Hi,
I'm picking up a 1998 XK8 convertible from My-Next-Car in Sandy this weekend coming.
The car's reg no. is R720 CCY which has had 1 owner, 16k miles and a FSH.

Does anyone know of this car and be able to tell me if the engine has been replaced as I hear these cars suffered from "porous blocks"?

Once I get the car, I hope to catch up with some of you at a local meet.

Thanks for your time.

 

If the car has made this far into years since it was made the Nakisil motor problem you mention wont be an issue for you now.
Do you have ANY maint history on this car? 1998. look for the timing chain tensioner issue that you should address if you don't know if fixed or not. Don't let the low miles on this car fool you into thinking it will be maint free, it prob wont.
Provided nothing has been replaced to do age you have 20 year old hoses, plastic parts, water pump, multi bushings in the front end etc. If you start driving it much it could start to present problems from the usage. Not trying to scare you, just is what it is with these.
All that said these cars PREFER to be driven, most anyone here will confirm that thought.

 

Great looking car!

Based on the rake, it looks like the spring isolating Foam in the upper shock mounts has compressed/deteriorated. Pull off the shock tower caps and look for orange foam bits. Age and not miles is what kills these.


The Shocks/springs/balljoints/bushings/bearings/tierods/etc should all be good, so this is a pretty easy fix.

 

Beautiful Car. I almost went out to the garage to make sure mine was still there.

Read the "Sticky Threads" at the top of this section. BRG is right on target, there are a few things that will need attention. I put about $2k into mine the first two years and I'm glad I did, nothing but smiles and miles since then.

J.

 

Hi,

Thanks for all the very helpful comments giving me a good heads-up on what to expect when I get it this Saturday.

Hopefully it'll manage a leisurely drive home to Edinburgh. I was tempted to get it put on a trailer like I did with the Smart, but unlike the Smart, I really fancy a nice long drive in the beast.

I of course, took this decision at the weekend when the sun was shining and the sky was blue! God knows what I'll face this weekend :-)

Ungn, I'll get the mounts checked asap.

Brgjag/Fulton, I know there is a couple of guys in the area who worked for a Jag dealership, I'll ask if they could give it the once over and have these things checked.

Graham, I won't be able to check its service history till I get the reg book I guess as it looks like the Reg., was changed when it was traded in (I assume). Its great to know I can do that though.

Counting the days...

Thanks again.

 

Markievicz,
You may already know this but ........... You're in the UK so you can check the MOT history of the car back to 2005. But ... you will need the former registration number which should be with the paperwork / service history for the car.

Look here :
https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

I know your car has an MOT until 20/10/16, mileage is 16710, and the front brake pads are a bit thin. Presumably, the first (only) owner had a personal plate since he purchased the car on August 10th 2000, but R720 CCY was the original "allocated" number to the dealer that first sold it. The MOT history will give you some sort of idea that it has been properly maintained, and that mileage is authentic.
Cheers,
David.

 

Hi DevonDavid,

That's useful information I didn't know you could go online and check the past MOT history (I thought you could only check the current situation).

At very least I know I have the brake pads to do, better that than the exhaust :-)

Much obliged to you,

Gordon

 

Gordon - yes - useful site but it assumes that the reg number has been with the car since first registration. You can also check the history through the MOT number - it's all fairly obvious from the website.
Pity it only goes back to 2005 - presumably that's when the DVLA got computerised - but with a bit of "reading between the lines" it gives a clue as to whether or not the car has been properly maintained. For example - with mine, which is a similar situation but much higher mileage - an "advisory" for worn front discs in 2008 wasn't there in 2009, which agrees with an invoice for new front discs in the same year. All comforting with such an "old" car.
As others have already advised - age, not mileage, should be taken into consideration. My front tyres, with 6mm tread, were 13 years old when I bought the car. Drive it, enjoy it, but don't assume that low mileage means low (future) maintenance bills !!

 

If the car has been serviced at any Jag dealership they will be able to print you out an entire history of the car from the VIN.

 

Well sad to say, I never went for my 'new car'.

I had asked them for documented proof of the "Full Service History" and the "One Owner" as they had stated in their advert and I got neither.

They eventually sent me a copy of the V5 on Thursday evening and only then was I able to check the VIN and V5 details.

Current mileage
16709
VIN / Chassis number
SAJJGAFD3AR019679
V5 serial number
CD3143865
V5 issue date
08/12/2015

From that I was only able to see some Jag dealership work until the year 2000 after that there was nothing, though it may have been cared for by a specialist, who knows.

As to the one owner, I know it was registered in Southampton in October 2015 but the garage said the car came from the Isle of Wight, is that two owners?

Also, the jaguar history shows that the car was bought and owned in Guernsey, is that three owners? - the garage never provided an explanation for that.

So disappointed as I was, I asked them to provide the info requested or return my deposit and I've received neither so far

I can't consider the car as an investment if it doesn't have clear irrefutable history.

I was SOO looking forward to that journey.

If I don't manage to get something sorted out with the garage, I'll be on the hunt again

I hope you all had a better weekend than me.

Gordon

 

Hi Gordon,
Sorry to hear that the car didn't turn out to be as it first appeared.

THe low mileage implies that it has spent most of its life in Guernsey, in which case the bodywork is likely to have fared much better than an equivalent UK vehicle as, like here, there is very little use of road salt. Mine has a build date within two months of yours, and I have none of the rust issues experienced by UK owners. Downside is that it will have seen mostly short trips.

It may still be worth pursuing if you can reach an agreement with the garage. You'll have to deal, as we all do, with the usual tensioner, suspension, cooling and assorted electrical gremlins, but you are in the right place here for support and guidance.

Hope it works out for you.

Best,
Mike

 

Thanks Mike,

I am hoping that the garage can provide some evidence to support their claims and the sale proceeds, I haven't given up yet.

Its just a little awkward when they are in Sandy, Bedfordshire and I'm in Edinburgh, I can't just pop round the corner and have a chat with them

Regards,
Gordon

 

Hey that door closed on your for a reason on that "low" mile cream puff, look for another one.

 

If you do decide to go ahead with this one - or another - then I would highly recommend getting it checked over by an independent Jaguar specialist. I did this with my XKR and the result was a comprehensive and thorough assessment, leaving me with the peace of mind of knowing a) that it was in good condition and with the ‘usual’ issues having been sorted out b) a list of things to do/watch out for in the future and c) lots of advice on these superb cars.

Well worth the investment, IMO.

Hope you get sorted. ;-)

R

 

I have no idea what the agreed price for this car is, but ......... I would not be thinking too much about an "investment". I think it will be many many years before there is any significant increase in value for the X100 cars. I think prices have "bottomed out" and there's some small evidence that good, low-mileage, well maintained cars have slightly gone up. I think it will be a long time before they are truly "collectors / classic cars" like (for example) the XKE.
I would try and get more details of previous registration numbers - a Guernsey plate would be changed when it came "back" to England. It may have originally been sold to a Guernsey resident by a Southampton dealership. It may have had one owner from new, but has passed through a couple of traders in the last year or so. Can they scan & send the relevant page of the service history booklet which should be with the car. Ask for the most recent MOT certificate numbers - that way you can get siome idea of where MOTs have been done, and whether there were any problems.
It's a good-looking car, very low mileage, and seems to have been extremely well looked after. I wouldn't give up on it yet !

P.S. From your description, found the advertisement. That price looks a bit steep to me. I hope you got it down a bit ??

 

The only way you can find out if the engine has been replaced is to call your Jaguar dealer with the VIN# and have them search the Jaguar database. Have them check to see if any recalls are outstanding on the car also.
Enjoy your beautiful car Sir.