Boomer54

2 hours ago, Mossypossy said:

SC430 also gets really hot when worked hard. Coolant temp remains normal, electric fan not on but car radiates heat and stinks of heat!

Yes  agree with all of those observations. The XK appears to do much the same when I have it on an extended run.

2 hours ago, toffee_pie said:

I removed all the plastic covers on the engine, it gets ridiculous hot..I don't need to make it worse. I have a F9 obd reader to monitor the coolant and oil levels, it's the most important piece of kit ever.

I was under a ramp while it was getting wheel alignment in May and under the engine was like a sauna, unbelievable.

You're making me think now. I don't know enough to know if covers might be 'harmful' because of heat retention. Guess I will have to do a little research. You have far more BHP, but does that have any meaningful heat implications? I really don't know so will have to find out.

16 minutes ago, Malc1 said:

...... and in my part of Kent I can buy really freshly picked bananas every day    👍👋👋

 

( btw that's a slight fib 🤔) 

Malc

But you can get fresh fish straight out of the sea ! I know 'cos your neighbour is always tell😉ing you off for sticking your rod out of the window.

32 minutes ago, DavidCM said:

Are we talking here of the same Frogs who made UK paratroops landing at the recent D Day commemorations have their passports stamped?

I don't think the Frogs were much on evidence when the Germans appeared early on in WW2...cue "cheese eating surrender monkeys".Same applied in WW1..instant white flags and we ,and other nations,had to save their backsides then.

Fair dos as we say up here they were probably busy bringing in their fresh produce (sic)

16 minutes ago, Glyn Jennings said:

The stock SC sound is really quiet. It was designed for refinement and touring. 

Thanks Glyn. Obviously function would be important and touring ,well guess it might get old quick if there was too much exhaust noise continuously.

26 minutes ago, Boomer54 said:

Just  coming back to the issue. I really never claimed to be an expert on the XK ,or any of it's models. I did just know there were 3 tiers starting with the XK, then the XKR and ultimately the XKR-S. Both of the latter are supercharged ,but the XKR-S enjoys slightly more BHP. Hence, when I looked for pricing information via Autotrader I entered the model data XKR-S. It listed 15 XKR-S models and within that it also showed the two engine variants 4.2 ,or the later 5.0 ltr. The pricing data for those was clear enough has described earlier. Look as I might I cannot find any other variant so at this point I don't know exactly what I am supposed to have got wrong. Not being an expert I am open to being told, but try as I might I cannot find it for myself.

Little more clarity on this issue. Of the 4.2 version 200 were produced for the European market and you are right that the number in the UK would be far fewer than that of course. Now back to Autotrader and the 15 they list. That actually includes both engine versions and only 5 of those are your 4.2 version. ! We're getting there. Pricewise they are running from 12k to 22k. The later 5 ltr version prices above that level from 32k upwards.

5 hours ago, toffee_pie said:

Well TBF I said quite a lot in my original post, the worst thing you can do is blert on about stuff without being a subject matter expert of sorts.. I've made the same mistake many a time.!

They only sold 50 of these in the UK, there's no hope 15 are for sale on AT 15 years later. 

It's a really special thing indeed, I do plan to get this up on YouTube as many have been asking about it

The 'regular' XKR is fantastic too, astonishingly fast.

Just  coming back to the issue. I really never claimed to be an expert on the XK ,or any of it's models. I did just know there were 3 tiers starting with the XK, then the XKR and ultimately the XKR-S. Both of the latter are supercharged ,but the XKR-S enjoys slightly more BHP. Hence, when I looked for pricing information via Autotrader I entered the model data XKR-S. It listed 15 XKR-S models and within that it also showed the two engine variants 4.2 ,or the later 5.0 ltr. The pricing data for those was clear enough has described earlier. Look as I might I cannot find any other variant so at this point I don't know exactly what I am supposed to have got wrong. Not being an expert I am open to being told, but try as I might I cannot find it for myself.

Linas,

I am beginning to wonder where you actually live when you write;

" One can also find good quality food in UK if they know where to look, if they are willing to wake-up 5AM drive 50 miles and go to some sort of farmers or fishers market and buy in bulk, in France you could also do it, but you don't need to. "

I can roll up at any time of day driving 3 mins ,or walking 20 mins to get to Booths where they will quite easily be comparable to anywhere you might shop in France. When in Skipton I can walk to Drake and Macefields butchers and buy meat of any description that will exceed most you can buy in France (not all). If I am staying with my daughter In Hesketh bank I can walk to the local butchers there, Johnsons, and get lovely local Meat produce all butchered on the premises. I could keep going . but why bother. I am sure many other posters on here have similar experiences where they live in the UK. France produce being exceptional   in a quality level and not availaible here in the Uk is a myth. What is not a myth is the size of country , pop density per sq KM and what this means for more localised markets.  Hence France; 643,800 Km 2; Uk 244,370km 2; Pop density France 123 per KM 2 ; UK 277.

These numbers clearly have an effect on how markets develop. and why the UK footfall favours chain supermarkets whereas in France local markets are still very important. However, I have been in many French supermarkets and in terms of quality they offer no significant upside to some UK supermarkets like Waitrose, Booths, and dare I say the Continental Lidl and Aldi won't be far behind on some green produce, but clearly not all as their Fresh dept is nonexistent.

Grey,

The example you posted is just one that I remember from French actions to protect their markets. Now if that was really because French produce was better and French consumers were willing to pay more for it then ergo French suppliers would not be forced to be taking those actions to protect their sales has foreign produce would not be bought in any quantity.  So, let's stop talking myth , and think about how consumers actually do behave WHEN they are given choice.

 "Michelin tyres are indeed cheaper in France (as local product)"

You keep making my point for me. The French are protective of their market even if that means finding ways to price below market ! Nowt much to do with " being local".

7 hours ago, GMB said:

Linas got it right about some aspects of French life compared to ours but may I add a couple of points. The French buy mostly French cars because they are a bit cheaper, but probably more importantly, every village has a Renault or Citroen or Peugeot garage in it. Try and find a Lexus garage in the South of France. The village markets are great and the produce is better and sometimes cheaper than the supermarkets and you are supporting the local economy which the French find very important.

In summary, every country has its good and bad aspects, nowhere is perfect but daily life in the sunny South of France is very nice indeed.☀️

Well I say you cannot beat the rainy N West of England. To satisfy honour I challenge you to a duel with washing up gloves at dawn (as long as I can come to the Sth of France for it).

13 minutes ago, Boomer54 said:

All that talk this morning about the Jag's got me feeling guilty for ignoring it in favour of the SC. So this afternoon was spent under the bonnet. All the carpets etc were done the other day so now it was time to put that engine bay into better shape.

Before and after shots with and without covers (no cheating leaving them on).

 

Damn got to go back out .Just noticed in the pic I have left a stud fitting out on a cover! Was rushing to beat the rain.

7 minutes ago, toffee_pie said:

Here is the exhaust note of mine - this is at around 3k rpm as I had to consider the neighbours...

https://youtube.com/shorts/FYrZgE8pr78?feature=shared

Very nice burbly growl going on there. That was probably the first difference I spotted between the XK and the SC. The tonal differences between the exhausts. Although ,because my exhaust is not stock I have no real way of knowing what a stock SC exhaust actually sounds like. Talking about differences detailing the engine bay of the XK is quite a bit harder than the SC due the way they are laid out. Probably a tick for the Lexus designers.

All that talk this morning about the Jag's got me feeling guilty for ignoring it in favour of the SC. So this afternoon was spent under the bonnet. All the carpets etc were done the other day so now it was time to put that engine bay into better shape.

Before and after shots with and without covers (no cheating leaving them on).

3 hours ago, toffee_pie said:

And I am weary of parking it, I got another email at work to shift Car reg xxxxxx and park in a normal spot, I parked at the entrance up on grass wasn't doing anything to anyone. It's a tight fit in normal parking bays and people nowadays just don't care do they 

Tell me about it. These later XK's are a lot of car to park anywhere. On the typical space if the nose is at one end of the space the back is barely fitting into the other end! No excess space to play with at all.

20 minutes ago, toffee_pie said:

It's not a RS, there's one listed I believe which is actually a RS. AT includes regular XKRs as a RS. I know of someone who got a 'RS' last year from a dealer near me in Glastonbury - I already spotted it. The chap who did buy it realised after it wasn't actually a real one and returned it, I knew from the photos it wasn't a genuine one. The Speedo is the big giveaway as it's got a 180mph limit and RS branding - it can't be retrofitted. Alcon brakes and the large wing can be fitted depends if the buyer at the time had got lucky and Jaguar had fitted them or maybe they were upgrades. 

They really are quite a different beast over a XKR, check out the CAR review in 2008 it has a good driving experience summary 

Well when I said "I am no expert",   it's good to see I am right again! 🫣

16 minutes ago, Phil xxkr said:

What a great choice! This is my 24year old XKR and still turns heads 😎. First thing to do is join the XK Enthusiasts Club, there will be one near to you for a wealth of of information and like-minded individuals. The RX is my daily driver these days but when I want to remind myself of the pure joy of responsive V8 driving out comes the Jagwaaarrr🥳. I love it! And that's the point, not only a great car but part of the history of cars, it invokes an emotion not found in other marques. 👏👏👏

XK100. Considerably smaller than it's younger brother 150, or in my case 150/60. Not to be ignored when parking and turning. I won't take mine to some car parks I know.

After nearly 1 Yr of SC 430 ownership I am coming towards the end of things to do other than mess with it simply for the satisfaction of doing. Indeed, not liking my version of undersealing it is now sat with a rustproofing specialist who will be giving it the most comprehensive treatment it will ever see using Corrolan products.

After that we commence with the year of the XK where I will try to ensure it is of a standard with the SC. I bought it at good money for  66k mileage so definitely got some spending buffer to work with.

Thanks for the tip on the club.

6 minutes ago, Boomer54 said:

Perhaps have a look on Autotrader. Think 15 listed although perhaps yours is a different edition to those? I can't claim to have much knowledge of the XKR-S so it is possible I am looking at the wrong model.

Looking again it really does depend on factors such as mileage and age as to where the car will be priced. I was assuming in my stated price range that we were looking circa 2008/9 with mid range mileage 70 to 90k. Clearly later models with 5ltr engines and low mileage go for well in excess of my stated price range. I can't talk as to value on specific car upgrades which you may also have.

10 minutes ago, toffee_pie said:

12K, I don't think you know what a XKR-S is, no disrespect but I was a few years researching the various Jag XKs, won't get for £17k either, check how much they cost in mainland Europe. 

Perhaps have a look on Autotrader. Think 15 listed although perhaps yours is a different edition to those? I can't claim to have much knowledge of the XKR-S so it is possible I am looking at the wrong model.

2 minutes ago, Glyn Jennings said:

Did you not consider a LC500 in your list. It would be be my choice in that price bracket but I do like Jags as well.

Glynn, you couldn't begin to buy a LC500 for what he probably paid for the XKR-S. Don't have enough details on it to be precise, but I would guess it came in a range between £12k to £17k.

In fact the real 'surprise' is just how much Jaguar XK ;XKR;XKR-S you can buy for what I think is very reasonable money. Unless you are unfortunate enough to buy a 'porker' in disguise then value for money is seriously good. In that sense it is also comparable to the SC 430. May be I am just out of tune with Mr Market and what it is looking for these days, but I continue to be pleasantly surprised that this performance/quality of car costs less than your everyday instantly forgettable alternatives that will be lucky to still be driveable at this age range. It sits right in there with my ethos 'buy right and buy once'.

35 minutes ago, toffee_pie said:

Mine is 'only' a 4.2 but as per the performance figures its far from slow - the performance on the 1/4 mile is around 200ms within a 5.0 SC or something like that - the ECU had been meddled with this and they may have done something else also as the value of this was £80K in 2008 which was a serious wedge. The aero kit is all carbonfibre and there are aero deflectors on the underside also - handling is firm but very planted and I dirve on B roads.

My struts look ok, I can take some photos - the window trim I would take to a specialist who does this sorta work - its easy enough to remove these i think - I dont think polishing will work

Toff,

Can tell you without a doubt polishing does not work on the Ali window trim. The only polishing style still to try and it is a last ditch attempt is a Dremel working a serious polishing compound. I have heard one person had success with this. Everybodyelse painted over it, or wrapped it. Not surprised as I think this is oxidisation of the Ali.

All the carpets and mats have been cleaned to a fare thee well this week. Nice fluffy pile back down there (and the carpets look good as well). Basic shampoo, agitate, wet and dry vac followed by a hand steaming and a last wet and dry vac. Smells like Doreens Hair salon (sic).

I never did get around to doing the point by point comparison of the XK and SC although I think I covered the major points based on a limited experience. The one thing I never did was make any conclusion ,but it is this.

If Chancellor Reeves comes along tomorrow with her let's make you poor stick, and you have to sell one car which will it be?

In the words of The Four Seasons " Bye Bye baby XK Bye Bye". My love affair with the SC 430 continues unabated.

47 minutes ago, Boomer54 said:

Congrats on your choice !. I considered the XKR, but not the S. As you say "rare". Personally, I plumped for the XK, because the extra BHP would have been wasted on me. 5ltr supercharged etc. in your case.

I bought this also in Jan this year when I failed to find a second SC 430 !

Paperwork shows all the fluids were changed 6k ago and it goes to MOT and service next month so hopefully I get a decent pass given the suspension and some other stuff was sorted as failures at MOT in Sep '23. All in all someone spent a bundle on this over 4 years ending in '23. Using my buying logic that's a good thing when that stuff is the same stuff that is identified with as typically needing doing on these cars.

Even on the XK I rarely use S mode unless I feel like having a bit of fun. The handling is superb. Better than anything I have ever driven, but it will never equal the SC 430 ride comfort, but again that might just be the way my car is set up with coilovers. I don't know beyond that. Likewise the interior styling is very good, but it's not the finish quality of the SC 430 which is outstanding (excluding those silly fragile car mat stays).

As an aside what are your boot struts like for corrosion on the finish? Likewise, how are your window trims holding up? Both of those on mine need attention, but they are not urgent. I will see how it goes on the MOT before I start spending on things like that.

In conclusion, at the moment I have no regrets buying the XK has my second ride. The drive is truly excellent. It does turn heads without a doubt, and hopefully though my jury is still out on reliability it will end up being a good outcome. 🙂

Actually, I made a mistake there. Yours is also the 4.2 ltr not 5 ltr ! Having said which, with a supercharger super quick anyway. My info anyway is that the 4.2 ltr is not as problematic as the 5 ltr so good choice.

6 hours ago, toffee_pie said:

Interesting to see a XK on here, I was nattering on about replacing my Subaru a few years ago on here and some chap mentiond several vehicles that were 'doable' and falling into line with what I was looking for - a few of the cars were a Porsche Panemara and a Jaguar XK - now I quickly - ish ruled out the former as it was just a bit too gangly, boaty and a bit much but the Jaguar XK, well now we are talking. 

I spent considrable time researching these and somehow ended up getting a XKR-S in January, a 4.2 XKR-S - these are so rare even bods on FB groups thought I put stickers and body kits on it - it was a skunk works project by the three lads working for Jaguar back in the day who wanted the 4.2 XK to go out with a final flourish so they came up with this and Jaguar made the 200 units, 50 were sold in England but my guess is less than 15 are actually around

Spotted this in December 2023 and could not stop looking at it and drove over in January a 8 hour round trip to take this home otherwise I would never forgive myself, I still had a Subaru which eventually sold in May.

I am using mine as a daily, servicing on these is absolutely crucial so the person here who has a XK should have replaced all the fluids as a matter of priority, plus the tranmission fluid and a new fuel filter. Mine gets around 18mpg on my crappy commute to work, if you reset the counter and wing it up to Scotland you would get around 30mpg. These engines are good for stellar mileage once looked after, Electrical gremlins need to be treated with caution there is a whole list of DTCs that are actually nonsense - there is a list if you google it.

Its quite low down and it might be my age but you let out a grunt getting out of this thing, not Lamborghini Huracan grunt but getting to that stage - interior finishing is sublime, for a vehicle 15 years old.

Driving this home I was thinking to myself how can I describe this and my words were a guided missile with a free armchair attached - the mad thing is I have not shifted this into S yet and I have it over 8 months. Quoted performance is 0-60 in 4.4s and 174mph but with the limiter removed its good for 180mph+ 

CAR did a review of this in 2008 - they done a 1:1 with a Maserari Granturismo S - the reviewer said not only was the Jag better than the Maser, it was better than an Aston Martin Vantage and a Bentley Continental too and you would need a Ferrari 599 to trump it, Not sure what Mike Cross, Dave Pook and Matt O'Hara done to the 4.2 lump but they done a heck of a job

Cheers to the chap who mentioned Jag...!

I think I will be back to Lexus but not just yet

...Now that S mode is like what Father Dougal was feeling like on the airplane

 

 

Congrats on your choice !. I considered the XKR, but not the S. As you say "rare". Personally, I plumped for the XK, because the extra BHP would have been wasted on me. 5ltr supercharged etc. in your case.

I bought this also in Jan this year when I failed to find a second SC 430 !

Paperwork shows all the fluids were changed 6k ago and it goes to MOT and service next month so hopefully I get a decent pass given the suspension and some other stuff was sorted as failures at MOT in Sep '23. All in all someone spent a bundle on this over 4 years ending in '23. Using my buying logic that's a good thing when that stuff is the same stuff that is identified with as typically needing doing on these cars.

Even on the XK I rarely use S mode unless I feel like having a bit of fun. The handling is superb. Better than anything I have ever driven, but it will never equal the SC 430 ride comfort, but again that might just be the way my car is set up with coilovers. I don't know beyond that. Likewise the interior styling is very good, but it's not the finish quality of the SC 430 which is outstanding (excluding those silly fragile car mat stays).

As an aside what are your boot struts like for corrosion on the finish? Likewise, how are your window trims holding up? Both of those on mine need attention, but they are not urgent. I will see how it goes on the MOT before I start spending on things like that.

In conclusion, at the moment I have no regrets buying the XK has my second ride. The drive is truly excellent. It does turn heads without a doubt, and hopefully though my jury is still out on reliability it will end up being a good outcome. 🙂

2 hours ago, Malc1 said:

AGE. UK.   Petition 
 

420,524.       wonderful signatories thus far 👏👏👏

Malc 

I foresee I might hit a brick wall at the 'X's'