OK, so i am still on the hunt. What i really want is a 2004 XKR in an acceptable color (i have broadened to around four), but i noticed a 2001 that was appealing. The only real drawback is a 4.0 vs a 4.2, for i must believe when they went to the 4.2 it was not only a matter of a few horsepower (i'm not 18 anymore. Far from it, at least for a human), but they likely made other modifications as well.

If the matter is so black and white that one could say "keep looking for the 2003/2004", then i will, but i doubt there is anything that clearcut from reading posts. Is there a clear difference in the engine quality of build/probable lifespan?

Thank you, everyone.

Hopefully at some point soon i can settle on one, start taking things apart and become a resource for others, but for now, well, here i am-

Best Regards,
Bruce

 

4.0 L XKR:

PROs:

less expensive
arguably one of the strongest A/T ever made
less complicated electronics than the 4.2 L

CONs:
may still have the plastic body chain tensioners (a repair history invaluable here)
slightly less power than the 4.2

4.2 L XKR:

PROs:
Better chain tensioners
slightly more horsepower

CONs:
More complicated electronics
higher priced

the two versions have different cosmetic appearances. It’s totally subjective which you think is better

I’m not objective. I found a 2002 XKR with volumes of maintenance and repair records. The known issues of chain tensioners and water pump have already been addressed. The price was right ($7,900 eight years ago). I’ve been very pleased . I’ve spent about $300 in non consumable parts over an eight year period while putting on about 90,000 miles. Car now has 205,300 miles and still going strong.

dont be afraid of a higher mileage car. Cars that have been driven are proven road worthy. Garage queens are not proven reliable and many issues result from letting these cars sit for long periods of time.

hope this helps.

Z

 

i
Z is one end of the spectrum, I could feasibly represent the other. I found a 2001 XKR for $2500 that has a very straight body and strong engine, but pretty much everything else needed attention. $2000 got me driveable, another $8K of work to do a LOT of other stuff, most of which didn't NEED to be done, but I wanted to basically refurb the car. Pretty much every subsystem has been addressed, and I knew what I was getting myself into. These are FUN cars to work on, parts are readily available, and it will give you a lot of joy and driveability. Just be patient.

 

THANK YOU!!!

 

I'd choose the 4.2. It comes with a 6-speed ZF gearbox. It already has an aluminum alloy thermostat housing. The timing chain tensioner is important. I had one with over 300,000 km, and I broke it because I forgot to change the oil cooler hoses. Now I have another 4.2 (without the turbocharger, so some related things are simpler), and the first thing I did was change the oil cooler hoses. If you can choose the latest model (2005-06), even better; I think it meets Euro 4 standards, while the earlier 4.2s are Euro 3 (I don't know what the emissions standards are like in the US).

 

As @jhuertas says it is wise to check the oil cooler hoses fitted to the 4.2 version, to make sure they are not from the faulty batch.

This Technical Service Bulletin provides the necessary information.

 

Much appreciate the tech info.

I want 2003/2004 due to the styling of the nose. That might sound a bit silly, but what the heck.

I have been wondering about plastic parts that i will want to replace when i do pick one up. I suspect there is a list somewhere of items to replace per model year.

You make me recall a Subaru Outback i once had (until i hit an unseeable puddle of water in Florida on 528 one cloudy midnight). A year or two prior to it's demise i was driving it up from the Colorado Springs Zoo to some Will Rogers Shrine to the Sun or some other happy name. I heard a pop and saw a mess of water on the road behind me. Half the top of the stupid plastic radiator had just blown off. What's next, will they start using duct tape instead of bolts?

 

The 4.0 L XKR comes with an aluminum thermostat housing, you are thinking of the 4.0 L XK8.

the 4.2 L XKR 6 speed transmission is arguably less strong than the Mercedes 722.6 which comes in the 4.0 L XKR.

That same transmission is standard equipment in numerous other cars with much higher performance than our XKR’s (McClaren 575, AMG twin turbo MB, Porsche 911 Turbo’s, etc )

the 4.2 X-100 use of the 6 speed can not realistically be called a strength upgrade

these items aside, the 4.2 XKR does have many features which do make it more desirable to many buyers, just as the designers intended.

just my 2 cents..

Z

 

Don't forget the 2002. Most had metal.
Remember that the metal TC tensioners came on all AJ engines built after Aug 13, 2001. To see this date you have to look at the left side of the engine block, which is easily done (haha) with a smart phone and a flashlight. Don't jack the car up, just stick the flashlight (damnitall, i mean torch) into the engine compartment near the torque converter (shining forward) and put your phone next to the block. You might find that the 2002 in question was produced after that glorious date. The picture of the block is my 2002 engine (02/02/2026) that went into my car, build date of April 2002 on the door. You can see that it took two months from the engine build to rolling off the assembly line.

 

Sorry, I meant that there's already a replacement aluminum cooling duct manifold available. The original is plastic.

 

If the headliner hasn't been reupholstered yet, you'll have to do it. There are a few things that will come up, but almost all of them have been addressed in this forum. In my previous car, a trace on the seat control circuit board broke; I soldered it and painted it with circuit board varnish. In my current car, applying that same varnish to the circuit boards, along with repairing the boxes under the seats, was one of the first things I did. You'll be busy, especially in the XKR. Oh, and if you can, go for xenon headlights (although it's legal to replace some halogen bulbs with LEDs).

 

2002 Feb 26 @ 7:42 in the morning engine build date shown above.

 

Isn't that what I said? Or not. Dyslexia only strikes once. Or is it twice? Maybe my engine is less than two months old. I'll have to check.

 

@motorcarman added the time of day

 

I have to say it's a bit of a fool's errand to try and determine whether a car built 25 years ago or a car built 22 years ago is better today based on the version of the hardware it had when it left the factory.

My 2001 XKR has the superior timing chain tensioners that the later cars have and, as an added advantage, mine are only 10 years old, compared to the ancient ones on all the 4.2 cars.

Additionally, my car came from a period when engineers thought dipsticks were a good idea. Crazy to look back to a time when they did.

Finally, my car has something called a "VCATS label" rather than something called a "VID block". You might want to research that before buying.

However I really think all of that is irrelevant, compared to finding the coupe or convertible in the spec you want, with the colours you want, with the mileage/history you want and without the rust you don't want at the price you can afford - rather than trying to hit the imaginary factory sweetspot from a couple of decades ago.

 

I do prefer the VCATS cars vs the VID block cars.(used modules do not 'corrupt' the CAN bus)
When all the gearbox and cam timing upgrades are done, the cars are fairly 'bulletproof'.