The thread title might mislead, just a bit. You see, I have just spent a delightful half-hour reading posts on the BMW, MB and Audi forums. Now, we on the Jaguar forum are regularly reading postings regarding all sorts of issues with our Jaguars, postings often littered with the almost mythical references to unreliability. Imagine my feeling of schadenfreude to learn that virtually every issue mentioned about the Jaguars also occurs on the vaunted German makes, except that “blown engine” reports (especially the V8’s) seem almost as common in the German cars as the battery issues, plastic piping, water pumps, climate control issues, mysterious electrical issues, difficult starting…

Really, who knew? To quote verbatim the words of a BMW owner as she looked at my F-Type, “That’s gorgeous! I love the way Jaguars look but I have heard that they stop in the middle of nowhere for no reason.” Yup.

 

I see what you did there, using a German word to describe your feeling when reading German car forums.

 

One of my favorite words, not that I pronounce it without difficulty. During COVID peak when my home state Queensland was having such an easier time than the usually smug southern states, I mentioned that I was experiencing "statenfreude" and no-one laughed.

 

My 530d currently has the engine out after spinning a bearing...they definitely have their problems!

 

I strongly considered a BMW 8-series before choosing my F-Type R. The 8 is gorgeous, has great features, and can be had for much less than the FTR. Then I learned how many of them are "mechanically totaled," i.e. the engine fails and the fix (replacement) costs more than the car is worth. No thanks.

 

I worked in a BMW dealership for a year. Had some interesting talks with one of our shop foremen who had worked on BMWs for years. He found out I had been a Motor Officer in 3 different armored units so he was interested in main battle tanks. I can assure you that what it takes to maintain tanks makes a car look like a wheelbarrow. The only way I would take a BMW is if somebody gave it to me and then I would sell it or trade it immediately. The turbo BMW V8s are utter junk.

 

And on the issue Jaguar reliability/dependability: how many critics are aware that the Jaguar 4.2 litre XK six cylinder (used in Jaguars from the XK120 of the 50’s to the XJ sedan of 1986/87) was also used (in a lower compression, slightly modified form) in the Scorpion series of battle tanks and armoured vehicles?