You should include that picture for when the link is dead and people read this thread in five years.

 

Like these:

 

Definitely GranTurismo with a ZF gearbox. If you have more money, V8 Vantage with a manual

 

I have never had an automobile as good or as reliable as my 2010 XKR (with 212000 miles on her) in 56 years of driving and owning cars. Period! It's why I still own it and still daily drive it. I just wish that I had been smart enough to have bought another one pre-Covid when you could find early 5L cars like mine for about $22,000. The other day, I saw a beautiful 2013 XKR-S convertible in French Racing blue parked at a small car lot near my house. Interior looked "as new," exterior had a few rock chips but otherwise beautiful condition. It had about 70,000 miles on it and asking price was $40K. I'm glad the dealership was closed or I might have done something stupid.

Guy (or anyone else on the forum), wanting to sample the thrill of driving a Pantera as Cee Jay suggested earlier, is welcome to take mine out for a weekend if you make your way to southern California. It's a fun, thrilling, raw, boisterous ride that I've owned for nearly 30 years, but is no match for the XKR in terms of which car I'd keep if I had to get rid of one between the two. But for an early Sunday morning blast through a canyon or a ride down to a Cars and Coffee, there's nothing quite like it. Offer is always open. Below is my '72 as she looks today.
Modified Cleveland 351 engine to about 500hp, modified C4 custom molded leather seats (for comfort and grip)., ferociously loud with the engine 6" behind your head.

 

That is a beautiful Pantera. You Pantera owners are a very generous bunch, I talked with an owner at my local gas station about his, and he told me he'd purchased it after looking around a bit. I asked how he knew if he'd like it, and he said a Pantera owner had let him drive it, and that Pantera owners are like that. I did have a similar experience with a woman whom my wife befriended for the day--she had been driving my XK8 and they parked next to each other, my wife commented that she had just the kind of car I liked. The woman and she came to our house, and let me just take her *original owner, unrestored* Series 1 E-type for a spin. No questions asked, no warnings given. I only took it for a few miles, but within a few blocks a man walking with his little boy was pointing it out to him.

Pantera owners from what I've seen also don't care that much about originality (partly I think because the cars when new weren't fully developed and needed some work), and often go for bigger motors, turbos, superchargers, or both. I do like the pre-L models like yours the best, but they're all special. And the other European exotic owners have to be secretly jealous of the relatively bulletproof nature of the V8 and its dirt-cheap maintenance compared to their cars.

 

Guy and WestCoastCat,
Your story is quite familiar. About 5 years ago I got a private message on the Pantera forum from someone who was interested in buying a Pantera but wanted to drive one. I had just gotten my car back from a 4 year restoration/modification that made it driveable for the first time in the 20+ years that I had owned it at that time. We talked on the phone, and it turned out he lived a few blocks from me. He came over, I gave him the keys and said, "take it for a day, and see if you like it." An hour later he was back at my house and about 30 days later he owned a beautiful '74 car. He sold it last year to buy a Ferrari 308, but claimed that the four years he owned the Pantera was the longest time he has ever owned a car. ,
As far as modification. the '71 Panteras (first year of production) came to Lincoln/Mercury showrooms less than 9 months after the car was simply a drawing in Tom Tjaarda's mind. The early cars were woefully underdeveloped and had a lot of problems. I could barely get out of my driveway for the first 20 years of ownership. In 2013, when I bought my XKR, I gave up even trying to drive the Pantera. The XKR (after pulley and tune) was quicker, more easily trackable, obviously more civilized (I could actually wear shoes driving the XKR which I can't do in the Pantera. With my big feet I have to drive it barefooted), After I bought my XKR, I gave up driving the Pantera for two or three years. My XKR forced me to make a decision, either get rid of it or modify it to make it a car i could enjoy whenever I wanted. I just wish I hadn't waited 20 years to make that decision. I now drive it every weekend and enjoy it without worrying about when it's going to leave me stranded. To my old eyes, it still looks contemporary, actually better than nearly all new supercars. The one positive thing about waiting 25 years to be able to use it consistently is that in the last 7 years or so, I've shrunk in height nearly 4" from almost 6'-3" to just under 6', so for the first time in my life I fit in the car reasonably comfortably. When I redid the car, some of the modifications were engine and exhaust related. the others were related to the cooling system (which all Panteras have to have done). But one of the more enjoyable mods was replacing the horrible seats that my car had (which were not original) with C-4 Corvette seats that we built up the bolsters and did diamond quilted leather on the surface. I did the dash in the same leather as well as the rear firewall. So now, my Pantera is the luxurious, fast, sports car it should have always been.
And the noise emanating from about 6" behind your head is intoxicating.
Anytime you want to take her out for a spin, send me a message.

 

I'm sorry to tell you this,but i never had any of those problems cause i take very good care of my stuff, and the only problem i ever had is a very simple fix and an easy solution to fix it and the only problems that ever existed to me is the TPMS fault and having to keep your feet on the brake and on the gas cause of slow traffic won't drive correctly like they suppose to where they're scared to do the speed limit that got you constantly resting your foot on the brake or applying it for their stupid driving makes the traction control,parking brake,abs,and disables dynamic mode where pretty much all that stuff goes out until you turn the car off for a little while and turn it back on for everything to work normally like it should again and it's a very important piece of information and advice for those that don't know what causes that when you just gotta keep in mind it's from stupid people in traffic that's making you hit the brakes all the time where your Jag malfunction like that all because of cereal box license having non drivers

 

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣I know what you mean,but why did you get it then?

 

When I gave my old ES (which had a nice nose) to my mother, and was looking for a replacement winter car, my wife said she wanted at least one reliable car (i.e. Toyota product) in the household. So that meant another Lexus. After lots of shopping and comparisons, I settled on the IS (early 3rd gen) which looks great from the sides and rear, with its nose buried in the garage.

 

My mother was LOANED the S-Type 4.0 Sport (The version with CATS ++) ... 10 years ago.
She loves it as much as I do... it might be a awhile before I get it back.

 

@tberg , you're very kind.
Cheers!

 

Setting aside your lack of capitals and puncuation, I have no idea what you are talking about. The problems I've had with my XK have nothing to do with how I take care of the car. The problems are most likely age related. Also, my car has been in Florida all of it's life and the heat has taken a toll on all the plastics. If care and maintenace were the issue, I wouldn't be asking the question.

 

Well said. I've been looking at a 2020 Mclaren 720S Spider, 2020 MB GT-C convertible, and a 2023 P 911 turbo S. Very hard to justify the cost when the XKR still puts a big smile on my face. I was looking hard at the 720S, but the maintenance alone would be costly with no local dealer. Also, after renting a Tesla I enjoyed the different experience.

​​​​​​My 2014 XKR has been working perfectly and still has less than 20,000 miles on it. Furthermore, it looks beautiful and performs just as good.

 

Well that explains everything with the heat down there shortening the Jags life like that,and excuse my vocabulary since i'm not a lawyer to write everything so perfectly and I write stuff exactly the way I would say it and idk why that's so hard to comprehend.Since we addressed that issue,NGL i had a summer time problem with my car myself once upon of time too with the convertible top separating from the rear window that i had to get replaced and that hit my pockets pretty good.But anyway,of course you wouldn't know what i'm talking about because you need a 5.0L to experience any of those things i brought to attention.Sorry for not realizing that everybody isn't up to the times where you might be driving around in an old 4.2L that probably was mine that i once had where I traded it in a long time ago for my 2014 XKR.I mean how rude of me right, since it's ok to be rude...

 

At the same price point as an XK, I'd look at an F Type, early V8 Vantage, or fill in the blank Porsche.

For Maserati, I'd go for a GranSport.

 

Ive been a car guy all my life. Recently, I had two purchased-new Corvettes — an ‘06 and a ‘15. surprisingly (to my friends) I loved them both. They have so much going for them in driver experience and conveniences. But I started to think there might be something other than Corvettes in my future so I sold the 2015 and bought a 2012 Boxster S with 20,000 miles on it. I regretted every moment having sold the Corvette (& my gold chain ♥‿♥). With my most city driving these days I found it to be tiny, harsh riding on city streets, and did I say, harsh riding on city streets. But if I were on the track or on swoopy highways, this is the car to have. I hadn’t had a Jag since a couple XKE’s in my “childhood” years. But I’ve always wanted another Jag so along came my current 2012 XK vert. And what a lovely change.

But if you’re really looking for something else, you might consider:

• An Austin Healy (but let’s be reasonable)
• Lexus LC
• Lexus LS430
• C6 or C7 Corvette
• A 987.2 or later 6-cylinder Boxster or Cayman
• or any of a dozen vintage sports cars

 

I test drove a C7 Sting Ray and I found it harsh and uncomfortable. Yes, it LOOKED good, but I'd not be able to drive the thing more than 50 miles without muttering several derogatory remarks toward it. It also wasn't up to the performance par either, the 70-100 just wasn't there. This was before the Z06 was available, but those are even harsher.
No thanks. I've not driven a C8 yet, maybe a totally different story awaits...

 

I am going to probably get a new BRZ in the next year or 2. RWD, Manual Transmission, good mod community and a mid-tier trim is around $33k. i know i will miss certain things about my XK, but I just want a car that is fun to drive without having constant worries of the next repair.

 

C8 is an American Ferrari. I drove a C6. Uncomfortable and I didn't like driving that low surrounded by double trailer semi's and monster pickups. Out here, not a rare car. Unlike an XKR, they're everywhere. Yes, it was fun to exit freeways at twice the posted speed limit. Nothing I've driven or considered comes even close to the lux/performance blend of an XKR at the price point we buy them at. It's fun to own a distinctive car. I've seen just one other in the 1 year I've had mine.

 

We have a MX5 NC2 for this reason, actually its for the wife. Lots of aftermarket support, bullet proof motor, 3 pedals and fun in the twisties. Hardtop convertible. So easy to work on and the insurance and running cost is less than a motorcycle.