XF or Play it Safe?
 

I've been lurking on this site for a few months to do some research on a potential XF as a replacement to my BMW lease that is nearing the end.

I've narrowed my search down to a 2011 (Premium) or a 2012 (Portfolio). After having driven an Aston Martin Rapide the last few months (I'm "car-sitting" for a friend while he attends business school overseas), I've come to appreciate the luxury/features of a used XF, especially given their prices. ***Note, I'm in no way suggesting a Jag XF is on the same level as an Aston Martin, but certain features such as full leather dash treatment, strong engine, etc are not seen everyday on cars priced in the $30s.*** So you can see why I've only been looking at the Premiums and Portfolios...

Given all the pluses of this car, I'm still a little paranoid about owning a British car out of warranty. I've heard one too many horror stories about monster repair bills on Land Rovers. Here's where I need some guidance - should I go for the Jag and hope I can find one with an extended warranty or play it safe with something more along the lines of a Lexus, Infiniti, etc?

I realize this is a Jaguar forum and the responses I get will be biased in favor of the brand, but someone please tell me if I'm being overly paranoid about post-warranty reliability, or if my concerns are warranted. I don't mind paying to maintain a car, but stories of friends dropping $7,500 on suspension for their Range Rover are enough to scare me just a little.

Many thanks!

If you step up to the 13/14 model years as lease turn ins at the dealer, you will still have OEM warranty coverage, and, if CPO'd, extended warranty out to 5 years from original in-service date as well as probably from the dealer being able to buy an extended warranty.

Yes, these are British cars. But they're not being built by British Leyland anymore; Tata has dumped a boatload of money into design, factory upgrades, technology, best-in-breed assembly, quality parts sourcing (no more Lucas Electrics) and engineering, and so forth to bring the cars into the same league as the vaunted beemers and mercs (I'm leaving VW out of the mix for now on account of their recently publicized systemic fraud).

Are they trouble-free? No, they are mechanical devices. Are there expensive parts that could fail? Of course.

I can say, though, owning both a '00 XJ8 and a '13 XF, that they are no better nor no worse than any other high-end machines in terms of reliability or availability. There are well-documented issues with the XJ, and some with the XF, but by the time you get to the 13s and 14s, most if not all of the teething problems inherent in any new model introduction have been worked out.

These are not germanic engineering exercises. But they are also not, mechanically, related to the BL-munged Jags of the 60s and 70s, which were built to a price point in a highly manual assembly sequence...the Jags of today, as a result of Ford's, now Tata's ownership, are on par with the best of what comes out of Bavaria or Stuttgart, IMHO. And I've owned them all.

(Of course, if you beat any car, they will break in spectacular fashion)

Not really. Most owners here will challenge the assertion that 'other brands' are significantly more reliable. The old days of MB being king and Jag absolute cr*p are long gone.

I would consider a 2013 or newer, but my understanding is that outside of the Supercharged or XFR, the V8 was dropped in favor of 2.0 and 3.0 engines. The 5.0 is part of the appeal to me. How does the 3.0 compare, performance wise, to the NA V8?

Exactly how I feel..the V8 is the best in sound and performance IMO.

Get a V8 car whether you have to go back a model year or buy the supercharged. They are identical otherwise.

I've driven the NA V8 as a service loaner and my friend's supercharged and if you can swing it, get the supercharged.

Nothing wrong with the NA at all, but the supercharged gives the car the opportunity to grow with you. It has more power (and the ability to get even more quite easily), better brakes, better suspension, great interior upgrades, better stereo, all for a pretty good value on the used market.

Make sure to get one that has the ability to have an extended warranty. I paid an extra $3900 to get 7 years and up to 100,000 miles from the date I purchased it. My car had 6 mos factory warranty left when I bought it 2 years ago. It had 34k miles. I will drive less than 10k per year, so I bought a used 2010 car and will have warranty until 2020. Already used the warranty for a $1200 repair so it's paying for itself slowly but surely.

But the best part is I don't worry about what might go wrong. I drive it nice most of the time, but I also don't worry that it's going to grenade at any moment. Part of that is trust in the components. The other is that I will have warranty if something strange happens. Best of both worlds.

Great advice, thank you. Sounds like I'll be looking for a 2011 or 2012 that is eligible for an extended warranty. Any idea what constitutes one car as eligible vs. another?

And the fact that your car will have been under warranty from date new plus 10 years is incredible. I thought that only applied to Hyundais!

I'd call the dealer and ask. When I bought mine it just had to be still within the manufacturer's warranty. Not sure if certified would apply. A 2012 would be a better bet with the facelift, etc. as most all should be under warranty unless mileage was high. But I can't remember if 2011's have 5/50 or not since mine is a 2010. With the 2011 savings you would easily have enough to do the warranty.

Good idea. Called a dealer that has a 2011 Premium and asked about existing warranty. Original warranty is good through August 2016 or 100k. CPO adds another year, taking it to August 2017 or 100k. Have the option to extend to August 2022 or August 2023 (6 or 7 years from original warranty expir) / 100k total. The latter runs about $4k he said.

Seems like a no brainer, although with the CPO warranty going out through 2017, I'm not sure how much sense it makes to pop for the 6 or 7 year warranty upfront. Unless of course the option to extend goes away at some point.

So now I'm in a pickle; still have a few months left on my BMW lease and I'm not interested in pissing away money on a leased car that is just sitting. Sure, they will "buy" out my remaining lease, but given BMW lease residuals, that really means rolling negative equity into the Jag deal. I guess it's a good thing I'm not in a big hurry. The price of this XF seems very attractive though.

And if that wasn't enough to think about, they also have a 2011 SC, although it does have 60k on the clock (whereas the Premium has 32k, at a cost of $1k more than the SC).

Definitely agree with the views here - I don't think an XF is going to be much different in maintenance cost than a BMW or other premium marque. There is of course the low risk of an expensive repairs if something serious goes wrong. As others have said, extended warranties are easy to get and will give you peace of mind. Worth reflecting on - if an extended warranty adding 4-5 years costs a few thousand dollars, it suggests that they can't be that expensive to maintain typically as the warranty company needs to make margin. But good for the peace of mind.

2011 had a 5-year warranty in the USA vs. 4 year on the 2012 so either way you will be drawing towards the end of the factory warranty.

If you can find a supercharged I'd go for that (I'm biased!). But I would personally go with the 30k miles premium vs. a 60k miles supercharged given the price is about the same. Or look around for a lower mileage supercharged. The cars are relatively rare on the streets but it's not hard to find them on the used market so I would look around and find what you want at a good price.
Good luck!

XF or Play it Safe?
 

Those few months will do you nothing but good. Prices will be depressed after Thanksgiving as everyone will be spending money on Christmas and not on cars. And they will technically be one more model year old then as well.

Definitely look for a supercharged with as low miles as you can find/afford as the 100k is the real barrier with the warranties.
I just did a quick search and there seems to be a $6k or more difference between 2011's and 2012's.

Also, check with the dealer and see if the car needs to be purchased through them to buy the warranty or if anything that's in warranty is eligible. I've found that the best deals usually come from dealers that are not the brand you are looking for ie. Jag from a BMW dealer because they have no walk through business for a used Jag.

Agree with these guys, owning an 11 SC. Shop around. I wouldn't be afraid to buy out of your area, shipping even isn't that expensive.

>How does the 3.0 compare, performance wise, to the NA V8?

Had a '14 loaner when my S-Type was in for service. It had the 3.0 V6 and I must say that in the couple of days I had it I really couldn't tell much of a difference from my 4.2 NA. So I'd say that their claim of being similar to the old 5.0 NA seems pretty close.
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Jaguar - it's not an automobile, it's a Motorcar
Current: '08 S-Type 4.2 "Satin Edition" (250.06 hp / 259.67 torque on the dyno)
Past: '05 X-Type 3.0/auto Jaguar Racing Green

My thoughts exactly. In fact, the dealer I've been speaking with is in SoCal. I live in Scottsdale, and while there is a local Jag/LR dealer, the inventory is always many times greater in SoCal. Just a quick hour flight if/when it's time to buy and a 5 hour drive home.

There are at least 7 dealers in the LA metro area. One of them has to have something that will work for you. If you find anything at Anaheim Hills I could look at it for you.

I'd recommend going 2012 or 2013 Portfolio. IMHO, the 2012 updates are very tasteful and classy. The 2012's can be had with low miles under $30k if you shop around

I currently own a 2009 XF SUPERCHARGED, the last year of the 4.2 engine. It is my 6th Jag. I have had a 2002 S-Type, 2003 XJ8, 2003 S-Type, 2005 S-type, 2017;XF35t, and now my cream puff 2009 Supercharged 4.2. Even though it is 2022, I did not blink when it came to buying this car because it was a single owner car, garaged and serviced meticulously for its entire life and only has 25k miles. If you drive lots of miles, for peace of mind get an Endurance warranty for 5 years, it will cost you under $5k and you have 100k miles ahead of you with $100 deductible. Please read their reviews and call them, facts mean way more then opinions. I am pretty sure that we are gonna pull the trigger on getting it because this 420Hp highway cruiser is so intoxicating to drive, I am gonna have it as my daily driver.
No offense to BMW, the only 5-Series worth considering is the 550i, and candidly it simply will not hold up anywhere near as well as the Jag XJ or XF. I a BMW prior to switching to Jag in 2004. We have never looked back. The only superior car I have owned is a 2011 Maserati Quattroporte 4.7, and it is an entirely different league too

Note the age of this thread, (2015)

Haha,
"These are not germanic engineering exercises."

From everything I've heard and observed, thank god they aren't! My '10 XFR has been perfect over 8 years of ownership aside from a trunk wiring harness where the skinny canbus wires gave up...the ones that every car uses.