Considering xk-r

I've been looking for a new coupe for a while. Something sporty and luxurious. All my friends have e92s, s5s, etc. I saw a new gen iii xkr pulling out of my local dealership today and it definatley caught my attention. Enough so that I turned around to go look at one up close. Very pretty cars. Wasn't able to take a proper test drive because it was nearing the end of the business day, but I took it for a quick spin. Sounds awesome!

I'm considering buying a gen ii and trading it towards a gen 3 in two years once depreciation hits.

I'm probably keeping my 355, and this would be my daily driver. (jeep for winter driving) The 5 year warranty/service plan/road side assistance is a huge plus.

Would anyone care to share real life experience with their car? Has jag reliability gone up in their modern cars? My friend made the joke, 'did the car break down on the test drive?'

 

Am a Jag owner, the XJ series. U have a choice between a 4.2 or 5.0 R.
Given a choice, I will buy/lease the 5.0, demo if avaliable. 4.2 is Ok but the 5.0 got all the upgrades etc.
As far as reliability, my issues are the stereo system/Alpine, been down twice and seemed to be an amp problems, then the air suspension, trouble with air compressor/shocks replacement.
Otherwise best driving car I have owned. Have a NSX/SL320 and E55 before and owned/driven other makes.
Very refined and the XKR is fast. Understand CSI is excellent for Jag dealers in NA and their warranty is also strong.

 

Have owned a few Jags in my day and currently still have my 1996 XJR6, a true gem with very low miles.

Reliability has definitely gone up over the years. When Ford started investing big money into Jaguar in 1989 vast improvements were made (especially electrical that they're notorious for through the 1980s) and by time the X300 body style, aka my XJR (1995-1997) they were darn near bulletproof. As beautiful as many newer Jaguars are I won't buy any model but pre-1998 before Ford started dumping their V8s into the XJ. They were also used in the XK and depending on how much research you have or have not done yet the XK (starting in 1997) and XJ (with V8s starting in 1998) to the mid point of 2001 models had tremendous issues. Timing chains, the ZF transmission, Nikisil issue with bad cylinder walls all affected the early V8s, which isn't surprising considering it was a brand new motor replacing the bulletproof 4.0 Inline-6 engine that Jag had been using for a LONG time.

The new XKs are very nice, but I'm a sucker for the previous generation. To be safe aim for a 2002-2006 model and although they won't have BMW reliability you'll enjoy driving them much more. Join the Jaguar Forums to get a ton of info too. 2002-2006 models can be had for well, well under $20K today, even the gorgeous XKR, which is the only newer V8 Jag I'd park next to my XJR. Night and day difference when you park an XK8 next to an XKR Supercharged. Looks alone will make your choice easier.

Victory Edition on I believe the 05 & 06 XKs were very sharp too.

Oh yes, and the fact that you're pursuing a Jag, have the only other Ferrari I would ever want, and use Jeeps as winter driving (I've lost count as to how many Cherokees I've owned for that purpose alone) probably makes you my twin. haha.