Looking for some free advice.....Currectly have a beautiful 98 X8 Convertible looking to perhaps purchase a 2002XKR with 40,000 less miles. I'd almost double what i have in the XK8. Is the purchase of the XKR worth it? Free advice I read somewhere on another post that for a taller person the vision lines are better in an XKR???

 

4.0 XKR: pro’s: more fun if you like acceleration. Way stronger and more reliable transmission (4.0 model). Simplified valve train (no variable valve timing)

as long as the known issues of timing chain tensioners & water pump have been addressed, then the 4.0 XKR can be a very reliable car. At least mine has been.

Z

 

Your call on "is the extra worth it" but l would say it is. If you are comfortable with the XK8, the R will put a smile on your face.
No reason the vision lines would be any different though, other than the later seats in the 2002 model all the interiors are basically the same.

 

Thank You for your feedback. I'm losing sleep over this!!! lol

 

I know what you mean. I have a hard time making big money decisions too, especially when it comes to buying cars. What I need and what I want are always two very different things and I tend to procrastinate until my options dry up. Sadly, nobody makes a "personal luxury car" anymore but if I could buy a 2024 Lincoln MKVIII (or if Jaguar weren't going out of business, a 2024 XJ12C), I'd be all over it. I kinda wish that I had sought out a Super V8 instead way back when I bought the X308, but today it wouldn't be practical as a daily driver. If you already have what you need and can afford what you want, then don't procrastinate. They are not getting any cheaper.

 

If you are looking at a 2002, make sure you check the engine manufacture date. The fixed metal tensioners don't come in until 18th august 2001 and my 2002's engine was built about one month prior. I specifically bought a 2002 thinking I'd avoid the problem, but didn't. Considering its a pig to DIY or a good $4k-5k to have a shop do it these days (I got quoted 5k... haven't had it done yet. Fingers crossed at less than 50k miles my gen2 tensioners are ok) its worth making sure and negotiating accordingly. A higher mileage car that's had them done is worth more in my opinion. Or just get a 2003 or later with the 4.2 and the 6 speed - better fuel economy than your xk8, more reliable, more powerful, all the same looks.

All that said, when I was shopping for mine I had the XK8 vs R debate with myself and I decided I'd kick myself later if I didn't get the supercharged model. Equally, if I was buying the car again... I'd get an X150 XKR Coupe instead. I preferred the styling on the X100 convertible at the time but the X150 has grown on me, especially the Coupes, and over time I use the car less and less with the top down, partly because of the weather, partly because I like the refinement, and partly because I have an MX5 as well that the top never goes up on.

 

Did I miss something? When was this announced? I thought they just pulled everything from the market and in the process of restructuring their dealer network and releasing a completely new EV lineup, which I hate. I wish they kept a V8 sports car available with the rest of the EV lineup.

 

I believe he is just speculating. But I will not be surprised if Jaguar (along with multiple other niche marques) eventually decides to close its doors....

 

Jaguar said they want to go more upmarket with a full EV lineup so no more V8 just EV. I will be surprised if they can pull it off. I have seen a few dealers scrub off the Jaguar name off their premises though only leaving Range Rover or Land Rover for what that is worth. They might just be changing the logo though I guess.

 

The only Jaguar dealer in Puerto Rico no longer has the Jaguar logo or even a showroom. It's all Land-Rover now.

As the manager told me, they will continue to sell Jaguars when Jaguar returns to the market with their new cars and they still have some stock left. However, they said that the way sales of Jags will be handled going forward will be very different. It will be more of an a la carte, build to order model. They may have one or two cars in the showroom of each model so that prospective buyers can see it and that's it. They also said that they got to see the new designs for the upcoming Jags and said they are jaw-dropping. But take all of this with a grain of salt. I don't know if any of it is true.

Also, I think the EV future is grim. I do not like it one bit. I rode around in a Tesla in Texas earlier this year and I was bored out of my mind in it. Also, EVs are not feasible in many countries, especially those that are still developing or have subpar electrical grids. Moreover, if the power for your EV is coming from an electrical system that still uses carbon or fossil fuels, you're not really doing much for the environment, just shifting the pollution source.

 

I am the same, EV's really do nothing for me at all esspecially an EV Jaguar. I do think it's a good idea for them to move more upmarket again though as I think it was a mistake for them to move downmarket and compete with BMW.

 

A couple of observations. First I sort of feel the same way about EV cars even though we just bought a Lexus hybrid SUV to replace a 2012 Acura TL. I am surprisingly pleased with it but there is just something more "entertaining(?)" about an ICE vehicle. I expect this will be the feeling for most "old timers" who learned to drive during the "muscle car" years. The electric vehicles will typically outrun an ICE vehicle but it is less fun--feels more like driving a device rather than a car.

Second point is that if Jaguar is truly going to be a limited "a la carte" product I wonder if the older classics like the XK8/XKR lines will become more valuable.

 

I agree with everything you said. I do think they should remain more upmarket for sure. They should be looking to compete with Bentley in their saloons and SUVs and Aston, Maserati, and Porsche in their sportier cars. Competing with BMW, I think, sullied Jaguar's brand caché.

EV cars really do make sense for ultra-luxury cars like Rolls Royce's in which the goal is to have the smoothest most overindulgent ride. But for fun cars, EVs are the equivalent of having fun with a smartphone. It gets old fast, and it's party trick is often brilliant, but uninspiring. The ICE vehicle is more entertaining because it feels alive.

 

For me it was easy. I bought an XKR just because it has the most power. I was afraid that I would miss it if I bought a XK8.
For the EV question; I have an I-Pace as my daily driver, it has the "Jaguar feel" and it is very fun to drive - even on twisty roads.
IMO you do not get the Jaguar feel with a diesel estate. For me that was a much bigger disappointment.

 

I don't see this changing the demand (Value) for our cars. Regardless of what Jaguar may or may not produce going forward, the numbers of available XK's remains the same.

 

I think the better comparison would be comparing real physical experiences with using virtual experiences. I cannot for the life of me understand the appeal of the various online video games/adventures where you compete against other folks using virtual identities. Seems like a mental illness to me.

 

I disagree with this comparison. I guess you had to grow up with them to appreciate video-games. Video-games allow you to disconnect from your current experience, however grim, dull, or happy it may be, and live out vicariously through the video game. It's the same as movies, books, and sporting events. In fact, it's better than movies, sports matches, and tv shows, because in video games, not only do you identify with the characters or team like you do in those other entertainment mediums, but you also solve puzzles, you get to have fun in settings that would either be dangerous or require experience and training in real life, such as racing games and first-person shooting games, and you get to participate in the story and its outcomes such as in Role Playing Games. There's also the competitive aspect for multi-player games. Competition is innate in humans. That's what sports, olympic games, mixed martial arts, racing, boxing matches, base their spectacle on, the need to demonstrate that someone is better at that niche activity. Video games allow this too. They challenge your skills in logic, reasoning, perception, response time, etc, in a safe environment. Studies have shown that children that grow up playing video games have better abilities in pattern recognition, spacial awareness, logic reasoning, and quicker decision making. Are video games as good as doing the actual activity it pretends to do? No. Not by a long shot. You will always have more satisfaction out of winning that LeMons race than you would winning an endurance race on Gran Turismo, however, one is much more dangerous and expensive than the other. I'd argue it's no more of a sign of a mental illness than watching movies or tv shows.

That being said, some people do take it too far to the point that it's unhealthy, but that also happens with movie buffs, some sicko's that get into the armed forces for the wrong reasons (to kill), workaholics, and people who lack a sense of self-preservation.

Now getting back to the subject of cars, EVs feel to me like appliances or a fancy iPad on wheels. At least, that's my experience with Teslas. I haven't been in an I-Pace, Taycan, or Rimac to compare it with.

 

I get the attraction of video games but when it gets to the point that you prefer these to interacting with real physical people in the real world, that is a bridge too far. Similarly when I am in an elevator with four or five other people and I am the only one not absorbed in my Smartphone, I just shake my head. In fact I cannot recall the last time being in the elevator in the office building I work in when there was nobody on their devices--also goes for walking from their cars in the parking basement to the elevator.

 

Ah, now that's a different thing altogether. That's an addiction to the dopamine combined with introversion.

 

That is bad, but I see people with their cell phones propped up on their dashboard with a phone holder right in front of their face, or just stuck in their ear while driving. I'm so old (how old are you ?), I'm so old my father used to turn the radio off in the car because it was distracting.