
Renting a car while yours is down for repairs is cheaper than buying another car.

Believe me, I am on a budget and understand the need to spend carefully- I just want to give you options that will help.

 

Yea a XK8 you need to have some cash put aside or a income flow to keep them on the road. They are pretty much HIGH MAINT and even if ya got one that is not, even the smallest repairs are costly.

 

Here you need a credit card or a large cash deposit neither of which I have. My mortgage and utils take pretty much my entire SSD check. I have no savings and can't afford $10 a day for a rental let alone $40. I usually have to find a way to scare up a couple hundred each month just to stay even. Been trying to sell the house for 5 years but no takers in this small town in the middle of nowhere and now it appraises for much less than what I owe so I will likely have to walk away from it.


Dave

 

just sell the jag as it sits. Yes you will take a hit in loss of value if it sells but you could go buy a used higher mileage car like a Honda or Toyota to get you through. Redo the jag gig down the road when you are back to a better place.
As for the house worth issue, isn't there gov programs in place to help redo the loan so you are not upside down???

 

I've been turned down every time because my credit is to good etc. They all tell me I have to be behind in the payments etc before they can even start. And my mortgage company turned down a short sale when I had a real offer on the house for less than what I owe. Even then I would have had to pay tax on the difference. Can't win either way.

Dave

 

Dave--first of all don't you know there are no illegal immigrants--only undocumented immigrants.

Anyway I guess the main thing is that if you are in a tight fixed-budget situation then cars like Jaguar or other high-end marques are probably not the best place to look for cheap-to-maintain highly dependable trouble-free transportation.

Doug

 

Dave, Hang in there I've been in your situation $ wise, and we learn we really need less than one thinks, we are a consumer economy but that's doesn't mean we have to spend.

Have my car up on jacks and pulled rear calipers to replace seals etc, so while I'm there I poke around rear suspension.. definitely will need work top mounts are crumbling but I'm not delving in at this point, I've allocated my car$ already for this winters updates. It looks like I started in the front 2 years ago and I'm working my way towards the back, I figure by the time I get the back done it'll be something in the front, round and round we go. My car runs well and really no stoppers but I see to keep it that way it'll take work every year. It's a 13 yr old car and I don't expect anything less and it's not getting any younger!

 

Should you find yourself forced to sell, (hope not) you may get more for it parting it out on Ebay. A good straight hood will bring upwards of $500 and then you start with fenders, headlight assemblies, working electronics etc. May be able to get enough to pay cash for something else.

 

Right now I am waiting on the verdict from ASI on the ECU. If its bad then I pull the cam covers and if nothing obvious looks wrong I will do a compression check. Then go from there.



Dave