First let me thank all the active members of this community - I've been combing these threads and have gained a great deal of knowledge which has helped with my decision on the car I'm purchasing and my negotiating.

Here's my question...

My long suffering husband has put off buying himself a car for about 10 years while I've gone through two during that time. I'm putting an end to his suffering and buying him an XJL.

Since I'm not loaded it will have to be used. I have found a 2013 XJL Portfolio AWD with approx. 12700 miles that just came off a corporate lease. I've looked at the Carfax (clean) and called Jaguar with the VIN to verify it is a CPO (it's not for sale at a Jaguar lot). It's been modified and had the badges removed from the back (all but the leaper and the Jaguar underneath) and a leaper has been added to the hood (not my favorite but...). I've been negotiating with the dealer and have gotten him down to 43995.

What I'm hoping to get from you guys is what do you think of this deal? It's a surprise so I'm not pulling my husband into the negotiating. And also are there things pertaining specifically to the 2013 year that I should consider? I've been researching the forums and think I've read about quite a bit of issues but want to know if there's any additional advice you may have.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

Do you really need AWD? Why not go for V8 version?

 

For essentially $44K for that car, it sounds like a pretty fair price for the car. I paid $41K for my XJ (not the L) a year ago and it was a 2012 model).

The big question I would be looking at is whether it has the supercharged V6 or the naturally aspirated V8 (it is garanteed to not have the supercharged V8 as it was not offered with the AWD). All 3 of these motors are more than capable for the car. But, they do have an effect on the price. The V6 was the cheaper of the engines and if the car you are looking at is a V6, then you have a little bit of wiggle room with the price.

The other thing that I would figure out is if it is a base model or a portfolio model. The portfolio comes standard with a few upgrades that make the ride nicer, but that is the short of the upgrades. The base model is just that, basic. Now, keep in mind, when you are looking at a car like this, "basic" is a relative thing.

One feature that I would look into is whether the car has AFS or not. It is easy to determine if you drive the car at night. If you are driving slow (ie, under 20 mph) and you turn the steering wheel slightly, you will see the headlights move in the direction that you are turning. You will also see a light appear on the front corner of the car to light up the area where you are going (again, only happens at slow speeds). It is a nice feature, but not a necessity.

The last thing that I would be looking at is whether the car came with the rear comfort package (not sure what it is actually called). But, if you look at the back of the front seats, they will have airline trays built into them (you will see the wood grain in the top/back of the front seats). In 2013 they started making some of the XJL's without this feature. To me, that is a very nice thing to have, especially if you are looking to have people in the back. You may also find that some of the cars will have a longer center console that in essence gets rid of the spot for a 5th person to sit (ie, you have 4 seats like what you find in the front of the car). This may be a deal breaker, it may be exactly what you are after. Most cars have a bench seat in the rear so you can seat 5 full grown adults.

 

Thanks so much for your responses!

@pkoko - Actually, even though my husband thoroughly enjoyed his test drive in the V8 and considered them when we first started researching the car….it’s more of a practicality consideration.

While he’d like to imagine himself on open highways and curvy roads using the muscle of a V8 – the reality is other than the occasional carpool, he will be driving this car, alone, in traffic, going to work. Plus, the option of the AWD is appealing. We’re originally Midwesterners so naturally inclined to an AWD vehicle but even though we live in NC now… we’ve always found our AWD vehicles extremely helpful during our limited winter season enough to make it an option we consider when purchasing cars.

@thermo – Thanks for all the feedback for things to consider. The car is a Portfolio model…that was at a minimum the model we were after. We would also be able to fit 3 in the back (with 3 kids that was another criteria and also why we started looking the L series) but not the airline trays which I will say when we first started looking at these cars I got caught up on more so than my husband. I will look into the AFS though….not sure on that.

 

I would highly recommend that is has the Meridian Surround Sound System (825w). I would, also, recommend that you use the VIN Decoder available here on the forum under "Tools" to verify exactly what you are planning to buy.

 

Definitely stay with 2013 or newer because of the 8-speed transmission, intelligent stop-start, and Meridian Surround sound system.

 

How can a non-Jag dealer offer it as a CPO?

 

@JamesTX - the car came off a corporate lease earlier this year and was returned to the Jaguar dealer. The Jaguar dealer CPO'ed (is that how you say it?) the car, it sat on the lot for a minute and then they put it up for auction. The dealership that I am purchasing it from purchased it at auction. The remaining original warranty and the CPO warranty transfers with the car. It was advertised as certified but once I saw the history of the car - I took the VIN number and called Jaguar to first verify it had been approved as a CPO and verify the remaining time left on the original and CPO warranty.

 

The CPO, price, and low mileage sounds great. Check w/ your credit union or go online just to check the blue book value for this vehicle.
If this is the Jaguar you and your husband want then I'd go with it; unless you are willing to take more time to research around the country and find a Jaguar that has on it some of the things that have been suggested by others; and, most likely it will come w/ a higher price and possibly more mileage.

 

@retriever-007 Thanks so much for your feedback….I really appreciate hearing from actual owners. I had checked out the blue book value of the car….but honestly I tend to value the antidotal data that I get from owners like yourselves just as much as.

With the information provided and some additional surfing of these forums – I’ve pulled the plug and my excited and surprised husband is on a plane tomorrow to check it out.

Thanks to everyone for their input – I really appreciate it. These really are exceptional pieces of machinery…after reading these forums and the research I’ve done….I’m actually pretty jealous it’s not going to be mine!

 

Thanks for the feedback. I hope your husband will like what he sees and that the automobile will be in excellent condition.
When I bought mine I did something probably 99.9% of auto purchasers don't do. After seeing the add on the internet I bought mine without doing an inspection; relied on carfax report.
Since the automobile was in Port St. Lucie, FL and I could not drive down and bring it back to PA, I then had the automobile transported to the house in a covered transport truck.
Hope everything turns out ok; and, members of this forum and I welcome you to the exciting world of Jaguar ownership.

 

You are are a wonderful wife!!
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I agree w/ your statement.

 

@ clubairth1 and retriever...LOL...actually it's time....I've gone through two new cars and my poor husband still had/has the '97 Explorer that he had when we started dating and my old '02 Volvo that I drove before my last car purchase....so he well deserved it and I had fun doing it....cause honestly I don't think he ever was going to pull the trigger himself.

A bit of a confession though....

I must admit when I first started researching and stumbled across this forum – I was somewhat skeptical and even maybe a bit mocking of the adoration that is expressed by the members of this forum about this car. While I agreed this was a “nice" car…I really didn’t understand what all the hype was.

Well…my husband returned home Saturday from picking up the car and I will say…now I get it. This car is an absolutely gorgeous and exceptional machine. He had considered all the typical cars in this class (Lexus, Benz, BMW) but this car has them all beat. There is nothing that looks like it on the road and now that I’ve seen it in person…the others really pale in comparison. And to be honest…there is just something about driving a car that you don’t see at every other stop light. Not to mention the sheer value of being able to get a car like this that is barely used at such a great price...for the first couple of days my husband couldn't stay out of the garage looking at it.

So…I just had to say....I get it now!

 

Lol, welcome to the forum, and excellent purchase. It has been over 4 years since I have owned my car, and I still look back at it every time I lock it and walk away from it.
Best of luck and hope you guys enjoy the kitten!

 

In November I will have owned mine for 2 years. And I agree it's nice to pull up to a light and/or just driving thru town and VERY rarely seeing another new body style Jaguar. I'm always getting positive complements from people about this automobile.
In my town I see SO MANY BMWs, M-Bs, Audi's, and Lexus' that they are becoming no different than driving around in a Toyota, Honda, Ford Fiesta, etc. etc. etc.
No offense is directed to owning a Toyota, Honda.....but just want to convey how those other luxury cars no longer stand-out like they once did. In my town I wonder how many are being leased and if that might be the reason why they are now so prevalent on the roads.
Anyway, glad to hear you and your husband have joined the Jaguar family. Oh, I still look at mine after parking and always keep it clean.
Oh, since it's not a daily driver dust gets on it while parked in the garage so before driving it I always take my little dust remover that was
purchased at Pepboys and get that dust off the automobile before hitting the road.

 

You really DO have to experience one to understand the allure. Our current XJL is the second Jaguar we've owned, so we've "gotten it" for a while now. I live nearly 100 miles from the closest Jaguar dealership so these cars tend to be pretty rare in my area, although we see lots of XJ6's, XJ8's, S-Types, and X-Types. I have yet to see another XJL anywhere around here and it definitely gets a lot of attention anywhere I go. And, yeah, I always glance back at mine after parking it also! Looking at it makes me happy!

Dwayne

 

Wow, I'm a brand new XJ owner and you sound just like my wife. Now, she just stares and rides in adoration. She makes impromptu trips around the block just to hear her purr lol. I bought it for her...same scenario just flipped. Welcome to the fan club!