| Motoring Discussion > Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... | |
| Thread Author: Slightlyfatdirector | Replies: 25 |
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New Thu 30 Nov 23 13:40
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Slightlyfatdirector
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10 years ago on this hallowed forum was umm-ing and ahh-ing about selling an Jag XJ-S V12 convertible. Seems like yesterday... It was lovely when it was running, and top down in the sun it was fabulous, but it's constant need to have something doing to it ground me down and it was sold to a chap who had managed to write his off and this was a perfect replacement. Interestingly, I did not miss it other than on the sunniest of days. At the time I had lusted after an XK or XKR (not the earlier XK8) - either coupe or convertible but 10 years ago I could never have considered it due to cost. With the depreciation they have had since, things are a little different... When I had a Jag I was in the owners club. A nice bunch and we went to shows, London to Brighton runs etc, and now one of the leading lights there who I knew well at the time (who also ran his own specialist Jag workshop that I used and that he sold a couple of years ago) is selling one of his personal collection. XKR Coupe limited edition version. 4.2 litre Supercharged V8, 2007 model with 85k miles. At c. £15k I'm tempted. But.... I don't need another car. I have a company V90 estate and my wife has a Golf GTi. We have a car port for these and additional parking in front of the house. If we got the Jag then probably the V90's going on the drive but that brings back the scraping of ice off windscreens in winter, more frequent cleaning, etc, but sticking the Jag on the drive instead seems a crime unless covered (which is both an eyesore and a fiddle when you want to drive it). Clearly I don't need another car. Other than my daily commute (11 miles each way on busy and not very exciting A roads), we don't do much other driving. Weekend's are for an occasional trip to a town or pub within c.15 miles but other than that we stay at home. We have a dog so weekend trips are always with one eye on the clock to get back to feed and let it in the garden. Clearly I don't need another car. But. It's a Supercharged V8 Jag with 420hp, sounds and looks fab and I want one badly and it's been owned by a Jag expert for years. Argh! I could afford it, but in discussions with swmbo, she is quite ambivalent. She won't drive it and for health reasons she might struggle to get in and out (not physically seen it yet to try), but says that if I really want it she won't argue against. It should be a clear cut case here, but....: The car's has been owned by this Jag specialist (now retired) for 7 years but in that time he has done about 400-500 miles in it. It has been MOT'd every year and he says he changes the oil too as a routine annual thing with all of his cars (he has 6). He bought it because he loved it and it's rarity value, but now has to rationalize his collection and this and an XF estate are for the cut. I know car's don't like being sat doing nothing (he said he has replaced a number of rubber bushes underneath, and it has a new battery last year) so I am wondering if it's a good idea. I can imagine I will only use it for a day or two's commute a week, plus an occasional short weekend journeys, so it seems a bit pointless. Pros: Specialist owned for years, not too high mileage, relatively affordable, lovely Cons: I don't need it, it will cost to run and service, could be expensive if there's an issue, fear of it being a money pit as barely used in 7 years (the XJ-S was exactly that) and don't do enough driving to really justify another car. I hope to get one one day whatever, and the balance is whether to get this now because of it's provenance, or a different one with possibly less clear history in the future (maybe a later 2011/2012 5-litre version when they become more affordable). I am in a bit of a quandary (although I have had worse ones) so interested to throw it out to the crowd to get thoughts and opinions. :) |
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New Thu 30 Nov 23 14:00
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Runfer D'Hills
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Well now, some say, you’ll regret the things you didn’t get around to way more than the ones you did. ;-) |
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New Thu 30 Nov 23 14:04
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Zero
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This un-needed unjustifiable object really shouldn't be anywhere near your property. It may sound a perfect proposition of its type but you shouldnt. Oh shoot, Buy it. Last edited by: Zero on Thu 30 Nov 23 at 14:04
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New Thu 30 Nov 23 16:13
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - legacylad
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Similar situation. I definitely do not need two cars, but the Vitara, acquired in August for my Spanish road trip, already has two future overseas road trips pencilled in for 2024. It’s become my daily runabout...two mile round trip, 2 or 3 times daily to & from my old mums who has Alzheimer’s and needs increasing care from myself. Far more practical with wheelchair etc etc. So I really don’t need my GR Yaris. It’s not a money pit, I’ve room in the garage, but the two are chalk and queso and every time I drive it I love the darn thing and it’s 10/10 on the grinometer. Great on the roads in my part of the world. So buy it unless it forces you into debt. You’ll only regret it later if not. |
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New Thu 30 Nov 23 18:50
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - smokie
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I'm pretty sure that's what one of my mates three or four years ago. Like you, he could afford it, didn't really need it, and he barely ever drives it. He'd always wanted an E-Type but then saw this. It's a convertible with eh 4.2 litre engine and makes lots of noise! He has had a couple of shocking bills, I don't recall the ins and outs, but still has no regrets. He joined the local chapter of the Jaguar Owners club who meet on a Sunday morning to polish their bonnets together... |
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New Thu 30 Nov 23 19:34
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - tyrednemotional
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>>..... to polish their bonnets together... >> ... I do hope that's not a euphemism (though they're an odd lot, Jaguar owners) |
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New Thu 30 Nov 23 20:04
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Kevin
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>(though they're an odd lot, Jaguar owners) Oi!! I resemble that remark! |
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New Thu 30 Nov 23 20:21
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - tyrednemotional
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| I rest my case, m'lud. |
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New Tue 10 Jun 25 13:25
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Slightlyfatdirector
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Well, time passes, life changes, and an old thread gets revisited :) So, I resisted the urge to get the XKR I was discussing all that time ago as my lovely wife had a point and with all the other things we had going on with her poor health it was quickly forgotten, although my thought processes in the background had concluded that if I was to get one, a later 5.0 would be better and whilst the coupe is sooooo pretty, a convertible just has that extra something... After she died last November there was both a lot to do, process and recalibrate. Work was (and is) crazy-busy, and I have the sole responsibility for the dog, who I am delighted to say comes to work with me every day. The Volvo went back to the lease company, and I / the company bought a 2 year old BMW 530e Touring with less than 5k miles on the clock as a company car and I will drive that 'til it goes bang. I still have my wife's Golf GTI that she told me not to sell ("It's too nice!"), and at some stage that will probably go to our daughter, although she lives in London and does not need it now. I take it out once a week to keep it in good order and it gets a main dealer service every year. So, two cars that are more than enough.......... :) There was no big inheritance and no life insurance policy to cash in so I don't have anything burning a hole in my pocket, but I was starting to look at later XKR's again and comparing / contrasting and inadvertently building a short-list. A later one would be good - post 2011/2012 facelift, definitely a convertible, definitely 5.0 Supercharged XKR v. normally aspirated XK (well, if your going to do it....), not black (the BMW is and that was a mistake) and not too low mileage as experience tells me a car standing for too long is not always a healthy car. In the last year or so prices have gone a bit bonkers and there has been a £10k uplift for what I was looking for in that time, and as soon as one person advertises at that price the rest of the market follows, and crazily after some months of them not selling, a few are, which supports the premise and so I was just going to wait. It appears that people are realising that the big loud and fast Jags of old will not exist again, and are looking to buy of whilst they can, and whilst the F-Type is popular, it doesn't do it for me... So I set an alert with Autotrader for what I was looking for and last thing last Friday an add popped up on my phone. A pre-face lift 2011 car but with Speed and Black packs (Speed pack takes top speed to a (still limited) 174mph, plus a few body kits and something else to make it more stable at speed, plus Black pack adds some natty Black alloys and other cosmetic features. A circa. £90k car when new. Full service history, 47k miles, 5 owners (it's 14 years old so hardly a surprise) - the last one for 4 years who traded in for an F-Type. The price was a full £10k less than a later face-lift 2014 version, and for my expected mileage I would rather bank the £10k, and the last face lift changed little. There and then I urgently booked the dog into kennels for the next day, and told the dealer I was coming down. Dropped the dog off in the morning and then drove the 3 1/2 hours to the West Country and they promised not to sell before I got there. The rain was biblical, with torrential rain on arrival, but the car was indoors and immaculate. Not even a stone chip on the gleaming white paint. Couldn't fault it. Took it for a test drive and >500hp on the pouring rain with standing water everywhere in a car I have never driven meant that I could not test it's performance at all, but then I probably never really will..... Put a grin on my face though and felt completely planted. It was quiet, solid and when I got back I spoke with the mechanic who had told me all about the things they had done to get it tip-top (new good-brand tyres, new discs and pads all round, some new sensors, etc.) Turns out he used to live two miles from where I live now. Also turns out that the previous owner of the car lived locally in a village I grew up in for much of the 1970's, and that the car started life in Sussex where I live now. Fate. So. I've bought it! I was going to pick it up next week, but getting there by train is going to be a fiddle and with other plans I have I would also need an overnight stay and a day off work, so I will most likely get them to have it trailered to me at the end of this week. As I said before, I don't need another car, but I love this one and I am going to enjoy it!...... |
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New Tue 10 Jun 25 14:15
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - zippy
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>> >> As I said before, I don't need another car, but I love this one and >> I am going to enjoy it!...... As they say SFD, this isn't a practice run! Enjoy. |
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New Tue 10 Jun 25 15:44
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Dog
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>>As I said before, I don't need another car, but I love this one and I am going to enjoy it!...... And that my friend, is 'the main thing' = Follow your Bliss, and good luck to you! |
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New Tue 10 Jun 25 16:39
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - legacylad
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Many congratulations…i sincerely hope you enjoy many safe miles motoring, with a grin on your face. Sometimes opportunities present themselves. Sometimes I’ve taken them, other times not and regretted it. |
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New Tue 10 Jun 25 16:37
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Bobby
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| I love stories like this. Obviously not the beginning of it but definitely the end! |
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New Fri 13 Jun 25 14:26
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Slightlyfatdirector
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Thanks chaps. It was delivered at lunchtime. Looks stunning. Have had to go to work in my work car, but can't wait to take it out for a spin when I get home. Hopefully not literally! |
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New Fri 13 Jun 25 18:21
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Kevin
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I'm jealous. Prices for real Jaguars started to creep up shortly after they announced that their existing and traditional buyers weren't wanted and Jaguar were focussing all their efforts of becoming market leaders in the 'over £120,000 premium pink electric vehicles for lunasexuals' segment. Well cared for XK and petrol XJ models with desireable options are getting snapped up quickly. I regret selling my XJ Sovereign last year. It was a well spec'd car with every option except rear entertainment. I keep checking the specialist sites and autotrader for an XKR ragtop with the right spec but I haven't found it yet. PS. Has yours had the valley pipes done? |
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New Fri 13 Jun 25 21:17
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Slightlyfatdirector
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Interesting, I had vaguely heard this about the pricing, and clearly it's true. Re: Valley pipes; it's a good question.... I was not even sure what they were until I Googled it! The dealer did some work on the car before it was sold and I asked them to print off the job sheet. Amongst other things was a front engine strip-down, valley pipe coupling and water pump, so fingers crossed, all's good. I had never done it before, but I saved a search on Autotrader that sends me an email when a car meeting the criteria I set came up. That's what sent me the message about the one I bought that I jumped on immediately. It sent me another one today for the colour combo I wanted albeit a year older and 10k more miles for a few £k less, but I've already got one now :) I knew I didn't want black, then there's a grey that's almost black and about 80% of what's been on the market has been in those two colours for over a year. I wanted a nice silver, but the only ones I saw were such low mileage / high price that I thought a white one would be good. It looks fab, but I still think that the silver looks more 'quality'... You might want to do the same Kevin and set up a search. The bargains can go very fast I see. I'll turn that feature off now as I don't want to see another one.... :) What spec are you looking for? XJ's are lovely, but these are something else..... I took the car out for a brief cruise and a bit of a blast this evening just before the rain started. Good grief..... The engine digs in with a V8 roar, and just when you're thinking "blimey, that's quick" the supercharger kicks in and it hurtles off at such a pace! Never driven anything as powerful as this. Feels completely solid, no scuttle-shake and takes the roundabouts with complete reassurance. I think I could have a lot of fun with this. Oh, and the sound! Not sure when I will stop grinning :) |
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New Fri 13 Jun 25 22:52
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Kevin
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The valley pipe coupling is usually the failure point so it sounds like you might be ok although I'd ask the dealer if it was the coupling under the supercharger that they actually replaced. There's also a crossover pipe at the rear of the engine that can fail and is usually replaced while they have the supercharger off doing the valley pipe because most of the cost is labour. If you're not using it regularly invest in a good battery conditioner/charger like a CTEK. XK and XJ are really fussy about battery condition and will throw up spurious errors (ABS, Stability etc) if the battery isn't perfect. The car I'm looking for must have the Ivory interior with black uppers, door cappings and belts. Memory option is a must and B&W sound desirable Exterior preferably in blue but the metallic grey is a possible. Roof must be black although I can have that changed at the right price. A 2013 or 14 car with Dynamic Pack would be ideal but I'm not going to find one of those. I would have settled for this but missed it: www.qualitycarstoday.co.uk/vehicle-details/Jaguar-Xk-U232/#vehicle_description Do you have a tame independent Jag specialist within a reasonable distance? |
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New Fri 13 Jun 25 22:53
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - BiggerBadderDave
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'I think I could have a lot of fun with this.' Oh you shall. Single (condolences etc.) and blasting around locally in a rag-top Jag XKR? There'll be widowed cougars drooling after you everywhere. I only say because my daughter (22, taller than me, blonde and hot) has been longing for a boyfriend for five years to no avail. Four weeks ago we swapped her Nissan Micra for a Peugeot tinned-drop-top four weeks ago, and guess what, three weeks later she got the fella she'd had her eye on for years (laid). He hasn't called back but I did warn her. Oh well... But convertibles get you a lot more attention, and that had always been her rationale. This evening, I drove her in her own car (without the roof) to a regular Friday night meeting point (a shopping mall) but on the way, even a train driver actually hooted us (the line runs parallel to the main road) and it scared the crap out of both of us. Enjoy the XKR, SFD. Keep a couple of condoms in the glovebox. Just in case... Just can't believe Kevin sold the XJ. WTF? |
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New Wed 18 Jun 25 14:16
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Slightlyfatdirector
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@Kevin, Yep, have a trickle charger from when I had the XJS. Just need to find where in the boot the battery is! :) I have a Jag specialist in Eastbourne, so about 40mins away and am going to get a service and check-up done there soon just for peace of mind, That Kyanite blue one was a beauty! A tip (if you've not already sussed it) is to also search for XK's too, not just XKR's. I found a number of XKR's listed as "XK Dynamic R" which is still an XKR (the last ones as you know) but the wording puts them in a different search area and not always with the XKR's. I saw this both on Auto Trader and other specialist dealers. @Dave, Oh, your message really made me smile! :) No sign's of cougar's on the horizon but I've only had it for a week! :) |
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New Wed 18 Jun 25 15:13
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - VxFan
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>> @Kevin, Yep, have a trickle charger from when I had the XJS. Just need to >> find where in the boot the battery is! :) Is there not a terminal under the bonnet, should it ever need jump starting? You could hook up the trickle charger to that if there is one. |
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New Wed 18 Jun 25 16:14
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Slightlyfatdirector
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Good question. Thanks for the tip. I'll have a look at the instruction book later. Still finding other things that the car has that surprised me as hidden away in the on-screen menu.... Heated AND cooled seats, and a heated steering wheel as standard. Ooooo! :) |
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New Wed 18 Jun 25 23:42
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - henry k
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>> Is there not a terminal under the bonnet, should it ever need jump starting? You >> could hook up the trickle charger to that if there is one. >> Sons Audi Q5 Has terminals under the bonnet and battery hidden in a well in the boot. My experience with my Jaguar X Type would suggest you need to empty the boot. My X Type has some quite awful cheap aspects to it but he battery is a conventional fitting. |
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New Thu 19 Jun 25 07:50
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Zero
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| The beemer has its battery in a compartment under the boot floor, there is a charging post under the bonnet, conveniently with a bright red plastic cover with a large +ve logo on it. |
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New Thu 19 Jun 25 09:34
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Biggles
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I would check the specs on that contact point first. It is likely there to allow you to open the boot in the event of a flat battery (assuming that the boot is electrically operated) and may have a limited current capacity (and so not for starting the engine). One idea would be to semi-permanently connect a ctek eyelet connector, giving a simple push connector when you want to trickle charge it. |
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New Wed 18 Jun 25 17:56
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Biggles
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| Remember to connect the charger so that the battery monitor sees the current flow, rather than connecting directly to the terminals. |
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New Thu 19 Jun 25 13:33
Jaguar - XKR - Should I, shouldn't I.... - Manatee
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I needed a battery charger/minder with a bit more grunt and bought a Victron IP65 12/10. I passed on a bigger CTEK as mine run hot. The Victron can be set to use maximum 3A or 10A and the related phone app tells me exactly how much charge has gone in so it's now my first choice. You can get extension cables and ring connectors as with CTEK. The 12/10 is about £103 on Amazon now which is probably what a 5A CTEK costs. The XK series is the only modernish Jag that gets my interest. I perceive the F type as more for showing off. I've just been on a motoring tour that included an XJS and an XK. Very civilised for that sort of thing. But the boss won't let me sell the MX-5. |
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