We currently have a 2008 535 with 120k miles. I've owned the car for about 50k miles, purchasing it as a CPO. It was my 5th or so BMW. I love them and enjoy them. I generally do all out of warranty work myself.

We just had a new baby and we are looking for a larger sedan as the Recaro babyseat makes things a bit difficult in the e60. I've always loved the look of the XJ, so I thought we'd take a look.

2014 XJ-L Portfolio with the 3.0 and AWD; 45k miles. I'd prefer RWD, but it seems all the dusty people in FL prefer AWD for the massive amounts of snow!!

The materials throughout the cabin were fantastic. I loved the look and feel of the London Tan interior. Full leather headliner. Yards of wood. Etc.

But, I feel like this car had more squeaks, rattles, and noise than my 8 year old BMW! I maintain my car to the highest level, so parts are not "worn out" as they typically are in neglected older cars. It has tight turn in, firm braking, great power, no rattles or squeaks even over course terrain, and low wind noise.

The Jag, although it felt cool, had a new "crunchy plastic" sound everytime I pressed a button. The wind noise was awful. The steering wheel felt like I was piloting a Super Duty. The doors don't even close with a "presence" if you know what i mean.

I was really looking forward to this car, but I must say I was really let down by it. Please let me know this is not the status-quo! I looked at several CPO cars and they all had the same issues... Perhaps just top-quality English engineering?

 

I've owned my CPO 2013 XJ 5.0L SC for over 2 years and have none of the issues you mentioned. No wind noise, and no squeaks or rattles. Unlike the AWD 3.0L models you drove, my car's exhilarator pedal is capable of producing huge grins! Engage dynamic mode and it steers and handles like my XKR. I think the cars you drove were lemons. Except for a water pump that was replaced under warranty and a minor sunroof rattle, my XJ has been trouble-free. My XJ experience has been far superior to my 2007 Lexus LS460, which I bought brand new, and was plagued with recalls, uncurable wind noise, and other problems.

Did that 2014 have soft-close doors? That feature was new for 2014 and perhaps one or more doors were not properly adjusted, thereby causing rattles and wind noise. Was it involved in an accident? Was it for sale by a Jaguar dealer? Another common issue is rattling from the sunroof, which I first experienced over almost 2 years ago, which was cured by lubricating the tracks. That rattling has not returned.

Don't give up looking. There are great deals on low mileage CPO XJs. Unlike BMWs, XJs are scarce so be patient and you'll find the right one.

 

Yes, they were all CPO cars at a large Jag dealer. Wilde Jaguar of Sarasota. Most of the squeaks and so forth would come from the dash area on the cars. I'm not sure about the soft close doors, they didn't act as though they had this option.

 

I'm surprised that the dealer didn't fix those issues.

I just did a little research and found that soft close doors were standard equipment on all 2014 XJ models. http://media.jaguar.com/en-us/news/2...2014-jaguar-xj They were not available prior to 2014.

 

I agree with Stuart S - my car is a couple of years older than his and also purchased as a CPO. It is currently registering 51,300 miles (give or take a few) and the only rattle I've ever encountered turned out to be the sunglasses my wife had inadvertently left in the door pocket of the passenger side door. It has been a magnificent car for us and we have never regretted buying it. I've been driving luxury brands for 42 years and this is as fine an automobile as I've owned. For the record, I traded a Rolls-Royce in on this one and it has still lived up to my hopes and expectations. Keep looking; that XJ that's perfect for you IS out there!

Dwayne

 

Cant really comment on a CPO purchase as mine was new but I can say that having owned several BMW 5 series, I have no such issues with the new car so maybe this is something the dealer should have taken care of as part of CPO.
So far surpassing my expectations of British engineering and I'm a cynical Brit :-). The only thing I don't like that much is the over-boosted steering feel on my particular model, but that's about it. Hope you are able to find a good one, as Stuart has mentioned definitely more scarcer on the ground than BMW's.

 

The XJ is a very quiet car inside. No squeaks and rattles here. My XJL has exceeded my expectations in every way.