RE: Jaguar XK8: Catch It While You Can
Discussion
I get the feeling I'll be driving older Jags until I die - so much car for so little, and every few years another lovely model becomes affordable. I'll have one of these at some point I hope. Although lack of manuals annoying - I know it doesn't really need it particularly, but I miss holding cars in gear. Oh, I think the J-gate is cool, I use it a lot 
I bought a 2005 model 5 years ago, it had done 90k at 3 years old, and I've added another 20k to it now. I love it and went into it knowing I should expect some costs.
I've spend in the region of 14k GBP in four years in maintenance keeping it on the road.
Anything under 5k and you have to view them as part-disposable, plus the second hand parts are getting scarce and expensive, meaning that the parts value is probably more than the car for the cheap ones, I'm sure there's money to be made from breaking ones at the 2k mark. Shame - but it's needed to keep the others on the road!
I've spend in the region of 14k GBP in four years in maintenance keeping it on the road.
Anything under 5k and you have to view them as part-disposable, plus the second hand parts are getting scarce and expensive, meaning that the parts value is probably more than the car for the cheap ones, I'm sure there's money to be made from breaking ones at the 2k mark. Shame - but it's needed to keep the others on the road!
Krikkit said:
monthefish said:
Nice article. 
Something like this:the article said:
and it's had that reassuring warranty-funded engine change to rid it of the Nikosil problems that plagued Jaguar and BMW in the 1990s (an easy spot, because they will have fitted a plaque in the engine bay to tell you)
Any pics of what this plaque looks like?
The Nikasil problem is totally over-blown in UK cars, any that are running well today will keep doing so.
The XK8 is a modern affordable classic which will delight you every time you drive it. But, if your budget allows then go for the post 2002 XKR with the 4.2 supercharged engine with 400 bhp and you will have a permanent smile on your face!!
I drove one recently for a couple of days whilst back in the UK. I was genuienly surprised by it. Smooth, relatively quick, comfy ...and the outside looks are still fabulous. Has not aged badly at all!
It was not a race car by any means ...it put me in the mind of the sort of person who has to do a lot of miles up and down motorways....perhaps a company director.....etc etc ... I could not see why I would buy one personally, but not a bad car by any means.
It was not a race car by any means ...it put me in the mind of the sort of person who has to do a lot of miles up and down motorways....perhaps a company director.....etc etc ... I could not see why I would buy one personally, but not a bad car by any means.
KeithAdams said:
SV8Predator said:
I'm surprised Keith brought up the Nikasil issue, as has already been mentioned, not an issue any more.
Only inasmuch as it's a non-issue 
KeithAdams said:
Just check the gearbox works as it should, and it's had that reassuring warranty-funded engine change to rid it of the Nikosil problems that plagued Jaguar
Baryonyx said:
The S Type R may compete on power terms, but it neither feels special like the XK or classy and cool like the XJ. I often think of getting an XK8 and it was something I was thinking pretty seriously about a few months ago. But then my common sense kicks in - the war chest you need to maintain an older Jaguar could potentially fund a motorbike and another guitar!
I agree but I think the later S-type cars are quite under-rated, and quite good value.@ gamefreaks, beautiful example. I think that when left original and with the black leather rather than the lighter shades these cars are a good looking classic GT, and are bargain like all old Jags. Having had a couple of old cheaper XJ saloons I would certainly look at one of these in the future and recommend the cheap Jag experience as long as you make the right checks and are willing to spend the time waiting for the right car to come along.
At the price point I really don't see any true alternatives to the XK8, as anything with these type of looks is 3 times more expensive and too fragile for serious use.
At the price point I really don't see any true alternatives to the XK8, as anything with these type of looks is 3 times more expensive and too fragile for serious use.
This was my Phoenix Red XKR beauty which I had to sell on two years ago due to a redundancy. It was a very sad day, and it would be with me now but alas, my girlfriend at the time lived a very long way from me and petrol costs were considerably more than my Mitsubishi Evo 8 I had before it, so I wish I got rid of the ex girlfriend now instead.
It was the very last of the 4.0 supercharged engines, built roughly 6 months before the later 4.2 engine, so had the better tensioners in there already. As said previously, if an early nikasil lined engine is going to have issues, it's a 99% chance you'd know about it now.
Only issue I had really was an ABS sensor went down, which started to throw up all sorts of faults, and at one stage, was throwing gearbox fault codes. You really need somebody who knows how to look after them. I was thankful I had XJK Jaguar on my doorstep in Stoke.
Was great turning up to Jaguar shows and people asking me "Where's your Dad, he's got a nice car", got boring after a while though X-(
I bought it with a very, very low 17,100 miles on the clock, and sold it on with 25,000
If anybody out there knows how KX51 XVR is doing, I'd love to know :'(
Cheers, Chris
It was the very last of the 4.0 supercharged engines, built roughly 6 months before the later 4.2 engine, so had the better tensioners in there already. As said previously, if an early nikasil lined engine is going to have issues, it's a 99% chance you'd know about it now.
Only issue I had really was an ABS sensor went down, which started to throw up all sorts of faults, and at one stage, was throwing gearbox fault codes. You really need somebody who knows how to look after them. I was thankful I had XJK Jaguar on my doorstep in Stoke.
Was great turning up to Jaguar shows and people asking me "Where's your Dad, he's got a nice car", got boring after a while though X-(
I bought it with a very, very low 17,100 miles on the clock, and sold it on with 25,000
If anybody out there knows how KX51 XVR is doing, I'd love to know :'(
Cheers, Chris
Edited by ChrisG99 on Friday 10th January 00:37
I've never driven one, but they are one of my favourite looking cars ever. I'll have one in one of the dark greens with tan or ivory hide and a slab of wood. In my opinion, jags should be piped hide seats with wood everywhere, not the may as well be in a hatchback aluminium brightwork nonsense they are today (not sat in an f-type, but been in current XJ, XK and XF and they don't feel luxurious at all to me - too cold and germanic). For anyone thinking I'm an old fart, I'm 27. Right, rant mode off.
Are we allowed to offer criticism of the article? Are we expected to? I feel a bit guilty about my reaction to it. The oblique hilarity of SOTW, the barely cogent suppressed insanity of Harris, not to mention the fluency of Nic Cackett. The game has moved on. I could do better myself.
Brilliant car - a bit cramped, but loverly place to be.
A friend had an older 4.2 version and it was great. Was potentially one of the cheaper cars he had run for a while - nothing other than routine maintenance at an indie and nothing went wrong (though there was always the potential).
Unfortunately the gearbox let go and lunched itself. A replacement recon unit was significantly more than the value of the car and it was allow to go to the great scrap heap in the sky. Loverly car and he did miss it.
He replaced it with a 370Z which he still has, but he still hankers for the V8 noise.....
A friend had an older 4.2 version and it was great. Was potentially one of the cheaper cars he had run for a while - nothing other than routine maintenance at an indie and nothing went wrong (though there was always the potential).
Unfortunately the gearbox let go and lunched itself. A replacement recon unit was significantly more than the value of the car and it was allow to go to the great scrap heap in the sky. Loverly car and he did miss it.
He replaced it with a 370Z which he still has, but he still hankers for the V8 noise.....
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