Always thought these were gorgeous cars. Now that the price of really clean ones has dropped into the $5K bracket, I have been looking hard at them. The $1K Range Rover picked up for the wife has been so good to us, I figured I'd temp fate and pick her up a Jag as well. She hates my TR8s, but I think she would warm up to a nice comfy Jag. There was a really nice mark`on over cream leather one right down the road from me for sale now and a couple more identical ones within 50 miles. What could go wrong? A Jag convertible for TR7 convertible money.
Absolutely gorgeous! My wife and I very nearly bought one. I think it was a '99. Deal breaker was the Nikasil cylinder liners used until 2001, IIRC. The car blew a trace of blue smoke on startup, and was a little stubborn on hot restarts. I didn't want to buy a beautiful car with an engine that was on its way out. I wouldn't consider one with the Nikasil liners.
I did a fair bit of research on the cars. The hydraulic system that operates the top can be pricey to fix. And one quote stands out: "Sixty thousand miles isn't "low mileage" on a Jag!"
Edit: Link to an article: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a6643/top-automotive-engineering-failures-jaguar-nikasil-v8/
I suspect there will be those that assert that all the "bad" engines have already been replaced, that sulphur levels in modern gasoline are lower and it won't be a problem. But I would never bet on it with my checkbook. 
I like the coupes more, but the convertibles are still a good looking car.
I just posted this in another thread:
Me said:
I know the auto trans in the XK8 were weak and broke a lot. The XKR had the stronger Mercedes trans that is used in the 55 AMG's and I think the V12's.
What yupididit said. Research the Jag forums.
I guess it could be considered heresy, but would any other Ford engines and transmissions fit?
In reply to spitfirebill:
You could probably get almost anything out of a Mustang to fit, but it wouldn't be a drop in affair. At least you could probably get the electronics talking to each other though, depending on what donor you use.
But at the end of the day, you'll end up with a nice looking Mustang convertible, that is just as heavy as a mustang convertible, only has two seats, and needs a bunch of customs parts to work.
maj75
Reader
1/31/17 2:03 p.m.
There is a really inexpensive kit from Jaguar Specialties IIRC to put an LS1-2 in an XK8.
The biggest mark against the XK8 in my head is the presence of the XKR. I would have a hard time "settling" for the 8 instead of the R. But if the price difference was enough ... maybe?
I bought this 2000 for my wife last year.
I got it from copart for $2200.00. It has 87k miles and is in good shape. It cost me $1000 to fix the damage to the rear corner and replace the taillight.
I replaced all the tires and had it aligned for another $600.
I can'take be happier with the car and have enjoyed it far more then I thought I would. I bought it to replace a 2003 MR2 and it is something I never thought I would own let alone enjoy.
I just had the fuel pump and the timing chain replaced. One of the tensioners started making noise so I bit the bullet and had it done. $950 parts and labor for the chain and tensioners. Fuel pump mysteriously failed while the car was sitting in the shop.
As I said in the other thread, there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Jag/BMW/Mercedes if you want it to be nice. and reliable. I'm looking at convertible XK8s and XKRs now, 2002 and newer for the upgraded engine bits and will probably spend a bit more up front on a well maintained version with records than on a cheap one and try to bring it up to snuff. GRM had a buyer's guide article on them and found them to be great GT cars.
The only thing that really should be immediately upgraded on the cars is the hydraulic high pressure power top lines, as they tend to split at the connectors and dump hydraulic fluid all over the center console, called the Green death. It's a $300 fix to upgrade the lines to a newer, more robust style that is guaranteed not to go bad.
