1997 Jaguar XK8 Coupe review from North America

-The cruise control required a vacuum line repair, which my dad performed at home in about 2 minutes, saving lots of money.

-We had preventive work done on the engine to avoid timing chain failure. This work included all new tensioners, guide rails, chains, water pump, etc. This work is about $3,000 vs. $12,000 for an engine replacement if you wait for the timing components to fail. This seemed fairly cheap considering what a bargain the car was.

-Other than these two items, the car has been excellent.

This is my grandfather's car. My grandmother has a 1999 XK8 convertible (See review: "It's a keeper"). She had the timing chains fail on hers, which was still covered under warranty. This prompted us to go ahead with the preventive parts replacement on the coupe since it was out of warranty.

The new parts are far superior to the old parts because they are made almost entirely of metal instead of using large amounts of plastic like the original parts.

This car has been totally reliable. Everything on it works properly and it was showroom new when my granddad got it at 31,000 miles.

This car is a blast to drive. It handles beautifully and will go as fast as you want it to. The ride is comfortable, but still sporty. It's a good car to travel in. And talk about a show-stopper! It turns heads everywhere.

The coupe has a back seat that is borderline inhabitable when compared to the back "shelf" in the convertible. The Harman/Kardon sound system is incredible, and rare. H/K was only offered on the early XK8s.

The dealer service has been terrific, though it can be expensive if you use them for every little thing, which we don't. The only work that had to be done at the dealer was the engine work due to VVT programming. Plus, that kind of work is expensive no matter where you go.

They do use the dealer for oil changes and such, which is practical because it shows continuity in the records and the dealer will throw in little extras such as software updates and loaners at no charge. The oil changes really aren't much more expensive at the dealer, especially considering the great service.