Hi Forum Friends,

I'm interested in buying a later model X351 as a daily driver. In my area (Northern Virginia), there seem to be a lot of XJ R-Sports on the market, but I'm more partial to either a portfolio model or a V8 Supercharged model. Curious to hear about people's experiences with either of those trims or if there are certain years more preferable than others. Thanks.

R,
GE

 

Based on what I've been told, regarding the "dreaded" plastic cooling system pipes, they were upgraded in 2018, so I'd be looking at a 2018-2019 model...........

 

GMEaton, finding a V8 in the year ranges you are looking for is going to be a needle in a haystack. The V6 is still pretty potent (I moved from a NA V8 2012 XJ to a 2016 Supercharged V6 XJL). Yes, the V8 has better low end grunt, but the V6 definitely moves the car nicely. I bought my 2016 over in Reston. There is a dealership in the DC area that you want to stay away from (if you want to know their name, PM me and I will tell you). If you look up dealerships, there are lots of posts about this one. I checked them out and they could have cared less that they were selling an XJ with a blown motor due to an overheat. That confirmed things for me.

I would say to go with the portfolio too. The R-Sport is the stripped down XJ. Having some of the better bells and whistles is nice. Granted, I probably don't use half of them that my car has. But ,that is me.

The one question that I would ask you is whether you tend to have people in the back seat a lot or just once in a blue moon. If you have people back there a lot, then you definitely want the XJL. You may want to even look a little harder and find one with the airline trays for the rear seat. Hard to find, but very useful in my mind.

I am in your neck of the woods, so, if you need some extra eyes, let me know.

 

Good advice above!

Biggest thing will be your ability to DIY any of the repairs?
Can you do the work? A used luxury car of any brand is always expensive to own and maintain. The dealer costs are expensive and they really don't want to work on anything over 10 years of age.

Have you owned a upper end car before? What brand? How long did you own it?
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I've had great luck with my 2016 XJR LWB supercharged 550hp and would have no reservations buying one of this vintage providing it has been cared for and been inspected by a Jag dealer. I only have 45k miles but I've enjoyed every mile! Good luck!

 

If it matters to you, Jaguar upgraded the infotainment system in the 2018 model year. The screen is a bit bigger but more importantly many owners have been able to get Apple CarPlay on the larger screen. I believe you cannot get CarPlay on earlier model years (up to and including 2017).

 

Thanks. Unfortunately, I'm not a DIYer, but I do own a 2015 XK and have a trusted independent Jaguar mechanic who maintains it for me. I fully understand these cars are not "cheap to keep," so I want to make sure I choose wisely when shopping for a new to me XJ. I appreciate the advice!

 

If you're even thinking you want a V8, then just hold out and get a V8 so you don't have to live a life of what-if's and regrets.

I see V8's for sale all the time, but that's because I still have saved searches that alert me when one goes for sale on the popular sites. They are much more rare the the V6, but you can definitely get them. But you may have to be more flexible regarding colors and options to find one that is cosmetically and mechanically in good condition, and they aren't trying to get $100K for it.

My V8 popped up just a few weeks after starting my search last summer, so don't give up hope.

And the cooling pipes may have been upgraded, but they are still a ticking timebomb. Either switch them out to the metal aftermarket parts and/or change to Evans waterless coolant to eliminate that worry.

 

GM, I too wanted a V8 but then I was pleasantly surprised when I drove a V6. If you don't need to tear the tires off, you will find the V6 is no slouch and is very agile with the XJ's light weight aluminum body and 8 speed trans. I opted for the RWD which is a tiny bit quicker than the AWD V6's. And I never complained about the 29.9 mpg I get. So, take a test drive in a V6 if you get impatient waiting for that V8 to come along.

 

GM< check out this one: Used 2017 Jaguar XJ L Supercharged for sale in Forest Hill, MD 21050: Sedan Details - 690727985 - Autotrader It is a private sale, but with the low miles, it is a possible good deal. I would get it inspected and then go from there.

 

Thanks, Thermo,

I spotted that one too and sent a note to the seller. I asked about arranging a pre-sale inspection with a Jaguar Dealership near where he lives. He replied "What for?" I explained that since it was an older car that I wanted a Jaguar mechanic to go over the car to look for any mechanical, prior repair, or safety concerns, and that I would pay for the inspection. He stopped responding to me. That was three weeks ago... I guess I hurt his feelings. :-)

Cheers,
Greg

 

Wow, talk about a red flag! That's too bad, because it looks like a nice car and it's a good spec.

 

Man, you got that right!!!

Along that line, I feel somewhat badly that someone bought our 2016 XJ-L, with it having a known trouble spot, the cooling pipes. I'm hoping that the low mileage on the car, 16,000 miles, along with the fact that it was stored winters, therefore the pipes weren't exposed to frequent temperature extremes, helps to keep the pipes intact, at lease for a while, for it's new owner.

 

Nice looking 2019 XJL V8.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...fd5c2621efd9e6

 

Wow, that is nice one. A bit outside of what I was wanting to spend, but still worth checking out. Thank you!

 

Do it!

You can’t get a better XJL than a 2019 with a V8. It has all the best upgrades of 10 years of production. Just the 10” CarPlay makes it worth it.

 

And check with Jaguar if it has any warranty left. When I bought my 2019 last summer, it turned out to have 2 years left of warranty and maintenance, but the Mercedes dealer that was selling it had no idea.

When buying a used XJ, having remaining factory is worth a big premium.

 

I agree!

 

I would not be able to live with the brown dash feeling like an old man's car

if the V8 and rear legroom aren't crucial to you, the R-Sport is probably one of the highest level "base model" trims for any vehicle

I'd say R-Sport is close to ~90% of Portfolio, whereas most base models might be like 70% of the upper model

 

This is the one good thing for me about actually being old now. Since my teens, I have always loved old man cars, as well as young man cars, but now I don't have to be ashamed about having an old man's car because I am old. My XJ doesn't have the brown dash, but I love it in this unique not-so-brown, shade of brown. In any case, the whole Jaguar XJ is nothing but an old man's car to the average young person, so you aren't going to avoid that stigma by getting a different color dash. Just face it, you're driving an old man's car, lol.