I've always loved the look of Jaguar and finally i'm looking to get one. I've narrowed it down to two 2015 XJL's. (A) has 17k miles plus a CPO, the other, (B) has 20k miles and balance of original warranty which is about a year and a half. The difference is price. A is from a dealer and is $10,000 more than B which is from an independent dealer.

I'd rather go for the less expensive vehicle but i'm wondering about the CPO which has four years left on it I believe. So I guess my question is; any thoughts on whether to go with the less expensive vehicle and then purchase an after market warranty?
Or purchase the vehicle for more money but includes the CPO?

And then if I do go for an after market warranty, any suggestions on a good one?

Thanks and sorry for all the questions. i'm new to this.

 

DaveUSA, first off, welcome to the Forums. Lots of good people here and tons of useful information. You will find us a friendly bunch. In keeping with this, we like to get to know one another. So, we ask that you stop by the New Member section and tell us a quick bit about you and what brings you to Jaguar. This will also give you a chance to meet those that make this place what it is.

Now, for your question. As I see it, you have a few questions to answer for yourself and then I think the car you buy will become obvious.

The first thing that I would ask is what are the option differences between the two cars? Some XJL's come with the airline trays in the back and some don't. If you have people in the back of your car, this may be the deal breaker. Kinda like some XJL's have reclining rear seats along with heat/cooling and/or massage. This option alone can account for the price difference. Are these options even a consideration (ie, you don't see yourself having people in the back seat all that often)?

How much of a mechanic are you? If you don't know the first difference between a wrench and a screw driver, then the CPO car is probably your better bet. If you like to tinker and do your own work (which can be done on this car), then the cheaper one is probably the better choice. Overall, these cars are pretty reliable. But, you need to "pet the kitty" periodically or they will throw a fit. I have owned my car for 50K miles (I have a 2012 XJ 5.0L NA motor) and have had to do the normal stuff (new tires, brake pads, oil changes, and a water pump). All of this I did myself. With the help of this group, you can do a lot of stuff to this car and save yourself lots of money. If getting greasy is not your cup of tea, then finding a good independent technician is going to be time/money well spent.

The last thing that I think you need to consider is the motor. In 2015, you have a few motor choices. The 3.0L supercharged motor is adequate for the car and will get it down the road. The 5.0L supercharged motor is just fun to drive due to the extra power. Both are going to have the Start/Stop feature (ie, the engine will turn off when you come to a stop and then restart once you release the brake pedal). This feature may be a deal breaker (for some it is). This is not a feature that can be turned off by the dealership as it is federally mandated to be active on the car since it was part of the emissions system when the car was tested by the US Government. Are there ways around it? I am sure there is and it varies based on the year. How much it may cost you, that is the big question.

If you do go with the aftermarket warrantee, read it over really closely. There are lots of programs out there that sound good, but when you try and get stuff done, becomes a real nightmare. It becomes even more of a bear with this car as the prices tend to go fairly high in no time flat and the provider will want more and more info. Atleast with the CPO car, the dealership knows the program and the program is aware of what a job tends to run on the car.

For me, I would go with the cheaper one since I can do most of my own work and if you are worried about the big expense later, tuck away a bit of money each month into an account so if something does happen, you have the slush fund to cover it.

 

If the cars are the same option wise then its like paying $10k for a 4 year warranty. The $10k saved could cover a lot of repairs if any are needed down the road on the cheaper one.

 

Thermo thank you so much for the wealth of information. I hope I'm replying correctly format wise.

The options are the same for both. Both have massage/heat/cool seats. They both have rear window screens but I''m not sure if both are automatic. Neither have trays, but to be honest I don't think that's a big deal for me. Although if someone else were driving me around, it would be great. Even the window screens as auto or manual don't really matter as I'll be up front and don't anticipate driving a lot of people around...although I'm going from a Camaro to and XJL so maybe I will do more group driving.

The mechanic thing is something a little scary for me. I don't consider myself very mechanically inclined. Though when I was very young and low of funds i did change the water pump and head gasket on my first car which was a Mazda GLC. I was successful thanks to the Chilton (I think it was called Chilton) book but not sure I could tackle something like this again. I have checked around down here and saw a lot of good reviews for a mechanic who works almost exclusively on English and European cars so I hope that ends up being a good resource.

Both vehicles have the 3.0L engine.and I was in Italy last fall and discovered the Start/Stop feature on the car i rented. I wish I had known about this going in as I kept thinking something was wrong with the car and a couple of times tried to start the car as i left a stop light only to muck it up and getting honked at as I blocked traffic. once I learned what was going on, it was a little disconcerting but I got used to it.

Again, thank you so much. I don't want to add another question but when reviewing photos of both cars, just noticed the back of the Jaguar Dealer car (with the CPO) has no XJL or 3.0 emblem. Kind of odd since every other i've seen has them.

ANyway, I am still debating but this gives me great food for thought. I think I could go either way. One is putting money away for repairs which I think is a good idea regardless, an the CPO might be worth a little peace of mind. I'll let you know what I decide. I think I may be leaning toward the CPO.

 

Thank you. That's a great way to look at this.

It does have the balance of the original warranty which still has about a year and a half. And I do have a line on a good mechanic.

Regardless of which way I go, I think i'll put some repair money aside anyway. Just to be safe. But I like your logic.

Thank you again!

 

DaveUSA, odds are, the person that had the one car (with no emblems on it) before you didn't like all the emblems and took them off. They are simply stuck on with double sided tape. if you want them back, you can get new emblems and return them. Some people like the clean look of having very minimal stuff on the back, others like all the bling. It is a personal preference. Some people have taken the earlier cars (which had minimal bling on the back) and got the emblems and added it to their car to reflect what the car has.

 

Ahh good to know. That makes sense as I remember now seeing some different make cars with minimal emblems on them. I was worried that maybe there had been an accident (although it has a clear CarFax) that resulted in a replacement of the trunk. But thinking about what you said, I do see a lot of suped up cars with minimal or no emblems at all. I think it looks sleek but it's frustrating when I admire a car and can't figure out which make it is. Again, thank you!

 

Hi and welcome to the forum. So just to clarify, both have about a year and a half of original warranty then one of them has a 3 year CPO tacked onto that (ie still 4 years on the factory and Cpo combined). Then you are really looking at $10k for just 3 years of CPO as part of that time is original factory warranty? If so I'd say $10k is very steep! The CPO costs about $3-4K to add at a Jag dealer for 3 or so years I believe, and other aftermarket options are around that or less, depending on coverage
Is the cheaper car from a Jag dealer - and if so will the my CPO it for you? If so I'd go that path or buy the cheaper one and get a good warranty (or put the $ savings aside!)

Do either have any accident damage, any major repairs, etc? Worth checking they are both running well. But seems really hard to justify anything like $10k for the difference you describe. Even $5k is steep

These cars depreciate very fast and dealers are struggling to sell expensive sedans. So make sure you are not overpaying. People here have got very substantial discounts through some hard negotiating

 

If you are not very mechanically inclined (your own words), unless you are independently wealthy, I would not recommend ever owning a Jaguar that does not have a warranty. My understanding is that the CPO warranty is excellent; that would be my choice!

Dwayne

 

Thank you for the great point. I hadn't thought of it like that. I am leaning toward the less expensive vehicle. The more expensive car is from the Jag dealer which has the CPO and also LoJack which they are charging $800 for. I'm not crazy about that but as it's already installed not much I can do. I don't know if Jag dealerships will sell CPO to a vehicle not bought from them. But regardless, I think putting that $10k in savings for potential future repairs after the current manufacturer warranty expires in a year and a half may be the best option.

Again, thank you and everyone for such amazing advice.

 

Thank you Dwayne. I agree and am happy that both vehicles have at least the remainder of the original warranty. The issue I think I was grappling with is paying $10,000 for what is essentially an additional 3 year warranty. I am hoping that I'll be able to find a 3 or longer warranty for less and, at the same time, put some of the 10k away for future repairs.

It's a gamble, but it's also a beautiful vehicle and I think I'm sold on the XJL.

 

What are the prices? You can get either of those cars for low $40s or maybe even in the $30s. Used XJs sit, and sit, and sit on the lot. Offer less money and don't fall for the bullshit coming out of the seller's mouth. Jaguars, new or used, are a buyer's market.