Faults:

When I purchased my XK8, the previous owner had replaced the tensioners prior to my purchase, so I thought everything was OK, but what I didn't know is that the transmission was faulty on the 1997 XK8, and the hub in the transmission would become brittle and break. The good news is a friend of mine owns a repair shop, so it only cost me 1200.00 to repair the transmission, and he installed the new upgraded hub. 10 years later, the car drives and looks like a dream.

The only other problem was the front end bushings went bad, but that was a very low cost (200.00).

So for 10 years of driving and 1400.00 in repair costs, besides oil changes and brakes, I would say not bad Jaguar.

General Comments:

The beauty of owning a 1997 black Jaguar coupe is most people think it's a late model car, and it's as rare as a black pearl.

The lines and styling of this vehicle are timeless; people still walk up to me and say I love your Jag. I have to race my wife to the car keys, because she loves the looks, and the great gas mileage. The interior is well crafted.

When you see a modern day 2012 Aston or Jag, you see the legacy of the 1997 XK8.

Faults:

The tail lights have a problem where the harness attaches to the light assembly, and trying to find a new harness end is next to impossible.

The stereo system sounds like the rear speakers are blown, and of course they are not easy to get to, so I have to wait until I have time to remove the rear seat and side panels to fix that as well.

Some of the plastic interior trim pieces are cracked or broken, especially in the seats like the covers at the lower seat where it's hinged, and the trim where the lever is to disengage the seat to access the back, and once again the parts are next to impossible to find.

General Comments:

Now that the bad is out of the way, the upside is that this car handles great, and when you put the tranny in Sports mode, this car flies. It is quick and responsive, and of course is rolling art.

For the original sticker price of 73K, they could have used better parts on it, or at least made them easy to obtain, but it seems that every higher end car I've owned had its fair share of quirks, with the exception of my Infinity Q45 T, which was the perfect car, and I never had to spend a dime on, but falls short in the fun department, whereas the Jag rates a solid 8 for joy of driving.

Faults:

Water pump very weak, replaced for £50.

General Comments:

The handling in tight corners leaves a lot to be desired and the brakes seem to be made of cheese. Mind you, my last car was a pure sports car so maybe I'm being to critical. Actually, it matters not. Every time I fire this car up it puts a smile on my face from ear to ear.

My only serious gripe is that the engine is to quiet in standard form. I feel that a V8 should be heard, hence why I put an induction kit on mine.

As a sports car it is flawed, no doubt, but I don't care. It is a very comfortable reliable car with absolutely stunning looks. I feel like I'm driving something special every time I step in it so for that reason alone, I would recommend it to any one.