About to buy an xk8 after wanting one for years!

[mike020150]

Getting to the tensioners and the cost of replacing the gaskets afterwards would only incur a slightly smaller bill than changing the tensioners, say, £250/£300 at typical Jaguar specialist rates. If the car has a full service history, there would be evidence of the change. No evidence points to misuse of the term 'FSH'. If you are not confident about buying the car, it really is worth employing someone familiar with XK8s. It's all too easy to run up huge service bills (as big as the purchase price!) on any prestige car if it's not in top class condition. Against that backdrop £250 may not be expensive and could provide evidence for a further price negotiation. Mike.

[Nik]

Well I'm still very tempted by this Jag and the dealer has moved a bit and I think he'll take around £4400 for it. I've test driven it and it starts first time from cold and has done on the four occasions I've viewed it (the engine was cold first).

There is some slight rust on the sills at each end and a little bit here and there underneath but nothing major. I went underneath it today in their MOT inspection pit for a look.
The dealer says that the tensioner has been done but has no paperwork to prove this.
It's got a FSH which I guess is reassuring to a point.
Does anyone know how much it would cost to get the tensioners checked?.
Also I did try to book an inspection through JEC but they don't have a JEC local inspector in Buckinghamshire and referred me to a classic car specialist who wants £250 to check it over which sounds a bit expensive.
Also she did sit a little lower to the left when I looked from behind. The front right tyre was a bit flat though.
Thanks again for any advice.
Dave

By the time rust is showing on the rear sills it normally means the inner sill and reinforcement panels that you can't see are badly corroded
this job could cost nearly £1000 to have both sides redone properly
where is the other corrosion you speak of
I would guess that by the time you have renewed all the chains and tensioners , replaced the water pump and thermostat , had the rust attended to , renewed any bushes and joints that will inevitably need doing you won't have much change out of £3000 , there are plenty of newer , well looked after , rust free XK8's about for well under £6000 I think I'd go for a car with full main dealer/specialist history that's had the chains , tensioners , water pump etc done , forget the warranty's offered that only cover breakages , they are not worth the paper they are written on , put £400-£500 a year away for maintenance and after two years spend a little on upgrades or whatever , don't give your hard earned cash away to a warranty company ,

All the very best ,

Nik

[J44EAG]

I agree fully with Nik`s appraisal.

In my experience buying cheaply is rarely a good idea. If doing so, it is imperative to know what problems you are likely to encounter and the associated costs for remedial work. Costs stack up rapidly in such cases.

Mike K