The short version is the Jaguar XKR is one of my favorite CarMax unicorns, and I’m sure it’s in the top three or four “ones that got away” for me. (The others, you ask? The VW Phaeton, the Audi A-8 W12, a BMW M6 V10, and the Audi S6 V10!) I’ve test-driven a few (see my links at the bottom!) and always come away loving that much horsepower in such a beautiful silhouette. And every time there was just one thing wrong, real or imagined, that kept me from buying. This one is a 2014. Jaguar stopped making these in 2015. Given the loose CarMax policy of offering European cars up to 12 years old, that means you (I?) have maybe two more years to snag a Jaguar XKR. As far as I can tell from internet research, Jaguar imported 3,341 of these into the US in 2014, and 27,612 XK’s from 1996 until 2015. I see one, and probably not the same one, around Northern Virginia every two or three months. When driving coast to coast, I almost never do until I hit the West Coast.
Inside, you cannot tell the XKR cockpit from the XF or the XJ. The front seats, center console, and dash are all the same. It’s comfortable enough, unless your sales representative wedges the key lockbox behind the driver’s seat, and you lose three inches of legroom (which happened to me). Not the most modern interior, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s a Jaguar Grand Touring Coupe. Based on the Aston Martin DB7. This one has air-conditioned and heated seats, a heated steering wheel, Bowers & Wilkins audio, nav, and a rear-view camera. Rain-sensing wipers and Bluetooth. That’s about it. Not even a sunroof. The first XK I transferred to my dealership said it had a sunroof and it didn’t, so I declined. Jaguar never offered a sunroof in the XK.
It’s not about the interior, though, is it? I mean, yes, that’s where the driver spends most of their time, but the Jaguar XKR experience is about the shape (being seen), the motor (being heard), and the performance (being respected!). The motor is an aluminum, 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 that makes a glorious 510 horsepower. The car sprints to 60 in just under four seconds. And the bonnet opens backwards, as a real British car should.
What about reliability, you ask? Mixed bag. I asked ChatGPT. “The 2014 XKR is reliable for a Jaguar” it tells me, and the italics are ChatGPT’s – not mine! Yes, there may be electrical gremlins and water pump failures, and that’s why we do MaxCare. Unfortunately, there are a few other issues: “front suspension bushings and control arms may wear prematurely—common in heavy GTs.” And radiators may leak. Sometimes the thermostat housing cracks after 60,000 miles. But the supercharged engine and ZF 6-speed automatic transmission are battle-tested and survive well. Since these last few aren’t covered by MaxCare, it’s crucial to have them all inspected by an independent shop as soon as you purchase the car. You have 10 days to return it, no questions asked (I have returned two). You also have a free 90-day, 4,000-mile warranty to fix things not covered later under Maxcare. The point is it’s okay to buy a car with potential gremlins, provided you are aggressive in identifying them while CarMax is on the hook to fix them. That’s what we do in order to drive a (once) $100,000 high-performance British car for $35k.
At the moment, this four-owner, accident-free California and Colorado car is on reserve here in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It has less than 25,000 miles and seems like a lot of cachet for $36k! Track it, buy it, and track it some more!
Stockno: 27629636 VIN: SAJWA4DC2EMB53261
Some of my previous posts on Jaguar XK’s and XKR’s include:
The time I took a train to Raleigh in 2017 to look at a Jaguar XK. Failed. (But rented a fast Chevy Camaro SS and drove home at high speed in the night!)
The time in 2022 I transferred an XKR to my dealer, and the wedged lockbox squeezed me out.
The cheapest XKR I ever spotted at CarMax.
The cheapest XK I ever spotted at CarMax.
Another XKR I transferred in, but passed and bought a 911 instead.
My first blog post ever in August 2017 included an XK! (Damn, I need to start working on an eighth anniversary post.)
Let’s start with the Jaguar 
But in the meantime, the search continues and I’ve tracked the cars below that I hope are of interest to you. Â Today there are 101 Jaguars on CarMax lots nationwide and 14 of them meet my unicorn standards – and have V8’s. Â I’ve included a pair of XJ’s, a quad of XF’s, a lonely XKR, and a few cars that were once on the market and gone….for now. Â I started the post last night and this morning the XF and XKR are gone. Â While editing this morning this ridiculously low-mileage Â