X150 coupe: Talk me out of it
Discussion
Hello all. I currently drive a Civic Type R as my weekend car, having used it previously for work. I now have a van so the CTR is now purely for pleasure drives. I'm finding myself missing a Jaguar (used to work for a dealership, and have owned a a Jaguar in the past) and the CTR is both seemingly bringing out the worst in me, in that being a revvy hothatch leads me to being impatient and aggressive in a way I wasnt in my Range Rover or my Jag. The fidgeting ride is starting to wear on me too, as its always taut and primed for action even when I'm trying desperately to potter about.
To cut to the chase, I've started looking at the XK 5.0 coupe. Are they a minefield of pain and expenses? Are they uncomfortable and jarring? Do they go through chain tensioner and coolant hoses? I'm not after an XKR, that's just too close to a genuinely FAST car to trust myself with. I just want a nice car that can do the mileage for things like Le Mans, not hold my bank account hostage, and help me become a bit more of a relaxed middle aged man, instead of the angst ridden teen the CTR seems to bring out in me.
To cut to the chase, I've started looking at the XK 5.0 coupe. Are they a minefield of pain and expenses? Are they uncomfortable and jarring? Do they go through chain tensioner and coolant hoses? I'm not after an XKR, that's just too close to a genuinely FAST car to trust myself with. I just want a nice car that can do the mileage for things like Le Mans, not hold my bank account hostage, and help me become a bit more of a relaxed middle aged man, instead of the angst ridden teen the CTR seems to bring out in me.
I bought one last year, 4.2 NA. Lovely car but I didn't keep it long. It had a string of oxygen sensor issues, all replaced by the dealer but frustrating in terms of getting it done. Then it threw up an active headlamp warning light which was looking like needing one or both of the headlamp units replacing (I tried all the other "fixes") at circa £1,500 each. At that point I was sick of the hassle so I got rid and bought a TVR 
To the OP. I have a an XK 4.2 NA.
It is without doubt one of, if not the, best car I've owned - gorgeous to drive, stunning looks, a fab powerplant (and the 5.0 is awesome) but cheap motoring they ain't. I've had mine 7 months and spent £5,500 on it already .....discs and pads, uprated headlight bubs, battery, new rear tyres and a rad failure and coolant loss leading to a dropped valve seat. Ouch.
Reading on various forums they do seem prone to coolant loss, electrical gremlins and the pedestrian airbag sensors under the bonnet are a PITA. I have to say that the headlights are C-R-A-P and on older cars are akin to two candles in a brown paper bag
Buuuuuuuut......the growl from the V8 on the drive home is just incredible and, notwithstanding the above, they are generally good cars. My advice would be get one, but be prepared for wallet-emptying unless you get a very lucky. Oh yes, and steer well clear of anything less than a FSH carried out by Jag dealers/specialists.
It is without doubt one of, if not the, best car I've owned - gorgeous to drive, stunning looks, a fab powerplant (and the 5.0 is awesome) but cheap motoring they ain't. I've had mine 7 months and spent £5,500 on it already .....discs and pads, uprated headlight bubs, battery, new rear tyres and a rad failure and coolant loss leading to a dropped valve seat. Ouch.
Reading on various forums they do seem prone to coolant loss, electrical gremlins and the pedestrian airbag sensors under the bonnet are a PITA. I have to say that the headlights are C-R-A-P and on older cars are akin to two candles in a brown paper bag
Buuuuuuuut......the growl from the V8 on the drive home is just incredible and, notwithstanding the above, they are generally good cars. My advice would be get one, but be prepared for wallet-emptying unless you get a very lucky. Oh yes, and steer well clear of anything less than a FSH carried out by Jag dealers/specialists.
I'm not anticipating fault free driving, I know only too well how quickly the bill can add up (I was working for a Jaguar dealer when the Nykasil bore problems with the X100 and x308 first happened). I'm mostly concerned if they've finally cured the timing chain issue, as I seem to recall the 4.0 had no end of warranty replacement for those. Having also previously owned an L322 TDV8, I know what JLR products can be like. Service items I'm fairly unfazed with, I replaced all four caliper, disc and pad on my CTR last year because I wasn't happy with the stopping power, and the NSR was starting to stick. My concern is more i left just as the 4.2 X150 was introduced, so I have no dealer side knowledge of the foibles of it and the later 5.0. Having been pummelled by my L322 over the two years I owned it, the unexpected EML and both EGR valves being recommended for replacement to the tune of 5k (having just serviced it for £900) is more the kind of "fix now" catastrophe I'm nervous about.
Hi - I had an L322, shocking car it really was, finally dumped it after the front diff went for the second time.
The XK is not in that ballpark, they seem decent cars but coolant loss and sensors/electrical stuff seems the weak point. I have a really good specialist (Barny Jones Ltd) look after mine now and they are superb.
The XK is not in that ballpark, they seem decent cars but coolant loss and sensors/electrical stuff seems the weak point. I have a really good specialist (Barny Jones Ltd) look after mine now and they are superb.
HendrixsWhiteStratReturns said:
Hi - I had an L322, shocking car it really was, finally dumped it after the front diff went for the second time.
The XK is not in that ballpark, they seem decent cars but coolant loss and sensors/electrical stuff seems the weak point. I have a really good specialist (Barny Jones Ltd) look after mine now and they are superb.
I'm fortunate in that I know who the good aftermarket specialists are near me, having spoken to a number of them in the past. My pockets are nothing like Jaguar Main Dealer deep (I've heard they charge up to £200 an hour now???) So I wouldn't be entertaining that avenue. I did love my L322 ( I put 50k miles under the wheels in two years), but I seemed to have it in the garage every 6 months to spend another 900 to 1,500 for some reason or another.The XK is not in that ballpark, they seem decent cars but coolant loss and sensors/electrical stuff seems the weak point. I have a really good specialist (Barny Jones Ltd) look after mine now and they are superb.
HendrixsWhiteStratReturns said:
To the OP. I have a an XK 4.2 NA.
It is without doubt one of, if not the, best car I've owned - gorgeous to drive, stunning looks, a fab powerplant (and the 5.0 is awesome) but cheap motoring they ain't. I've had mine 7 months and spent £5,500 on it already .....discs and pads, uprated headlight bubs, battery, new rear tyres and a rad failure and coolant loss leading to a dropped valve seat. Ouch.
Reading on various forums they do seem prone to coolant loss, electrical gremlins and the pedestrian airbag sensors under the bonnet are a PITA. I have to say that the headlights are C-R-A-P and on older cars are akin to two candles in a brown paper bag
Buuuuuuuut......the growl from the V8 on the drive home is just incredible and, notwithstanding the above, they are generally good cars. My advice would be get one, but be prepared for wallet-emptying unless you get a very lucky. Oh yes, and steer well clear of anything less than a FSH carried out by Jag dealers/specialists.
My experiences with them have thankfully been completely different to yours . I ran both 4.2 na and the 5.0 supercharged engines and had very few issues and none with the 5.0 litre . They arent prone to coolant loss , most if not all electrical gremlins are caused by a weak Battery and the fitting of a CETEK will address this issue permanently . Apart from an issue with over sensitivity on some early models the Pedestrian Impact System was in my experience completely fault free . I well remember some disconnecting the System but this was out of fear rather than any actual problems . I dont know how you found yours a PITA , I wouldn't have thought you had suffered an accidental activation ? Headlight lenses tend to suffer from frosting of the Plastic which is amplified by the use of Car Washes and their Detergents . Air Con Condensers also can rot which is due to their location making them susceptible to road salt and corrosion . Discs will easily attain 50,000 miles and naturally Pads will be largely dependant on your Driving Style . EBC are probably the replacement Discs and Pads of choice for many Owners if only for the reason that they get rid of the excess Brake Dust associated with the OEM items .It is without doubt one of, if not the, best car I've owned - gorgeous to drive, stunning looks, a fab powerplant (and the 5.0 is awesome) but cheap motoring they ain't. I've had mine 7 months and spent £5,500 on it already .....discs and pads, uprated headlight bubs, battery, new rear tyres and a rad failure and coolant loss leading to a dropped valve seat. Ouch.
Reading on various forums they do seem prone to coolant loss, electrical gremlins and the pedestrian airbag sensors under the bonnet are a PITA. I have to say that the headlights are C-R-A-P and on older cars are akin to two candles in a brown paper bag
Buuuuuuuut......the growl from the V8 on the drive home is just incredible and, notwithstanding the above, they are generally good cars. My advice would be get one, but be prepared for wallet-emptying unless you get a very lucky. Oh yes, and steer well clear of anything less than a FSH carried out by Jag dealers/specialists.
I totally disagree with the Ownership experience being "wallet busting" , the secret is to buy the best you can afford and then get on top of the Maintenance
Once thats achieved then its a relatively painless experience . It wont however be comparable to a Ford Fiesta , Proper Tyres for example are around £200 a corner . Bodywork is what I always go over with a fine tooth comb though to be fair any bodges are easily spotted . Check that Bumper and Panel alignment , Check that the glass has the Pilkington stamp and that the alloy wheels are all in good condition . Decide on both your colour and spec , Silver for example looks surprisingly anonymous , Black means you will be forever cleaning , for me the Car is best in a nice Metallic Grey or Indigo . Interior colours also can be a minefield so make yourself familiar with the various options .
The X150 came with either the Wood Veneer or Aluminium Dash so again make yourself familiar with the various wood colour options . It also during its model life came with various nose cones some more attractive than others and the alloy wheels likewise .I think you will be well pleased with the car should you purchase one , the XKR wont have your behaving like a hooligan despite what you may think . Its simply not that sort of car .
Edited by reddiesel on Monday 6th February 18:43
I think Red is mostly spot on - apart from the Pedestrian sensor issue. Mine had the sensors and module replaced by a previous owner and they still play up even though I've had then checked (twice). Several owners I have spoken to have had similar issues and some have had them disconnected - they are indeed a PITA.
I'd probably disagree about their not being prone to coolant loss but from what I've read would agree that the NA cars seems less affected.
In fairness I didn't say wallet - busting. just wallet-emptying. I can only relate my own experience and at a little under a grand for every month of ownership I think that's a fair comment.
I'd probably disagree about their not being prone to coolant loss but from what I've read would agree that the NA cars seems less affected.
In fairness I didn't say wallet - busting. just wallet-emptying. I can only relate my own experience and at a little under a grand for every month of ownership I think that's a fair comment.
Edited by HendrixsWhiteStratReturns on Monday 6th February 19:59
HendrixsWhiteStratReturns said:
I think Red is mostly spot on - apart from the Pedestrian sensor issue. Mine had the sensors and module replaced by a previous owner and they still play up even though I've had then checked (twice). Several owners I have spoken to have had similar issues and some have had them disconnected - they are indeed a PITA.
I'd probably disagree about their not being prone to coolant loss but from what I've read would agree that the NA cars seems less affected.
In fairness I didn't say wallet - busting. just wallet-emptying. I can only relate my own experience and at a little under a grand for every month of ownership I think that's a fair comment.
Can I ask and I dont want to Labour the point but in what way do they play up ? I suppose it must simply be a dashboard indication ? If so , check your fuse boards , the soldered circuit board on these can begin to break down causing erroneous indications . To be fair I think you have had a bit of bad luck regarding your own car , I think even you may agree that its not the typical experience of most X150 ownersI'd probably disagree about their not being prone to coolant loss but from what I've read would agree that the NA cars seems less affected.
In fairness I didn't say wallet - busting. just wallet-emptying. I can only relate my own experience and at a little under a grand for every month of ownership I think that's a fair comment.
Edited by HendrixsWhiteStratReturns on Monday 6th February 19:59
HendrixsWhiteStratReturns said:
...he's right about Indigo though.....it's lovely ;-0
I have to admit, the ones in my price bracket all seem to be black or grey. I do like it in silver however, i'm definitely getting Spa Silver XJ220 vibes from the grille/headlamp area on the few i've seen. Silver, Red or a Blue would be my choice, with wood dash rather than aluminium. I'm coming back to the leaping cat for luxury rather than sporting feel.reddiesel said:
Can I ask and I dont want to Labour the point but in what way do they play up ? I suppose it must simply be a dashboard indication ? If so , check your fuse boards , the soldered circuit board on these can begin to break down causing erroneous indications . To be fair I think you have had a bit of bad luck regarding your own car , I think even you may agree that its not the typical experience of most X150 owners
Morning Red - Yes the dashboard warning comes on intermittently and doesn't seem related to road conditions/bumps etc so you could be right. It's irritating rather than anything else. I'd accept that I've had some back luck with mine - it's an older car but even so there are some issues that seem to plague the cars - mine's a convertible and I've been reading about rear windows separating from the hood and people trying to glue them into place (before eventually replacing the hood), persistent leaks into the front and rear passenger footwell is a commonly reported issue with the convo. I just wouldn't expect those kind of issues from a high end luxury car to be honest. I've always had ragtops (Saab's and Beemers) and even on cars with stellar miles and years old (like my first MGB) I've never once had a hood leak or a window issue. I think its a bit like the Rangie L322 - some people had nothing but trouble with them but I know others who have done 200k + and never had a single problem. The XK is a good car, fundamentally, but it does have some issues that are annoying (and not cheap) to fix.I think if you're going to run any middle aged/older Jaguar you need to either accept the odd warning light and glitch you ignore, do a bit of DIY, or you grab your ankles while a "specialist" has his wicked way with you.
The main coolant loss issue from the 4.2 is a crack in the thermostat housing that weeps slowly - you'll smell it long before it becomes a problem - which is a half hour job and £60 part to fix. Other than that it's the same hose and radiator issues that absolutely any 10+ year old car faces, it's a very robust engine by european standards.
The XK generally is a relatively simple car too, no complicated suspension, active ARBs, or any of the other stuff that plagues some other ageing big coupes. Fair point about the headlights being terrible, I think the halogens only existed to punish people who didn't opt for xenons, same as the X350.
FWIW values are really softening at trade, they made loads of them and they must be selling really slowly so don't get your pants pulled down. Examples of CAP clean prices for cars on BCA this morning:
2007 74k mile XK 4.2 coupe in wet road grey - £7,125
2009 38k mile XK 5.0 V8 portfolio coupe in silver - £13,100
2010 92k mile XKR 5.0 in Kyanite Blue - £12,500
2010 34k mile XKR convertible in wet road gret - £21,750
2010 64k mile XK 5.0 convertible in black - £15,000
2014 80k mile XK 5.0 signature in white - £15,300
Oh yes and for interest
2017 37k mile F-Type R S/C 550 AWD roadster - £39,500
Dealers like to slap huge margins on old Jaguars (probably mitigating warranty risk, and private sellers are often greedy dreamers.
The main coolant loss issue from the 4.2 is a crack in the thermostat housing that weeps slowly - you'll smell it long before it becomes a problem - which is a half hour job and £60 part to fix. Other than that it's the same hose and radiator issues that absolutely any 10+ year old car faces, it's a very robust engine by european standards.
The XK generally is a relatively simple car too, no complicated suspension, active ARBs, or any of the other stuff that plagues some other ageing big coupes. Fair point about the headlights being terrible, I think the halogens only existed to punish people who didn't opt for xenons, same as the X350.
FWIW values are really softening at trade, they made loads of them and they must be selling really slowly so don't get your pants pulled down. Examples of CAP clean prices for cars on BCA this morning:
2007 74k mile XK 4.2 coupe in wet road grey - £7,125
2009 38k mile XK 5.0 V8 portfolio coupe in silver - £13,100
2010 92k mile XKR 5.0 in Kyanite Blue - £12,500
2010 34k mile XKR convertible in wet road gret - £21,750
2010 64k mile XK 5.0 convertible in black - £15,000
2014 80k mile XK 5.0 signature in white - £15,300
Oh yes and for interest
2017 37k mile F-Type R S/C 550 AWD roadster - £39,500
Dealers like to slap huge margins on old Jaguars (probably mitigating warranty risk, and private sellers are often greedy dreamers.
Two-time owner here, my current one (5.0 XKR) is currently up for sale.
I'm the last person you ask to talk you out of these, I've loved both of mine. If you're in the market for a 5.0 XK then IMHO you'd be silly not to look at the XKR as well. Running costs are basically the same as the fuel and insurance cost differences are negligible. An R is only as fast as you drive it so not buying one because it's "too fast" is a false argument really. The XKR is louder as standard, although not antisocially so.
£5,500 in bills within the first few months of ownership is highly atypical to say the least, think Hendrix was extremely unlucky there. I've had my current one about 4 and a half years now and don't think I'm anywhere near that yet, although I do as much work as I can on it myself. Servicing costs are surprisingly non-terrifying even at franchised dealers as Jaguar operate a fixed-price servicing scheme for cars over three years old. Main dealers are a lottery as with almost any brand, I don't use my local one (for reasons I won't go into here) and I have no specialist closer than three hours' drive away so I service mine myself, it's easy to do.
Mine is advertised on here, it's silver on black wheels, 59-plate if you're tempted
It has a couple of small extras - exhaust upgrade and the XKR-S software for a little more go...
ETA - re. the headlights, installing Osram Nightbreaker bulbs will help. I've never seen an X150 with Halogen lights though, as far as I know even the earliest cars all had Xenons as standard.
I'm the last person you ask to talk you out of these, I've loved both of mine. If you're in the market for a 5.0 XK then IMHO you'd be silly not to look at the XKR as well. Running costs are basically the same as the fuel and insurance cost differences are negligible. An R is only as fast as you drive it so not buying one because it's "too fast" is a false argument really. The XKR is louder as standard, although not antisocially so.
£5,500 in bills within the first few months of ownership is highly atypical to say the least, think Hendrix was extremely unlucky there. I've had my current one about 4 and a half years now and don't think I'm anywhere near that yet, although I do as much work as I can on it myself. Servicing costs are surprisingly non-terrifying even at franchised dealers as Jaguar operate a fixed-price servicing scheme for cars over three years old. Main dealers are a lottery as with almost any brand, I don't use my local one (for reasons I won't go into here) and I have no specialist closer than three hours' drive away so I service mine myself, it's easy to do.
Mine is advertised on here, it's silver on black wheels, 59-plate if you're tempted
It has a couple of small extras - exhaust upgrade and the XKR-S software for a little more go...ETA - re. the headlights, installing Osram Nightbreaker bulbs will help. I've never seen an X150 with Halogen lights though, as far as I know even the earliest cars all had Xenons as standard.
Edited by 8bit on Tuesday 7th February 15:36
If the headlight problem is with the turning feature mine has done this occasionally since I've had it (2014ish). It usually happens if I park it up without making sure the wheels are pointing straight ahead. The headlights work OK they just don't steer as you do. Park up again, stop and restart and everything is normally OK.
a8hex said:
If the headlight problem is with the turning feature mine has done this occasionally since I've had it (2014ish). It usually happens if I park it up without making sure the wheels are pointing straight ahead. The headlights work OK they just don't steer as you do. Park up again, stop and restart and everything is normally OK.
That's so Jaguar Vsix and Vtec said:
I have to admit, the ones in my price bracket all seem to be black or grey. I do like it in silver however, i'm definitely getting Spa Silver XJ220 vibes from the grille/headlamp area on the few i've seen. Silver, Red or a Blue would be my choice, with wood dash rather than aluminium. I'm coming back to the leaping cat for luxury rather than sporting feel.
This is mine in Indigo...looks royal blue, purple or black depending on the light !!!
stickleback123 said:
a8hex said:
If the headlight problem is with the turning feature mine has done this occasionally since I've had it (2014ish). It usually happens if I park it up without making sure the wheels are pointing straight ahead. The headlights work OK they just don't steer as you do. Park up again, stop and restart and everything is normally OK.
That's so Jaguar 
It's never pissed me off enough to want to get the dealer to spend time (££££££££) trying to diagnose the problem, the one time I asked they said there was nothing in the logs
(they all say that) Troubleshooting intermittent problems is always a PITA.Modern cars are basically computers with a wheels and an engine attached so maybe we shouldn't be surprised that a quick reboot is often the easiest quick fix.
The weird thing for a Jaguar is it doesn't seem to be battery of voltage related, it didn't before I fitted a new battery and it does it after. It does it whether it is left connected to the CTEK or not. A real Jag weird electrical problem with be voltage related
Gassing Station | Jaguar | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff