Jaguar XKR – The Carmax Unicorn Blog

July 13, 2023July 12, 2023

Quick Hit – A Pair of Jaguar “R” Cars Are Near and Far

On the East Coast we got this high performance 2014 Jaguar XJR unicorn with 55,000 miles awaiting a new owner. This is a first year model and when introduced got great reviews. The car was lighter than the XKR below, and with a supercharged motor hit 60 mph in 3.9 seconds – a staggering number for a luxury family car almost a decade ago. The full instrumented Car and Driver review is here.

Written about so many Jaguars that by now the interiors all look the same to me, from the XF to the XK to the XJ. That means they all look luxurious and high end, to me. I’ve driven several of the XK’s and XKR’s and if not for a jammed key box behind my seat during a test drive that made me think I had four inches less leg room than I needed, I’d be the owner of an XKR now instead of an M3. The rotary shift knob took some getting used to but didn’t take long to master.

Don’t know what it is with Jaguar switches that get all rubbery, but they do. Previous owner left their fingerprints all over this one.

The Jaguar XJR has such nice lines, and the quad exhaust, the “R” badges, and some front end fascia upgrades are a few of the distinctions from the regular XJ. Befitting a luxury car of its day it has heated and air conditioned seats, a Meridian audio system, and a panoramic sunroof. And tons of room inside and in the trunk.

What makes the XJR special is the upgraded 5.0 liter V-8, a supercharged, 550 horsepower, high performance car that with an eight-speed automatic and will hit 174 mph. And again, Car and Driver was able to pull off a 3.9 second 0-60 mph run. The car sold new back in 2014 for about $125,000 and is now only $33,998. Find it here in Buffalo, New York.

Stock No: 24225873 VIN: SAJWA1EK6EMV66589

December 4, 2022December 3, 2022

Quick Hit – Another Jaguar XKR – $38,998

The Jaguar XKR may be the one car I’ve blogged about the most, and for sure is the car I’ve had transferred in to my Dulles dealership the most only to weasel out at the last moment. Last February I came very close to buying a 2012 model at a reasonable price but the 24 hour test drive discouraged me. Here’s another one, a 2014 Jaguar XKR for a decent price and low miles.

The Jaguar XKR remains one of the most svelte, beautiful designs to me. A poor man’s Aston Martin. Or a unicorn hunter’s prize. The XK was imported from 1997-2014, so this is a last of the model run car. The cockpit below is identical to the XF and should be quite familiar. Heated and air conditioned seats, heated steering wheel, rear view camera, Bluetooth, and a Bowers & Wilkins audio system. Nothing fancy but not inadequate for the look and the price.

The reason to buy the car though, lies under the hood….er, the bonnet? It’s an aluminum 5.0 liter supercharged V-8 making 510 horsepower. The car I drove this past February was as exhilarating as the first I drove in 2016 when I was looking for Guether II, and I suspect this XKR is also. The snap shifts and the V-8 rumble and roar made me smile every time. The main reason I passed on the 2012 XKR in February was I felt cramped inside, only to learn when I returned the car the sales rep had jammed the key box behind the driver’s seat – costing me four inches of leg room. On paper this car has 43 inches of front leg room – more than a Mercedes S-class! (CarMax also had several chances to repair some damaged trim and didn’t, and that became agitating.

For not this 2014 Jaguar XKR is available here in Memphis, Tennessee. It’s a four-owner, accident free car that spent much of it’s time in Florida not being driven – really only 4,500 miles a year. It’s still eligible for another 91,000 miles and 60 month of MaxCare – take it. Then rev the hell out of this Jaguar without worry.

Stock # 23003548 VIN # SAJWA4DC4EMB53455

February 3, 2021

Quick Hit – $28k Jaguar XKR

Haven’t seen many hardtop Jaguar XK’s on CarMax and even longer for an XKR unicorn. A little dated but the lines are still lovely. I don’t think this one will be available long so winging it with a blog post by phone.

It’s a 2012 model with 57,000 miles and if you go to the CarMax website you’ll see some of the worst marketing photos ever. Maybe that’s why the price is reasonable?

Identical to the Jaguar XF inside, the car has a heated steering wheel, air conditioned and heated seats, and a rear view camera. Adequate but not overly equipped. For a car that sold new for $103,000 I’d expect a little more.

The power plant is impressive. A 5.0 liter supercharged V-8 with 510hp good for mid-four second 0-60 mph runs. It’s not a 550hp XKR-S, but plenty faster than the 385hp XK. Choose your poison. This three owner, accident free California-Florida car is here in Mobile, Alabama.

July 16, 2019

Quick Hit – Cheapest 510hp Jaguar XKR Ever (or since I started the blog)

Sigh. If you’ve read my search for Guenther II you know I’ve wrung my hands over the wheel of several Jaguar XKR’s.Looks Aston Martin like, fast as hell, and who cares about reliability for the supercharged V-8 and ZF six speed – MaxCare is a bargain – where else can you get 0-60 in four seconds flat and a once-$100,000 Car for $25k?Here’s the Car and Driver review from back in the day, consistent with all my XKR test drives. Still on my bucket list for when my 911 blows up.CarMax Jaguar XKR’s have always been $29k and up in the 2 1/2 years I’ve been tracking them. This two-owner bargain is here in California.

March 9, 2019

Quick Hit – Another Cheap Black Cat – 2011 Jaguar XKR $28,998 – Rare XKR 175?

2011 XKR SIde Tempted again, but with the S600 I bought I’m outta the unicorn buying business for a bit. But a Jaguar XKR has always been on my bucket list (see these I got oh so close to buying!) and this low mileage 2011 model is as cheap as I’ve seen. The hardtops are sleek and a poor man’s Aston Martin. And with a supercharged V-8 and 510hp it’s sleek but no slouch. Interiors are nothing to brag about – pretty much the same as the XF….but it’s about the motor and the lines.

A great candidate for the MaxCare warranty – wouldn’t own it without it. This car has vanished once or twice over the past few weeks and can be found here in San Francisco. If the link is dead the car is sold, on hold, or being transferred.

Check out the upper left photo – the CarMax history page suggests this is a 1 of 175 imported to the US – a 75th anniversary edition XKR. If so, it would be a bit rare and quite a find. But the upper right photo shows the fascia found on a real XKR 175, and with no tell tale photos of the door sills (should say 1 of 175) and no confirmation from the Jaguar VIN decoder I use, pretty sure it’s not a limited edition car. Defer to the Jaguar pros for verification.

2011 Jaguar XKR $28,998 40k San Fran