XK8 and their registration years

[JagTrooper]

Hi
Looking to buy an XK8, been looking at the car mags and classified adds and it seems incredible that I can get one for under 10K. Are there any years to steer clear of or is a '96 as good as a 2000 model, for instance. Also is high mileage on one of these cars necessarily a bad thing?
Any info would be gratefully rec'vd.
Phil

[mike020150]

Hi Phil,
There are no 'bad' years as such. Early cars had Nikasil lined bores which caused problems when combined with high sulphur fuel and frequent short journeys/cold running. However, high sulphur fuel disappeared nearly a decade ago so any nikasil engines surviving in good condition (tested by a blowby test) will not be adversely affected. All pre 2002 model year (not reg year) cars need evidence of having been fitted with the later alloy bodied timing chain tensioners (at least the upper pair). Alternatively, you will need to allow about £500 to have this task completed. Similarly, later water pumps perform better than early versions. Many cars will have had the tensioners, the pump and the thermostat changed at the same time. Other than the usual warnings about checking for worn suspension bushes/joints, the only other major issue about high mileage cars is gearbox servicing. Gearboxes which have not received regular oil and filter changes (they are not on Jaguar's lube schedule) have a tendency to fail between 100k and 150k miles. Like all cars, the number of gadgets increased during the model run and studying the literature would allow you to decide if there are any 'must haves' which will dictate the year of car you search out. Mike.