Thanks Sean. Good to see you here! (I recall your signature pic from the X350 forum).
- I haven't driven an XK yet, but hope to line that up in the coming weeks (I'll be traveling to Montana early next moth, and may plan my itinerary to see a one or two examples enroute; eg, Chicago, where there seem to be a few)
- Not sure whether XK or XKR; need to drive a couple to figure that bit out. Assume you like your '07 XK? A good long distance driver? Coupe or drop head?
- My thought with the X150 2010+ is to get the second gen X150 electrics, etc, plus as "new" as possible. I've arbitrarily set $35K total as a budget; still not clear on prices
- Has yours been pretty reliable overall? Are the mechanical underpinnings similar to the XJ's? Regarding DFI, certainly Audi had teething problems...and I've run across a number of "injector replacements" perusing the X150 thread archives. These cars are getting old enough, however, that DIY types like me are starting to filter in - which makes things more interesting...

 

I love Montana! Every time I go, it's a great time.
Honestly it was hard to go from the 4.2 SC to the N/A at first but yes I love the car. I have the coupe. It'll be my last car barring some unforeseen inheritance.
Longest drive I've taken it was 12 hours and it performed well and my back didn't suffer. I'm 6'3" 187 and have a bad back and I was comfortable. Headroom and leg room not an issue. You won't get a set of golf clubs in either the coupe or vert btw. It was a day trip. fastest I drove it was 119 I think and it just hugged the road while my wife screamed at me. I would definitely drive it across country if the opportunity arises. Warden says otherwise as she needs a boatload of luggage.

I understand the appeal of the newer model and I also like the facelift. I was able to "upgrade" the electronics (iPod) and rear view camera brought to us through Cambo. I also upgraded the stock base sound system to the premium, again, courtesy of Cambo's posts. I have no other upgrades of significance. If you get behind the wheel of a 5.0, I suspect you're not going to be happy with anything less from what I read here and I believe them. If you go with the pre 2010, I would look for the 09.
The 07 -09 have the same engine, transmission as you have. The SC will have the same valley hose issues as the XJ. The 2010 onward still use the same transmission. Suspension bushes and arms are the same as well (except the XK doesn't have the air ride.
The 5.0 has electronic dipstick so oil changes on her would be different. I really don't pay much attention to the 5.0 issues but you seem to be aware. DI have the same long term issues regardless of make/ model of car and they're pretty well known in the car universe. The 5.0 water pump is on its umpteenth version, with some having success and others not as much on replacements. Others have had no issue but that issue is found in the other Jag forum pages with the 5.0 engines as well as the timing chain issues.

I have SDD and do my own work as well. Almost all of it has been fluid changes and piddly crap.

 

I am now on my third XK/XKR. I currently own 2013 convertible Portfolio model with the active exhaust and some other "goodies". Between the three starting with an 08 XK, going to a 2012 XK and then the 2013 XKR from 2016. In my opinion the 13 XKR is the best of the lot. Granted it rides somewhat stiffer than the XK, but it makes up for that in that it handles better and the extra power and torque are nice. I have driven all three on road trips with no difficulties. I had to replace the water pumps on both the 12 and the 13, but both were under warranty. I had a few electronic/electric issues with the 08 and the 12, but none with the 13. These are reliable, comfortable mile eaters - GTs with a sporting flair. Good luck in your hunt.

 

i own an early car and people harp on about how they are more reliable than the later cars. They very well might be; but the least reliable x150 is still a pretty reliable car!

I know in the x100, there's a fairly large rift between worst and best in terms of this but not in the x150. I like my early car; and have no plans to change it up, but if something happened or i get the desire for more power, the later cars are a Ok.

 

I had a few electronic/electric issues with the 08 and the 12, but none with the 13. These are reliable, comfortable mile eaters - GTs with a sporting flair

Many thanks for the experienced guidance, Ralph. I'm excited to find a good 'un, and will see if I can locate a late model. My initial glance says that the coupes are outnumbered by the drop tops by more than one in three?
The wholesale broker I contacted a couple of days ago begged off with "These things are hen's teeth". Anyone know a decent, patient wholesale auto broker? I've also put a wanted ad in the forum classifieds

I know in the x100, there's a fairly large rift between worst and best in terms of this but not in the x150

Thanks, 80's. Speaking of which, back in the 90's - during my Porsche 911 phase - I got a yen for an 80's 928, and discovered the hard way that early (US) cars were dogs, and later cars sublime. Expensive lesson. Glad to hear that all the X150's are golden. My current plan is to have a good solid, modern road car, not another semi hobby car. And, to wean down my vehicle collection; both cars and bikes (...amusing that all my resolutions, no matter how noble, often conflate into the urge to buy something...)

 

Point of clarification: there is no such thing as an XK/R "hard top". The Ferrari California is a hard top. My GF's SLK is a hard top. The XK is a coupe because the whole body is a single.cpnstru tion, not separate mechanical components.

 

Another great thread. Just finished a cross-country drive myself and the car is pretty well suited to it.
Only thing I'd add, and +1 a few comments here: if you can get the 5.0 XKR with 19" wheels, that would be my "sweet spot." I've had both wheel sizes, and it makes a difference. (Currently have 20" wheels, and as it's my daily driver I take it all sorts of places, it rides a little harsh, and I've got the bent rims to prove my point....)

 

Ohhhhhh, be careful with THIS one...... You're confusing a "Hard Top Convertible" with a Hardtop. Hardtops are coupes without a B-Pillar, so the entire A-piller to C-Pillar is open space. No, static rear-quarter windows do not make a hardtop as they don't move. Now, if an XK Convertible didn't HAVE the fabric roof but the rear windows still lowered, THAT would be a Hardtop. OR, if a person decided to put retractable rear quarter glass in a coupe, there ya go!

"The pillarless hardtop (often abbreviated to "hardtop") is a hardtop with no B-pillar which is often styled to look like a convertible.[1][2] If window frames are present, they are designed to retract with the glass when lowered. This creates an impression of uninterrupted glass along the side of the car.[3]A pillarless hardtop is inherently less rigid than a pillared body, requiring extra underbody strength to prevent shake. Production hardtops commonly shared the frame or reinforced body structure of the contemporary convertible model, which was already reinforced to compensate for the lack of a fixed roof.

Hardtops tend to be more expensive and collectible than sedan models of the same vehicle.[4]

Some hardtop models took the convertible look even further, including such details as simulating a convertible-top framework in the interior headliner and shaping the roof to resemble a raised canvas top.[citation needed] By the late-1960s such designs could be highlighted with an optional vinyl cover applied on the steel roof.

The hardtop began to disappear along with convertibles in the mid-1970s, partly out of a concern that U.S. federal safety regulations would be difficult for pillarless models to pass. The ascendancy of monocoque construction also made the pillarless design less practical. Some models adopted modified roof styling, placing the B pillars behind tinted side window glass and painting or molding the outer side of each pillar in black to make them less visible, creating a hardtop look without actually omitting the pillar. Some mid- to late-1970s models continued their previous two-door hardtop bodies, but with fixed rear windows or a variety of vinyl roof and opera window treatments.

By the end of the 1990s, almost all hardtop designs disappeared as structural integrity standards continued to increase."
- - - -- -- The Wikster

 

Wonderful education I'm receiving - many thanks to all for your gracious advice!

PK4144 - particularly appreciate your first hand experience with cross country X150 driving. I will do my best to find a car with 19" wheels (I hate a vehicle that "crashes" over bumps and expansion joints)

Have my eye on a private owner '13 XKR. ~ 50K miles; long trip to see/buy, so doing some homework...
Is there a "VIN Lookup" for Jag/X150 which lists options build by VIN? (These exist for BMW and Porsche, last time I looked).

 

Register here as an independent operator: https://topix.jaguar.jlrext.com/topi...cle/lookupForm

 

I don't see this at all. I have 20" wheels/tires and I don't "crash" over anything. It's actually nothing I really even notice, going over bumps and joints and stuff. I do have a good frame of references also, wife's RX350 rides smoooooottthhhh, and my F150 is fairly harsh. Fact is, the F150 is a worse ride than the Jag on 20s. F150s are the 'cushy' riding trucks also. My old F250 was miserable on the freeway. My wife made me sell the F250 and buy the F150 specifically because once we had the grand kids and drove them the 50 miles back to their parents, and she was concerned they'd get Shaken Baby Syndrome from the rough ride. They were 2 and 5 at the time and were actually having fun with all the jars and such.
Wow, sorry about the tangent.
Regardless, my XKR on 20s isn't any problem whatsoever.

 

Graham will look it up for you - just go here and ask:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/g...ia-vin-211056/

 

Have to 2nd Cee Jay’s opinion on that.
My car came with the 19” Carelia wheels, but I really liked the look of the 20” Senta wheels, so I found a set, and have them on the car.
Your choice of tire will make more difference than the wheel size. The 19” Bridgestone Potenza tires gave a much firmer, responsive ride, than the 20” Conti DWS 06 tires I chose (which I find too squishy).
Yes, all other things being equal, the 1/2 inch less sidewall on a 20 should ride firmer than the same tire in a 19. But if you prefer the look of the 20, you can more than compensate the ride characteristics by choice of tire.

 

Thanks Neil and Sean; I've sent a PM to Graham with VIN
CJ: Appreciate the wheel size tip.
(My M3 BMW rides like a berloody skateboard, even with 18" wheels. XJR is fine with 19" wheels, though 3 of 'em have been straightened, just on my watch My old Tundra pickup is the smoothest riding vehicle of the lot; tons of Michelin sidewall (though it handles like a lawn tractor)

 

OUCH!!!!

(I just got and studied a Carfax report on the '13 XKR. Looks like a three owner history of cooling problems, with head gasket replacement at one point. For grins, I googled "Jag 5.0 headgakets", to see how common this is. Well, it brought me back into the XF forum, with horror stories about 5.0L head gaskets. As in, engine replacement required. Apparently, the heads/block very susceptible to warpage; new gaskets won't seal and last, head and block can't be machined, no 5.0 internal parts available from Jag, etc, etc )
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xf-xfr-x250-44/2011-xf-blown-head-gasket-repairable-options-210031/

06/26/2015 20,017 Jaguar Fort Lauderdale


Fort Lauderdale, FL
954-598-7900
jaguarfortlauderdale.com
4.6 / 5.0 43 VeriDed
Reviews

Vehicle serviced
- Cylinder head gasket(s) replaced
- Engine compression checked
- Engine/powertrain computer/module checked

 

Pretty much all modern cars are basically over-tyred. Big wheels and tyres look good but are not really necessary. We are adding more weight where it hurts most so should be aware of the compromise. I usually fall for the bigger is better school of thought but the car always drives overall better on the smaller standard option. Some parameters improve with a wider and lower profile tyre but they are more on-the-limit stuff. Where a wide tyre really hurts is aquaplaning resistance which happens at very mortal speeds we often travel at. I have no problem with anybody that chooses the smaller option.

 

Huh, I've never seen a problem with head gaskets on any X150 post. Ever.
Actually, I do believe that THIS is the first mention of head gaskets there is. Funny enough it indicates the XF solely.

I really don't think head gaskets are a problem for 99.99% of the XK model.

 

CJ: You're right. I searched forum and couldn't find much on head gaskets. Lots of (5.0L) water pump, plastic cooling pipe, etc overheating problems, and timing chain/tensioner problems though

Looking in the XF and XJ forums, however - quite a few 5.0 head gasket (and engine) failures. Stories of Jag dealers won't replace head gaskets; engine replacement required (due to head/block distortion; open deck design). I came across this multiple times. Definitely a caveat RE: buying a used X150 5.0L XKR with headgasket replacement, etc in records.

And then, looked at Land Rover (same engine; LR4, etc), and overheat/head gasket/engine failure is a plague. Class Action lawsuits, etc. Ditto with timing chain (actually, tensioner) issues requiring engine replacement (bent valves, etc). And, surprising number of rod bearing failures due to low oil (though low oil light not on). Most issues I scanned on 2010 - 2013.5 vehicles...some really heartbreaking stories...new engine cost comes close to totaling a lot of otherwise nice JLR vehicles in this year range

This has definitely put me off the 5.0. I can't account for lack of XK 150 5.0L reported head gasket problems (here), though XK and XKR are cited and included in both lawsuits.
Perhaps X150 owners (forum members) tend to be more knowledgeable/fastidious (like you and I), and don't keep driving an overheated car (or one with noisy timing chain on startup). Maybe small sample size? Dunno.

I will be proactively replacing the valley hose, water pump, hoses, etc on my XJR this week. And, maybe looking at 4.2L X150's?

 

You have to look at the numbers, there were FAR fewer X150s made and sold than any other JLR model.

I can tell you from personal experience (I have 2 late model cars with the newer motors) as well as others I have known, the 2010+ cars are FAR less reliable than the 4.2s....entire cooling system failures multiple
times including water pumps, radiators, all coolant hoses/pipes, gaskets, timing chain tensioners, pulleys & belt
tensioners, etc.

Yes you do get a more powerful motor and that’s really all you get of significance unless you consider the XKR-S.

If all you want is a reliable X150 GT cruiser, find a well cared for R version of the 4.2 and spend the extra budget money on so preventive maintenance and perhaps any cosmetics or updates/upgrades.

 

Or maybe not.
My 2010 has the original water pump at 67,000 miles, not a sniff of coolant anywhere. Not a bulging hose, not an oozing crusty at any connection.
Plus, I beat the crap outa my car.
Dunno, man.