I am searching for my first convertible and would like it to be a beautiful XK8. My budget for purchase price is $20K. (With another $2K socked away for maintenance.) Do you think it is possible to get a well-looked after 2004 or 2005 for $20K? Edmunds says "Yes"--it lists private party for an 04 with 35K miles in "clean" condition at $16K. KBB says $18.7 in very good condition. The ads I've seen by private sellers on Autotrader and Craigslist are quite a bit higher (more in the $21K range for a low mileage 04.) I've been watching what's selling on e-bay and it looks like the Edmunds pricing is in the ballpark but would love to hear opinions. I know Edmunds and KBB numbers will vary for the same car but I don't think I've seen this much variance...Thanks!

 

Dear Lalub,
For the numbers you are thinking about, you should be able to buy a well cared for XKR let alone an XK8. About 3 years ago I purchased a nearly mint condition 2002 XKR for little over $15K, with a full and complete service history with all work being done at the local Jaguar dealer. This car had about 60K miles on it, but was always garaged and serviced at regular intervals. There are plenty of nice cars available, be patient, make sure you get one with a service record that you can verify, look at sites like ebay (and see if any cars are close enough to you to allow you to inspect them before bidding), and don't be afraid to offer the price you're comfortable paying even if it's well below the asking or bidding price. Several days after my final offer was made, below the reserve asking price, I received an email from my seller accepting my low bid, and I've been the proud owner of an XKR convertible ever since.
Good luck.
Tberg

 

There are lots of nice 2003-2004 XK8's for less than $20K. The 2005 is a little different, y' know.

Like this '04 (if you like black): http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/cto/3066890184.html

 

Tberg--Thank you for the advice. It sounds like you got a great car!

Oldjaglover--No, I didn't know the 2005 was different. I thought the 2003-2005 XK8 was mechanically pretty much the same with a few cosmetic differences in 2005. How is the 2005 different?

 

If you can wait, the fall and winter is a perfect time to buy a vert, prices drop a couple grand too.