Second-hand sense: It may be just over 10 years old, but the Jaguar XK8 is one of the finest looking cars the company has ever produced.
It shows its competitors how pedigree and tradition will out.
All right, it has its faults, some of them significant, but it has a great profile and presence on the road and the overall driving experience is not bad at all. Not being a big seller, it's not a common sight on the road or on the forecourt. However, if you have a big enough budget to buy and run one, the XK will reward you with a unique package.
A lot of people have bad memories of Jaguars and their propensity to break down, be generally unreliable and expensive to run. However, the company has been turning a major corner in recent years. Quality and reliability have been steadily improving since Ford took over and made Jaguar part of its Premier Automotive Group. The XK, like other models, has benefited from that investment, but even in its earlier incarnations it's not known as a very troublesome car.
Originally available either as coupé or convertible and with either a 4-litre or 4.2-litre option, the XK was designed for performance to match its looks. Although it has a powerful engine, a criticism of the car is that it doesn't have the handling and ride characteristics that other performance cars do.
However, the XK is not really about pure performance, as a Porsche or enhanced BMW is. It's about an elegant driving experience which can be mixed with performance occasionally. If your requirements border on the racing experience then look elsewhere.
Like most Jaguars of its time, the XK is not roomy. In fact, it's a tight fit all round for the tall driver. It's really a two-seater.
The dash is a traditional affair, and so perhaps it should. The use of wood sets off that elegant English aura and the leather seats found on later models are very comfortable indeed.
The engine and automatic gearbox are well mated - there is no manual transmission as it would be a pointless exercise anyway. The car glides well from place to place. On the open road it's comfortable and ride is good.
The engine is thirsty as V8s tend to be. There really is no such thing as economical motoring with the XK - you will be doing well at 20mpg.
There are no EuroNCAP crash test results for the XK, but more recent Jaguars have a good record. Some of the earlier cars still have build quality problems and nobody should ever consider buying a Jaguar that doesn't have a full service history. Post-2000 models are the best. Problems on the XK have included timing chain failures, front suspension part difficulties and electrical problems.
A 2001 coupé with 25,000 on the clock has an asking price at one garage of €49,500 but the upside of this price is the fact that you will get standard equipment such as multiple airbags, leather upholstery, heated seats and a 6-disc CD player. A similar car registered in 2003 but with a 4.2-litre rather than a 4-litre engine will cost about €85,000.
FOR: Timeless elegance and great road presence
AGAINST: Many problems with earlier models, expensive to buy and run