Anyone know anything about XK8's?
The only thing I know about them is that I want one 
Here is a discussion on them from the old board:
http://archive.grassrootsmotorsports.com/board/viewtopic.php?id=33497
Nice car, but how did they manage to make actual wheels look like cheesy plastic hubcaps? Did they do that on purpose?
EvanB wrote: The only thing I know about them is that I want one
Glad I'm not the only one. I was 15 or 16 when those came out in the mid 90s, and I've wanted one ever since. Now that they are getting that low in price, I'll have to consider getting one. They still look like money to me.
About the wheels, they look much nicer when not chromed.
hehe I recall a thread in sprite world, of some one wanting one, and all the real mechanic types saying they are a very complicated car. One comment was that there was more technology in the DOOR than in my entire 59 bugeye.. skeeered me lol
An XK8 coupe went by me the other day that made me do a double take. It was BRG with big black aftermarket rims on it and it sounded like it had open headers on it! I drooled as he cruised by.
How about this one? The coupes are gorgeous, but I'm iffy on the convertibles.
willy19592 wrote: hehe I recall a thread in sprite world, of some one wanting one, and all the real mechanic types saying they are a very complicated car. One comment was that there was more technology in the DOOR than in my entire 59 bugeye.. skeeered me lol
There's probably more tech in the door of my Mazda3 than a '59 Bugeye too, LOL.
Seriously though, that scares me off too.
The XK coupes are dead sexy cars. If only they drove as good as they looked!
My mother in law has a XK vert. She's in the heart of Jag's target market for the car... 50-something professional women. It looks good, but is not a drivers car and has surprisingly little utility for its size. The V8 gives the car a nice amount of thrust in a straight line, but the steering is light and vague and the chassis gives no feedback when cornering.
I've never driven the XKR, though, so that could be a whole different animal.
Oh yeah - the early XK engines have Nikasil issues. Do your homework before you buy.
I don't have any experience with the XK8's, but I've got a 2001 XJR and I don't think it's really any more complicated than any other car of the day. The suspension is a little more difficult than your typical car due to the "widowmaker" front spring layout (you need a special service tool to safely remove the front springs - you can do it grassroots/homemade tool style but I've read a bunch of unsubstantiated reports of springs flying across the room when trying to do this), but other than that, it's not that difficult to work on it.
Seconding what nderwater mentioned, read up on Nikasil issues, and also about timing chain tensioners. The early ones were made of plastic and could fail causing 48 valves to meet up with 8 pistons in a very expensive failure. The tensioners were updated in 2000 (I think) with a redesigned plastic version, and then again in 2002 (when they went to 4.2L) to a metal version. The early ones absolutely need to be updated or the engine is just waiting to grenade.
Jag-lovers.com has an antiquated message board (we're talking late 1990's technology) but has a lot of knowledgable people (but also a lot of clueluess people asking ridiculous questions).
If you can find an XKR for not much more, go for it. The extra HP and mountains of torque completely transform the car. It also tightens up the floaty ride, but its still pretty floaty. I'm planning on grabbing some Konis when I finish school and see what that does for the ride/handling.
If you have any questions, let me know. Bob
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