34 days of ownership now and the car has been laid up with a damaged wheel for 4 days and a broken flywheel for two weeks and no clear timeframe in mind for when the replacement part will be available. That, with the spousal unit busting my chops for spending $90k for a car that's broken down more than 50% of the time ("you should have known a Jag was unreliable") and eligibility for a lemon law refund looming around the corner has me pondering the purchase of a different vehicle. My requirements:classy, great looks, great handling, something an adult would drive to the track or opera, under $100k and yes, a manual transmission. My search, thus far, has not met with success, as the closest thing I've found is the Cayman, and it falls far short on the first two criteria. What am I overlooking? (BTW, a used car approaching $100k is a non-starter on the homefront)

Of course, once I'm back in my F-Type, it'll have to be pried out of my dead hands, but I ain't going to wait forever.

 

The Cayman GTS or (better yet) GT4, are solid cars, although configuration can easily push you above the V6-S. Realistically, they're better performing cars than ours - just not as much fun. Cayman was my runner-up, but no regrets here. At one time I would have put the GTR into the mix, but it's getting old and the price has really jumped.

 

You've had one defect of one part, albeit a spectacular failure. How can you blame running over road debris on the manufacturer? However, you could well trigger the lemon-law provision associated with loss of use.

Perhaps you should buy a Cayman manual. They've had more time to sort out their manual set-up. Based on everything you'd said here since taking delivery, it doesn't sound like you're ever going to be completely satisfied with it, and your plans to rebuild everything aren't very realistic.

 

You can get a new Porsche 911 C2 (non-S) for under $100K. A nicely equipped one will run you about $110K, but depending on various factors you can get 10% discount. Or you can skip some of the options and with a modest discount of say 5% you can still get it under $100K.

 

Ok, apparently I haven't overlooked anything. A Cayman or a stripped 911...technically superior, but neither do much for me in the looks or heartstring categories and , quite honestly, just aren't as much fun to drive. This could have been such a non-issue if Jag would just keep a few parts on hand. Others on our forum are running into the same issue. You'd think after willingly waiting 7.5 months for the car to arrive, I would be more tolerant of the time wasted in the shop.

 

If you don't mind a 4 seater, that new CTS-V is insane. 660 HP(?), 11 second 1/4 mile.

 

V8 Vantage GT starts at juuuuust under $100K. Viper or Vette Z06 if you can forgo the opera. The last new Lotus Evora perchance?

 

How about a car penned by the brother of the F-Type's Designer? V8, manual...

 

Don't mind the 4 seats, hate the 4 doors.

 

Yes the parts thing is a real issue. They really should have at least 1 full replacement car in parts in each country. For the U.S. I would think they should have several.

I had to wait 3 weeks for parts to repair a small bingle to the front of my car.

 

I think your partner is wrong. This has nothing to do with reliability. Yes, the company should have spares. How often do flywheels break?
I understand the frustration on your part. I would be ticked off too - but your partner is wrong about reliability in this case.

 

The AM would push me well above the $100k mark by the time it rolls out the door.
The Dodge and Vette...neither are classy and make anyone over the age of 40 look like they are compensating for something (or the lack thereof).
Evora...maybe, but availability?
The GT350 would have been a serious contender first time around if the F-Type hadn't offered an MT. This might be a decent fallback. 550 horses and an MT!

 

You, fine sir, are having a logic attack. All she needs is a sample size of one to prove a point. lol

I'm really not ticked off. It's all a part of the adventure of life. For me, pondering what other vehicle I might get is my way of maintaining my sanity (if you can call it that).

 

Hang in there Lance. A year from now, it'll be a distant memory. You've got a loaner, so you are not too inconvenienced.

 

Agreed. Nothing out there close enough to lure me away.

 

It is a massive screw-up not to have a well-stocked parts warehouse strategically located on each continent with substantial Jaguar sales. A large, well-stocked, central US location should could make it possible for 99% of all parts to arrive at a JLR repair facility within 2 days of order in 48 out of 50 US states and most of Canada. That is the case at virtually every other manufacturer, and it is a big deal.

In the OP's case, there are mitigating circumstances, since there are probably fewer than 50 manual F-Types in the U.S, and they are all brand new. I'm sure it's a bit of a surprise that one already needs a new flywheel, clutch, and all related parts.

I'm completely understanding if one of my vehicles has a rare, major malfunction, but I'm completely intolerant of waiting more than a week for parts. I will not purchase another JLR product unless the parts availability issue gets taken care of.

 

How about an AMG slk? They may not appeal to someone who can afford an sls, but some people like them.
If you're not going for a Porsche and don't go above one hundred, I would recommend the m4. Your budget allows you to buy it and add some mods that fix its lack of "soul".
Add an akropovic exhaust, a classy wing, etc. and it'll do

 

There is no manual transmission available. That is his #1 requirement. It also ranks consistently below the F-Type in reviewer ratings.

 

Reviewer ratings are helpful, but don't account for personal taste. No mt though, yeah Ok. m4 then

 

Hang in there! Hopefully, once the flywheel is replaced, all will be good for you. No other car ticks all the right boxes in that $80-90k price range.

A well-optioned Cayman GTS is definitely the closest, but falls short as you mentioned. It's still probably the best alternative to the F-Type, though.

The GT350 has great specs and will be a serious track car, but "classy" and "drive to the opera" don't immediately come to mind. Depending on the availability and premium pricing, it might come below budget which would be nice.

Another choice could be a fully loaded BMW M4 and it's available with an MT, but I wouldn't say it has "great looks" and the whole fake engine noise thing is a big minus in my book.