XK8 sanity check?

[DaveCWK]

I've found a really nice 1 owner sub 30k mile late 1990s XK8 for sale for what doesn't feel like much money & i'm sort of thinking I should buy it.

Just wondering if anyone knows much about the XK8 market?
I feel like they have been relatively cheap for a long time.

Not sure if the numbers of 'nice' ones is dwindling yet which would make this one a potentially good buy, or perhaps because of the demographic of people who did buy them new, if there's still plenty of really nice ones with low owners/FSH etc still out there & I shouldn't get that excited?

[Huzzah]

I know very little about them but would love one.

I suspect they've now fallen to a value that people can afford the purchase price but not the running costs. So buy the seller as much as the car.

[trevalvole]

I've a search set up on eBay for automatic cars that are being auctioned. Along with 20 year-old Mercs, XK8s seem to be among the most common cars that pop up, which says to me that they are difficult to sell. If you like the car then get it, but I wouldn't do it based on the hope that it will rise in value. Plus, given the above, I wouldn't pay much for it, even with the condition and miles. Entering the reg number into WBAC might be instructive.

[DaveCWK]

Yes the WBAC quote is predictably very low. I'd really only be buying it because of the condition but don't really want to lose a chunk of money if I don't keep it very long. hmm decisions
It looks basically brand spanking new, garaged since new, SORN over winter. I'm not sure it's ever driven through a puddle.

[OutInTheShed]

DaveCWK said:

I've found a really nice 1 owner sub 30k mile late 1990s XK8 for sale for what doesn't feel like much money & i'm sort of thinking I should buy it.

Just wondering if anyone knows much about the XK8 market?
I feel like they have been relatively cheap for a long time.

Not sure if the numbers of 'nice' ones is dwindling yet which would make this one a potentially good buy, or perhaps because of the demographic of people who did buy them new, if there's still plenty of really nice ones with low owners/FSH etc still out there & I shouldn't get that excited?

If it's throw-away money, just get on and buy it.
If it's a sum of money which matters to you, I'd suggest researching the market.
Are others selling?
Is 'yours' good value?
What are the potential major failures which might cost you money?

There are an awful lot of them SORNed 12 months of the year. I'm not sure what to make of that!

We are probably talking about sums of money that you could lose on many prestige cars in a year or two.
What are you going to buy if you don't buy an XK8?

[Huzzah]

OutInTheShed said:

DaveCWK said:

I've found a really nice 1 owner sub 30k mile late 1990s XK8 for sale for what doesn't feel like much money & i'm sort of thinking I should buy it.

Just wondering if anyone knows much about the XK8 market?
I feel like they have been relatively cheap for a long time.

Not sure if the numbers of 'nice' ones is dwindling yet which would make this one a potentially good buy, or perhaps because of the demographic of people who did buy them new, if there's still plenty of really nice ones with low owners/FSH etc still out there & I shouldn't get that excited?

If it's throw-away money, just get on and buy it.
If it's a sum of money which matters to you, I'd suggest researching the market.
Are others selling?
Is 'yours' good value?
What are the potential major failures which might cost you money?

There are an awful lot of them SORNed 12 months of the year. I'm not sure what to make of that!

We are probably talking about sums of money that you could lose on many prestige cars in a year or two.
What are you going to buy if you don't buy an XK8?

Sums it up.

A) Just buy it and sod the money.
Or
B) I can't really afford/justify the potential cost.

If it breaks even (or makes a couple of bob) treat that as an unexpected bonus.

[cliffords]

In 2006 the car was totally changed with an aluminum body.
Pre that the cars were all steel, known to rust very badly underneath.
They are cheap, hard to sell and numerous for a reason.
The later car was called the XK (XK 150)

[P700DEE]

DaveCWK said:

I've found a really nice 1 owner sub 30k mile late 1990s XK8 for sale for what doesn't feel like much money & i'm sort of thinking I should buy it.

Just wondering if anyone knows much about the XK8 market?
I feel like they have been relatively cheap for a long time.

Not sure if the numbers of 'nice' ones is dwindling yet which would make this one a potentially good buy, or perhaps because of the demographic of people who did buy them new, if there's still plenty of really nice ones with low owners/FSH etc still out there & I shouldn't get that excited?

Great cars and great value currently. When will they go up in value? I guess when all the dogs are gone and demand out strips available cars. Note as big V8s sat in a heavy and prone to rust Iron body demand is low and bad cars out number the good. Early pre 2000 XK8s with the 4.0 engine are less popular than later 4.2 engined cars which are considered very robust. Rust issues are what kills most of them as the engines are generally good and not expensive to maintain and fix. Plenty of UK support and knowledge from independents and clubs so just avoid main dealers.
Why are you buying? A 30K miles car at 25+ years old is a garage queen and will one day go up in value if looked after. Late 90s XK8s are plentiful at £1-2K with serious issues, buy run and dispose of. £2-4K plentiful and a mix of wrongly priced cars worth less and better cars worth fixing. £5-7K well sorted good cars on lowish miles looked after all their lives and chancers hoping for more than they are worth. £7k+ The really nice ones that if looked after will eventually go up in value. Cars in this bracket are scarce and best sold via auction with lots of details of condition, service history etc.
Add about £1k for Convertibles, add about £1k for Supercharged.

[Jamescrs]

I remember being a passenger in one when I was a teenager when they were new and it was a lovely thing to be in, I still have a soft spot for them.

One thing I do know is that they can rust so be sure to look for tin worm, that can kill a car far faster than any mechanical bits