lol Soooo true.
After i drove the first XF, have been having withdrawls since then. I have learned that i will never test drive another vehicle until i am ready to buy it.

 

Well said, Blackcoog. Never a truer word spoken!

 

Just buy one.

 

I wonder if $37k is possible? If so that would make it cheaper than a similar 550i but with 50+ more HP. The big thing Im struggling with is the idea of giving up driving a manual trans. I really enjoy shifting my own gears.

 

...A Porsche Boxter man that car makes me gag its so fugly! A 911 fine but a Boxter! Let me tell you the XF is a dream of a machine.

 

I was in the same boat. This is my first automatic car. I couldn't be happier. You'll get over it really fast.

 

Two words, paddle shifters.

You can have your cake and eat it too. Leave it automatic when you're feeling lazy and use the paddles when you're feeling spunky. Best of both worlds!

 

You would have to get 550i much older and with more miles than the XF for the money.

 

An 09 550i with 40k miles ore less and in great shape can be had for around $39-43k. I missed out on a white 550i with M-Sport and about 38k miles for $39.9k.

Dont get me wrong Im sure the S/C XF is an amazing car but Im thinking I may want more sport than luxury. Actually in an ideal world Id get the XF and a sports car . I made the mistake of driving a (fugly ) 08 Boxster tonight and.... wow! What a sweet ride, but I guess this is a Jag forum and thats getting off topic. But Ive got to say that paddle shifters are a poor substitute for a true manual with a clutch and shift lever, Im talking about driving experience. I realize that the modern auto's a DCT's are generally faster than true manual's in a lot of vehicles.

I hate when I do this, I get to into the details of a decision and then have a hard time making a final decision.

 

Auto box and DCT are faster in ALL vehicles. Manual transmissions are obsolete unless money is an issue. They are still much cheaper.

 

My first automatic too. The paddle shifters are fun but auto does a better job shifting for me. Had 3 other cars, all manual, and I coundnt be happier driving this auto.

 

I agree that all DCT's are faster but I think there are still some "slush box" autos out there that are not. Now regular auto's calibrated for sport driving would be faster generally. Also, if you look at brands like BMW, the manual or auto are the same price when ordering new. But feel and experience play a big part as most of us will spend our time on the street with other drivers, stop lights and police. Its like riding a motorcycle, you are more connected to the machine when you control it and are using both arms and legs to drive instead of one foot and 2 fingers. You have made a decision to buy a Jag adn the driving experience, styling, features, etc played a big part in that decision too, if it didnt you'd be driving an Accord or a Taurus.

I think I really need to drive the S/C, all the reading and discussions in the world help but until you're behind the wheel you dont really know what it feels like. There is no doubt in my mind that it would absolutely smoke the Boxster in a straight line, or even the BMW's. Maybe Ill take the wife by today to check out both cars and she which one she likes best. Im just leery of going back to that dealership and the "what if I did x would you sign today" and phone calls to follow.

Anyway, here is the car she is a looker Jaguar Pre-Owned Inventory Search | Used XF 4.2L V8 32V MPFI DOHC Supercharged Supercharged 4dr

 

That's what everybody thinks until they buy a new automatic and drive it for a while. I was definitely not going to buy an automatic but the Jaguar is only available with an automatic. I fell for the car but had to test drive it for over an hour to be sure it could be shifted and driven "just like a manual" which it can. How often do I use the paddles four years later? Almost never. Oh, and I noticed yesterday that I can just see the tops of the paddles while driving, the quaint little + and - signs marked on the relevant paddle, presumably for the forgetful, can just be seen peeping up behind the steering wheel spokes!

As for the man and machine nonsense you just have to remember that fully automatic gearchanges are banned from Formula 1. Why is that? Because they are quicker. Why is that? Because with the computer doing the gearchanges the driver can concentrate on getting the utmost from the handling. Driving well is all about steering and speed control. Gearchanging actually distracts you from those tasks. Test after test shows drivers are quicker using an automatic gear change. After all, nobody manually adjusts the ignition or fuel anymore and valve timing has always been automatic. Why not gearchanges?

 

That's a really nice one! (as are ALL XF's)

Personally, I went with the SC not only because of the extra horses but also because the SC comes with better sport handling (one of your key criteria) and the extras.

When I bought mine, the 4.2NA performance was "adequate" (as the salesman put it) but once I drove the 4.2SC or the 5.0NA, there was no looking back! Then, I looked at the 5.0SC and that was that.

Before you make a decision based on your thoughts of this "luxury" car, you really MUST drive one and drive it like it was meant to be driven! While test driving XF's, our salesman had me take a 20MPH cloverleaf exit faster than normal. I said, "how fast?" And, he non-chalantly said, "whatever you want." Even at 40MPH it was like I was coasting around the turn. It was fantastic! (Excuse me, I tend to drool just talking about it)

Just go drive it, man!

 

Thanks for all the advice but to my surprise when we went by Sunday to take a look my wife wasnt digging the car. She liked the Boxster and she even picked out a couple of 6 series convertibles (I wouldnt mind but they seem to be a bit overpriced still). In the end its my choice but who knows at this point, if I miss one there will always be another to replace it.