(TLDR: Sadly sold my Jaaag. One of my all time favorite vehicles. Would buy again given circumstances. Thanks.)

Technically, I'm no longer a Jaaag owner. My 07 XK convertible was dropped off at the broker a week and a half ago and is already sold.
It's a sad day but it had to happen. Due to covid we didn't travel up to the mainland last year at all, and lost our garaged parking space in ATL. Makes no sense for us to pay monthly for storage and insurance, even if it meant having the best grand touring car I've ever owned. We did another big trip earlier this year SC/NC/TN/KY/GA to see all the grandkids and the XK was a wonderful as ever.

Our experience:
We loved the car. When I was looking a few years back I was hoping to find an XKR for the added performance, but was never disappointed. Exhaust note when giving it the beans with the top down was music. Plenty of power yet still totally comfortable for long highway drives. It's one of the few cars I've owned (and I've owned a lot) that I can drive 5 hours and step out without being seriously fatigued. The car is planted, even in wet conditions, and handles great. Creature comforts are all there and the heated steering wheel was nice to find on that one cold night with the top down. I loved the wood/leather combination. The screen/functions were the only drawback but to be expected in a car from that era. We did several long road trips and could manage to fit our luggage in the trunk - most of the time with the top still operational. Although on one occasion I had to retract the barrier after we added some shopping stops. I never like leaving anything exposed in the back seat.

Issues:
We bought the car in Chicago, sight unseen, and after our first road trip down to GA (with obligatory friends/grandkids stops) I was concerned that after turning the car off that the fan would continue to run for a bit. Not having detailed gages is always a negative to me. The coolant was only a few drops shy, but I had an independent check out the cooling system anyway. They gave it a clean bill of health and said that the fan staying on was normal operation.
Next issue was that the seats were out of adjustment and would hit the rear trim when fully moved back. I booked her in for a full service at the dealer and had them reprogram them with their system. Took two tries.
Lights were fogged pretty badly when I bought her. I spent several hours and used the 3M system + sealant on them and the result was pretty good. Recommend the 3M products for this for sure and will used them on my LRD2.
Biggest issue was battery drain. This is common, and at first I didn't have a maintainer hooked up. This caused me a real issue first time after a low battery situation when I went to put the top down. It only partly went down. Fortunately my main vehicle on-island is an 03 land rover discovery. I have a code reader that handles LR's and Jag's so could reset everything. The broker even said the battery was bad after I dropped it off for sale so I had to pony up for a new one.
Other than that I never doubted her and she never let me down.

Next Jag?
YES. If we ever relocate back up to the mainland then for sure another Jaag is in my future. If I was shopping for another XK or XKR I'd look for an 09 as this was the last year before the 5.0. Just love the sound of the older (and I think more reliable) V8. But I'm also likely to look at an XJR from that era - for the extra room when travelling, and in the future climbing out of a car instead of up, may be easier on the athletically challenged joints. Of course I would consider a newer E-pace sport (for the Mrs) or sport sedan too for the right price.

Thanks to all here for contributing to the wealth of information, and making the ownership experience even better.

 

First off, you are living in a paradise to me!

Hopefully you end up with another fun Jag if you come back; maybe a nice Portfolio or something in the early X150 4.2L XKR variant family!

 

Thanks for sharing stxscott. Once a Jag owner, always a Jag owner. This may be more about the passion for the car vs. being an owner.
Please stay active in the forum, the more experience and participation from Jag owners past, present and future the better!
Also, I bought my XKR convertible in Delray Beach and drove it up the coast to Cocoa Beach (before it's AmTrak AutoTrain trip to DC and drive to Boston).
I can attest to hearing a similar "song" that was indeed music to my ears.

 

Never drove on St. Croix but had a lot of fun on St. Thomas with a rented Suzuki Samurai 4X4. Four of us in that vehicle and my wife was 8 months pregnant with our son. Every time I hit a bump, pothole or large crack in the asphalt we all thought she'd go into labor.

Yes our Jaguars are special cars. But it's not a car...it's a Jag-u-awr. Stick around. Share some stories. And when possible tell us about your new Jaguar ride.
Thanks for sharing your experiences.

 

When I visit (which I hope becomes frequently, again) the BVI, the only vehicle of transport I need is the sail boat. ;-) Of course an LR would be my 'on island' option.
Keep well, keep safe.

 

We lived on our catamaran when we first moved here, and cruised many of the islands. Also had a go fast 31' trimaran for a while too.
I'm between boats at the moment as well, as we sold the last one to focus on rebuilding the house after Irma/Maria.
Back to a mono for the next one probably as there's more racing opportunities. Have to finish redoing the master first.

Since I've been on island (13+yrs) I've had the 05 Nismo truck (moved it down and still have it, although wife claims it), 96 Suzi Samurai, 98 Ford Explorer, 03 Chevy Blazer, 03 LR D2 (still have), 06 Chevy Trailblazer, and bikes 05 Yami Vstar 650, 09 Kawi KLR 650, and still have the 'tuned' 01 HD Sportster 1200. Several of the vehicle's were buy/fix/flip. The Samurai was a manual and total fun. Our roads are much better today than in the past, yet still lots of potholes - which I find easier to avoid on two wheels than four.

Got to see the new Bronco in the flesh on my last visit. That would make a nice Island vehicle. Very impressed and think it will give the Jeeps something to think about. But it would take something really special to pry me from my LR Discovery. I can see driving that for another 10+ years easy, but the EPA may fine me for all the shitty plastic bits that deteriorate and fall off. Thank goodness I've upgraded to aftermarket steel bumpers! Here the roads are narrow and getting scratches and parking lot dings are unavoidable, so having a mint car is a bit of a dream. Island life and being a petrol head (kiwi speak for car-guy) don't necessarily go hand in hand.

In my life to date I've owned/leased 30 vehicles (not including boats). Prior stateside vehicles include everything from a 70 Buick Electra 225 convertible to a Nissan 350Z, with plenty of other interesting fun toys. One of my favorites was a 91 Miata with aftermarket rims and low profile tires - drove like a bloody skateboard. My 91 Corvette was the closest experience to driving in an actual Nascar (One day driver training session in Nashville thanks to the Mrs.). A bucket list goal is to have owned a vehicle from most all major manufacturers, and I've skipped a couple of letters in the alphabet so far. Exacerbated by 6 Nissan's (worked for them in Ausi for a while) and 5 Chevy's. Need to start back to the A's and maybe get an old Audi A4 to convert it to a ute for a fun project.

The 07 XK Convertible is certainly my favorite grand touring car of any I've owned. Beat out my old 96 Impala SS for long cruising drives, although the 500SL was pretty good too. One day maybe an 03-07 XJR will be even better...

 

Of all the Sedans I have ever had, the 04 XJR stands out. Driven all over the States from Florida to California and many states in between. Other than having to replace the AC compressor and the windshield wipers failing once no problems in 80k miles.

 

Bummer for you.
I will be enjoying my '07 XK convertible shortly.
But first I need to replace the battery. Dang.
I love the sound! When I have the top down & pass under an ovepass, I tend to pin it. Love that sound!!!