This post on the HP says that "the XF loses 32.3% of it’s value after one year." But given the fact that most people are going to keep their car for far longer than a year, is that something that anyone worries about? After all all cars, and luxury cars especially, always take a good hit...

 

That's a helluvalot more than a good hit. One has to assume that low demand is driving most of that low number, it is hard to imagine that it will improve significantly over the following four years. The shortage of used cars is in the 8-10 year old range, according to the article below.

That Forbes article from February says, "...According to IHS Automotive, the average new-car ownership period stands at 6.5 years." https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorz.../#6893322b7118

 

Yeah, it'll be interesting to see when it goes over the next four. That article is pretty interesting. If you've got an older trade in — or even a little-used third vehicle — it could work out pretty well when you head to the dealership.

 

Interesting that I had been looking for a 2012 specifically equipped a certain way, but in checking the ads once a week, I have noticed that the same XFs have been listed for sale in Texas for months. I've run carfax on a few of them and found a couple have been sitting on the same used car lot more than 24 months. Used XFs are just not moving for some reason.

When I run a carfax on one, I most often find that its already had two or three owners, the first so far always being a lease. I've not found the elusive one-owner, five year old XF yet. There seem to be a whole bunch of 2013s and 2014s listed, but relatively few earlier or 2015s. The only new listings popping up are for 2016 models which I assume are just now coming off lease.

Theoretically, I thought all that rapid depreciation was going to be good for me, worked out great on my last used Jaguar, but I may wind up paying a premium in travel and shipping to get that specific one from some far-flung part of the country. My last one came from out of state too, but only one state over.

 

I certainly don't like the idea of losing 32.3% of the car's value in a year, which suggests if I were willing to buy a used one that's one year old, I could get it for 32.3% less. For me though, I've wanted a Jag for at least the past 25 years, and now I'm finally getting one. Since this is essentially my dream car, and the most expensive I've ever bought, I refuse to get anything less than exactly what I want, which is fully loaded with all options and I won't settle for just any paint color, interior or model, and I refuse to compromise on options. Fully loaded XF S models are impossible to find, as dealers don't put cars on their lot that may be hard to sell, and one like that's getting into the XJ price range, a very nice one at that. The only way to get an XF like that is to order from the factory. That being the case, I wouldn't be able to simply buy a used one and get it just the way I want it, so the depreciation doesn't work in my favor as a buyer. I do however plan to keep it long after it's paid off, well into the years when its depreciation has leveled off and on par with similar class cars. Usually by the time I'm ready to buy a new car the current one has so little value left that it's just not worth it to me to get rid of it for the remaining value. It's worth more to me to just keep it. So, depreciation or not, I don't see it really affecting me.

I suspect the high depreciation is due to the poor reliability history Jaguar seems to have had in the past, fears of high maintenance costs, or perhaps both. As I'm a new owner with no past experience I can only say this seems to be at least the American public's opinion of Jaguar. Their new 5 year/60,000 mile warranty and complimentary scheduled maintenance for the first 5 years helped alleviate those fears for me. Hopefully they'll do the same for others as well, which will increase their market share and with any luck people will see that Jaguar reliability has improved to be just as good as any other manufacturer. That may help lower depreciation cost, but I think will be years away before we see it.

 

I bought my STR because it looked a great car at a good price (*). It wasn't after 1 year but 5 - but the same drop had occurred. Granted it was just after the financial crash and that helped.

If I wanted an XF I'd be looking for a similar bargain. Same for any luxury-type car.

Yes they lose a lot after 1 year. I'm not sure who owns a car from new for 1 year only. People with a LOT of money, sports stars or film stars? Big deal, they can afford it so I see nothing wrong with that.

Others buy at a price they can afford (hopefully) and an age to match.

I can't justify buying new and see no reason to, but that's me. If I did buy new I wouldn't be selling after only 1 year and I bet most people who buy new also don't. I suspect the data about 1 yr-old values is sketchy and with my other thoughts about 1 yr-old cars and who sells them I'd ignore the data!

Over here people tend to sell at 3 yrs. Which is when I start looking

(*) it was, and I've still got it; it's still my only car (you say DD I think)

 

I'd been toying with the idea of just buying a new one. I drove the 250 and 260 back to back and liked the 250 just a bit better plus the sound of the 5.0L NA was just intoxicating, but still, the idea of just ordering exactly what I want has a certain appeal. Especially because it sure seems the only paint colors they were ever sold in were black, white and various shades in between. I'd prefer mine in blue or green or red or anything except greyscale, but buying used, I must exercise patience and I kind of have to let condition dictate. Somebody has to buy new ones tho or there won't be any used ones for me to save a little money on.

But for those of you worried about depreciation, I'm the buyer who would rather pay a premium for an XF that has been well cared for, and buy directly from a fellow enthusiast rather than to buy one that's been traded in and sent through the dealers detail shop. Heck, they may have polished off 3/4ths of the clear coat to get it to look good again or even touched up some parts with inferior paints that are going to differentially fade over time. I want the one that an enthusiast kept a coat of wax on it all the time and religiously used leather conditioner, etc. So when you are ready to sell, don't trade it in for wholesale, rather just post it up here on this forum and maybe get full retail with a little patience.

I'm daily driving a 17 year old Jaguar that's been every bit as reliable, in some cases better than some of the Japanese cars we've had in the family. Granted, I did expensive "preventative maintenance" like secondary tensioners and transmission valve body, but those items were still holding at 80,000 miles when I bought the car and read about them on this forum. The only bad thing now is all the plastic, rubber and vinyl is succumbing to the Texas sun from having to park outside while I'm at work during the day. Buying a new one, you shouldn't worry about anything the first five to ten years and after that, the main concern will likely be parts availability for minor stuff.

 

Part of that first year depreciation can be attributed to how Jaguar sells its' cars. With new Jaguars going off the lot at 20% markdown why would anyone looking for a deal buy a year old used one? I wanted what I ordered but was willing to buy one already built if it came close to my specs. Jaguar was even sending me lists of discounted new cars while I was waiting for mine and the listed mark downs amazed me and I'm sure I could have negotiated further.

 

As long as it has a great condition, then it's a great pick. It will be a worth it for the price since it will save you money