Fellas (and Ladies?) -

I'm in the market for a good sports sedan to augment my '88 XJ-S. (The XJ-S is my daily driver and I love it, but a car of that vintage I'm concerned about leaving me high and dry at some point... not to mention gives me flexibility for doing more serious maintenance work that I don't have to button up at the end of the day.)

I'm really not tied to Jaguar, but prices and specs for used XFs make a very compelling case. Specifically thinking about 2010 XF SCs which are at the top of my price range.

Before I go test drive, is there anything in particular I should be looking for regarding that model year? I've browsed the forum but don't see any glaring maintenance issues or anything of that nature.

Thanks for the help guys!

Cheers,

- Will

 

These XF are very well built cars. A few common issues will have been fixed under warranty: rotary shifter electronics went bad, fuel filler flap remains an issue and a few had bad differentials replaced.

Basically, these cars are assembled by robot with a fairly small workforce doing the hand assembly robots still cannot do. The parts used are generally of good quality.

Easily as good as a BMW or Mercedes. Better than an Audi.

 

Got a test drive. You gents have a seriously sick car...

Earlier in the day I test drove a '10 Lexus GS350. Definitely high on the luxury. Not so impressed with it's chops as a sports sedan. Followed that up with a '10 IS250. More sporty, but not awe inspiring on the power.

Called ahead to the Jag dealer to ask if we could drop in after dinner 30 minutes before closing. They said absolutely no problem; however experience with the dealer's customer service was not very positive. When I showed up they weren't prepared at all, and the first car (an '11 Portfolio) had a dead battery. Test drove an '11 base model after a lot of fumbling around and driving to a back lot to get a license plate. Also not impressed that their asking prices were way, way north of KBB certified dealer car prices... to the point that it wasn't even worth starting negotiations as I could see we weren't going to agree. In this day and age of the Internet, who do they honestly think is going to pay those prices?

Wicked car though.

Afterwards mentioned to my wife that CarMax down the road had an '09 SC listed. She was game, so we stopped by and asked for a test drive. I have to admit from a customer service perspective that was probably the best dealer experience I've ever had. In and out with very little hassle. Car was horribly detailed however and did not show well...

But the drive! Absolutely insane driving experience. That thing was scary fast and with very crisp, neutral steering. But you guys all know that.

I'm not a fan of the shifter knob or the twirling vents, just seems different for different's sake. But otherwise I haven't experienced anything else so close to what I'm looking for in a car.

Now just have to convince the wife to spring for it and find a '10 SC for the right price...

Cheers,

- Will

 

Here is my 2 pennies.

Go to Certified Pre-Owned Jaguar Cars | Jaguar USA

Find yourself a CPO 2010 XF Supercharged (if that is the model you want).

.9 financing
6yr/100k warranty
CPO inspection
Zero deductible bumper-to-bumper


And then enjoy.

In my opinion, that is the only way to buy a used JAG.

 

I concur completely!!!!

 

Be advised, the Voice Activation will NOT work on a 2010.

 

The 10 SC is even more of an "experience" than the 09 due to the extra displacement and associated benefits.

The Voice command works in my 10.

 

Interesting. How well does it work? I just spoke to my dealer's service manager (again) about this and he said there is a code to activate it, but they have to get the code from Jaguar and according to him "it causes more problems than it is worth."

Can anyone expand on this? Is there a service rep out there that can verify or explain the pros and cons?

 

The cost for the 10 will be a good deal more. You'll need to determine if that's worth it for you. The 09 SC's are going for a steal now. All you are really getting is a bit more power with the 10. Average used starting price is about $40k for the 2010 SC. Average used starting price is $34k for the 2009 SC (under 40k miles). I'm not a fan of the idle sound with the 5.0L NA motor (DI injector chatter makes it sound like a diesel). I'm not sure if that's the same with the 5.0L SC.

I believe voice works on the 09 but I've never set it up or tried to use it. All I know is that there is a button for it and you can hit it to enter commands but I've never looked into the correct commands.

Vents can be turned on and off as far as rotating goes. They will stay open if you switch that off.

 

I've seen two '10 SCs advertised now for mid-upper $30K, and although the CarFax was clean I did not have a chance to look at either up close. I've seen several '10 XFRs going in the vicinity of $50K, but most used '10 SC inventory outside the dealerships seem to be asking about $40K on the dot, maybe a little more. (I test drove a '09 SC priced at $33K that seemed mechanically sound but the condition of the paint and interior put me off from purchasing.)

At this point if I can't find a suitable '10 SC I think I'm leaning towards a base/premium '10 vice a '09 SC, which are more or less at the same price point. I'm in no rush so will probably sit around until I see a very good value.

I also test drove a G37. It was by no means an equal comparison, the XF is clearly a generation beyond in every measurable way.

Cheers,

- Will

Cheers,

- Will

 

My fault on the pricing I didn't scroll down far enough to the normal listings (to many premier listings on there for jags). Your right on the mid 30's. I'm surprised they are so low... Well if you can get the 2010's in that price range then go for those.

Keep in mind the options when looking at the non SC models. The SC models come with almost every option.

 

Rotating vents are a gimmick but the rotary shifter is not. All automatics should use this rotary shifter. Once you use it you'll find the stick shift very old fashioned and difficult to use. Steering wheel paddles for manual shift, rotary shifter to select mode. Brilliant innovation.

 

I'm on a roll agreeing with Jagular. Love how the hand falls to the gear selector and small turn is enough.

The dancing vents action can be disabled in the car settings.

 

The dancing vents entertain passengers and even the driver. I like the clean look when you first get in and when you shut down. It seems like a finishing note to the spirted driving.