Good afternoon everyone. I currently drive a 2011 Lexus LS460 but I'm ready to trade it in for a car that I have lusted over for 9 years : Jaguar XJ . I have 2 options I'm mulling over. One is a 2017 Stratus Gray XJL supercharged with 12,000 miles selling for 51,000 at an Infiniti dealership. Second is a brand new 2019 XJL collection selling for 63,000 at a Jaguar dealership. What is the better deal?

 

I think you'll find the Jaguar dealership car is the better buy albeit it costs another $12k as it is one of the last made and these have been on sale at much reduced prices. As a brand-new car you get the five year or 60k miles service and warranty package. However, you haven't said what colour the Jaguar dealership car is. Of course the car at the Infiniti dealer may suit you just as well, but you need to factor in the additional costs of warranty and service.

 

They have black with a black interior and white with London tan interior.

 

How are they configured? Engine, trim level. and packages?

 

The 2017 is a supercharged 5.0 that is fully loaded for this trim . It has 360 surround assist, 825 Meridian sound, but no active cruise control. The 2019 models have the 5.0 supercharged engine and both have active cruise control and 360 surround assist.

 

Thousandaire, I am just south of you in California MD. So, if you ever want to learn something about your car, let me know. We can do some maintenance on your car and learn some about the car too.

As for what car is the better deal, that is a loaded question. I think the one question you need to ask yourself is how often do you see having someone in the back seat. I ask this as there are a lot of options for those in the rear seat and that can dramatically affect the need/desire of the car. If you don't plan on having someone in the back seat but once in a blue moon, then that probably is not a big deal.

I guess the other question is whether the color of the car is that big of a deal. I have a black cat and I don't find it that much of a hassle to maintain. Granted, with our summers, the interior of the car can get rather toasty. Gratned, I have the cream interior, so, that helps drive the temps down a little bit. But ,the cream can be a bit of work to keep clean.

As for the active cruise control, that may sound like a neat option, but how often do you turn it on? For me, that would not be a factor in my decision as I hardly ever turn the cruise on (I find a tend to get really sleepy if I do, bad, bad things then happen). If you are trying to drive on I-495, you may find that it just won't do what you think it should.

If you are someone that likes to work on cars, then the 2017 would be more to your liking as you don't need to worry as long about any sort of warrantee work. Where, on the other foot, if you don't do car work, then the 2019 will be the better option.

HOpefully this helps give you some thing to ponder and ease the ability to decide what is the better vehicle. On a side note, I bought my car 3 years old and it was at a price that I found very attractive and made buying the car a no brainer. But then, I do all of my own work.

 

If the 2017 is the only one with the Meridian surround 825 audio, I'd get that as the audio from that system is about as good as it gets except for the Meridian 1300w signature system.

 

I think I would suggest possibly approaching the dealer with the used car and telling him you can get a brand new car for just $12k more, he may be able to accept a lower offer if you are pressing him. He might consider dropping his price to move the car on .

 

You will take a bath on either. If you can afford the new one I would do that as you will be the only owner and know all there is to know about that car, the slightly used one could have had body work not reported to car fax etc. What wheels are on them? Adaptive cruise will a feature to have if you were to sell it in the future. More buyers will be looking for those new tech items.

 

For me I'm getting the 2019. Better tech and new. 12k more for longer warranty and you are first owner. No brainer for me. I talk down the new as much as possible and don't look back.

 

If it were my choice I would take one of the 19s. However, I wouldn't let the dealer off that easy. Now you have a quote, take that to other dealers and haggle. There aren't that many new XJ's left but the dealers are desperate to shed them from their inventories...hence $30k off list.

Another tack I would try would be to get the dealer to register the car and then sell it to you as a CPO, you still get a new car BUT with an factory extended warrantyat no cost to you.

wombat

 

I contacted the Jaguar dealership and they said because they don't have a buyer for my Lexus Ls460 with 186,000 miles, all they can offer me is $900. I laughed out loud when I heard that. That's a complete joke. They recommended that I take it to Carmax for a better deal. I know that the coronavirus is affecting dealership but that's ridiculous. My car runs and is in good shape inside and out.

 

Put the LS on ebay, with a reserve, and see what happens.

wombat

(Edit) Remove the LS from your negotiations. All the dealer will do with that car is stick it out to auction, they really don't want the hassle of dealing with it.