The title says it al really?
I'm just getting a 2003 XK8 and I don't want a project car. I've done that just too many times before so I'm hoping it will go for the next 80K miles with little more than regular service.

Am I hoping for way too much? Pipe dreaming? Dissolutional?

 

If everything has been done: Front suspension, brakes, rear suspension, Tie rods, top hydraulics, tilt/reach, transmission, battery, tires, you are good for 35,000 miles.


80K would be tough for a completely brand new Jaguar.


If some of these items aren't new, you have projects ahead of you. But you get the satisfaction of knowing you can generally fix everything that goes wrong yourself.

 

+1 Thanks to the folks on this forum, I do not consider mine as a "Project Car".

 

Pretty much any 15 year old car is a "project" car. But many more smiles than driving a Camry

 

Some of the things you mention like brakes, shocks, yours, battery are routine and expected. But what do you mean by transmission being done? Changing fluid and filter is a given, but is something more extensive to be expected?

 

Michael,
I think that any car that is over 10 years old is going to be a project car to a greater or lesser extent. It will doubtless frustrate you at times, but the upside is you have one of the most beautiful cars ever made.

You have the non-exploding tensioners and more robust auto box so once the age/wear items are sorted as recommended then you should be good to go.

The best tool is already in your toolbox with membership of the forum, and do invest in an OBDII code reader: they're cheap as chips and will be invaluable down the line.

Enjoy!

Mike

 

Thanks. Guess I'm used to top end Toyotas. I have two Land Cruiser with a combined mileage of 512,000 miles and nothing save routine stuff. But I've has MGA's and B's so I know what you mean. Thanks.

 

Ah. Not even 'Top Gear' (you've doubtless heard of the programme) could kill a Land Cruiser, and they did try. The moon and back is pretty impressive, but think of the panache...

Bear in mind that the XK is built to keep the landed gentry in the comfort to which they expect, so some of the rubber bits are a little on the soft side

OT, I have a long-standing attachment to a 46 year old MGB: it has four spark plugs and the same number of fuses, so much less to break.

Mike

P.S. I think Ungn was alluding to the trans. oil/filter replacement - I'm sure he'll chime in if not.

 

I got my 2004 vert as a project car, an excuse to not watch jeopardy every night after work and exercise after the age of 65 just getting in and out. I am in Canada so she goes away in October after the return trip from Myrtle Beach. At 130,000 miles she runs like a dream and I am trying to figure out what I can do for her this winter. I can only wax her so many times.

 

It's a JAG. Don't expect to buy one that you can just get in and drive as if it is a Toyota, you are buying the wrong car then. Do get the 03-06 model, no tensioner issues, the better 6sp ZF trans. And many other things Jag finally ironed out with these cars.
If you are looking at these and you find a low mile unit that is spotless that does not always equal NO MAINT. The front end components are well known for going south on these after about 10 years be it on a 50k mile car or 90k mile car. Good chance you will being fixing something in the front. Most of these cars are running around on 10+ year old belts and rad hoses that need replaced. This car does not have a Chevy small blocks that can take an over heat or two. These motors are not keen on being ran hot for too long.
Some will also say that if you cant turn a wrench and plan top pay shops to do all your work that this is not the car for you unless ya got deep pockets.
This car can be the MOST FUN car you will ever drive and gets looks from EVERYONE. But is no Toyota by any stretch of the imagination.
There are a ton of electronic this and that devices in these cars that when not given the proper power from the battery can wig out on you and make ya think the sky is falling. If you get one, first thing I would do is get the battery replaced if it does not pass a load test.

 

[QUOTE=MikeofBonsall;1531241]I'm hoping it will go for the next 80K miles with little more than regular service.
Am I hoping for way too much? Pipe dreaming? Dissolutional?[/QUOTE

'Guess I'm the only one who at first laughed, then decided it was a rhetorical question..

 

New Filter for the trans and you should be good.

I had a South African who set up the transmission in my T-type. 100% stock, 100K mile transmission and I ran about 300 trouble free dragstrip passes getting down into the mid 11's in the quarter mile. Could pull a front tire on launch and it never missed a shift.

He swore by never changing the fluid. He drained the fluid, strained it through nylon stockings, put in a new filter and put the old fluid back in. His rational was new fluid has different PH and it will change the sealing characteristics of the transmission and would loosen deposits so they would gunk up the transmission.

He said it was very often the case that people didn't have problems with their high mileage transmissions until AFTER they changed the fluid. He told me if you changed the trans fluid every 30K miles, go ahead and change the trans fluid. If you haven't changed the fluid in 100K miles, reuse the fluid or just leave it alone.

It may be a load of BS, but he made his living building great transmissions and I have to trust his advise. I justifies procrastination, too, which is nice.

 

On my two Land Cruisers with a combined milage of over half a million miles I have rigorously done routine maintenance and never had a breakdown and I would never dare take the case from the transmission unless it was sick. One speck of grit or a contaminated filter is worse than old oil. Let the magnet do the work.

 

Thankfully the car is the sexiest sport car ever ..i dont care who you are!

Jags look Good and they need service.. a Japanese cadillac they are not.

All THAT said...the 2003 has steel sleeved block and should be better then pre2002 xk v8s
i sold my 97...one that was 115 km and the motor was gonna be toast soon. ;(
loved the car but 15 grand CDN to fix... SOLD IT SOLD IT SOLD IT

got a 2004 it neede breaks and some other stuff serviced.. but didnt pay retail for it so we were able to put a little $$$in to get it up to par... more to come probably but hey its a Jag

 

I've got a '98 XK8. The tensioners and pump were already done. I've owned the car for nearly 3 years now.

I've had to pay for a few bushes to be replaced, battery, alternator, etc, the sort of thing you expect on an old car. If you don't have a good cheap mechanic who'll actively try to keep the costs down ( or if you can't do it yourself ), don't buy any old car.

For what it's worth, since I fixed the initial problems over the first year, I started putting £75 into a car repair fund. That's not ran out for a long time and I've been able to use the surplus to do things like replacing the rusting wheel arch and install a new radio.

 

As revenge for that hubris, my car wouldn't start yesterday (probably just a bad battery, but still)

 

You put £75 into a repair fund and its not ran out, that's some going.......

 

He probably meant to say £75 per day. What with Brexit and all...

 

Ha, sorry, that should say £75/month

 

In my case, to answer your original question: She goes for miles, and miles, ..... in between projects. :-)

I'll hop in her at any time and drive across the country without a second thought, but every once in a while something needs to done (or just "should" be done). In 90K+ miles she's really only been "parked" three or four times for repairs. When she "is" down for repairs or servicing, I take care of EVERYTHING I can get to in the process. So little by little, the worries fade, and until the the transmission grenades (kidding) she's gets ever more reliable; more so now than when I bought her 4 years ago, with 100K on the odo.