Using aluminium for the XK's construction means there are no worries about rust that can plague less well cared for earlier generation XKs. However, it's still worth checking around all of the trim and exterior plastics as they can rub off the paint and let bubbling begin under the paint. A few owners have also reported corrosion where the rear wing meets the door opening.
Keep a close eye out for damage - it's costly!
A bigger concern with aluminium bodywork are dents and poorly repaired damage. Fixing aluminium bodywork requires a skilled specialist and exacting painting to avoid the paint blistering and peeling. You might also find corrosion where steel fittings are used to hold the front bumper, wheelarch liners and undertray. If you spot this, budget for replacing all of the fixings at a cost of around £50 for the fixings plus three hours of labour.
The XK has a Pedestrian Safety System bonnet that raises the bonnet by a few inches when it detects a collision to better cushion a pedestrian from the car's hard points. USA-bound XKs did not have this. There have been some incidents where the bonnet had deployed without a collision due to a bad electrical earth. This can be a costly fault as the aluminium bonnet may need to be replaced as the force of the deployment can rip the pins out of the metal and destroy the hinges. A more likely fault is a broken pedestrian sensor, which is around £80 plus fitting.
Aluminium does mean rust isn't a problem though
Another safety feature is the optional Active Front Lights, which cost £430 when the XK was new. They help see further into corners and are easy to recognise by turning the steering wheel with the headlights switched on to see if the light beam tracks across the road ahead.
A telescopic rear aerial mount on the right rear wing of early cars. It could be removed using a kit from Jaguar that cost £350, plus a further £100 for the wiring. Add in the five hours of labour Jaguar charged to do this and few owners bothered. Jaguar then replaced this unsightly aerial mount with an antenna in the rear boot spoiler for the 2008 model year.
The cabriolet's roof to be raised and lowered with a remote key fob or single touch of the interior button, with a kit available from Adamesh for £250.
PHers view:
"Paintwork on the Carnelian Red was very soft and suffered horribly from stone chips. Really recommend some Xpel type film that I had that on the first XK and it was immaculate after 2 years of heavy motorway use."
Mike Gove