jaguar xk8

[rich.]

next year a mate is hoping to buy a jag xk8, as i know nothing about them id like your advice chaps.. i think his budget will be about £4000 ish...
with any luck i get to pick it up from blighty

[JPB]

Sounds like one hell of a bargain if it's a good one. I know less than the square root of Llareggub about them but I do like the way they look.

[Young Farmer]

Didn't know you could speak Welsh John

[Ian]

Having valeted / detailed many XK8 / XKR's I have noticed that rust in an issue on the older shape cars. The rear arches suffer as do the sills and the doors around the handles. Check that everything electrical works and if the rake and reach is electric and inoperative a dealer with quote you four figures to fix it but there is a repair kit available from SNG Barratt. In fact SNG can supply everything for these cars at a fraction of the dealer cost.
I'd recommend an independent inspection by a specialist as well as the usual checks on service history, HPI check, etc. These are quick cars and can be very unpredictable in the wet so any signs of accident damage, walk away.
If going for the cabriolet, check the hood condition and that it operates properly and doesn't leak. On that note check carpets for signs of damp and also check the floor-pans.
There are plenty of used XK8's on the market so you can afford to pick and chose.
Interior leather is another place to check for wear, seat bolsters can suffer in higher mileage cars and professional repair can cost a fortune. Slight wear can easily be remedied with Glyptone leather dye.
Here is a nice photo of an XKR I valeted just to wet your appetite......

[Luxobarge]

I've got one Rich - what do you want to know?

There are a number of "known" faults on them - but very reliable and well built if they are all fixed or dealt with.

Here's mine:



Cheers!

[TerryG]

I notice that there is still tread on your rear tyres, you aren't driving it properly

[Luxobarge]

I notice that there is still tread on your rear tyres, you aren't driving it properly

Funny you should say that - overall I find it a pretty cheap car to run, insurance is OK, servicing costs are those of a "normal" car, and nothing much else has needed attention. However the exception to this is tyres - it's actually the fronts that wear relatively quickly, and they are around £130 a corner. You can't swap front-to-rear because they are different sizes, and you don't want to skimp on quality either, I'm not prepared to risk it with cheap ditch-finders.

Still worth it though, it's a superb bit of kit.

[suffolkpete]

However the exception to this is tyres - it's actually the fronts that wear relatively quickly, and they are around £130 a corner.

Have you bought a tyre for a modern car lately? The rubber-band tyres they fit to the huge alloys that seem to be standard on even modest cars are eye-wateringly expensive. My daughter needed a tyre for her diesel Clio and it was £150

[TerryG]

Have you tried black circles? I paid £59 for good years on the focus, I do have the cheaper 16" alloys fitted as they save me £20 a corner in tyres over the 17/18" options.
I did the tyres on the range rover last year and I think they were about £80 a corner.

[Luxobarge]

Have you tried black circles?

Oh yes - they were about the same, and I'd have to pay for fitting on top, so that option didn't work at the time.

I've got quite good at negotiating tyre discounts over the years....

Cheers!