Jaguar XK 4.2 (X150). New Daily.
Discussion
I purchased this a couple of weeks back and really liking it so far.
I'm forever searching Autotrader for any interesting cars that appear locally that are priced well and this popped up not too far away.
I called the seller and someone was there as we spoke. I told the seller to call me back if they didn't purchase and got a call 15 minutes later saying they've made an offer and left it with her, come and view the car and if your offer is better, I will accept. Ok, I'll be there in an hour.
The next half an hour was spent frantically reading guides on the Jaguar XK and writing down things to look out for. Just as I was leaving the house, the seller called me to say that the previous viewer has increased their offer and basically hold fort, but I managed to convince them that I was a serious and genuine sort of person and I'd do my best to offer a touch more.
This is what I was greeted with.
The car was mechanically sound, no warning lights on the dashboard, but a little unloved. No scratches or dents, but very much in need of a rigorous cleaning session. Other things to note were a poor cosmetic spray job on the front bumper and tyres that would ideally need replacing.
The test drive did not reveal any problems and an offer was made which was accepted.
Price wise, I did very well for a car that has covered 73k miles, serviced every year from new at the same Jaguar dealership and has a promising MOT history.
First thing I did when I got it home was wash it, a good rinse and numerous goings over with shampoo had it looking a completely different colour...
I have also inspected the car for corrosion and can only find one small patch on the rear bootlid where the window meets the panel. The arches are fine and in the places where steel meets aluminium, there is no cause for concern.
Since the above pictures were taken, the car has also had a going over with the Dual action polisher and now looks sublime. Once the weather improves, I will get some decent pictures taken and post them.
During my ownership, the car will be washed weekly and a thick layer of wax will be applied at the same time to common problem corrosion areas, as a preventative measure and when I have time on my hands, do lots of little jobs to keep the car in good order, as an example I gave the engine bay a little going over today, but plan to finish it off with some cleaning products to get all the black bits looking new and use a detailing brush to get to some of the hard to reach places...
The rear spoiler needs removing at some point as the black sealant has come away, so I will need to replace this. One of the rear lights is letting in a little condensation, so I will remove and fix this while I am there.
The bumper has been removed and sprayed and now looks miles better....you can also make out how shiny the car is now!
and while I was poking around, I found a horrid piece of foam under the radiator, whose sole purpose appears to be to trap leaves and debris, so this was removed and half a tree was pulled out.
New tyres have been ordered and delivered. Kumho PS91's which are more than up to the job and I think the price of £420 was very reasonable, given the width of the rears. I will get these fitted when I get the wheels refurbed in the next couple of weeks.
I have driven 300 miles in the car now without a single issue. Touch wood.
It sounds fantastic, feels supple and smooth to drive, but a the same time, tight, pointy and accurate, despite having very light steering.
I am averaging 22 MPG, but have no problem with this and tax is £600 a year, which is a little painful, but I've justified this by not buying a coffee from the coffee shop everyday. (Man maths at its finest)
This is a daily drive, it will get used. It will eventually get scratched. Someone will eventually open their car door and leave me with a few nice dings. However, I intend to keep it in tip top condition, fix anything that needs fixing, keep on top of things, but first and foremost, enjoy it as cars like this, with a V8, seem to be a dying breed.
Thanks for reading.
Matt.
I'm forever searching Autotrader for any interesting cars that appear locally that are priced well and this popped up not too far away.
I called the seller and someone was there as we spoke. I told the seller to call me back if they didn't purchase and got a call 15 minutes later saying they've made an offer and left it with her, come and view the car and if your offer is better, I will accept. Ok, I'll be there in an hour.
The next half an hour was spent frantically reading guides on the Jaguar XK and writing down things to look out for. Just as I was leaving the house, the seller called me to say that the previous viewer has increased their offer and basically hold fort, but I managed to convince them that I was a serious and genuine sort of person and I'd do my best to offer a touch more.
This is what I was greeted with.
The car was mechanically sound, no warning lights on the dashboard, but a little unloved. No scratches or dents, but very much in need of a rigorous cleaning session. Other things to note were a poor cosmetic spray job on the front bumper and tyres that would ideally need replacing.
The test drive did not reveal any problems and an offer was made which was accepted.
Price wise, I did very well for a car that has covered 73k miles, serviced every year from new at the same Jaguar dealership and has a promising MOT history.
First thing I did when I got it home was wash it, a good rinse and numerous goings over with shampoo had it looking a completely different colour...
I have also inspected the car for corrosion and can only find one small patch on the rear bootlid where the window meets the panel. The arches are fine and in the places where steel meets aluminium, there is no cause for concern.
Since the above pictures were taken, the car has also had a going over with the Dual action polisher and now looks sublime. Once the weather improves, I will get some decent pictures taken and post them.
During my ownership, the car will be washed weekly and a thick layer of wax will be applied at the same time to common problem corrosion areas, as a preventative measure and when I have time on my hands, do lots of little jobs to keep the car in good order, as an example I gave the engine bay a little going over today, but plan to finish it off with some cleaning products to get all the black bits looking new and use a detailing brush to get to some of the hard to reach places...
The rear spoiler needs removing at some point as the black sealant has come away, so I will need to replace this. One of the rear lights is letting in a little condensation, so I will remove and fix this while I am there.
The bumper has been removed and sprayed and now looks miles better....you can also make out how shiny the car is now!
and while I was poking around, I found a horrid piece of foam under the radiator, whose sole purpose appears to be to trap leaves and debris, so this was removed and half a tree was pulled out.
New tyres have been ordered and delivered. Kumho PS91's which are more than up to the job and I think the price of £420 was very reasonable, given the width of the rears. I will get these fitted when I get the wheels refurbed in the next couple of weeks.
I have driven 300 miles in the car now without a single issue. Touch wood.
It sounds fantastic, feels supple and smooth to drive, but a the same time, tight, pointy and accurate, despite having very light steering.
I am averaging 22 MPG, but have no problem with this and tax is £600 a year, which is a little painful, but I've justified this by not buying a coffee from the coffee shop everyday. (Man maths at its finest)
This is a daily drive, it will get used. It will eventually get scratched. Someone will eventually open their car door and leave me with a few nice dings. However, I intend to keep it in tip top condition, fix anything that needs fixing, keep on top of things, but first and foremost, enjoy it as cars like this, with a V8, seem to be a dying breed.
Thanks for reading.
Matt.
Edited by MattsCar on Saturday 2nd November 20:22
Congratulations on a fine, underrated car. My daily driver for the past 6+years has been a 2010 5.0L XKR. It is certainly the best automobile I've ever owned among dozens. It should give you many years of reliable joy. I have over 150,000 miles on mine and that has included some track time as well as daily Los Angeles traffic. Enjoy yourself. 
Looks great OP. I still miss the XK8 that I ran as a weekend car a few years ago, and definitely would like to get an X150 at some point in the future. Will follow this thread with interest to see how you get on with the car.
The values for X150s seem to be holding stronger than the old XK8, even allowing for the age difference and I think this reflects the jump in quality between the two cars.
The values for X150s seem to be holding stronger than the old XK8, even allowing for the age difference and I think this reflects the jump in quality between the two cars.
Thanks for the kind comments!
Dunc, Fair play!
MrTidy, the coffee thing didn't last long as I got tired of carrying a flask round with me.
Tberg, I can imagine just how fast a 5.0 XKR is...maybe some day in the future!
CustardKid, yes, they are a bit of a bargain! F Type is lovely though.
SpreadsheetMonkey, with regards to the value in comparison to the previous generation XK8, I've been thinking about this.
XK8's can be picked up for shed money...admittedly, cars in this price range are either ready for the scrap yard or will require so much work doing to them, it is uneconomical. There seems to be a massive gulf in the price range of these models because of this, in fact I don't think there is any other car out there with such a price difference between a shed, a useable car in good condition at say 10k and a mint low miler at 20-25k, depending on spec.
Will the X150 model ever reach shed money? It may well do for neglected examples, just like the previous model XK8 before it, however, there are a few things in it's favour that suggest it might not. Growing up in Coventry, the XK8 was a very common sight, however, since picking my car up 3 weeks ago, I've only seen one other X150 on my travels and there are also fewer for sale.
It is also a more modern car, a modern Jaguar from a different era when Jaguar decided to change its image so to speak, with a different focus on driving, more sporty as opposed to cosseting and refined.
There is also the quality issue, which I wasn't going to mention having not owned an XK8. But from what I have read, the X150 is a significant step up.
Who knows? I think the key here is to just look after it, it is not an investment car, but would be nice if the value of them has hit the bottom of their depreciation curve.
Dunc, Fair play!
MrTidy, the coffee thing didn't last long as I got tired of carrying a flask round with me.
Tberg, I can imagine just how fast a 5.0 XKR is...maybe some day in the future!
CustardKid, yes, they are a bit of a bargain! F Type is lovely though.
SpreadsheetMonkey, with regards to the value in comparison to the previous generation XK8, I've been thinking about this.
XK8's can be picked up for shed money...admittedly, cars in this price range are either ready for the scrap yard or will require so much work doing to them, it is uneconomical. There seems to be a massive gulf in the price range of these models because of this, in fact I don't think there is any other car out there with such a price difference between a shed, a useable car in good condition at say 10k and a mint low miler at 20-25k, depending on spec.
Will the X150 model ever reach shed money? It may well do for neglected examples, just like the previous model XK8 before it, however, there are a few things in it's favour that suggest it might not. Growing up in Coventry, the XK8 was a very common sight, however, since picking my car up 3 weeks ago, I've only seen one other X150 on my travels and there are also fewer for sale.
It is also a more modern car, a modern Jaguar from a different era when Jaguar decided to change its image so to speak, with a different focus on driving, more sporty as opposed to cosseting and refined.
There is also the quality issue, which I wasn't going to mention having not owned an XK8. But from what I have read, the X150 is a significant step up.
Who knows? I think the key here is to just look after it, it is not an investment car, but would be nice if the value of them has hit the bottom of their depreciation curve.
Hmm... Tyres have been bought which are size specific to the wheels. They are the venus wheels which at 18“ are the smallest wheels you could get on the xk. I don't think they look bad at all and on the plus side, ride quality is exceptional and tyres are cheap. They are being booked in tomorrow for a refurb as well.
With regards to the bumper respray. More on that in the next few days.
With regards to the bumper respray. More on that in the next few days.
I also have an X100 XKR in addition to the X150 XKR. Although I love the look of my X100 'vert and its obvious hertiage ties to the E-type, there is simply no comparison to the X150 platform. The X100 shakes like a bowl of jello all of the time while the X150 is as solid as a rock. The 5.0L supercharged engine is nothing short of astonishing in smoothness, torque, and top end, frankly it's a little scary the first time you let it loose. It's the reason I gave up driving my Pantera years ago and forced me to make the Pantera a more driveable car as I was so spoiled by the Jaguar. The fact that you can buy a good used 5.0L XKR now in the low $20K range is just amazing. And the 4.2L cars are not slouches either. The cars give absolutely nothing up to their Mercedes AMG or BMW M counterparts and are exceptionally reliable. 
Edited by tberg on Monday 4th November 01:11
So...fuse 19 has been pulled and from a well insulated cabin, I can't tell if there is any difference or not. Will have another listen on a warmer day and maybe get a friend to give it a few revs while I listen from behind.
Gary, unfortunately, it is one of those cars that some people, sometimes buy, to impress the neighbours, then stick a leaper on the bonnet. I've had numerous people say "business must be booming" or "you're doing ok for yourself", but I am more than happy to tell them what I paid for it and there will be no £69 IXZ 4533 type number plate going on to hide the age. It is what it is.
Searider,, yep, it was very well priced even at the asking price and included a few little bonuses, full tank of fuel and a very good quality Stormforce outdoor car cover which I am currently trying to sell.
While I was with the seller, the phone had been going off the hook.
Gary, unfortunately, it is one of those cars that some people, sometimes buy, to impress the neighbours, then stick a leaper on the bonnet. I've had numerous people say "business must be booming" or "you're doing ok for yourself", but I am more than happy to tell them what I paid for it and there will be no £69 IXZ 4533 type number plate going on to hide the age. It is what it is.
Searider,, yep, it was very well priced even at the asking price and included a few little bonuses, full tank of fuel and a very good quality Stormforce outdoor car cover which I am currently trying to sell.
While I was with the seller, the phone had been going off the hook.
Ok, having pulled fuse 19 and wound the windows down, I can confirm it does make a difference! Sounds so much better and not overly intrusive at all.
Couple of little jobs done today...
The rear lights had mould in the crevices of the light unit as below...
With the aid of some ear buds and a razor, 99% of it was removed and it looks so much better...
Exhausts were looking tired...
So out came the drill, the metal polish and the cloths...decent quality of chrome...so they came up rather nice!
The rear is now looking nice and tidy I think, still have a few jobs to sort though...dye the plastic trim at the bottom and I think I will treat myself to some shiny new number plates as there is some slight delamination.
The car is still running fine with no obvious problems and I am still really enjoying it.
It is having the wheels refurbished on Monday (which I am excited about). Part of me fancied an anthracite colour as a bit of a change, but, I think I am going to keep it standard and go with silver. New centre caps have also been purchased. Will post pics once done.
Couple of little jobs done today...
The rear lights had mould in the crevices of the light unit as below...
With the aid of some ear buds and a razor, 99% of it was removed and it looks so much better...
Exhausts were looking tired...
So out came the drill, the metal polish and the cloths...decent quality of chrome...so they came up rather nice!
The rear is now looking nice and tidy I think, still have a few jobs to sort though...dye the plastic trim at the bottom and I think I will treat myself to some shiny new number plates as there is some slight delamination.
The car is still running fine with no obvious problems and I am still really enjoying it.
It is having the wheels refurbished on Monday (which I am excited about). Part of me fancied an anthracite colour as a bit of a change, but, I think I am going to keep it standard and go with silver. New centre caps have also been purchased. Will post pics once done.
Edited by MattsCar on Saturday 9th November 18:58
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