XKR Convertible - Buying Advice

[Jarcy]

I am hoping to be in the position whereby I can begin my search for an XKR convertible next year.
As such, it's time to start cluing up on the various features and options, and also to learn as much as possible about the cars.

I'd like to visit one or two (independent) dealers and kick some tyres, but my first attempt wasn't too successful.
I was surprised that although I was standing in front of him as a potential customer, he wasn't interested in taking my details and just said, come back when we have in stock a particular car that you're interested in. (They had an XKR which was sold, and an XK available - it's got to be the 'R').

I'm after a 5.0 litre car in a dark colour, most likely black.
Originally I was drawn to the cream interior, but this hasn't worn so well on my daily car, so may go for black.
This'll be a weekend car, so condition will be key.
I prefer the 2011 front end facelift, but would go for as old as 2009 for an exceptional example.
Budget would probably limit me to a 2012 example. I don't want to be straying into F-type money.


A few questions:
Other than the front end, what other features are present on the 2011 facelift?
Seats - I prefer the look of the sport seats to standard. Do the sport seat have air-cooling and full adjustment? Which is more comfortable?
Any reliability issues or quirks to worry about?
These seem to come pretty loaded as standard. Any factory options to look out for?
Do all XKRs come with the B&W stereo? Was there an upgrade option? How good is the B&W, even with hood down? (I like nice sound)
Are all exhausts factory standard? Any aftermarket tuning? (I like nice sound)

Thanks all.

[Simpo Two]

You might find it worth taking a trip to Chiltern Jaguar where you can see and compare about 25 XKs and ask all the questions you need to. Mine came from there and they do know their XKs.

[Jarcy]

Simpo Two said:

You might find it worth taking a trip to Chiltern Jaguar where you can see and compare about 25 XKs and ask all the questions you need to. Mine came from there and they do know their XKs.

Thanks, I have reviewed their stock list (although I'm not in a position to purchase yet). Maybe I'll take a drive over there.

[8bit]

Simpo Two said:

You might find it worth taking a trip to Chiltern Jaguar where you can see and compare about 25 XKs and ask all the questions you need to. Mine came from there and they do know their XKs.

They like to charge top dollar for them too, from what I've seen. I've no experience with them personally so it may well be fine if they have a car priced sensibly but a quick look over their list just now suggests a fair bit of optimism in their stock. There's a 2009 4.2 XKR convertible there with more miles showing than the 5.0 coupe I just bought (elsewhere) with fewer miles, priced a good bit higher.

As to the OP's questions, as far as I know the facelift was largely just cosmetic; engine, transmission, suspension etc. all basically the same as before. Seat-wise, heated seats were standard right since the early alloy body 4.2s but cooling became standard when the first 5.0 cars were introduced. I had standard seats in my old 4.2 and sports in my 5.0, I'd say if you like to drive enthusiastically then the sports seats will stop you sliding from side to side as much. Reliability generally very good, not much to worry about regards common issues, PH buyer's guide will tell you what you need to know:

https://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-buying-gui...

B&W stereo was an option but it's worth having, it's pretty good (as far as factory-fit "premium" car systems go) and the basic system is not great. Both my XKRs have been coupes so can't comment on what it's like with the roof down. Exhaust, aftermarket options are available, Spires is a popular but quite expensive choice, I had the Elite RR system on my 4.2 which is much more reasonably priced and sounded amazing but quite loud. The 5.0 cars are louder as standard compared to the 4.2 so I'm undecided just now on whether to upgrade the exhaust on the new car.

These come up reasonably often so take your time, buy on condition primarily and hold out for one that ticks all the boxes.

[mrbarnett]

The MY 2012 models had a reversing camera as standard, but I don't believe there are many major differences aside from the obvious front end styling and interior trim tweaks.

[Jarcy]

8bit said:

Seat-wise, heated seats were standard right since the early alloy body 4.2s but cooling became standard when the first 5.0 cars were introduced. I had standard seats in my old 4.2 and sports in my 5.0, I'd say if you like to drive enthusiastically then the sports seats will stop you sliding from side to side as much.

Were the sports seats in the 5.0 cooled then? I get very hot in summer, especially if the roof is down when aircon is less effective.

Thanks for the info BTW.

[Big Al.]

Jarcy said:

Were the sports seats in the 5.0 cooled then? I get very hot in summer, especially if the roof is down when aircon is less effective.

Thanks for the info BTW.

They were in mine. Heated and cooled in fact.

[8bit]

Jarcy said:

Were the sports seats in the 5.0 cooled then? I get very hot in summer, especially if the roof is down when aircon is less effective.

Thanks for the info BTW.

No probs, happy to help. I have the 16-way sports seats in my 5.0 and they are cooled, as far as I am aware that's a standard feature on the 5.0 cars.

[mrbarnett]

Are we all talking about the same sports seats?

Throughout the model's life, the following two seats (or variations on) were offered.

The basic seat was heated, but not cooled:

You can identify this seat by its "limited" electrical adjustment options (no rotary knob for adjustable side support, for instance)

The upgraded seat, which I believe was standard on XK R when it gained the 5.0, was heated and cooled:

Notice all the little holes in the hide, as well as additional electric control options.

Then, after the MY2012 facelift, a bucket-style seat was offered, which is what I'd call the sports seats:

This has the full adjustment, but I believe does not have the cooling - someone do correct me if I'm wrong.

[8bit]

So I think I got it slightly arse-about-face. According to the workshop manuals, those first seats were the original, 10-way "sport" seat from the launch of the alloy-body XK/XKR. Heating was standard, cooling was not. They were redesigned for the 2008 model year and looked like this:



The second seat is the 16-way "luxury" seat, with heating and cooling, which was an option on the 4.2 XKR from MY2008 I think and yes it may well have been the standard on the 5.0 cars as I don't think i've ever seen a 5.0 with 10-way seats. This is what I have on my 5.0, the 16-way luxury seat, not sports as I said previously.

That last seat is referred to by the workshop manual as the 16-way "performance seat". Heating is standard but again no cooling option.

The workshop manual says the following:

There are three variants of front seat, depending on market and vehicle specification: 10-way sport, 16-way luxury and 16-way performance. Sport and luxury seats have the same general appearance, but differ in the features they
incorporate; performance seats have a unique appearance. The front seats are equipped with the following:

Seat control switches (door mounted)
Cushion front tilt adjustment
Seat height adjustment
Backrest adjustment
Adjustable, active head restraints (sport and luxury variants only)
Lumbar adjustment
Fore and aft adjustment
Extendable cushion (luxury and performance variants only)
Adjustable side bolsters (luxury and performance variants only)
Seat heating (sport and performance variants only)
Seat heating and cooling (luxury variant only)
Side air bag module
Seat control module

Edited by 8bit on Wednesday 7th November 13:01

[Simpo Two]

8bit said:

They like to charge top dollar for them too, from what I've seen. I've no experience with them personally so it may well be fine if they have a car priced sensibly but a quick look over their list just now suggests a fair bit of optimism in their stock. There's a 2009 4.2 XKR convertible there with more miles showing than the 5.0 coupe I just bought (elsewhere) with fewer miles, priced a good bit higher.

They have an interesting approach. When you ring up to view a car, they say straightaway: 'We want 7 days to prepare the car and the price you see is the price you pay, we don't negotiate'.

The latter is an interesting negotiating stance. In my case not only did I fall in love with the car, but funds were not limited (I was lined up to buy a DB9) and furthermore I had no wheels as my last set had ended up in someone's front garden the week before, not quite all pointing in the same direction.

That said, given as I didn't want to lose the car, I was able to extract a decent favour - the wood in the car I liked was a bit faded so I asked if they could swap it with the panels from the car behind. They did. Big value to me, low cost to them.

A couple of months later the starter motor failed, and after the unfortunate 'Are you pressing the start button correctly?' phase it was sorted.

So yes, you pay top price but they do cut the mustard when things ht the fan and the service manager replies intelligently and quickly if you have a question. Every other used car dealer I've worked with has proved to be a bandit, but I'd buy from CJ again - and no, I'm not being paid! That said chaps if you're reading this, I'll have £500 off my next XK thank you

[Jarcy]

8bit said:

That last seat is referred to by the workshop manual as the 16-way "performance seat". Heating is standard but again no cooling option.

Edited by 8bit on Wednesday 7th November 13:01

Thanks for clearing that up. I suspected that might be the case.
It is the "Performance" seats that I prefer the look of, but not yet having tried for comfort.
Disappointing they don't have cooling, but I can weigh that up in my search.

Those with the "luxury" seats, how are they cooled? Do they blow air through the perforations, or is there a fridge/aircon element built in. I've never experienced cooled seats before.

[Jarcy]

Simpo Two said:

They have an interesting approach. When you ring up to view a car, they say straightaway: 'We want 7 days to prepare the car and the price you see is the price you pay, we don't negotiate'.

So yes, you pay top price but they do cut the mustard when things ht the fan and the service manager replies intelligently and quickly if you have a question. Every other used car dealer I've worked with has proved to be a bandit, but I'd buy from CJ again - and no, I'm not being paid! That said chaps if you're reading this, I'll have £500 off my next XK thank you

Thanks, useful to know in advance, and at least they are upfront at the first enquiry.
Years ago I was looking to buy a car from a dealer, and it wasn't until after the test drive that I found out that there was no opportunity to negotiate, and what's more they insisted on loading £700 onto the price to pay for the warantee. So after I had exclaimed "so you'll only let me drive this car away if I pay you more than the asking price?", I turned heel and walked out. A lost sale, mainly because I had been strung along.

[a8hex]

Jarcy said:

8bit said:

That last seat is referred to by the workshop manual as the 16-way "performance seat". Heating is standard but again no cooling option.

Edited by 8bit on Wednesday 7th November 13:01

Thanks for clearing that up. I suspected that might be the case.
It is the "Performance" seats that I prefer the look of, but not yet having tried for comfort.
Disappointing they don't have cooling, but I can weigh that up in my search.

Those with the "luxury" seats, how are they cooled? Do they blow air through the perforations, or is there a fridge/aircon element built in. I've never experienced cooled seats before.

They blow cold air, it's basically air-con from behind. Before this year I never really got on with them in the UK. This summer they were great.
The "luxury" seat still gives very good lateral support, the side bolsters are adjustable. The "performance" seat doesn't have adjustable head restraints.
I assume the holes in the performance seats are so you can thread a full harness through them, does the seat actually have the mountings for a harness?

[8bit]

The heating and cooling works by some sort of piezo type thing and the fan in the rear of the backrest. You can hear it running if the heating or cooling is switched on. The seats without cooling have heating by electric wire pads.

The XKR-S GT has a race harness (may have been an option) but I think that attached to the half roll-cage in the rear of the car. Not sure if you can attach a harness to the Performance seats directly.

As for Chiltern, I'd still rather save several thousand pounds personally, they're not the only reputable dealer in the land. The place I bought my new car from in Southport came across as very decent and honest. Chiltern are charging approved-used sort of prices (although I don't think you can get any XK or XKR on the Jaguar AUC scheme) but without the same level of backup. I did fill in their website form for a trade-in valuation for my old car when I was starting to look for a new one and they just never replied.

They must be doing something right though as they were around back when I was searching for my first XKR and charging a pretty penny back then!

[Simpo Two]

8bit said:

As for Chiltern, I'd still rather save several thousand pounds personally, they're not the only reputable dealer in the land.

All else being equal I prefer to buy privately and take my chances. But not many XKs are sold privately. The further you go up the car ladder, the more owners seems to say 'Fukkit, I'll just trade it in and lose stloads'

NB The price from Chiltern included a 6-month AA warranty. I needed a new OSR wheel bearing and they were excellent.

[flying-banana]

A few interesting comments on Chiltern... I was there 2-3 weeks ago, looking at XKs, they do proclaim to be the leading XK specialists, and price their cars accordingly, and they do have a large selection

I can remember looking at a couple of cars they had about 12-15 years ago (they've been around for 25 years or so) and I remember they used to offer quite generous trade in valuations...but that seems to have changed quite markedly, although it might be a bit different if you rock up in a nice XK to start with!

I certainly didn't get the feeling I was getting a warm welcome, even though I was a serious potential buyer...but hey, other places sell XKs too

[andylaight]

If you're going to Chiltern, go to Kings Road Garage in Berkhamsted too, not too far away.

[mrbarnett]

andylaight said:

If you're going to Chiltern, go to Kings Road Garage in Berkhamsted too, not too far away.

Chiltern and Kings Road are both very near to me (although Chiltern have moved from Bovingdon to the other side of High Wycombe, which is not so near to me after all). Both had nice looking cars in stock when I bought mine, and whilst I'll admit they were lower mileage, I really couldn't justify paying 25-30% more for a slightly older car than I did for a car from a main dealer with 6 months warranty and a faultless service history.

I think it still pays to look around at what's available.

[Simpo Two]

flying-banana said:

I certainly didn't get the feeling I was getting a warm welcome, even though I was a serious potential buyer...but hey, other places sell XKs too

I agree, first impressions were pretty shambolic. Even when I went to collect the car it took an hour before anyone was available to do the paperwork. It seems to be just one director, one salesman and a chap who cleans cars. But ATEOTD I was buying the car not the business. If you want to be met by a team of shiny Apprentice candidates bearing coffee and cake, go to a Jaguar dealer!