I have had issues with my XKR also. Most recent was the brake switch that caused the no cruse/ check rear lights problem. Bought a new jag one on the internet for $120 and had it installed for $75. I had the MAF p0101/p0102 codes that turned out to be a leaky 1/4 hose between the inter-coolers. I have the door switch open/closed problem that I will soon fix. I wanted a Ferrari, but after checking those repair prices WOW. I LUV my XKR.

 

I have been in this business a very long time. And, I have worked for nearly all of the major brands at one time or another. I can assure you that they all have service departments for a reason! For nearly every "dependable" car mentioned in this thread, I could recite a list of factory issues that we dealt with. I will say for the record, that the Jaguars are among the most "needy", but they can be the most rewarding. Like any thorobred, they require proper care and feeding. These cars have heart and soul, they have roots and history, they have a "personality" that most cars lack. And, I think much of this is to do with their inherant quirks and idiosynchrosies. They require a caretaker, rather than simply an owner, If I could "wish" for any major change, it would be in the parts prices. But, "all" parts prices seem to be spiraling upward. I just did a front brake service on a Maserati Gran Turismo, and the pads were $1100 USD! Ok, it's a "Maserati". But, the brakes are Brembo. I think the cost of belonging to a somewhat exclusive club is just that; we drive fairly exclusive automobiles. Driving down the road you can see any number of Corvettes, Mercedes, BMW, Toyotas, Audi, etc... but how many times do you see another XK? Just my two cents...

 

I live in Silicon valley where BMW/Merc/Audi/Ferrari/Astons/Porsche/Bentley are common as muck.

Went out today and in a 26mile drive to Los Gatos and back saw all the above + a 60's Rolls and a 70's MG midget. Only saw one other XK.

BMW lost count after 10 mins
Merc lost count after 10 mins
Audi lost count after 10 mins
Porsche(lost count after 10 mins
Ferrari 3
Astons 7
Bentley 5

 

I should've mentioned the age of the Corvette, it was a 1987. I bought it when it was 19 years old and sold it when it was 24. The car had low miles, but the parts were old and failing just due to age. That car being low miles and old was a huge reason I don't look for uber low milers anymore. The car had 45k miles and was 19yo; but 38k was put on prior to 1990; so it only had 7k put on between 1990 and 2006.

I buy my cars to drive and because of that, I'd rather buy one with some miles put on regularly throughout it's life than a car that sat for quite a while. My 00 XKR was bought in Jan 2011 with 67k miles, and it's been low maintenance. Looking at carfax, the car had it's mileage distributed over the years without a real gap of sitting. I just get in and drive; I've put 15k on in 2 years and love the car.

More than make and model of car, is use and age. I'd rather use up a car at 2-300k miles than see it decompose at 60k miles. My Corvette was mostly a new car by the time I sold it, and the new owners have had impeccable reliability, but I had a lot of expense getting it that way.

 

Complain all you want about the XK and it's faults but what other great looking and great driving car can you get for the price of a used ford focus? Can you get the sound of that engine, the sensual curves of her style, or the feeling of not driving a run of the mill rental car in any other car for the money you paid for the Jag? Not a chance.

Did I buy the car with eyes open? You bet. Would I have bought it without knowing about this forum and all of the great expertise and information available? Not a chance.

Do I have any regrets about buying my current 98 Black XK8 convertible with only 74k miles for less than the cost of a focus or high mileage toyota sedan that would be so bland that I would drive it only because I had to get somewhere? Only one regret. I should have looked harder and found an XKR to get that need for speed thirst quenched.

I have owned my XK8 for about a year and close to 18k miles and have only had to do maintenance and check tensioners (upper and lowers already done) fluid changes, and tires. The same maintenance anything on 4 wheels would need.

What do I get in return every time I crawl in? A smile and seat of the pants satisfaction that I could otherwise not afford.

I happily embrace the little niggles that come with these cars. It proves they have soul.

That's my .02

Barry

 

The biggest problem with these cars are the cost of the parts and the almost requirement that the caretaker be an amateur mechanic with all the tools and workspace that that entails. I am overall happy with my XK but if I could go back I would never have gotten it. True it is a great feeling driving a true exotic for such a reasonable price but it's not worth the worry to me that it's going to fail in some way that bankrupts me or totals the car. My last atob type of car was more ideal(toyota) with pretty much only oil changes, a battery change and tire changes over the 7 years I owned it. Already been through much more than that with my XK over about 1 year.

The car has way too many whiz bang things in it that most people never use that can break leading to hundreds or thousands of dollars of damage, just look at the size of the battery it needs to feed all that stuff! Great car and a true classic but I'd warn anyone looking for one to make sure they are in the right position to take care of this car(2nd or 3rd car only not primary, has working space, likes doing amateur mechanic work, no kids, covered off street parking, has extra money, etc etc)

 

My 03 XKR is a needy, sexy thing, and I`m happy to ride her any day any time! I`m glad I have a code reader/scanner and some basic mechanical knowhow, because if I had to pay a dealer to fix her I would let her go.......
It`s a great car and worth the trouble, IMHO!

 

Good luck with the Audi

 

I traded a dead-solid reliable Honda Accord to get my XK8. Like you, I have already done more work in just a year than I did in the entire life of the Accord (which was bought new).

Haven't regretted it once, so it's a case of what you're looking for. Do you want an appliance or something unique. Each has its place and time. Right now, for me, my place is in the Jag having the time of my life.

 

Yeah I understand what you are saying, the xk's of that time are certainly more to me because I saw them in college 10-12 years ago when they were new and thought, that's part of why I'm in college and to finally get one last year was awesome. It's just that the position I'm in now just makes this car untenable for me on many levels(financial, reliability, servicing, unemployed), much more than a year ago. I'm trying to sell it and it's not easy now to sell a car like this one.

 

I have had to do nearly every major service item that has plagued first gen XK8/XKR owners since I bought mine about 3 years and 56,000 miles ago. In fact, I have probably spent almost as much as I paid for the car, and this was a 60,000 mile nearly perfect car with a complete Jaguar dealership service history. So, I have not exactly been happy with its reliability. BUT, I have a couple of comments. First of all, we had one of those ultra reliable Toyotas, a 2000 Avalon, a very luxurious, very fine car whose engine had to be rebuilt with a little over 50,000 miles on it at about a $4-5000 cost because Toyota had a little hidden secret that caused several million Toyota and Lexus owners who had V-6 engines that transformed the oil into Jello. If you were lucky to have been under the original time/mileage warranty, Toyota replaced the engine without much protest because they wanted to avoid a government ordered recall. Those of us outside that warranty were stuck paying for it even though it was a well known defect of their 6 cylinder engines. When we had our first child my wife insisted on getting a Volvo sedan as she fell hook, line, and sinker for the "safest" car in the world only to find that the engine blew (on the same day as we picked it up from the Volvo service department for scheduled maintenance) with 21,000 miles on it. My 70 year old mom's 740 turbo Volvo blew through 5, count'em 5 turbochargers in its first two years of life, afterwhich we got rid of the car not wanting to experience number 6. Our 2008 Buick Enclave has had 3 trannys as well as numerous other problems in its 60000 mile life (never buy a first year model). The moral of the story is that some of those carefree cars weren't exactly what they seemed, and they certainly weren't a Jag. Despite the problems and repairs I've experienced with the XKR, I can't wait to get in it every morning, putting the top down about 360 days a year, and driving it in a spirited manner. I love the way it looks, drives, coddles you in traditional luxurious Jaguar interior. I love the whole experience, and the price of entry was as cheap as a Camry of similar vintage. Plus for all of the complaints that you read about some of the cheap parts that have made it into our cars, I will tell you that these cars hold up remarkably well. My car has 115,000 miles on it and is over 11 years old. The paint, save for a few rock chips picked up along the way, looks like that of a new car, as does the interior, the leather, the wood...I have never had a car of this amount of mileage that looked so fresh. Other cars would have required new paint or new interiors by this time at even higher costs than what I've invested. The cost of admission has been well worth it!

 

artstar,

Sorry you're having to sell it. Things change and maybe you can get back in another dream car when they do.

Good luck and hope you get a fair price.

 

As I have always felt that choice of a car pretty much reflects a persons character, I am willing to indulge my fantasies .... life is too short to drive boring cars.

As long as I can afford to do it, I will always have something that I want to look back at when I park it. It's even better if it's fast or exclusive.

 

Stallions need more love and care than plow horses...........

 

If you don't love what it is, sell. Just don't ever buy a boat..........

 

I love the Boat comment.

Whoever said that "horse racing was the sport of kings" obviously never owned a boat. I have two. It's an addiction with no known cure...

A long time ago I came across this saying and thought I would share-

boat- A vessel propelled through the water by by the rapid combustion of cash (power boat) or by the constant pressure of steadily accumulating debt. (sail boat)

That saying makes me laugh because it is so true.

Barry

 

My experience with Hondas over the years has been overwhelmingly good. The only grumble I have is a head gasket failure on my 2005 @100k miles. That seems very Jaguar-ish to me :-)

Hondas, Toyotas, Lexii, etc are sprinkled throughout my family and circle of friends. All have been very good and "trouble free"......

Well, "trouble free" for their respective owners and drivers, that is. :-)

I am often teased about the time and effort spent on repairing and servicing my Jaguars compared to the "trouble free" existence they have with their choices. "I never have to repair ANYTHING on my Toyota" type of thing.

It only takes a few drives in their cars to see what's going on. The noisy wheel bearing, clunky suspension, inoperative seat heater, skipping/jerky power window, etc simply go totally unnoticed or ignored. "I never have to do ANY repairs on my car......" :-).

Along similar lines, their cars are grossly neglected: fluids/lubricants (except engine oil) are simply never changed....thus are "maintenance free" as well!

(It's truly admirable how long the engines and drivetrains soldier on with so little care)

Anyhow.....I'm sure everyone gets my point :-)

Cheers
DD

 

Yep. Love the looks and lines of our two Jaguars, but I also love the rock-solid reliability of my 1999 Dodge Ram pickup and my wife's previous 2004 Lexus RX330 SUV. So easy and inexpensive to care for, requiring just minutes of my time every week. Our S-Type finally settled in after needing the entire first year of ownership for me to get it right. My wife's XK8 continues to taunt me after nearly a year of ownership, however. Not sure it will EVER settle in. I guess time will tell....

 

Problem with this forum is I know what can go wrong so I have to fix it b4 it does LOL with my other cars I just drove them until they broke.

Anyway fixing the car saves fuel LOL. OK got the P0172/P0175 & P0101/P0102/P0103 fixed and passed CA emissions test (now upto 17MPG avg). So only a couple of things left on my list. I'm hoping for 30K trouble free driving.

Simon

 

can anybody send me a picture of the proper vacuum routes for a 1997 xk8 that would be really appreciated. and I must agree. I love the body style of the xk8 but these things are problems after problems. thx