Hi all, I am a newbie to the site looking for a V8 Jaguar. Current thinking is either a 5.0 NA XK, a 4.2 XKR or if i could stretch to it a 5.0 XKR.

Budget wise I am thinking £10k but could stretch to £12k if i really had to.

Thoughts on model choice and budget welcome!

 

I think at 12k you'll see a few 5.0 XK's but plenty of 4.2 XKR's. Real world speed is very minimal between the 4.2 XKR and 5.0 NA so its more down to getting the right car with the right spec etc. The only 12k 5.0 XKR you would get would be a high mileage category car I would have thought so probably best avoided.
Best advice would be to take a test drive of both and see which opne you prefer. Also worth thinking convertible vs coupe - If you want a 'vert then youll definitely be looking at a 4.2 car.

 

Thanks Television, I think that makes sense...a quick google search shows most people are saying 4.2 supercharger over the 5.0.

I wonder if there is much of a difference on the interior quality and design between the pre and post facelift.

 

Hi Jim, I guess its horses for courses really. I was in the same boat a while back and opted for the 5.0 as I preferred the styling as well as the rotary gear selector, LED lights, wheels etc. The power deilvery between the cars was the only other discernible difference I could tell as the NA is far more linear but the SC has a nice kick - both cover ground at a great lick when pressed and you wouldn't be unhappy in either.

 

Yes, I need to drive some...they seem to be few and far between though so looks like I'll need to do some travelling

 

Don't forget the 4.2 S/C can be tuned up to 500hp or so

 

What's the best path to 500? Mina gallery claims ~50 for their pulley and exhaust, what's after that?

 

Worth checking out the PistonHeads buying guide, and noting the 5 litre ones have loads of water pump problems. 😉

 

Excellent, will take a look!

I am leaning towards a 4.2 XKR currently

 

x-pipe mid pipe, custom ecu tune , upper pulley (lower pulley will increase heat decreasing power in the 4.2 on the 4.0 its a different story)

The key comes down to finding the right tuner I wouldn't recommend any of the off the shelf tunes to achieve macimax power or reliability.

 

I was faced with a similar decision but at a different price point. My budget would have allowed me to go for either a good 5.0 or a better 4.2 XKR. In the end I opted for the 4.2 because that engine is so well-tried and tested and is really 'bulletproof' as far as any engine can be so described. In performance terms, there really isn't a problem in real world driving - the 4.2 even in N/A form is fast enough for most people, and in Supercharged form is more than enough for almost anyone. Sub 5 seconds 0-60 is, by any standards, impressive and even then the opportunities to use it on public roads is limited. And since all XKs have all the power going through only the two back wheels, anything other than a good, dry surface has to be treated with a lot of respect.

There are, of course, arguments both ways and some will say go for the 5.0 litre - I am just giving the reasons I went for the 4.2. Ultimately, if I wanted a much newer XKR (which one day I might) then I will have no choice but to go for a 5.0 and I am sure I would be happy doing so. But the 4.2 engine has been around a long, long time in one guise or another and that was the main influencer for me at my budget point at the time.

I'd perhaps say, don't focus too much on whether you get a 5.0 or a 4.2 but rather find the very best car you can for the money you have. A properly maintained (totally 100% essential), reasonable mileage, unblemished body, perfect interior car is what I would look for. If it is a 5.0 so be it. If it is a 4.2 so be it - both are amazing cars.

There is very little difference in appearance, internally or externally between the two really, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

 

Great advice, thanks!

 

You're welcome Jim. I also bought this little book by respected expert Nigel Thorley. It's a mine of useful information and has checklists etc that you can use if you take the book with you when viewing prospective cars. It's a handy size and fits your pocket or glove box.


Link here:

 

Owning 2 4L SC cars and one 4.2L SC car, I may be a little biased. I personally think the 5L cars are still plenty robust, but the XK got them early, so there were teething problems. I consider a meh water pump to be a relatively minor niggle; and I'd reserve judgement until I knew more that a revised design or higher quality part didn't solve the issue permanently; early 4L cars had water pump issues that can be permanently resolved on the X100 and X308; I'd hope the aftermarket can do similar on the 5L X150 cars. I've heard rumors of issues with timing components on the X150 5L, but they had the same problems on 4L X100 and X308 cars that long term a permanent solution was reached as well; same reservation of judgement for the aftermarket to come to aide.

Jaguars sometimes require a little "field engineering". If I replace a water pump and timing parts at maybe 3-4k paid out or 1k myself and have a long term reliable 510HP GT rocket, I'd consider myself fortunate! That said, my X150 4.2L XKR came up on an ebay search, then I saw a phone number in the ad and went, that's local! Then I called and found out the car was 3 miles from me. It just was meant to be. I would say the X150 4.2L XKR is the finest the 4 or 4.2L revision Jaguar ever got. The issues with these cars are generally not powertrain, the 4.2L cars can have that duck bill for the AC and dash shrinkage; which at least the dash shrinkage can plague the later cars as well. The later cars do have an objectively nicer interior, not that it's trash per se in the earlier cars, it's just a bit nicer in the later examples.

Any X150 is a nice car, focus on condition and seller above everything. I've bought some ragged cars from sellers who were priced realistically and 100% honest, my 2000 XKR needed work when I bought it but it was priced about 5k under book and needed about 2k in work if I did it myself. They were super honest though and it's been a fantastic car.

 

Good advice thank you!

I like the look of this one, any thoughts? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...01911294888726

 

It took me 6 months to find what I wanted. The 1st month was deciding what MY I wanted and after the research I decided on the latest MY with the lowest mileage and within my budget. It also had to match one of my acceptable color choices which I had 3. What I ended up after my daily searches was a 2012 XKR , IRR convertible. The price was at the top of my budget at $75 K but it was what I wanted. I purchased the car as a CPO from a dealer and it had 6,666 miles on it. It had been serviced by a dealer since new and I had only had 2 abnormal repairs. One was an alternator and the other was the BT module. I put 20,000 miles on it before I sold it last december. Remember when you read of reliability issues on these types of forms it usually reflects a small level of issues and they are based on a small data base. All used cars are a risk so it's buyer beware. My 2 cents here.

 

Looks like a decent car! I have no idea how the price is in your market, but I'd say it looks solid, although those seats seem low spec compared to what I'm used to seeing.

 

The car looks nice.
It's funny though that they listed it as a 2007, since on your side of the pond it is a 2006 MY.
(Yeah they called it a 2007 registration, but that's just a bit wonky in my book. If I buy a car, and don't register it for 20 years, does that make it a newer car?)
Check it out, and judge it for itself.

 

indeed. 100 mile drive away sadly, I’d better be sure I’m interested before I set off! 😀

 

Car looks very nice. There's no guarantees when buying a used car but one owner in 13 years and 75000 miles is a good start.