Buying high mileage XKR
Discussion
I'm keen to buy an XKR coupe with a budget of around £10,000. I would probably drive around 10k miles pa and have seen cars with 50-120k miles in my price range. A few have replacement engines, whilst one I'm considering has had the tensioners etc changed but has covered 100k miles. Would this put you off? Car is a 1998 model and looks great (in the photos...)
Mlieage wouldn't put me off - at the right price and with an impecable service history. It would have to be very cheap, immaculate throughought and have evidence of real care.
A 1998 car will either have a replacement engine or Nikasil lined bores which have caused problems in the past. I'd want any potential purchase - especially if it's a little used weekend toy car - to pass a blowby check with a value of 25l/min or under at a Jaguar dealer if it still has the origional engine.
It will need the secondary timing chain tensioners changing for the latest metal bodied version as soon as you buy it, and as a precaution I'd check or change the waterpump and thermostat too. If all this needs doing it will cost in the region of £6 - 700. If all the timing chains are worn and they may well be if maintainence has been even slightly neglected then you're looking at about £1200.
It will also be crying out for a gearbox and diff oil change too. Although these are "sealed for life" It's possible and essential to have the oil changed to preserve them. Add another £400 or so.
I'd do a full fluid change - the whole lot - if it were mine
Potentially your new XK could cost you up to a grand before you even start using it.
Throw in the £700 or more for a new set of tyres and a few hundred more for replacement shocks and front wishbone bushes - another weak point, especially with larger wheels fitted - you'll see it may be cheap to buy but it'll cost you to run and preserve it.
The answer is to try to find a car that's been enthusiast owned IMO. It won't have been abused or neglected and will have all the necessary maintainence work done to preserve it. If cared for modern Jaguars will carry a high mileage with ease, if not they can turn into a nightmare.
Have a look in the classisifed ads on the various club and forum sites. I've seen used Jaguar prices plummet over the last 12 months and there are some real bargains around. Buy carefully and get any potential purchase checked or take along a sensible friend when you go to look.
Lastly see if you can find Broardbean747's post on the XJ on here. Much of it is also relevent to the XK as well. There's an XK forum address lurking in a recent post too.
A 1998 car will either have a replacement engine or Nikasil lined bores which have caused problems in the past. I'd want any potential purchase - especially if it's a little used weekend toy car - to pass a blowby check with a value of 25l/min or under at a Jaguar dealer if it still has the origional engine.
It will need the secondary timing chain tensioners changing for the latest metal bodied version as soon as you buy it, and as a precaution I'd check or change the waterpump and thermostat too. If all this needs doing it will cost in the region of £6 - 700. If all the timing chains are worn and they may well be if maintainence has been even slightly neglected then you're looking at about £1200.
It will also be crying out for a gearbox and diff oil change too. Although these are "sealed for life" It's possible and essential to have the oil changed to preserve them. Add another £400 or so.
I'd do a full fluid change - the whole lot - if it were mine
Potentially your new XK could cost you up to a grand before you even start using it.
Throw in the £700 or more for a new set of tyres and a few hundred more for replacement shocks and front wishbone bushes - another weak point, especially with larger wheels fitted - you'll see it may be cheap to buy but it'll cost you to run and preserve it.
The answer is to try to find a car that's been enthusiast owned IMO. It won't have been abused or neglected and will have all the necessary maintainence work done to preserve it. If cared for modern Jaguars will carry a high mileage with ease, if not they can turn into a nightmare.
Have a look in the classisifed ads on the various club and forum sites. I've seen used Jaguar prices plummet over the last 12 months and there are some real bargains around. Buy carefully and get any potential purchase checked or take along a sensible friend when you go to look.
Lastly see if you can find Broardbean747's post on the XJ on here. Much of it is also relevent to the XK as well. There's an XK forum address lurking in a recent post too.
wow steve your all doom n gloom i purchased a 97 k8 last year it had a new engine with only 15,000 miles on it
i had the gearbox oil changed with the real oil for just ove £200
it flew through the mot, ive run it for a year with no probs well just 2 front tyres thats cos the tracking was out !
the car has now done over 90,000 miles
guess i must just be luck steve
i had the gearbox oil changed with the real oil for just ove £200
it flew through the mot, ive run it for a year with no probs well just 2 front tyres thats cos the tracking was out !
the car has now done over 90,000 miles
guess i must just be luck steve
Thanks. The one I'm considering has had the timing chain and tensioners changed but not the waterpump. It has the original engine but could the Nikasil be an issue even after 100k miles?
The car has ust been serviced by a specialist...
What is the service interval too please?
The car has ust been serviced by a specialist...
What is the service interval too please?
Edited by notax on Tuesday 11th November 07:56
black1 said:
wow steve your all doom n gloom i purchased a 97 k8 last year it had a new engine with only 15,000 miles on it
i had the gearbox oil changed with the real oil for just ove £200
it flew through the mot, ive run it for a year with no probs well just 2 front tyres thats cos the tracking was out !
the car has now done over 90,000 miles
guess i must just be luck steve
Not really doom and gloom - 'fraid I've seen it all before.i had the gearbox oil changed with the real oil for just ove £200
it flew through the mot, ive run it for a year with no probs well just 2 front tyres thats cos the tracking was out !
the car has now done over 90,000 miles
guess i must just be luck steve
My point really was buying a older Jaguar on a budget is a bit of of minefield if you don't buy the right one. You have a new engine in yours and changed the gearbox oil so most of the points needing attention are covered anyway.
Aaaaaand... It's always better to have the doom and gloom before you buy and not after
Edited by Jaguar steve on Tuesday 11th November 11:24
notax said:
Thanks. The one I'm considering has had the timing chain and tensioners changed but not the waterpump. It has the original engine but could the Nikasil be an issue even after 100k miles?
The car has ust been serviced by a specialist...
What is the service interval too please?
Service every 10000 miles or every year. I'd change the engine oil more often than that though.The car has ust been serviced by a specialist...
What is the service interval too please?
Edited by notax on Tuesday 11th November 07:56
Niksail may or not be an issue with the car, chances are it's unlikley now. Have a look inside the air intake trunking and the throttle body to see if there any traces of engine oil. The only way to be sure is have a blowby test done.
These engines are sensitive to coolant level and will overheat if the waterpump vanes are erroded or the thermostat fails. The temperature gauge does not always give a true reflection of coolant temperature or if there is a cooling problem.
Thanks again - great advice. Having done some more hunting I have found that some newer, lower mileage cars are coming into my budget - I just can't see exactly the spec I'm after yet.
I guess the later 4.2 engines are ok - at least from the Nikasil/tensioner/waterpump point of view, but do you know which(if any) of the 4.0 engines had the steel liners, better tensioners, water pump etc... Is there a date of car pre 4.2 engine where I would be safer?
I guess the later 4.2 engines are ok - at least from the Nikasil/tensioner/waterpump point of view, but do you know which(if any) of the 4.0 engines had the steel liners, better tensioners, water pump etc... Is there a date of car pre 4.2 engine where I would be safer?
I wouldn't worry about the Nikasil problem, it only affected cars which weren't warmed up sufficiently and being used for short journeys, along with the high sulphur content of fuel back then. If a Nikasil engine has lasted this long, then, it should in fact outlast steel lined engines. My XK8 has done just over 95,000 miles, has a Nikasil engine fitted and all is well. Which is a good job really as it's been remapped a couple of time.
Black1, the first remap brought her back into line with the original manufacturers spec, which, considering she's 11 years old now, was quite good. But I wanted to see if we could get her over 300hp, which was achieved with the second remap. After a run in she's now at just over 310hp with the limiter removed and the torque increased she runs really well. I believe she's currently the fastest XK8 that Paramount have seen. Now just to save up for the sports cats for even better flow through the exhaust plus a little more hp and torque that entails.
)notax said:
I guess the later 4.2 engines are ok - at least from the Nikasil/tensioner/waterpump point of view, but do you know which(if any) of the 4.0 engines had the steel liners, better tensioners, water pump etc... Is there a date of car pre 4.2 engine where I would be safer?
Try to find Broardbean747s post on here. He's listed a definative guide to the XJ - also relevent to the XK of course - with dates and vehicle VIN numbers of the changes.Briefly - and hopefully more or less accurately - Nikasil engine production and fitment stopped in autumn 1999 for the 2000 model year. Water pump and thermostat design were changed at around the same time and the second generation tensioners introduced. The third generation metal bodied tensioners - the ones to have fitted - were introduced in 1995 and can be retro fitted to all V8s.
There has been some confusion over exactly when these changes occurred, much of what you may read is contradictory, and I'm probrably adding to it, so you really need to read Broardbean's post
Nikasil issues must surely be over nearly 9 years after any damage could have occurred ! Nikasil age hardens so gets better with age and mileage.Jaguar steve said:
Try to find Broardbean747s post on here. He's listed a definative guide to the XJ - also relevent to the XK of course - with dates and vehicle VIN numbers of the changes.
Here's a link to Broadbean747s posting. http://tinyurl.com/6psugh as it can be a bit of a pain to find.a8hex said:
Jaguar steve said:
Try to find Broardbean747s post on here. He's listed a definative guide to the XJ - also relevent to the XK of course - with dates and vehicle VIN numbers of the changes.
Here's a link to Broadbean747s posting. http://tinyurl.com/6psugh as it can be a bit of a pain to find.
Crikey. Very comprehensive post 
Seems a post 2000 car would make sense - although I am still very tempted by the 1998 one I've found.
If the worst happens and the 100k Nikasil engine did let go do you know how much a replacment would be? I guess I'd get one from a breakers yard...
One of the things that appeals about the car I mention is that it has been updated to look like a 2005 model - new front bumper, jewel rear lights, no side strips etc... Any idea how much this conversion would be? I have a friendly bodyshop so it is just the parts prices I'd need... Now tempted to look for a 2000 car and get the updates carried out myself.
Seems a post 2000 car would make sense - although I am still very tempted by the 1998 one I've found.
If the worst happens and the 100k Nikasil engine did let go do you know how much a replacment would be? I guess I'd get one from a breakers yard...
One of the things that appeals about the car I mention is that it has been updated to look like a 2005 model - new front bumper, jewel rear lights, no side strips etc... Any idea how much this conversion would be? I have a friendly bodyshop so it is just the parts prices I'd need... Now tempted to look for a 2000 car and get the updates carried out myself.
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