Jaguar XKR (08) Buying Guide?
Discussion
I heard an 08 XKR drive past a couple of weeks and can't get it out of my head 
Well that and a V8 Vantage.
Im thinking of goring from a 6 series to an XKR; Ive spotted an 08 plate car which I am interested in test driving.
Before doing this does anyone have any tips / pointers?
Things like: What to look for when road testing (anything particular to watch out for that could fail) or anything I should be suspicious about when it comes to service history. i.e. sat nav, engine clunks etc..
How bad / good is cost of servicing? Im looking at a 67,000 mile car with one previous owner.
I have got the user manual from the website so am browsing through that!
Well that and a V8 Vantage. Im thinking of goring from a 6 series to an XKR; Ive spotted an 08 plate car which I am interested in test driving.
Before doing this does anyone have any tips / pointers?
Things like: What to look for when road testing (anything particular to watch out for that could fail) or anything I should be suspicious about when it comes to service history. i.e. sat nav, engine clunks etc..
How bad / good is cost of servicing? Im looking at a 67,000 mile car with one previous owner.
I have got the user manual from the website so am browsing through that!
Things to look for - knocking noises from suspension - they're not a common fault by any means but worn bushes can cause knocking noises and Jaguar don't sell the bushes on their own for most of them, only as part of the wishbone/droplink/whatever the bush is part of.
These are known for electrical gremlins caused by tired batteries. Gremlins are all easily fixed by a fresh battery and a full charge, they'll benefit from use of a battery conditioner too.
Are you looking at approved-used cars? The Jaguar approved used warranty is pretty good, mine paid for itself 3 times over in the first year. If it's approved used then the dealers will probably have serviced and looked after it so should be able/willing to go through whatever history they have with it.
Main piece of advice - be picky. They come up fairly often, one with the right colours and spec in excellent condition will be along shortly. I bought a 2008 car with 73k on the clock last July which looks and drives like new and so should the 67k car you describe.
Good luck!
These are known for electrical gremlins caused by tired batteries. Gremlins are all easily fixed by a fresh battery and a full charge, they'll benefit from use of a battery conditioner too.
Are you looking at approved-used cars? The Jaguar approved used warranty is pretty good, mine paid for itself 3 times over in the first year. If it's approved used then the dealers will probably have serviced and looked after it so should be able/willing to go through whatever history they have with it.
Main piece of advice - be picky. They come up fairly often, one with the right colours and spec in excellent condition will be along shortly. I bought a 2008 car with 73k on the clock last July which looks and drives like new and so should the 67k car you describe.
Good luck!
8bit said:
Things to look for - knocking noises from suspension - they're not a common fault by any means but worn bushes can cause knocking noises and Jaguar don't sell the bushes on their own for most of them, only as part of the wishbone/droplink/whatever the bush is part of.
These are known for electrical gremlins caused by tired batteries. Gremlins are all easily fixed by a fresh battery and a full charge, they'll benefit from use of a battery conditioner too.
Are you looking at approved-used cars? The Jaguar approved used warranty is pretty good, mine paid for itself 3 times over in the first year. If it's approved used then the dealers will probably have serviced and looked after it so should be able/willing to go through whatever history they have with it.
Main piece of advice - be picky. They come up fairly often, one with the right colours and spec in excellent condition will be along shortly. I bought a 2008 car with 73k on the clock last July which looks and drives like new and so should the 67k car you describe.
Good luck!
Thanks 8Bit; Ive taken your advise and am going to test drive an approved used car (atleast to begin with). If you don't mind me asking what was the 3 issues you had with it warranty wise? Also very good point on worn bushes. Were there any accessories that you felt you "missed" after getting the car or any accessories that you specifically looked for when getting the car?These are known for electrical gremlins caused by tired batteries. Gremlins are all easily fixed by a fresh battery and a full charge, they'll benefit from use of a battery conditioner too.
Are you looking at approved-used cars? The Jaguar approved used warranty is pretty good, mine paid for itself 3 times over in the first year. If it's approved used then the dealers will probably have serviced and looked after it so should be able/willing to go through whatever history they have with it.
Main piece of advice - be picky. They come up fairly often, one with the right colours and spec in excellent condition will be along shortly. I bought a 2008 car with 73k on the clock last July which looks and drives like new and so should the 67k car you describe.
Good luck!
I bought a low mileage 57 plate XKR convertible three years ago and it's been faultless, just annual servicing. If you buy one and want to use a main dealer for servicing etc then join the Jaguar allegiance club, entitles you to 20% off parts and 10% off labour, discounted MOT's etc the dealer will enrol you.
So I just test drove the XKR, and basically I now want one! The car wasn't in an extremely good condition so I will keep a watchful eye for more.
I just wanted to check a few things:
-> I couldn't find a USB port/Aux IN - Is this inside the centre console or is it an accessory?
-> Sound wise on start up, does your 4.2 litre v8 supercharged engine (08 plate) sound like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znfSvYjr0w8
or this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atWLCx3-oAQ
I think the first link is the older 4.2 V8 and the second one is the newer 5.0 V8 but I just want to be sure. Because I couldn't tell whether it was something with the engine (they mentioned they had about 2.5ks of repairs on the car anyhow, or whether that just the way the 5.0 v8 sounds!
I just wanted to check a few things:
-> I couldn't find a USB port/Aux IN - Is this inside the centre console or is it an accessory?
-> Sound wise on start up, does your 4.2 litre v8 supercharged engine (08 plate) sound like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znfSvYjr0w8
or this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atWLCx3-oAQ
I think the first link is the older 4.2 V8 and the second one is the newer 5.0 V8 but I just want to be sure. Because I couldn't tell whether it was something with the engine (they mentioned they had about 2.5ks of repairs on the car anyhow, or whether that just the way the 5.0 v8 sounds!
Edited by NikM123 on Sunday 1st June 20:32
When I said paid for itself three times over I meant in terms of costs - I'm given to understand the warranty costs about a grand (included in the price of a qualifying AUC car), I've had about £3k of work done under it so far. I had a knocking anti-roll bar linkage replaced plus the supercharger and auxiliary belts, rollers and tensioners done shortly after buying the car, that lot was about £3k of work. Most of that will be labour; my local dealer charges £130+vat per hour for labour...
USB/Aux/iPod wasn't included as standard on the 4.2s, it can be retrofitted as an official Jaguar thing called the Audio Connectivity Module (ACM). I paid about £330 all in for mine, including fitting. It has to be enabled on the stereo so needs dealer work.
My car used to sound like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4obnA0AJFMA (sorry engine was already running)
Now it sounds like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyI6jT1s_74
Not a huge difference in tone, new exhaust is slightly deeper and more growly but it is a good bit louder. I've also removed fuse 19 which controls the active exhaust valves so they're open all the time - dead easy and a wee bit more growl for free On that note, yes the 4.2 XKRs have active exhausts as well as the 5.0s.
The coolant pipe under the 'charger (a.k.a. the Valley Pipe), not sure about that one, I think that's more of a factor on the older 4.0 and old-style 4.2 engines.
Some must-have options (IMHO):
Front parking sensors - that nose is quite long. Rears are standard, fronts are optional.
Heated front screen
Bowers and Wilkins stereo
The stereo is kind of a matter of taste I suppose but I've read of a lot of folk with the standard Alpine system feeling like it's not up to much. The B&W system is excellent, 5.1 Dolby ProLogic-II. That's about it as far as options went for me, you can get adaptive cruise control (normal is standard), upgraded seats (I find standard ones very comfy already), fancy cornering-adaptive lights, few other things. I haven't got those and can't say I feel like I'm missing out but I bought the car for that engine more than anything else.
You'll note that some cars have a silly telescopic aerial that rises up from the rear offside panel; those are the earlier cars, up to around 57/08 plate time. After that time the aerial was integrated into the rear spoiler so you don't get that ugly aerial whenever the stereo is on - for me that was a must so I ended up buying a slightly higher mileage car to be able to get a later one within budget. There were also a few minor interior cosmetic tweaks around then but I've never been able to find them.
Be fussy - these come and go quite often so decide on the spec and colours you want and hold out. The massive discounts on new cars will force prices of used ones down a bit too probably. Compared to a V8 Vantage, you'd need to be getting a 4.7 Vantage for it to be as quick as an XKR as they're not supercharged.
USB/Aux/iPod wasn't included as standard on the 4.2s, it can be retrofitted as an official Jaguar thing called the Audio Connectivity Module (ACM). I paid about £330 all in for mine, including fitting. It has to be enabled on the stereo so needs dealer work.
My car used to sound like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4obnA0AJFMA (sorry engine was already running)
Now it sounds like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyI6jT1s_74
Not a huge difference in tone, new exhaust is slightly deeper and more growly but it is a good bit louder. I've also removed fuse 19 which controls the active exhaust valves so they're open all the time - dead easy and a wee bit more growl for free
On that note, yes the 4.2 XKRs have active exhausts as well as the 5.0s.The coolant pipe under the 'charger (a.k.a. the Valley Pipe), not sure about that one, I think that's more of a factor on the older 4.0 and old-style 4.2 engines.
Some must-have options (IMHO):
Front parking sensors - that nose is quite long. Rears are standard, fronts are optional.
Heated front screen
Bowers and Wilkins stereo
The stereo is kind of a matter of taste I suppose but I've read of a lot of folk with the standard Alpine system feeling like it's not up to much. The B&W system is excellent, 5.1 Dolby ProLogic-II. That's about it as far as options went for me, you can get adaptive cruise control (normal is standard), upgraded seats (I find standard ones very comfy already), fancy cornering-adaptive lights, few other things. I haven't got those and can't say I feel like I'm missing out but I bought the car for that engine more than anything else.
You'll note that some cars have a silly telescopic aerial that rises up from the rear offside panel; those are the earlier cars, up to around 57/08 plate time. After that time the aerial was integrated into the rear spoiler so you don't get that ugly aerial whenever the stereo is on - for me that was a must so I ended up buying a slightly higher mileage car to be able to get a later one within budget. There were also a few minor interior cosmetic tweaks around then but I've never been able to find them.
Be fussy - these come and go quite often so decide on the spec and colours you want and hold out. The massive discounts on new cars will force prices of used ones down a bit too probably. Compared to a V8 Vantage, you'd need to be getting a 4.7 Vantage for it to be as quick as an XKR as they're not supercharged.
8bit said:
When I said paid for itself three times over I meant in terms of costs - I'm given to understand the warranty costs about a grand (included in the price of a qualifying AUC car), I've had about £3k of work done under it so far. I had a knocking anti-roll bar linkage replaced plus the supercharger and auxiliary belts, rollers and tensioners done shortly after buying the car, that lot was about £3k of work. Most of that will be labour; my local dealer charges £130+vat per hour for labour...
USB/Aux/iPod wasn't included as standard on the 4.2s, it can be retrofitted as an official Jaguar thing called the Audio Connectivity Module (ACM). I paid about £330 all in for mine, including fitting. It has to be enabled on the stereo so needs dealer work.
My car used to sound like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4obnA0AJFMA (sorry engine was already running)
Now it sounds like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyI6jT1s_74
Not a huge difference in tone, new exhaust is slightly deeper and more growly but it is a good bit louder. I've also removed fuse 19 which controls the active exhaust valves so they're open all the time - dead easy and a wee bit more growl for free On that note, yes the 4.2 XKRs have active exhausts as well as the 5.0s.
The coolant pipe under the 'charger (a.k.a. the Valley Pipe), not sure about that one, I think that's more of a factor on the older 4.0 and old-style 4.2 engines.
Some must-have options (IMHO):
Front parking sensors - that nose is quite long. Rears are standard, fronts are optional.
Heated front screen
Bowers and Wilkins stereo
The stereo is kind of a matter of taste I suppose but I've read of a lot of folk with the standard Alpine system feeling like it's not up to much. The B&W system is excellent, 5.1 Dolby ProLogic-II. That's about it as far as options went for me, you can get adaptive cruise control (normal is standard), upgraded seats (I find standard ones very comfy already), fancy cornering-adaptive lights, few other things. I haven't got those and can't say I feel like I'm missing out but I bought the car for that engine more than anything else.
You'll note that some cars have a silly telescopic aerial that rises up from the rear offside panel; those are the earlier cars, up to around 57/08 plate time. After that time the aerial was integrated into the rear spoiler so you don't get that ugly aerial whenever the stereo is on - for me that was a must so I ended up buying a slightly higher mileage car to be able to get a later one within budget. There were also a few minor interior cosmetic tweaks around then but I've never been able to find them.
Be fussy - these come and go quite often so decide on the spec and colours you want and hold out. The massive discounts on new cars will force prices of used ones down a bit too probably. Compared to a V8 Vantage, you'd need to be getting a 4.7 Vantage for it to be as quick as an XKR as they're not supercharged.
8bit - thanks so much for the above; that's brilliant. Il go though it in detail tonight USB/Aux/iPod wasn't included as standard on the 4.2s, it can be retrofitted as an official Jaguar thing called the Audio Connectivity Module (ACM). I paid about £330 all in for mine, including fitting. It has to be enabled on the stereo so needs dealer work.
My car used to sound like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4obnA0AJFMA (sorry engine was already running)
Now it sounds like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyI6jT1s_74
Not a huge difference in tone, new exhaust is slightly deeper and more growly but it is a good bit louder. I've also removed fuse 19 which controls the active exhaust valves so they're open all the time - dead easy and a wee bit more growl for free
On that note, yes the 4.2 XKRs have active exhausts as well as the 5.0s.The coolant pipe under the 'charger (a.k.a. the Valley Pipe), not sure about that one, I think that's more of a factor on the older 4.0 and old-style 4.2 engines.
Some must-have options (IMHO):
Front parking sensors - that nose is quite long. Rears are standard, fronts are optional.
Heated front screen
Bowers and Wilkins stereo
The stereo is kind of a matter of taste I suppose but I've read of a lot of folk with the standard Alpine system feeling like it's not up to much. The B&W system is excellent, 5.1 Dolby ProLogic-II. That's about it as far as options went for me, you can get adaptive cruise control (normal is standard), upgraded seats (I find standard ones very comfy already), fancy cornering-adaptive lights, few other things. I haven't got those and can't say I feel like I'm missing out but I bought the car for that engine more than anything else.
You'll note that some cars have a silly telescopic aerial that rises up from the rear offside panel; those are the earlier cars, up to around 57/08 plate time. After that time the aerial was integrated into the rear spoiler so you don't get that ugly aerial whenever the stereo is on - for me that was a must so I ended up buying a slightly higher mileage car to be able to get a later one within budget. There were also a few minor interior cosmetic tweaks around then but I've never been able to find them.
Be fussy - these come and go quite often so decide on the spec and colours you want and hold out. The massive discounts on new cars will force prices of used ones down a bit too probably. Compared to a V8 Vantage, you'd need to be getting a 4.7 Vantage for it to be as quick as an XKR as they're not supercharged.
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