I'm considering buying a high-mileage XK8 (I do not have any particular one in mind yet).

We'd simply use it for fun summertime driving in a 30-mile radius -- nothing more. I'd like to spend around $10K to 12K.

The problem is that my brother (a '53 Buick owner) and sister (owned several GTOs) have warned me about buying a Jaguar... nothing but maintenance headaches, reliability, etc. But, the XK8 is clearly one of the most beautiful cars ever built. That's why I've always wanted to own one.

Can anyone chime-in on the problems and/or how wise it is to buy such a $10K to $12K XK8? I don't want to spend tons on it, and I don't want to worry about serious maintenance -- I just want a car that I can drive gently and occasionally. Thank you in advance.

 

Steve, you've came to the right place, you can fill your boots with good solid info on known issues and how to pictorial threads and videos for repairs and maintenance........

These will save you mucho dollars $$$$

The XK gurus will no doubt chime in soon, in the meantime why not check out the How to thread stickied at the top of the secton?

 

There are pitfalls, but if you spnd some time reading on the forum you can identify and eliminate or plan for the important ones and end up with the ideal car for your vision.
With your budget it wouldn't need to be a really high mileage car.

 

Very reliable, it's a normal car....wraped in sexy curves. If you do "ALL" the maintenance yourself....it will be cheap to run. The parts are really cheap compared to some other cars.

But it you have to pay somebody to work on your own car, I would totally pass. The labor costs are going to be your biggest expense...right after gas...lol.

 

Steve..
First of all..why do you assume for the money you want to spend it has to be a "high mileage" XK8? I just got a major creampuff from Sarasota, Florida for $11,000 The car has 31,000 documented miles and is like new in and out. I took it to a mechanic and he called me and said "you owe me nothing, I can't find anything to do to this car" I did have the secondary tensioners done as a precaution but have had the car now two months and have not spent one dime other than gas. Go for it but be cautious and picky. Get it major checked out and enjoy..I am loving mine and still don't believe I got this piece of rolling art for 11 grand.
Ed

 

This is my 4th Jag so I am confident in saying that mileage is not the issue with Jags, maintenance is. If they are well maintained, they are very reliable. I bought mine with 90k miles and aside from a bad alternator, the rest of my issues have been minor and inexpensive. I have average mechanical skills, but with the help and support of this forum have been able to take care of everything myself. Hasn't been in the shop yet, knock on wood.

Let me be the first to say that on any early model XK8/XKR (pre-2003?) you will want to replace the secondary chain tensioners. This is also a DIY project, but somewhat more involved.

I use mine as a daily driver and love every minute of it.

And ask your brother with the '53 Buick (great year by the way) how much he spends on his car. Bet it's more than you will on a decent XK8.

 

We purchased ours about 14 months ago with 62,000 on the clock. ($12,000)
Problems
1. Replaced hydraulic lines to the latch mech. $280.
2. Replaced one coil $143.
3. Replaced hoses and thermostat $180.
4. Check secondary tensioner $0
Started driving the car as a weekend toy and we continued to set codes. Cleaning sensors and so on. But when the wife started driving it daily all these code issues stopped. Its as if the car was telling us something.

I just spend $1,100 in parts and materials on my 2003 Chevy Z 71 pick up. Coil, knock sensors, mas air flow sensor, sensor on trany for the 4x4. I am starting to wonder which is the better bargain.
Buy it and enjoy. When will you get a change to drive a rolling piece of art again!

The car now has 80,500 miles on it. Jim

 

I would say it depends. You don't necessarily need a high mileage in these cars since this was a second or third car for their original owners. Look for an original owner car.

I've seen plenty of 60-80k mile XK8's, I don't consider that high mileage on a modern car. If the car is obviously in great condition and you check the maintenance records I'd say yes.

2. Avoid the convertibles. There seems to be a lot of hassles with it.

3. Have the owner confirm the 2ndry tensioners are 3rd gen or newer. Mine cost around $900 to have a mech. do it.

4. Test drive it. See if there are leaks or leaky gaskets, burning oil, etc. Have a mech. look at it.

5. Private resale will take longer on these cars. They were never a widely known car. Be prepared for driving it for a long time or murderous trade in value. Check Craigslist I've seen people trying to sell these for month after month.

6. Depreciation is ok if you buy it for no more than 12k.

7.Check the tires. Tires are expensive on this car like $300 each, make sure you've got decent ones on it.

 

+1 on what everyone else has said. You brother and sister are remembering the pre-Ford Jags. Ford owned Jaguar for almost 20 years and did a lot to improve their reliability. I have had my XKR for over a year now and except for routine maintenance have not had any issues at all and Jags like to be driven. It's when the sit too long that you start having problems. A Jaguar is like a good woman, she'll always take care of you as long as you don't ignore her.

Mark

 

Is this a trick question

Doug

 

G'day from Australia,
I bought an XK8 last month with 83000 Km on it, I guess around 50000 miles (give or take).

It had a well documented service history and when I left it with the mechanic to give it a thorough inspection, it came up trumps.

Just so I knew where I stood with it I had him change the oil, filters and plugs. She hasn't missed a beat since.

She did have a broken cup holder, but I used some of the tips from this forum to fix that up. I also used the guide here to recode the key fobs and bugger me they all worked perfectly.

This forum will give you all sorts of very useful advice.

Do your homework but don't let people put you off a wonderful motor car.

Cheers
Greg

 

Steve,
My advice would be to research any potenial purchase carefully. The mileage is rather a mute point on these cars especially if the car has a well documented service history. The more history, generally, the better the car and therefore more peice of mind when parting with your hard earned pennies.
This forum is a fantastic place to be and the guys that have the answers are extremely knowledgeable, so fear not.
Find the best one you can, go for it and enjoy the widest grin you will ever have had.

 

Plenty of good advice above on what to look for.

The critical consideration is whether you intend /want to do your own maintenance. If the answer to this is NO, then walk away.

If the answer is YES, you will never be stuck for help and information from the members here. The combined knowledge and experience is sufficient to tackle anything that can happen to an XK8.

Factoring labour costs out of the repair and maintenance equation, you must remember parts are never going to be cheap for such a relatively low volume production vehicle. There's aftermarket sources for many components helps reduce costs but Jaguar parts prices come as a shock to many.

If you go ahead you'll be driving one of the most beautiful looking vehicles on the Planet. The looks on your brother's and sister's faces will probably be worth the purchase price several times over.

Graham

 

"Wise"? No. A well-cared-for Honda Accord or Toyota Camry would be "wise"....

"Enjoyable and immensely rewarding"? Yes. But as others have said, you must be willing to do the vast majority of the necessary maintenance and repairs yourself. This forum will quickly become the most valuable tool in your toolbox for doing so....

Take your time finding the right car. Be sure to thoroughly research and document its service history. Spend some time reading up on this forum and get familiar with the issues that you will need to address if they haven't already been resolved....

Good luck and keep us posted....

 

No, it is probably not a good buy. But so are a lot of other things in life.
When I bought my XK8 a few months back, it was not a case if it is a good buy, but more how bad I wanted the car! I was not after a Jaguar at all, but an old 1974 Dodge. I saw a XJS that looked good but rusted, and then I saw the XK8. The pictures looked very good, but when I saw the car in front of me, that was it. I bought mine for less than $10k and 81k miles with FULL service history including the original window sticker. It was garage kept all the time. I do some maintenance on my bikes myself, and used to do my own cars, but I am not a mechanic at all. I take my car back to the dealer where it has been serviced since new.
The fact that you are asking the question tells me that you would really like one. I don't think the car is better or worse than any other car. If you buy any $72k car for under $10k 14 years later, you will have maintenance. But, if a certain part of your anatomy itches, only a license plate can scratch it!
I don't know if mine was a good buy, only time will tell. The only thing I know is that there are not a lot of cars as beautiful as the XK8 (or that I can afford), and that it is fantastic to drive. For me, that is exactly what I wanted!

 

And just so you know they can go the distance, I've just cleared the 180k mile marker. I'll have had mine three years come November and picked it up with 120k with a fresh transmission (routine around 100k for the first few years they were made--make a note of that) and paid less than $9k for the car. I've put a few parts on it in 60k miles.

I'll repeat the above mentioned note that you just need to maintain them and it really helps the budget to do your own wrenching. Also just as a friendly counter point to another note above; If I were given $300 tires I'd sell them, buy $100 properly rated General AS3 or Continental DWS and have $700 of gas money left over (after they were Road-Force balanced--note that, too) .. but that's just me.

At 30 miles in a week you're barely getting it warmed up. I'm enjoying a high mileage car precisely because it never sets long enough for the seals to dry out and leak. Enjoy the car, drive it, mine is a daily driver and I log about 600 per week.

Mike

 

Steve go for it. Just do your homework on the cars history as the other members suggest. A good CARFAX history report would also be helpful. Take the car to your local Jaguar dealer or indy garage for an inspection before you buy it. It will cost you one hour labor, but it will give you piece of mind for needed repair costs. The service history and reason for selling are very important to know. Check if there is a local indy garage that repairs Jaguars that has a good reputation, as that would be a big plus. I have both in my area. The Jag dealer is a little more expensive than the indy garage, but they are both very good. Parts are not that expensive, but replacing them takes time which drives up the total cost of repair. Do your homework and then buy one of these beautiful cars. Drive it, care for it, join a local Jaguar club and you will be a happy man. Good luck in your search.

Bill N
03 XKR vert

 

Actually on a more serious note, for this car it is likely more harmful to be doing on 30 miles a week versus 300. These cars really prefer being driven and used. I had more problems with the car during the time where it was the 3rd car and used infrequently versus now when it is my daily driver.


Doug

 

Agreed. My wife has put 12,000 miles on her XK8 since acquiring it on February 3rd. She loves it as her daily driver, does not ever want to drive any of our other vehicles, and the car has performed flawlessly since I fixed the handful of small, mostly cosmetic issues it came with during the first couple of weeks of ownership....

 

My two cents ( well they dont make pennys in canada no more !!!) so my nickles worth

It is certainly not a wise purchase (haha) a late model ford focus is a wise purchase !!!! I have a 99 xk8 convert and i love it. Its a dam sexy unique car with the wood and the lines etc .
You have to look at your skill set or your wallet or both. If you are mech/electrical/electronic/computer skilled and dont mind workin on your car than sure ( still not a wise purchase haha) They are better than they were but when you look at tensioners/exploding hydraulic in convert nagging error codes and a doomed transmission you have to really think about it ( newer ones are better so everyone always recommends the newer one ( 03 and above i think )But this forum is a godsend. If your are more mech inclined maybe a 60s muscle car etc would me a better bet. They are alot simpler. But I sized up my skills before I bought and it was site on seen for me but had someone check it out. I have been lucky as it been good sortof kinda maybe !!!!!



Hope this helps

Howard