Curious what you think of this take on the seller which I have seen before. A few little things that are tedious to fix, maybe requiring the eBay search and messaging specialty dealers and breakers. Dealer is not really interested in fixing an older car or cannot do it, seen this before. Does not have a local competent specialist. Just does not want to be bothered anymore figuring something else is bound to come up. Does not want to deal with multiple potential purchasers and bargain hunters. Maybe interest is limited to only us nuts. I have seen sellers of much more valuable things get worn down by the above and give things away that only needed minor work to be perfect and yield higher price. You just get a feel for it when you speak with them.

 

I check Ebay from time to time, and a 2005 XKR just sold for over $20,000 there. This car, if it needs minor repairs seems maybe too good to be true? (my opinion)

I am by no means an expert, but I do know the utter excitement in wanting this car...
Before buying mine, I left my other Jaguar with the seller, took his car to my trusted mechanic who did a total inspection. The buyer agreed to take it himself if i was unable to.

I would just hate to see the OP get screwed over, or stranded so far from home.

and yes, we are all crazy about the big cats!

 

Yeah prices are all over the place. Low supply but low demand.

Honestly, at $9100 you can't go too wrong provided the car is safe to drive. It could end as a huge hassle, though. I'd think buying a turnkey car, even for much more may be a better move in the long run. I'd hate you to buy the car and hate it because so much is wrong. That said, it's only money and $9100 isn't the end of the world.

If you are going to risk it, make sure the car is exact version you want. Color/options. No fun restoring a car you settled for.

 

Drive them both and you won't have to ask this question LOL. Miles aren't always everything. I bought my 2002 xkr at a 108k miles, and it's still running strong with no issues 115k miles later. And it's my daily.

 

+1

WAFlowers, everyone here has given you sage advice on the possible pitfalls that you may encounter when looking for an XK* that is at least 10 years old. It does sound onerous, but it is absolutely right that they should do so: you have asked for opinions in order to make an informed judgment.

You have to decide whether this car is the one for you, or to pass and look for one that is less of an unknown quantity. Even then, there will be something that will need attention.

Having said that, and it's not my money at risk, the car is a late model high end Grand Tourer. If you are confident in your friend's ability to winkle out anything major, and yours to manage the routine stuff, I would be very seriously tempted at that price. I do, however, make no claim to that being a rational move

My main concern would be the logistics of transporting if it were to fail en route.

Good luck in whatever you decide.


Mike

 

I agree with you. Whichever way our new friend decides to go, looking forward to him getting one eventually.

 

If the xkr is in Plano Tx, I looked at it as well. The color wasn't on my high list and since I plan on keeping for a long time I passed. That car needed new front leather and is typical a full suspention rebuild. Using oem style shocks and doing all of the work myself I came up with a $5K figure (sus + leather). Still a good deal overall but since it wouldn't be a keeper...not for me.
I hope your adventure goes well.

wj

 

If that Plano car was a Coupe, I'd be at the bank right now getting cash.


"Suspension Rebuild" on a CATS car is maybe $400 in parts and a weekend + $400 for new drilled Brembo rotors and pads and suspension/brakes are done.

 

please inform where to purchase new 'active' shocks at above price, rather since I need to rebuild my xk8 frt/rear and the standard bilstein shocks alone at $420, + upper mounts + tie rod ends + links + control arms bushings + etc.
I think you missed a few components or have a line on parts I really envy!

wj

 

I should have said the "owner" is a used car lot that hasn't a clue what they have and don't know Jags! Also it has sat on the lot more than 3 months because it won't pass Texas safety check with the airbag warning light on so it is a tough sell. They aren't willing to put $$$ into fixing it to sell it; they just want to get rid of it, fast!

The passenger side airbag issue appears to be the common frayed wiring under the passenger seat causing a sensor "failure". Easy enough to trouble shoot and fix. I can probably do that myself, but a good friend of mine is a master electronic tech - the best I've met in my 40-year career - and is going to track down and correct that and the other "sensor" problem.

The ONLY other problem is the also common "Suspension Fault" which is probably bad connections to the rear shock selenoids.

Beyond that the car needs some TLC to get it clean and presentable.

We (wife and I) are flying there 1st class tonight - spoiling ourselves - to look at the car in person. If it is a hot mess we will walk away and just have a nice weekend visiting good friends that we don't see often enough. If the problems are what they appear to be we will be driving home.

I'll let y'all know what happens after we see the car. And maybe I'll even post some pictures as we stop on the drive home if we drive home.

 

Yes, you guessed rightly as to which car I'm looking at. I've done suspension rebuilds before both myself and with friends so that doesn't scare me. I have the money to put into fixing up the car so that isn't an issue. I get satisfaction out of buying a "project car" and fixing it up, driving it for 2-3 years then flipping it for something else.

My wife says I'm driving her crazy and it is time for me to get another project car!

Those active shocks appear to be just over $400 per corner. I know there are other bits and pieces needed and it adds up. But labor isn't an issue.

The leather is another matter. I'm not expecting perfect leather on a 12-year old car (1/05 build date). If I were to keep it I would get the leather replaced, eventually. But, knowing me, I'll want another project in 3-4 years; maybe less.

 

And my wife and I prefer a convertible. She expressly forbade me to get a coupe! I'll be at the bank at lunch with the intent to buy the Plano car unless I discover something horrendous.

I think your prices are "per corner" certainly for the suspension. And there might be other bits and pieces needed for the suspension rebuild. Maybe a little under $4K in total?

It appears the brakes are good but not the original Brembo rotors. I can live with that for now and do them in the fall. (No one in their right mind does much work in the Florida summer unless they have an air conditioned shop!)

I will plan to do a suspension rebuild, after the electrical/sensor issues are resolved, before summer. The cash for that is already sitting in the bank, just waiting.

 

Does anyone have a quick link to a list of all the parts I would be needing for this job? If not, I know that search is my friend.

 

"Place held for a later reply please stand by for a detailed post of my recent experience on my xk8/r hunt"

A friend of mine who lived afew hundred miles away had a 98 xk8 coupe. When he bought it, he thrashed on it hard, soon It had so many issues that it was not drivable.Transmission mainly. He had it in his back yard for a couple of years until recently. He sold it on Craigslist for $500. That's what got me hooked on the xk8/r model, I would have bought it from him except he wouldn't sell it to someone one he knew. He didn't want to" ruin a friendship" I loved the body style, the way it rode and the look you get while going down the road. So that's my back ground.

I started my hunt, looking at early xk8's first, then doing more research, I found they made a xkR that had 100 more hp. If I wanted a car, to keepas an investment , it would be the faster one. Same as a Mustang GT vrs 6 banger one of the same year. The price difference was minimal on the two models. On further research, I found that early models though were several $k cheaper, to make sure all the updates on all the major manufacturer defect issues would bridge the savings gap really quick. So I started to look for an 03 or newer XKR. It also had to be a coupe, as I live in Oregon and it rains alot!!

I looked and looked for a example worth buying but still under budget, pretty hard to do. I looked at least 10 different cars. All of them were 300 to 500 miles away. All of them in my price range had been obviously beaten on, and minimal maintenance done.
I finally found one that another guy pointed out to me. Driver quality needing minimal work to get fixed up.
now after 2 months and 2k miles later, I have diagnosed that she will need a complete front end rebuild. She was nice and tight when I picked her up but now knocks thunks and pulls this way and that. It's like a drunk snake on the road. Totally different car from when I bought it.
come to find out, it's not the milage on thease cars, it's the age of the rubber. It's only good for 10 years. And my car sat a lot the last 6 years in a vacation home garage.

Now that I know I'm in for a complete front end rebuild, I have looked and looked for a complete kit. None will be had. You will need to buy piece by piece. My favorite source for car parts is www.rockauto.com .they did have a bunch of the front end parts, however they are usually cheaper quality. One thing I have found working on European cars is that you never buy cheap parts.
Due to the cost of oem rubber, I decided to go full urithane bushings, all the way around. As it was actually less expensive and better quality longer lasting pieces. I ordered from powerflexusa they have a realy good bushing diagram. I ordered the stut mounts from welsh (aperantly the only good product they make) and buying oem (Gawd Daym expensive) ball joints and tie rod ends, I will be pressing them in this weekend. I haven't kept the best of records on cost for the parts, but if it has not been done, you will be doing it soon. I would think I'm some what close to $1000 including shipping. For all the front and rear rebuild parts.

I also had the opportunity to troubleshoot a power surge in the high rpm range, and still haven't fixed the airbag light (really couldnt care) and seat adjustment issues. And it's not the module or the switches.

 

Good luck with the trip. Odds are in your favor it will be a successful one.

I bought my 2004 XK8 from a dealer in Pensacola. Paid for it before I saw it in person. Flew up and drove it home. It all worked out well for me - even though I DID struggle with the "OMG what have I done?" indigestion throughout the whole 6 hour trip home.

You were right about that XKR needing a lot of TLC. Interior looks like it has not been cleaned since last owner bought it. Paint needs a good buffing. Front end does look low so expect some clunks until you sort it out.

After you get it back home (how's that for optimism?) I'd be willing to meet and share what I have learned while restoring mine.

 

2006 CATS shocks on a Texas car are probably still good and just need the $30 lower bushings pressed out/in. I would do this first before Buying $400/ea new shocks.


$300 for Top mounts/bottom mounts front/rear and another $100 for factory style upper Wishbone bushings and maybe another $100 for inner/outer tie rod ends (if needed) and it should drive like a new car.


I would look under the car for torn balljoint boots and negotiate with those, but the mounts/wishbone bushings are driveway mechanic stuff I would trust my 17 year old to replace while I was at work.

 

Congrats/kudos on having such a competent kid. No small feat in today's world of "isn't there an app for that?" mentality.


.

 

Thank you. If I have any doubts about the car when I see it I will just walk away and buy something else, after spending a weekend visiting friends.

I've packed a big bottle of Tums!

Cleaning doesn't scare me; I just get my wife to do it! LOL

One thing I don't do is paint detailing. I'm going to have to pay someone to buff, etc. the paint back to as good as it can be.

I'm prepared to deal with the suspension. I've done that before on at least 3 cars so it isn't something that scares me.

I like the way you think! Yes, I would really enjoy getting together with someone who has been down this road.

 

It spent the first 2.5 years in Michigan but only clocked 6100 miles. Rust was a major concern but I had that checked.

Possibly $30 to refresh the shocks? A bargain! If they are still good.

Thanks for the list. It all sounds within my planned budget.

I get the impression that I beat the dealer down as low as he will go, so it is either pay him or walk away.

I would be willing to walk away and buy something else. It could even be an XK8 if it was nice enough, like the one I was looking at in Jacksonville. If this XKR isn't the right car for me I know there are others available now and others that will show up later. Happily I'm in the position of not needing a car and having the cash available; I can be patient.

 

X100 don't have a positraction so someone from Michigan would drive it the snow only once per season and then chose something other than their $85K car to drive on winter Michigan roads. Rust is unlikely if it was only there when brand new. Rust would be more likely if it was there for multiple winter seasons when it was worth less. I think you'd be good.


Something that worries me about X100's in the front wheel bearings. Mine barely made it the 35 miles from East Dallas where I bought my '97 to central DFW where I live. If the car starts howling, the bearings are eating themselves and this is something 99% of repair shops you'll encounter between DFW and your house can't fix.


there is also an '06 XK8 close by in Addison for $10K


And Topline in Irving has a Low mile '06 Xk8 for $11K and they are just south of the airport. They also have some early X100's.


Dealers may not want to deal, but its a Buyers market.