A very spontaneous Jaguar XKR

[Chris x]

Three things:

1. Looks to be a mileage discrepancy on one of the MOT's but probably a finger slip (guessing it should have been 61k?).

2. These engines have issues with the timing chain guides/tensioner, so listen for any rattles once they've done the 'fix'. I think 2013 onwards it was fixed.

3. Proper car!!! Subbed

I'll miss your 330 updates! You should keep it as well

[Carsie]

Lovely! LanceRS.

Similar story with mine. Sunday morning, SWMBO in shower, I'm browsing fleabay.

"You're not looking at blinkin' Jag's again are you?"

"Ermm..it's just that this one has come up, only 2 bids on it, really low price and no reserve and it's got ten mins to run"

So follows conversation " Oh! that's nice! are you going to bid?" "Yes- what she we go up to? £10K?"

SLIMBO prepares breakfast and I disappear into the shed, mobile clasped and counting down the minutes.....

An hour later, over breakfast - " what happened with the Jag? did you win it?

She's never, ever, got excited about my cars before and they haven't been run of the mill jobs either, but this Jag, she loves it. "Careful with the wheels" (exiting multi story) - "don't park too close it might get the door dinged" (Sainsbury's) and so on; quite tickles me.

Great choice LanceRS, mine's only a 4.2 but my giddy aunt does it shift! and as others have said pretty much bombproof.

Enjoy

Gratuitous shot ...

[LanceRS]

Thank you everyone.

The Boss usually has no interest in cars at all. She actively dislikes the BMW and her opinion of the Cosworth cannot be repeated in polite company.
With this she is showing mild signs of genuine excitement. Usually if I start to talk about cars, it is made very clear, very quickly that her mind is elsewhere. Now, she stays in the room and occasionally responds. The look (you know the one) I get when admitting to buying car related things is also conspicuous by it's absence.
So far, this little adventure seems to have almost universal approval, the only voice of descent being from a serial 911 owner. Even he said ‘you only live once’.
I am hoping that the snow that is predicted can either hold off or come and go before I get it.

All being well, it’s first proper outing will be to the Sunday Service in December.

[8bit]

LanceRS said:

Thank you everyone.

The Boss usually has no interest in cars at all. She actively dislikes the BMW and her opinion of the Cosworth cannot be repeated in polite company.
With this she is showing mild signs of genuine excitement. Usually if I start to talk about cars, it is made very clear, very quickly that her mind is elsewhere. Now, she stays in the room and occasionally responds. The look (you know the one) I get when admitting to buying car related things is also conspicuous by it's absence.
So far, this little adventure seems to have almost universal approval, the only voice of descent being from a serial 911 owner. Even he said ‘you only live once’.
I am hoping that the snow that is predicted can either hold off or come and go before I get it.

All being well, it’s first proper outing will be to the Sunday Service in December.

Mine admitted to quite liking my two and was usually chuffed if she had to take it somewhere instead of her own Merc ML320 at the time. Can't blame her for that, the ML was as practical as it wasn't rewarding to drive. Shortly after I got it she took it to go to her hairdresser. I'd filled up the tank that morning and when I went to put it in the garage later I realised she'd gotten through a bit over quarter of a tank. "Bloody hell, you must have been enjoying it?" I asked, and got only a mischevious grin in reply.

One evening when she was expecting our first child, we'd been at a wedding, obviously she was driving home. We pulled up at some traffic lights and a couple of fine young gents in a small hot hatch pulled up in the right hand lane and revved the engine. When the lights changed she buried them. There's a petrolhead in her somewhere...

[Mr Tidy]

A great car and a happy wife - what more do you need?

I've always loved the styling of the XKs since I first had a good look at an XK8 in a car park in the early 2000s.

One for the list when I get tired of 3 pedals, or can't operate them!

[Court_S]

cerb4.5lee said:

Mine always says to me that she loved cars before she met me...whereas I've put her off them now, because I never shut up talking about them!

I am a bit on the obsessive side to be fair though!

She’s never been bothered really, although she is very fond of her 125i though (although it took a fair bit of convincing that it was a good idea).

LanceRS said:

All being well, it’s first proper outing will be to the Sunday Service in December.

I’ll look out for it then as I’m heading to C&M.

[LanceRS]

Mr Tidy said:

A great car and a happy wife - what more do you need?

I've always loved the styling of the XKs since I first had a good look at an XK8 in a car park in the early 2000s.

One for the list when I get tired of 3 pedals, or can't operate them!

The car is somewhat beguiling. I have never owned or had any desire to own an automatic. I have driven many over the years but I am strictly a Do it Yourself man, had there been an option, I would have taken it. I have dismissed the idea of many cars over the years on this basis, although at the back of my mind, the only two cars where I would be prepared to compromise were Jaguar and Mclaren (and unless my numbers come up, that will never happen).
I have surprised myself with how easily I gave up this, most basic of prerequisites. I think that the large, torque laden engine and smoothness of the ‘box itself helped.
It will be the interesting to see how I manage without the correct number of pedals, the first time that I try to heal and toe might produce something entertaining to tell you all.
Maybe there will be a manual F Type in my future somewhere?
In the meantime I intended to thoroughly enjoy my new steed for as long as I can.

[tberg]

LanceRS,
You have just made a great purchase! I have had my 2010XKR for the past eight years. I will surpass 200,000 miles sometime next month, and it has been pure pleasure and extremely reliable. Mine is pulleyed and tuned to about 600hp, has been tracked many times, and just keeps on going. Just make sure you check oil and coolant levels religiously, and keep an eye on the water pump as it's the one well documented weakness in the 5.0L cars. I have been driving for 53 years and had over 30 cars including an exotic. This is the finest automobile I have ever or will have ever owned in my lifetime. You have a very wise wife. You will love this car! Below is my 200,000 mile car.

[melted]

You now have me browsing these. I need a daily that I can pile miles on.

How do they cope with lots of miles and living outside?

[8bit]

melted said:

You now have me browsing these. I need a daily that I can pile miles on.

How do they cope with lots of miles and living outside?

My previous one (a 2008 4.2 XKR) had 72k miles showing at the time I bought it and 96k I think by the time I traded up, five and a half years later. It lived outdoors for the first couple of years, until we extended the house including a garage big enough for it. Generally it wore the miles well, my current 5.0 XKR has just ticked over 60k and besides a couple of stone chips it looks pretty fresh.

Providing they're serviced correctly and maintained well they're generally pretty trouble-free. Poor battery condition can show in a lot of varied electrical-type symptoms but is easily rectified. If you're using it as a daily and we're not talking only very short trips then that shouldn't be an issue so long as the battery is in good shape. A trickle charger like CTek MXS5 is a worthwhile buy if the car is going to be standing still for any more than a week or so regularly.

Perfectly possible to daily these, both of mine did that at some point or other. Fuel consumption is pretty "traditional" shall we say but that's about it. Servicing is every 15k or 12 months, they all qualify for the Jaguar 3+ fixed price service scheme now so main dealer servicing is £299/£349 for minor and major services respectively, there are a range of good specialists dotted around but really there's nothing very Jag-specific in the service schedule.

[melted]

8bit said:

melted said:

You now have me browsing these. I need a daily that I can pile miles on.

How do they cope with lots of miles and living outside?

My previous one (a 2008 4.2 XKR) had 72k miles showing at the time I bought it and 96k I think by the time I traded up, five and a half years later. It lived outdoors for the first couple of years, until we extended the house including a garage big enough for it. Generally it wore the miles well, my current 5.0 XKR has just ticked over 60k and besides a couple of stone chips it looks pretty fresh.

Providing they're serviced correctly and maintained well they're generally pretty trouble-free. Poor battery condition can show in a lot of varied electrical-type symptoms but is easily rectified. If you're using it as a daily and we're not talking only very short trips then that shouldn't be an issue so long as the battery is in good shape. A trickle charger like CTek MXS5 is a worthwhile buy if the car is going to be standing still for any more than a week or so regularly.

Perfectly possible to daily these, both of mine did that at some point or other. Fuel consumption is pretty "traditional" shall we say but that's about it. Servicing is every 15k or 12 months, they all qualify for the Jaguar 3+ fixed price service scheme now so main dealer servicing is £299/£349 for minor and major services respectively, there are a range of good specialists dotted around but really there's nothing very Jag-specific in the service schedule.

Thanks. Shortest trip I do is 6 miles each way to buy bread, nest shortest is about 20 miles of good A and B road, so car will get up to temp etc. If fuel consumption is better than 22mpg I'm fine with it. I will do about 12k miles pa

[AC43]

LanceRS said:

Mr Tidy said:

A great car and a happy wife - what more do you need?

I've always loved the styling of the XKs since I first had a good look at an XK8 in a car park in the early 2000s.

One for the list when I get tired of 3 pedals, or can't operate them!

The car is somewhat beguiling. I have never owned or had any desire to own an automatic. I have driven many over the years but I am strictly a Do it Yourself man, had there been an option, I would have taken it. I have dismissed the idea of many cars over the years on this basis, although at the back of my mind, the only two cars where I would be prepared to compromise were Jaguar and Mclaren (and unless my numbers come up, that will never happen).
I have surprised myself with how easily I gave up this, most basic of prerequisites. I think that the large, torque laden engine and smoothness of the ‘box itself helped.
It will be the interesting to see how I manage without the correct number of pedals, the first time that I try to heal and toe might produce something entertaining to tell you all.
Maybe there will be a manual F Type in my future somewhere?
In the meantime I intended to thoroughly enjoy my new steed for as long as I can.

I fell for autoboxes when my 200SX was getting fettled by Power Engineering and the leant me a bored & stroked Granada Cosworth for a week. That led directly my first C43. That was almost 19 years ago and I'm now on my 4th V8 auto.

I love both gens of XK, supercharges or n/a. When the kids leave home that might be an itch I need to scratch.

[tberg]

AC43,
I have both generations of XKRs, a 2002 XKR convertible and my 2010 XKR coupe. While I love the looks of the first generation X100, in comparison to the X150, it is simply horrible. It's ride is harsh and choppy, its handling is sloppy with any speed, it's cramped for the driver, it is completely unreliable. All of the things the X150 (second generation) is not. My 5.0L coupe is firm but compliant, handles extremely well, and is taut as a drum, power delivery is stellar and smoother, and it doesn't "jiggle" like a bowl of jello as my X100 does. The X150 cars (especially the 5.0L cars) are such a vast improvement that I can't bring myself to drive my X100 any longer. It just sits in my driveway pining away.

[AC43]

tberg said:

AC43,
I have both generations of XKRs, a 2002 XKR convertible and my 2010 XKR coupe. While I love the looks of the first generation X100, in comparison to the X150, it is simply horrible. It's ride is harsh and choppy, its handling is sloppy with any speed, it's cramped for the driver, it is completely unreliable. All of the things the X150 (second generation) is not. My 5.0L coupe is firm but compliant, handles extremely well, and is taut as a drum, power delivery is stellar and smoother, and it doesn't "jiggle" like a bowl of jello as my X100 does. The X150 cars (especially the 5.0L cars) are such a vast improvement that I can't bring myself to drive my X100 any longer. It just sits in my driveway pining away.

What a great pair. I guess at the end of the day the XK100 is partly based on an XJS and the XK 150 was a based on a mega-buck new platform.

My neighbour opposite runs a late model XK100 R convertible which I get to ogle every day and hear once every two weeks when he takes it out.

His daily is a late XFR which is altogether more modern. And just as juicy on fast idle. And my BIL ran a 4.2 XK150 for several years which was great.

Were I to ever get an XKR I think I'd go 150 even though my heart says 100. It's just so voluptuous it's hard to think logically when I look at one.

[LanceRS]

As is always the way, the first spanner has been thrown into the works.

Some of the funds for this are being released from selling some premium bonds. They have denied any knowledge of this so now I have to wait until next week.

I had planned a number of things with it over the weekend and into next week. Bugger.

[AC43]

LanceRS said:

As is always the way, the first spanner has been thrown into the works.

Some of the funds for this are being released from selling some premium bonds. They have denied any knowledge of this so now I have to wait until next week.

I had planned a number of things with it over the weekend and into next week. Bugger.

Frustrating. I remember when I bought my current E500 wanting it immediately and Maundrells insisting on prepping it very carefully. It took a week for everything to be done (like I said, they were doing it properly) and I was climbing the walls.

Worth it in the end though!

[threadlock]

That's some top impulse buying, LanceRS! Hope you love yours as much as I've loved mine for the last 8 years! They're just brilliant cars.

[LanceRS]

Well, I promised more pictures once the car arrived and then let everyone down by failing to collect it on time.
Despite not collecting it until Monday now, I have been up and given it a coat of wax.
This of course means that I do have some more photos.
Looking at it closely under the workshop lights, it could do with machine polishing, outside you tend not to notice too much.
Given the time of year, it's going to be hidden by grime anyway so it can wait. Especially as I have to replace injectors on the Cosworth and I am not as wealthy as recent behaviour would suggest.

[LanceRS]

[Court_S]

Looking good.

The indoor lights will be so unsympathetic to the paint. It’s too sodding cold to be detailing cars at the moment anyway! Still at C&M next week?