I am in the market for a Jag XF and looking to spend 43-45K. So the more searches I do the more options I see to be finding. So the question I am asking is... would you rather have a certified Super Charged 2010 or a 2012 Base?

I have driven the 2012 and the 5.0 seems to have more than enough power but being a typical guy the more HP(s) the better.

Thoughts?

 

2012

I just like the perilous look on the 2012s, plus all the minor improvements that was made.

And, it will have better resale value when you ready to let it go. If that matters.

 

I would go for the 2012. The seats are considerably better (my biggest criticism of the 2010 model I have) and the interior seems to be better finished off than the older models. The exterior changes are nice and have freshened up the car considerably. Are they better, that is up to personal opinion, I happen to like them. Also the media system has been considerably upgraded and there are a lot of other smaller changes. The 385 bhp 5.0 L V8 is very quick and more than adequate, though the SC version is very seductive you do pay for it in fuel consumption and probably insurance premiums....

 

I chose a 2011 SC not so much for the power, but for the handling upgrades.

 

2012 base, many, many improvements were made to the basic car from 2011 to 2012 across all models.

 

I'd take a 2012 Base - and I say that as an XFR driver. I think the base models are superb value and have plenty of useable power. The SC versions have more than is useable in most situations, although they are wonderful when you do get the space. I had a 5.0 NA as a loaner for a while and found that I was driving it harder than I drove my XFR which = lots of fun, since it is easier to use its performance on the road. As others have said, for the upgrades it is worth going for the latest model. The seats on their own would sway it for me - I chose an XFR over the SC in 2011 mainly because of the poor seats in the SC. I also think the NA engine sounds better than the SC versions too.

 

People have to realize that the certified car has a 100k warranty. I'd lean toward the Supercharged one in part because of the warranty. In my opinion the base model 2012 is a bit boring. The Supercharged versions have nearly every option. That's just me though.

 

I picked up a demo '12 portfolio, certified last week for $48,500. I considered the 2011 especially with the difference in the included maintenance between the two years but the updates plus an extra year warranty and "buy" a year of depreciation for about $3.5k beat out 2011 by a pretty hefty margin. Also Jag has .9% financing on the XF.

 

Penfed credit union has auto loans for 1.99 %. It's easy to join and all loans are done over the internet. Not a bad deal.