Jaguar XK8 Coupe (1996 - 2005) 4.2 2d Auto (2003/03) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

Not sure really. I love the car for what it is, a great GT car. I don't care about what other people think.

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

That's a really interesting question! I've had mixed reactions. Some people think it's great, others pass comment along the lines of "Why should I be able to aford a Jag". The reallity is they are not that expensive to buy second hand, but some people think your just gone up a rung on the social ladder. Makes me laugh...

Would you buy this car again and why?

No, but only on the basis that I don't buy the same car twice. I would def recommend this car though. I avoided the XKR only due to running costs and most of the time I never get to use the power of the standard car, let alone the extra 100 bhp of the R version! The XK8 4.2 (don't get the 4.0) delivers 14-18 mpg round town, 23 - 29 Urban and between 28 - 35mpg on a motorway run depending on your right foot. I've done almost 10,000 miles now and these figures seem to be correct both from the onboard trip computer and checking fill up at the pump.

What are you likely to buy next?

Next... Another V8, Lotus Esprit GT, but that will be a weekend car as I don't expect that to have the reliability of the Jaguar.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Independent

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£10,500

When did you buy the car?

November 2011

Did you get a good deal and why?

Yes I got a good deal. The car was low mileage and immaculate. I also got a good trade in against my Saab 93 I had at the time.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

I was looking for something special. I've had GTI's, an FTO and S2000 in the past, but wanted to move away from high reving engines and get something with a nice V8.

What was the dealer like?

It was a Jaguar specalist in Bristol. Very good, excellent after sale service.

What's it like to drive?

Very relaxing for long trips on motorways or A/B roads, but if the fancy takes you press the sports button on or slip into manual across the J gate and have some fun! It's very rewarding to drive and dispite the weight, the handling is sure-footed. In standard auto mode the box changes up at about 4k rpm, but the sports button lets the engine red line. Last, but not least... I got the car for that lovely V8 howel. The only -ve I would say is that the engine note is too mute, but that can be easily resolved with a new exaust system for £800 (which isn't overly loud).

What's it like to park?

Really simple. It took me a couple of sessions to get used to the car, but with the parking sensors reverse parking is really simple and even though the bonnet drops away at the front you can see the front arches and can easily estimate where you are. I have to reverse park everyday into spaces and have never found this to be a problem.

Have you had any problems with the car?

Only the normal front suspesion issues with bushes and antiroll bars. This was replaced under the warrenty. I use the car every day and it's been great. Starts on the button first time every time.

What's most practical about your car?

For a coupe it's got a good sized boot, so going away for weekends, or trips to the airport for work isn't a problem unlike some other Coupe's or convertables I've had in the past.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

It's not stacked with toys, but that's how I like my cars. Nothing extra to go wrong, but I really like the electric seats which have fantastic amounts of adjustment and they are very comfortable. Also the parking sensors are great, but that's standard on most cars now.