From 97 to 05 what was the best year they made these, what were some of the changes made to them during those years. Performance, styling...

 

I would say 02 and 05...02 last year of 4.0 liter so most problems should have been sorted out and then 05 last year of that body style

 

I'll second that for the same good reasons.

 

Although the 2007 has some great attributes, I do prefer the earlier body style that ended in 2006.
Brian

 

Before purchasing my 2005 XKR coupe three years ago I posed this same question to several Jag Techs. I was most interested in service and maintainability. In a nutshell I was told almost universally: coupe (too many issues with the convertible mechanism and a more solid ride), XK8 (followed by XKR because of the fuel intake) and 2003-2006 model years, because all the major issues had been addressed. In terms of looks; well that is highly subjective...they all look good!

 

Yeah, these beauts definitely had some issues to be worked out, so the later the better. Not sure how many mechanical changes were made after the big changes in '03. However there were some styling changes for '05 and '06. I, personally, liked the styling of the later models, but as with anything as subjective as styling, there will be differences in opinions. But the short answer in my opinion would be anything '03 or later should have most bugs worked out.

 

I agree with the '02 selection - IF - it is a late '02 - After 6/01, the engine had the newer tensioners, and yet the smaller 4.0 more economical engine. Combined with the blower for power, a late '02 is, and was, my choice! (also my tech's advice - price vs. value!) DaleD

 

Well, I feel the 2001 rather than the 2002 represents better value. Here in the UK there is probably a £2000 to £3000 premium to pay for an 2002 over a 2001 which is essentially the same car. No further development work was being done on the 2002 over the 2001 because the 2003 was already in the works at the factory.

There is often a belief that the last year of a series (corvettes are a prime example) is the best of the series but I woulda rgue taht the second last year of a series sees the height of it's development without the premium owners will pay.

 

The earlier cars did have some problems, but most of these are well known on this board. Hence, if you can find an earlier one with low miles and it's pretty cheap (being "less desirable") you might be able to head off any trouble spots with some good PM.

That, and you don't have to look at some lame GPS screen that might have been state of the art in 1999 but totally blows compared to what you can get on a phone for free these days. The three center guages on the older cars look a hundred times better than the GPS screen, in my opinion. Then again the later models were faster than the earlier ones.

 

I've owned both the 2002 XK8 and currently the 2000, and much prefer the 2000 due to the softer ride of the 16in wheels/tires. That 2002 17in wheeltire combo was a real kidney puncher for me, and rather unpleasant. I traded one for the other at first because the 2002 had so many maintenance issues and glitchy electronics I concluded the car must have been abused or neglected by the previous owner. The 2000 has been a maintenance dream in comparison, in addition to the more owner friendly ride.

Rusty