hello all.new member possible new cat owner..quick question for the more knowledgeable..i can either go with an 05 xk excellent condition 109000 miles,needs nothing or an 02 xkr very good condition 108000 miles but needs struts all the way around. the older xkr is $2000 less havin trouble deciding but leaning towards the xk....any advice would be greatly appreciated. thx in advance.

 

New XKR stock adaptive shocks will cost you $1,600.

does that help you decide ?


Z

 

the xkr is $2000 less....but i pretty sure changing them out won't be a lot of fun...

 

if you pay someone to change the shocks they can have the fun. I don’t know what the labor charge would be, but the shocks themselves are $1,600 for a set of the correct ones, non adaptive shocks are less, but will devalue the car.


if the Pre-2003 XKR has not had the known issues fixed such as the cam chain tensioners and water pump, etc then that would be a deal killer for me.

Pretty easy to find an XKR with those issues already fixed. If I can find one, anyone can.

Z

 

...and be sceptical of any claim that a 16 year old XK 'needs nothing'. Look for lots of service history - beyond just the annual oil & filter change.

 

I would go for the later model. By 2005 the X100 series had pretty much all the kinks worked out. The XKR accelerates more quickly for sure , but neither is a "drag racer" and the XK can effortlessley cruise 50mph faster than you ever want to drive

 

Before buying either car you need drive them for a long long drive. You need to know beforehand the acceleration characteristics of the two cars.


These cars may be small, but they are heavy. In my view, a heavy car needs all the power possible.

As pointed out, neither car is a dragster. What is important is passing acceleration. It must be acceptable to you. It it isn’t, you'll never be happy with the purchase. If it is, youll
love the car.

Z

 

That is a well worn myth. Every year of production Jaguar fixed countless issues on the cars and left countless others for owners to fix 20 years down the line. The 4.0 XKR already had a super reliable gearbox from Mercedes, so the 4.2 has no advantage there. The 4.0 XKR has two cheap fuel pumps which fail from time to time, the 4.2 XK has one expensive fuel pump that doesn't fail as often, but costs a lot more when it inevitably does. As already mentioned, once the timing chain tensioners are updated on the 4.0 engine there isn't much difference in terms of reliability between the 4.0 engine and the 4.2, but every other major part, from bodywork, suspension, chassis and electronics are in the main identical and rust and die with age in exactly the same way.

Oh and only an XK8 owner would say you don't need the extra power of the supercharged version.

 

FYI, adaptive struts are approx. $1260 (4 wheels), if you google around.

 

Z-rays comments about the acceleration and power being acceptbale to YOU are right on. There are lots of folks who do enjoy the extra power of the XKR ...I tried both and the the XK8 suited me ...which confirms what dibbit says

 

Back to the same old questions,,,,,4.0 or 4.2....4-Speed or 5 Speed....New design Front end or the old Bucktooth design.....Also, the 2005 has all the 2003 Jaguar changes.....There's no question that the 2005 is overall the best deal!


Billy Clyde @ Cinco Ranch

 

can you share the seller on those ? So far $1,260 is the lowest I’ve seen.


Z

 

or just delete them lol

 

do you have a link...i havent found any that cheap.....thx

 

for the shocks for $1260...thx

 

Yes, Rockauto has them for $1260, however when I tried buying them from them, all of my CC issuers flagged it as a suspicious purchase. I got them from SNG Barratt for $1285.66 plus $91 of shipping via UPS and no issues with my credit card using the forum discount. Without the discount the price would've been something like $1500. I did order the R-performance package version of the CATS shocks because I might as well have a slightly stiffer damper. I've already polybushed my entire suspension and order a set of Adamesh lowering springs to go along with the new shocks. Can't wait for them to arrive tomorrow.

Back on topic, I have had both a 4.0 XK8 and a 4.2 XKR. The XKR has been more reliable even though I did take care of the tensioners on the XK8. Other things failed more often in that car. I do love the power of the XKR as well as the supercharger whine. However, the XK8 did have VVT and a higher redline and would stay at legal speeds for longer, which meant I could wind up the engine and enjoy the feeling of acceleration for longer. Also, as much as I love my supercharged engine, there is something about N/A cars that just feels right.

I suggest you drive both, decide which version of the X100 you like best, and try to then find the best example of that car within your budget.

 

Thank you sooo much..i did test drive a 4.2 xk for a couple hours and fell in love with the car but the dealer wasn't wanting to play nice. The xk has 10 pages of maintenance and service records and the xkr hasn't done tensioners or any pumps so i think my mind has been made up....thx again to everyone and will post pics if i adopt a cat!!!!!

 

could you elaborate on the “…..would stay at legal speeds for longer…..” part ?

usually I understand English pretty well, but I’m lost with this statement.

thanks,

Z

 

It's slower.

 

I can see how that extra 1.7 seconds seems like an eternity

​​​​​​


2002 XKR: 0 to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds

2002 XK8: 0 to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds


Z