When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
If that car was in Texas I would have bought it. The Owner had it on here for sale for $12.5K.
If you want to have an XKR to drive as a second car and sell it 10 years from now for what you have in it, you can't go wrong with a 2004 Brembo equipped BRG XKR Coupe.
well upon looking closer they state that there is a 495 $ 'processing fee' then there is the amber warning light being lit along with the 'As Is!' in the advert.
I just don't care for those tactics.
wj
I had wanted a xk8 for several years and took the plunge last August. I am someone that usually researches things to death so I decided I wanted a 2003 or up XK8 convertible. The next part of this story is down right scary and not my usual MO. Saw a very nice 2003 XK8 on ebay from a dealer in North Carolina (I'm in New Jersey) and decided to give him a call. We chatted and negotiated a bit and I bought it sight unseen other than pictures. Wired him the money on a Monday and the car was dropped off at my door step on Tuesday morning. Had no service records, history, etc... I joined this forum after I got the car and to say I had some anxiety and feeling like I made a stupid mistake would be a gross understatement. However, the car Gods have been very good to me so far the car is all I expected and hoped it would be. Whew! I bought this car with my heart not my head and I don't regret it at all I truly love this car more and more everyday. I've owned many sports cars over the years and nothing can come close to the driving experience I get from my Jag it literally puts a smile on my face.
Should you buy one? I agree with everything that others above have said and you should take it all in and decide if this car is for you. You really have to at least attempt to deal with and fix issues that will arise from time to time unless you have a really big wallet. Also, agree with buy the best one you can find.
That's the same price and mileage as my pristine '03 XKR was when I bought her in 2012, and I thought it was a good deal. I've thoroughly enjoyed her for another 100K miles since. My only caveat is this though:
As with all high mileage purchases, sooner better than later you're going to want to replace all the hoses (especially the valley hoses), belts, pulleys, etc.. This is not cheap or easy on an XKR. The car (whether it's an 8 or R) "will" require some down time, so it should NOT be your only mode of transportation if you're planning to use it as a daily driver.
Of course a car that old and with that many miles on it would be sold "as is" - no surprise on that, but I "would" want full disclosure on what's causing that amber warning light, before I considered pursuing the purchase.
Thanks to all for the advice and insights. Not being familiar with the nuance's of the car, I did not notice the "amber warning light". That's probably a red flag. Also interesting is I have sent 2 messages through Autotrader and 2 through the dealer's website about the car and have not gotten any response. That's not promising. I'll continue to monitor the situation. Cheers!
The light might be from the door being open to take the picture with the motor running. There should be a scrolling message too to close the door, but the scrolling message are harder to catch on camera.
Nope. I also thought that might have been the case when I first saw it, so I went into the garage to check. The "Door Open" light is the red one. And the engine is idling in those pics, so I think that amber CEL is a genuine concern.
Scardini, you are right. One of the pictures shows it red, but two pictures show it amber.
I've had a false amber for low coolant (sticky sensor) and a real amber for bad Alternator (less than $50 at the junkyard with a 2 year warranty) but an amber could be anything.
That's the same price and mileage as my pristine '03 XKR was when I bought her in 2012, and I thought it was a good deal. I've thoroughly enjoyed her for another 100K miles since. My only caveat is this though:
As with all high mileage purchases, sooner better than later you're going to want to replace all the hoses (especially the valley hoses), belts, pulleys, etc.. This is not cheap or easy on an XKR. The car (whether it's an 8 or R) "will" require some down time, so it should NOT be your only mode of transportation if you're planning to use it as a daily driver.
Of course a car that old and with that many miles on it would be sold "as is" - no surprise on that, but I "would" want full disclosure on what's causing that amber warning light, before I considered pursuing the purchase.
I have had both of my R models need some work on the supercharger at 90-100k miles too. One was rotor pack bearings (the ones on the plate, not the rear needle bearing packs), the other was a coupler. If you DIY, a supercharger simple rebuild (snout bearings, needle packs, coupler and oil) it's $80 in parts. If you need to pay to get it done, you're talking probably $2k. Add in hoses (2 run under the SC and require it's removal) that alone will cost half a grand before labor and maybe 1k with; and pulley bearings which are about $40ish for the 2 idler and 2 tensioner pulleys and $50 for the 2 belts on the SC and serpentine belt systems which installed might be $500ish; you're talking appreciable money. Call it $4k for 100k mile hoses, pulleys, belts and SC rebuilds; or just $2.5k for belts, pulleys and hoses.
I did all hoses, SCs, pulley bearings and such and it came to almost $800 on each car when I was done with little while I'm there stuff. It took me a weekend to do the pair with my dad assisting to help speed it up (his cost was dinner and Coke Zero), and a 12pk of Diet Mountain Dew mixed with Vodka, but it was done. You might be able to do faster, but this was a solid pace during long, but leisurely days.
NOTE - Many SCs last well over 100k miles with no issues, but up until I acquired at 67k and 84k miles respectively, the oil had no record of ever being changed. I changed at 80 and 85k respectively. I recommend every 30k, but even every 60k should give excellent long life. SC oil changes are easy and cheap. $15 for the oil, or $30 for the oil and syringe online if you don't have one. Maybe 30 easy minutes to do.
Good job 80s. I was amazed at the difference changing out the S/C oil made. It sounded totally different. It's definitely on the long term, recurring maintenance list (along with tranny fluid, belts, etc.
One other note on the "Amber Warning light". On My car, the light on the right is red and would be on with the door open/motor on.
The light on the left is Amber and would indicate a motor code being thrown. It appears the light that is lit is on the Right, which though it appears Amber in two of the pictures, is Red in my car.
Good job 80s. I was amazed at the difference changing out the S/C oil made. It sounded totally different. It's definitely on the long term, recurring maintenance list (along with tranny fluid, belts, etc.
I tend to be more aggressive on PMs since I work as a software engineer in a manufacturing environment. I wrote a mobile Computerized Maintenance Management System, and support a full fledged one. I have sifted through so many metrics and watched the effectiveness of a solid PM program. You want to hit about 85 percent preventative/planned work and 15 percent reactive/repair work. Proper fluids, belts, and other consumables, along with a solid inspection regimen will cost less money than repairs. At least with these cars we don't have downtime that costs thousands of dollars per minute. Still though it costs less money to maintain than repair.
At 100k, I'd do the following on any X100 car:
-Trans fluid, filter and pan gasket drain and fill. Also the connector on 722.6/W5A580 units (pre-03 XKRs).
-Belts (S/C and Serpentine)
-Tensioner Pulley and Idler Pulley bearings; 4 on XKR, 2 on XK8.
-Coolant hoses. Notice no specifics? Cuz all of them.
-Coolant change, with a simple OTC flush done; like the Zerex or Prestone one. Do this before the hoses; get the crap out first.
-Diff Oil change.
-Brake Fluid flush.
-S/C Oil Change
-Power steering drain and fill; I actually used the SC Oil change syringe to pull it out at the reservoir, then add, then circulate, then pull it out, then add, then circulate; rinse and repeat until nice and red. It's GM transmission fluid, so cheap and easy.
-Inspect for leaks on a lift.
-Inspect suspension, if it hasn't already had parts replaced, it probably is about due and the inspection most likely will confirm it. I just did the ball joints, outer tie rod ends, shock bushings, sway bar end links and control arm bushings on the front of my XKR, which has 95k on it now (did wheel bearings like 5k miles ago). I did my XKR just before 90k.
you have to understand that the point of the forum is to help with issues, so most people are posting about issues. you're likely to not post a thread if you're NOT having issues.
I think if I lived in one of the dryer American states (as OP does) I'd get the convertible.
As I live in rainy ole England I went for the coupé
170k on the clock and 100k of those in my ownership, what's more my insurance was just £130 per year...I think you may pay a little more than that stateside.
Launch colour and one of the first 50 off the production line...this pic was taken after she'd been left undriven for 3yrs last Nov. Clay bar and then off to the local car wash
I still think it is stunning, made moreso by the complete interior retrim, jag leather doesn't' seem to wear that well for some reason?
But it serves me well and at 169k it needed a replacement transmission which cost me £1000/$1250 inc labour.
you have to understand that the point of the forum is to help with issues, so most people are posting about issues. you're likely to not post a thread if you're NOT having issues.
I just went out in the garage and looked at the XK8.
you have to understand that the point of the forum is to help with issues, so most people are posting about issues. you're likely to not post a thread if you're NOT having issues.
Yeah, I have to keep reminding myself, as I daily read these tales of woe, not to panic! I fear that if I'd read all the scary posts before I got my XK8, I might have shied away.
Yeah, I have to keep reminding myself, as I daily read these tales of woe, not to panic! I fear that if I'd read all the scary posts before I got my XK8, I might have shied away.
and yet you have LR which has many of the same type of electrical issues. I feel that except for the questionable electronics the xk8/R is no more difficult to maintain than other semi exotics.
for myself, while I do have a to-do list which is growing these are either typical maintenance items or small upgrades, in the mean time I find that the car does need to be clean all of the time in order for me to enjoy its very pleasing lines.
01-06-2017, 05:54 PM
