My XJ Buying Experience
#1
03-15-2011, 09:09 PM
My XJ Buying Experience
In my two year, on again/off again search for my XJ I've been reading this forum and appreciated your perspective and advice. I pulled the trigger on my XJ last week and offer the following narrative on my journey to ownership in hopes of giving back to the forum - and those who are considering a purchase.
My Search
My search was whittled down to a 2007 LWB or VDP, Indigo Blue with Champagne/Mocha interior, less than 30,000 miles for less than $30,000.
Research
How did people do this before the Internet? I trolled the web several hours a week reading reviews and searching listings for two years. Custom searches with email alerts were set up with Autotrader and CarMax (note: Autotrader doesn't email you as soon as a new listing meets your criteria; it seemed the emails with new listings were sent every 24 hours whereas CarMax emailed me the minute a new listing matched my search). I also searched Yahoo autos, and my Favorites menu included over 50 Jaguar dealers up and down the east coast. My favorite site though was Texas Cars Direct with its great photos, fair prices, and sneak peeks into their incoming inventory. I also searched Ebay motors for educational purposes but many of those cars come with an ugly Carfax.
Who to buy from?
Texas Cars Direct: An excellent source for clean pre-owned Jaguars at wholesale prices. Theirs is a no-haggle, high volume operation so their listings gave me a sense as to rock bottom pricing for clean XJs. I also visited their operation during a business trip to the Dallas area and I'm glad I did. This is an honest and reputable operation. Their cars were spotless. You can pass the hours in their showroom without any human interaction. In fact the guys in the office don't even have a view into the warehouse floor. This is where I narrowed down my search criteria. I compared the difference between models, options, and colors here. When I visited they had about 15 XJs under one roof. It was also under their roof where I came to the realization that while XJs photograph well, there's nothing like the feeling you get when you see this car in person. Then you sit behind the wheel and get all tingly. Later on, when my search turned serious, I asked them if they would take down my search criteria (and even a deposit) and keep an eye out with their sources for it. The answer was a resounding no, with instructions for me to just "keep an eye on our site." In the end I didn't get my XJ from them.
Wholesale auto auctions: Not for the faint of heart! When my search turned serious I almost went this route. Most of these outfits are in Florida. I spoke with a guy at Wholesale Auto Network (www.offleaseautobrokers.com) who explained their process to me. It works like this: I give them a detailed description of my ideal car, my top price, and a $1,500 refundable deposit, then they monitor the Manheim auctions. Manheim has about 15 locations across the country and appear to be the biggest player in used car (and lease returns) auctions. They're not open to the public. Once my desired car hit the Manheim auction list (a few days before the auction) they would call me to get my verbal authorization to proceed. They would have an affiliate represent me at auction. The affiliate would conduct a 140 point inspection at the auction site and call me with his assessment. Wholesale Auto Network said they only buy clean Carfax cars needing less than $300 in cosmetic repairs. No cars with histories of accidents or damage. The car, once purchased, would go to these guys in Florida (or I could pick it up if the auction site was near me) for full detail and cosmetic clean-up. Their spiel was intriguing: I get the car I want with a clean Carfax in showroom condition for $1,500 over the auction price. Would I buy a car site unseen? My research dug up no dirt on these guys (except a couple petty complaints on a BMW site) but it was unsettling buying a car I'd never seen from people I'd never met. If price is your ultimate driver, and you can deal with the fact that 'if it isn't nailed down you might not get it' (the car might be delivered without an owners manual, second set of keys, or floor mats) give it consideration. Drawback: my color combo was very specific but their research showed just eight XJLs and VDPs going through the auction this year, ranging from $22,000 - $29,000. In the end I didn't go this route either.
Your local Jaguar dealer: Jaguar salespeople are not aggressive or fast talking. In fact a little assertiveness would be appreciated. Don't expect phenomenal, polished, butler-like service either. I get much better service at The Gap. These guys seem to be order takers. I stalked my local dealership's lot hoping to find a lease return before it hit their site. No such luck. I even stopped in and told my dealer exactly what I was looking for and he took notes the whole time. I hoped he'd keep an eye out, or better yet find the motivation to look through lease agreements from 2007 to see if a lease return was on the horizon, but no such luck. He never called, never wrote. These guys want to sell what's on the lot. They also seem to have a 50/50 mix between Select Edition Certified Preowned and non-CPO ... how do they explain why a late model didn't qualify for CPO to a potential customer? Sadly I didn't buy from my local guy.
Private sellers on Ebay or Autotrader: Private sellers usually offer nice pricing but my color combination never came up.
Side note: If it's too good to be true, run. There are a lot of ugly Carfax XJs and cars with frame damage or hail damage out there on the internet. Read all the fine print if you're not buying from your a Jaguar dealer or Texas Cars Direct. Want to see a couple of these? You're guaranteed to find a car with, ahem, "history" at Off Lease Only in Lake Worth, Fl.
My Purchase
Once I was ready to leap I got impatient. The car I wanted just wasn't out there. Or it was close -- wrong interior color, too many miles, ridiculous asking price, wrong wheel covers, etc. Then I revisited a car that met all my criteria except one; it was slightly over miles - 42k miles, and I wanted under 30k. Upon closer inspection I noticed the car was being sold by a Jaguar dealer (out of state) as a Select Edition Certified Preowned with a full three years left on the warranty until December 2013. My heart started to beat. This was a risk-free compromise for me. I felt safe with a few extra miles backed by the manufacturer's warranty for three years. This was better than a Texas Cars Direct or wholesale auction car because it offered me peace of mind. But would I pay thousands more?
Pricing
I negotiate for a living so I'm not afraid to be pesky and annoying (but not aggressive or rude). In the end I got a price equal to or below what I would've paid to Texas Cars Direct, but again I've got the backing of the dealership and the factory in the form of the warranty (The Jaguar Select Edition Limited Warranty covers any factory-supplied component of the Jaguar vehicle for manufacturing defect, with the exception of minor items). In my negotiations I started stupid low, but not insultingly low, so they had to react to my offer. We went through three rounds of negotiations over the course of one day -- over the phone. The final deal represented a 11% discount off their asking price (about $3,400 off).
Could I have done better? I'll never know. What I do know is I got my ideal car, under my intended price, back with a factory warranty and a dealer who will be in business and will take my calls down the road.
Paperwork signed
Two days after putting down a deposit I flew down for a test drive and finalized the deal. Driving this car scared the hell out of me. I wanted to run back to the airport. I wanted out of the deal. The car felt so damn expensive. Crazy expensive. I was scared to death something would go on the car after I took possession. That night I couldn't sleep. What had I done, purchasing this car? The next day I was on the train reading the Wall Street Journal and I see an ad by Jaguar: "You get behind the wheel. Jaguar stands behind the car." It was for their preowned Select Edition CPO program. That gave me tremendous peace of mind. I laminated the ad at Kinkos and will put it in the glove compartment! lIcing on the cake? They approved me on the spot for 0.9% interest financing though I was prepared to do an all-cash deal. I ended up paying 30% cash and financed the remaining 70% and the finance charge is teeny tiny -- I can do better putting that cash to work in the market and, in the end, reducing my purchase price by growing the money.
The car
The car is currently 700 miles away. The dealer is installing an iPod adapter, Sirius radio, and touching up a few scratches under the front end. Then they throw it on a car carrier and drive it up to me. Expect to have it this time next week. If I have the guts to drive this exquisite vehicle!
Post script
In case you didn't know, the lady who does the navigation has an English accent. Can't wait to hear her say my street name.
My Search
My search was whittled down to a 2007 LWB or VDP, Indigo Blue with Champagne/Mocha interior, less than 30,000 miles for less than $30,000.
Research
How did people do this before the Internet? I trolled the web several hours a week reading reviews and searching listings for two years. Custom searches with email alerts were set up with Autotrader and CarMax (note: Autotrader doesn't email you as soon as a new listing meets your criteria; it seemed the emails with new listings were sent every 24 hours whereas CarMax emailed me the minute a new listing matched my search). I also searched Yahoo autos, and my Favorites menu included over 50 Jaguar dealers up and down the east coast. My favorite site though was Texas Cars Direct with its great photos, fair prices, and sneak peeks into their incoming inventory. I also searched Ebay motors for educational purposes but many of those cars come with an ugly Carfax.
Who to buy from?
Texas Cars Direct: An excellent source for clean pre-owned Jaguars at wholesale prices. Theirs is a no-haggle, high volume operation so their listings gave me a sense as to rock bottom pricing for clean XJs. I also visited their operation during a business trip to the Dallas area and I'm glad I did. This is an honest and reputable operation. Their cars were spotless. You can pass the hours in their showroom without any human interaction. In fact the guys in the office don't even have a view into the warehouse floor. This is where I narrowed down my search criteria. I compared the difference between models, options, and colors here. When I visited they had about 15 XJs under one roof. It was also under their roof where I came to the realization that while XJs photograph well, there's nothing like the feeling you get when you see this car in person. Then you sit behind the wheel and get all tingly. Later on, when my search turned serious, I asked them if they would take down my search criteria (and even a deposit) and keep an eye out with their sources for it. The answer was a resounding no, with instructions for me to just "keep an eye on our site." In the end I didn't get my XJ from them.
Wholesale auto auctions: Not for the faint of heart! When my search turned serious I almost went this route. Most of these outfits are in Florida. I spoke with a guy at Wholesale Auto Network (www.offleaseautobrokers.com) who explained their process to me. It works like this: I give them a detailed description of my ideal car, my top price, and a $1,500 refundable deposit, then they monitor the Manheim auctions. Manheim has about 15 locations across the country and appear to be the biggest player in used car (and lease returns) auctions. They're not open to the public. Once my desired car hit the Manheim auction list (a few days before the auction) they would call me to get my verbal authorization to proceed. They would have an affiliate represent me at auction. The affiliate would conduct a 140 point inspection at the auction site and call me with his assessment. Wholesale Auto Network said they only buy clean Carfax cars needing less than $300 in cosmetic repairs. No cars with histories of accidents or damage. The car, once purchased, would go to these guys in Florida (or I could pick it up if the auction site was near me) for full detail and cosmetic clean-up. Their spiel was intriguing: I get the car I want with a clean Carfax in showroom condition for $1,500 over the auction price. Would I buy a car site unseen? My research dug up no dirt on these guys (except a couple petty complaints on a BMW site) but it was unsettling buying a car I'd never seen from people I'd never met. If price is your ultimate driver, and you can deal with the fact that 'if it isn't nailed down you might not get it' (the car might be delivered without an owners manual, second set of keys, or floor mats) give it consideration. Drawback: my color combo was very specific but their research showed just eight XJLs and VDPs going through the auction this year, ranging from $22,000 - $29,000. In the end I didn't go this route either.
Your local Jaguar dealer: Jaguar salespeople are not aggressive or fast talking. In fact a little assertiveness would be appreciated. Don't expect phenomenal, polished, butler-like service either. I get much better service at The Gap. These guys seem to be order takers. I stalked my local dealership's lot hoping to find a lease return before it hit their site. No such luck. I even stopped in and told my dealer exactly what I was looking for and he took notes the whole time. I hoped he'd keep an eye out, or better yet find the motivation to look through lease agreements from 2007 to see if a lease return was on the horizon, but no such luck. He never called, never wrote. These guys want to sell what's on the lot. They also seem to have a 50/50 mix between Select Edition Certified Preowned and non-CPO ... how do they explain why a late model didn't qualify for CPO to a potential customer? Sadly I didn't buy from my local guy.
Private sellers on Ebay or Autotrader: Private sellers usually offer nice pricing but my color combination never came up.
Side note: If it's too good to be true, run. There are a lot of ugly Carfax XJs and cars with frame damage or hail damage out there on the internet. Read all the fine print if you're not buying from your a Jaguar dealer or Texas Cars Direct. Want to see a couple of these? You're guaranteed to find a car with, ahem, "history" at Off Lease Only in Lake Worth, Fl.
My Purchase
Once I was ready to leap I got impatient. The car I wanted just wasn't out there. Or it was close -- wrong interior color, too many miles, ridiculous asking price, wrong wheel covers, etc. Then I revisited a car that met all my criteria except one; it was slightly over miles - 42k miles, and I wanted under 30k. Upon closer inspection I noticed the car was being sold by a Jaguar dealer (out of state) as a Select Edition Certified Preowned with a full three years left on the warranty until December 2013. My heart started to beat. This was a risk-free compromise for me. I felt safe with a few extra miles backed by the manufacturer's warranty for three years. This was better than a Texas Cars Direct or wholesale auction car because it offered me peace of mind. But would I pay thousands more?
Pricing
I negotiate for a living so I'm not afraid to be pesky and annoying (but not aggressive or rude). In the end I got a price equal to or below what I would've paid to Texas Cars Direct, but again I've got the backing of the dealership and the factory in the form of the warranty (The Jaguar Select Edition Limited Warranty covers any factory-supplied component of the Jaguar vehicle for manufacturing defect, with the exception of minor items). In my negotiations I started stupid low, but not insultingly low, so they had to react to my offer. We went through three rounds of negotiations over the course of one day -- over the phone. The final deal represented a 11% discount off their asking price (about $3,400 off).
Could I have done better? I'll never know. What I do know is I got my ideal car, under my intended price, back with a factory warranty and a dealer who will be in business and will take my calls down the road.
Paperwork signed
Two days after putting down a deposit I flew down for a test drive and finalized the deal. Driving this car scared the hell out of me. I wanted to run back to the airport. I wanted out of the deal. The car felt so damn expensive. Crazy expensive. I was scared to death something would go on the car after I took possession. That night I couldn't sleep. What had I done, purchasing this car? The next day I was on the train reading the Wall Street Journal and I see an ad by Jaguar: "You get behind the wheel. Jaguar stands behind the car." It was for their preowned Select Edition CPO program. That gave me tremendous peace of mind. I laminated the ad at Kinkos and will put it in the glove compartment! lIcing on the cake? They approved me on the spot for 0.9% interest financing though I was prepared to do an all-cash deal. I ended up paying 30% cash and financed the remaining 70% and the finance charge is teeny tiny -- I can do better putting that cash to work in the market and, in the end, reducing my purchase price by growing the money.
The car
The car is currently 700 miles away. The dealer is installing an iPod adapter, Sirius radio, and touching up a few scratches under the front end. Then they throw it on a car carrier and drive it up to me. Expect to have it this time next week. If I have the guts to drive this exquisite vehicle!
Post script
In case you didn't know, the lady who does the navigation has an English accent. Can't wait to hear her say my street name.
The following 5 users liked this post by GregW:
amcdonal86 (03-16-2011),
MBary (03-22-2011),
mckellyb (03-15-2011),
Road_King (03-16-2011),
rspencer1212 (01-22-2012)
#2
03-15-2011, 09:59 PM
Great read!
Even more so because Texas Cars Direct just had the '05 Super V8 come in that I've been waiting to see. I want my first experience with one of these machines to be the one I expect I'll like the most, namely the Vanden Plas equipment with the 'blown' motor.
Oh. Yeah.
I'm about to see if my wife will meet me over there, tomorrow, sometime during the day, so I can check it out. I'm still wrestling with the fact I drive 75 miles/day in my commute, though it is a quite relaxed commute, and I figure, if I'm gonna spend two hours in the car per day, I should really enjoy it!
Also, many of us, I'm certain, are old enough to recall scanning the classifieds first thing Friday morning, 'cause that's when new ads appeared. At least in the sorely-missed Dallas Morning News and the still-around-and-still-lame Times Herald appeared due to the 10 day pricing. Two Sundays for $10.
I don't miss the so-called good old days.... Gimme the 'Net, craigslist, and a telephone. Wait...it's where?! Let me check flights....
Even more so because Texas Cars Direct just had the '05 Super V8 come in that I've been waiting to see. I want my first experience with one of these machines to be the one I expect I'll like the most, namely the Vanden Plas equipment with the 'blown' motor.
Oh. Yeah.
I'm about to see if my wife will meet me over there, tomorrow, sometime during the day, so I can check it out. I'm still wrestling with the fact I drive 75 miles/day in my commute, though it is a quite relaxed commute, and I figure, if I'm gonna spend two hours in the car per day, I should really enjoy it!
Also, many of us, I'm certain, are old enough to recall scanning the classifieds first thing Friday morning, 'cause that's when new ads appeared. At least in the sorely-missed Dallas Morning News and the still-around-and-still-lame Times Herald appeared due to the 10 day pricing. Two Sundays for $10.
I don't miss the so-called good old days.... Gimme the 'Net, craigslist, and a telephone. Wait...it's where?! Let me check flights....
Last edited by mckellyb; 03-15-2011 at 10:03 PM.
#5
03-16-2011, 09:05 AM
you sound like me..
I Live in Mississippi and due to the internet have purchase vehicles in (4) Florida, (3) Texas, (1) Tennessee, (1) Colorado, (1) Virginia, (1) North Carolina, and seriously considered many other locations.
Currrent Jag came from a used wholesale dealer in Palm Beach Florida, flew down and drove it back.. I have only walked away from one car. I usually fly where ever and drive it back.
I bought a boat in Tennessee too.
I Live in Mississippi and due to the internet have purchase vehicles in (4) Florida, (3) Texas, (1) Tennessee, (1) Colorado, (1) Virginia, (1) North Carolina, and seriously considered many other locations.
Currrent Jag came from a used wholesale dealer in Palm Beach Florida, flew down and drove it back.. I have only walked away from one car. I usually fly where ever and drive it back.
I bought a boat in Tennessee too.
#7
03-16-2011, 10:46 AM
...great job GregW! You did well in getting the XJ with the Select Warranty. What did you get anyway?? The warranty will definitely come in handy. I bought my 2006 SuperV8 at 47K miles but it had the Select Warranty due to prior issues, and boy, did it come in handy. Repairs ain't cheap dude! It took me four months and I finally got all the bugs out. I am feeling much better now. The prior owner wasn't too nice to the kitty. Since you bought it from a dealer, they got your back. Otherwise, everything comes out of your pocket. Basically, you saved $4500---the price of an extended warranty.
When the dealer took my proposal, I felt the same way you did. Oh no, what did I do!?? Crap, I'm stuck now.
Anyway, you can change the English accent to American if you wish, or alternatively, 5 other foreign (European) languages. Have fun with the car, it's a fun learning curve. And thanks for the educational message. I always wondered about the auctions and direct whole-sale dealers.
When the dealer took my proposal, I felt the same way you did. Oh no, what did I do!?? Crap, I'm stuck now.
Anyway, you can change the English accent to American if you wish, or alternatively, 5 other foreign (European) languages. Have fun with the car, it's a fun learning curve. And thanks for the educational message. I always wondered about the auctions and direct whole-sale dealers.
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#8
03-16-2011, 11:12 AM
Veteran Member
Well done on getting the car you wanted after such a lengthy search.
Here in the UK there is plenty of choice for X350s, but a trawl of the internet is also "de rigeur" nowadays, and it was just such a trawl that found me my current XJ6 3 litre Sport, (a car not exported to the US). And best of all it was very close in what we call the Potteries, where Wedgwood and Royal Doulton china used to come from.
Like you I wanted low miles, but not having much dough, bought a 2003 in Jaguar Racing Green with only 30k miles on it, and one owner. A short warranty for the main parts only included, which I extended. I just have to gamble nothing really bad goes wrong and exceeds the claim limit. I paid £10k (=$16k).
So far, after 10 months and 11k miles all is mainly well, except I needed an air suspension compressor, and some paintwork. I get it serviced at the main agents at Wilmslow, near Manchester at very reasonable prices. No tyres needed yet !
Having just test driven an XF diesel I am minded to replace it at some time with the equivalent XJ as it's the same engine. Performance is better but fuel consumption is better by a mile.
Here in the UK there is plenty of choice for X350s, but a trawl of the internet is also "de rigeur" nowadays, and it was just such a trawl that found me my current XJ6 3 litre Sport, (a car not exported to the US). And best of all it was very close in what we call the Potteries, where Wedgwood and Royal Doulton china used to come from.
Like you I wanted low miles, but not having much dough, bought a 2003 in Jaguar Racing Green with only 30k miles on it, and one owner. A short warranty for the main parts only included, which I extended. I just have to gamble nothing really bad goes wrong and exceeds the claim limit. I paid £10k (=$16k).
So far, after 10 months and 11k miles all is mainly well, except I needed an air suspension compressor, and some paintwork. I get it serviced at the main agents at Wilmslow, near Manchester at very reasonable prices. No tyres needed yet !
Having just test driven an XF diesel I am minded to replace it at some time with the equivalent XJ as it's the same engine. Performance is better but fuel consumption is better by a mile.
#9
03-16-2011, 04:56 PM
My new XJ8 VDP
Last week I acquired my first Jaguar, a 2006 XJ8 VDP in zircon blue with ivory interior. My own story is a bit odd because in the past I have driven an eclectic mix of cars, including a Mini 850, a Wolseley 16/60, several MkIII Cortinas, an AlfaSud, a VW Passat, an Alfa 146, a Mazda3 etc etc., (I'm an expat Brit) but I came to a point in my life where I felt the need for something very special.
I was initially attracted to VW Phaetons because of the exceptional engineering and the fact that they are so rare, especially here in Los Angeles and I think they look wonderful. Also, although BMWs and Mercedes are no doubt wonderful cars I did not like the fact that there are so many of them around (and the iDrive knob put me off). Hence, I turned my attention to looking at an XJ.
On my 50th birthday last week, my wife and I took the day off to see a car advertized in cars.com at an Orange County Jaguar dealer. It looked rather nice, but I agree with others who have stated just how beautiful these cars are in the flesh. It took my breath away. We'd seen a Phaeton earlier that day but it was a high mileage example and in my wife's eyes looked too teutonic. What sealed the deal on my XJ was the amazingly low miles (JUST 11,600). This is for a 2006 car. The price was well under $30k and I bought a 5 year/100,000 warranty. I now have a stunning car with a good warranty for about the same price as a fully loaded Accord or Camry.
It is simply an amazing car.
Funnily enough, when we went down to collect it on Saturday, right there in the customer parking area was a VW Phaeton (W12); the owner had been looking at new XJs, judging by the brochure on the passenger seat!
I'm looking forward to using this forum!
I was initially attracted to VW Phaetons because of the exceptional engineering and the fact that they are so rare, especially here in Los Angeles and I think they look wonderful. Also, although BMWs and Mercedes are no doubt wonderful cars I did not like the fact that there are so many of them around (and the iDrive knob put me off). Hence, I turned my attention to looking at an XJ.
On my 50th birthday last week, my wife and I took the day off to see a car advertized in cars.com at an Orange County Jaguar dealer. It looked rather nice, but I agree with others who have stated just how beautiful these cars are in the flesh. It took my breath away. We'd seen a Phaeton earlier that day but it was a high mileage example and in my wife's eyes looked too teutonic. What sealed the deal on my XJ was the amazingly low miles (JUST 11,600). This is for a 2006 car. The price was well under $30k and I bought a 5 year/100,000 warranty. I now have a stunning car with a good warranty for about the same price as a fully loaded Accord or Camry.
It is simply an amazing car.
Funnily enough, when we went down to collect it on Saturday, right there in the customer parking area was a VW Phaeton (W12); the owner had been looking at new XJs, judging by the brochure on the passenger seat!
I'm looking forward to using this forum!
#10
03-16-2011, 05:50 PM
Veteran Member
#11
03-16-2011, 08:32 PM
I've seen one of them, in rural central Texas, and thought, "wow...that car is really outta place".
Any car designed to, and successful at, hold(ing) an interior temp of 68F, in 120F ambient, at 120 MPH, or something to that degree, no pun intended, is quite impressive.
#12
03-16-2011, 09:22 PM
Veteran Member
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#13
03-18-2011, 06:03 PM
Senior Member
Yeah, the Phaeton positively fascinates the wanna-be designer/engineer side of me, but it turns out the execution is still VW.
I've seen one of them, in rural central Texas, and thought, "wow...that car is really outta place".
Any car designed to, and successful at, hold(ing) an interior temp of 68F, in 120F ambient, at 120 MPH, or something to that degree, no pun intended, is quite impressive.
I've seen one of them, in rural central Texas, and thought, "wow...that car is really outta place".
Any car designed to, and successful at, hold(ing) an interior temp of 68F, in 120F ambient, at 120 MPH, or something to that degree, no pun intended, is quite impressive.
Yep, I'll never buy another VW. I dropped $48K on an earlier (1st MY, I know, I know) loaded VW Touareg. It was a bad car and the dealers were even worse. They are not setup to deal with such a complex car and had to refer to head office for everything. To add insult to injury they failed on many occasions to provide a loaner car and one time I had the beg them to get me a car, which turned out to be a Buick something or other for 6 days whilst they scratched their heads trying to fix one of the many problems with the car. In the first 6 months of ownership it was in the shop for 5 weeks. In the end VW bought it back from me rather than go to court and have the whole sorry story splashed all over the papers.... I heard similar horror stories over on the Phaeton BB's about how bad the service was and how many electrical gremlins there were with the car and boy could I empathize with that story! No wonder they withdrew it from the market. I'd buy an A8 over the Phaeton any day of the week.
- Tim
#14
03-18-2011, 07:12 PM
Junior Member
Me Too
Greg congratulations.
I am also a new XJ owner (with a big smile on his face). I had a very similar experience. I have been stalking the dealer for an 07 or 08, but it was always the wrong color, too many miles or outside my budget. They had a radiance red which would have been perfect except for the color. My number one choice was indigo with the Champagne interior and my second choice was black on black. I have been searching cars.com, autotrader.com and jaguar.com everyday. I saw an 08 indigo at a Plano Texas dealership the miles were higher that I was searching for, but I was willing to compromise. When I called, they had sold it. I then saw an emerald green 08 XJR not far away at a used car dealership for $32k and when I called to ask about it they also had just sold it. My dealer then called and said that they just got an emerald green 08 XJR in that they were still going through to certify, but I was welcome to look at it. I went to look at it and it was the same car that I saw for $32k, but the dealership was now asking $40k which was outside of my budget. I also though that $8K for certification was expensive.
I was very discouraged and wondering whether an XJ8 might be out of reach for me. I then discovered an Internet dealer called eImports4less. They had an 07 XJ8 black on black with 32k miles. The family and I took the 4 hour drive down to look at it and it was absolutely perfect. They had hundreds of low milage european imports at very good prices. Roger the salesmen was extremely helpful, so the family and I went for a test drive and we were sold. I drove it home on wednesday and could not be happier. For a 4 door sedan it is very sporty and smooth. My daughters have named the car BB for Black Beauty.
I was surprised even though BB does not have the premium sound system the audio system is very good. I am installing a DICE FMRDS UBS Pro this weekend for IPOD connectivity.
Before winter I will need a set of snow tires, and the battery appears to be the original one so I am sure it will be ready to replace. Other than that the car is very sound and drives like a dream.
I would post a picture, but I have not figured that out yet. I love this forum, I have been reading it for several months trying to understand what to look for in a used XJ8. I would like to think know what problems to look out for made me a better consumer.
I am also a new XJ owner (with a big smile on his face). I had a very similar experience. I have been stalking the dealer for an 07 or 08, but it was always the wrong color, too many miles or outside my budget. They had a radiance red which would have been perfect except for the color. My number one choice was indigo with the Champagne interior and my second choice was black on black. I have been searching cars.com, autotrader.com and jaguar.com everyday. I saw an 08 indigo at a Plano Texas dealership the miles were higher that I was searching for, but I was willing to compromise. When I called, they had sold it. I then saw an emerald green 08 XJR not far away at a used car dealership for $32k and when I called to ask about it they also had just sold it. My dealer then called and said that they just got an emerald green 08 XJR in that they were still going through to certify, but I was welcome to look at it. I went to look at it and it was the same car that I saw for $32k, but the dealership was now asking $40k which was outside of my budget. I also though that $8K for certification was expensive.
I was very discouraged and wondering whether an XJ8 might be out of reach for me. I then discovered an Internet dealer called eImports4less. They had an 07 XJ8 black on black with 32k miles. The family and I took the 4 hour drive down to look at it and it was absolutely perfect. They had hundreds of low milage european imports at very good prices. Roger the salesmen was extremely helpful, so the family and I went for a test drive and we were sold. I drove it home on wednesday and could not be happier. For a 4 door sedan it is very sporty and smooth. My daughters have named the car BB for Black Beauty.
I was surprised even though BB does not have the premium sound system the audio system is very good. I am installing a DICE FMRDS UBS Pro this weekend for IPOD connectivity.
Before winter I will need a set of snow tires, and the battery appears to be the original one so I am sure it will be ready to replace. Other than that the car is very sound and drives like a dream.
I would post a picture, but I have not figured that out yet. I love this forum, I have been reading it for several months trying to understand what to look for in a used XJ8. I would like to think know what problems to look out for made me a better consumer.
#15
03-19-2011, 09:19 AM
Yep, I'll never buy another VW. I dropped $48K on an earlier (1st MY, I know, I know) loaded VW Touareg. It was a bad car and the dealers were even worse. They are not setup to deal with such a complex car and had to refer to head office for everything. To add insult to injury they failed on many occasions to provide a loaner car and one time I had the beg them to get me a car, which turned out to be a Buick something or other for 6 days whilst they scratched their heads trying to fix one of the many problems with the car. In the first 6 months of ownership it was in the shop for 5 weeks. In the end VW bought it back from me rather than go to court and have the whole sorry story splashed all over the papers.... I heard similar horror stories over on the Phaeton BB's about how bad the service was and how many electrical gremlins there were with the car and boy could I empathize with that story! No wonder they withdrew it from the market. I'd buy an A8 over the Phaeton any day of the week.
- Tim
- Tim
I, too, have stumbled down the first-model-year path, even though I tell anyone who asks, AVOID THE FIRST MODEL YEAR.
This was with a Suzuki Grand Vitara, and knowing it was relegated to be the Colorado winter car, I wasn't in love with it, but by a year later, I'd grown to dislike it.
After the fourth rear differential breaking various gears (sometimes the ring, sometimes the pinion) between 55K and 75K miles, I could no longer tolerate looking at it.
Lesson learned.
#16
03-20-2011, 08:10 PM
I took delivery last night
Last night my phone rang at 9pm, it was the driver of a car carrier, he was 90-120 minutes away and wanted to finalize the drop off. I purchased my car 10 days ago and was waiting while the dealer installed the iPod kit, Sirius satellite, and touched up some curb rash.
We met in a parking lot at 11pm. My XJ was up on top of his massive car carrier. The car was sitting among other makes and models and it really stood out, it looked triumphant up there, and suddenly I remembered Jaguar's "Gorgeous" television ad campaign in the US from a couple years ago where the announcer used the word gorgeous a million times (you can see it YouTube). The driver drove the car off the truck, had me sign a form, didn't check my ID or anything, then said "enjoy" and we were done. Suddenly I was alone in the car I'd been wanting to buy for years, in an empty parking lot late at night. I'm sure many of you can imagine how I felt behind the wheel, knowing it was mine all mine.
I love the car, and so does the family. It's a bittersweet experience because from today forward the car is only going to get older so I'm appreciating these early days of ownership.
Question for you - the interior has a distinct Jaguar scent, I remember it from most of the XJs I test drove - someone asked me 'are you sure the previous owner wasn't a smoker?' but I'm insisting it's the leather. It's the same scent I remember from the XJs at TCD and others I've been in. Any thoughts? Now this person put doubt in my mind, but I'm still thinking it's the Jaguar leather scent.
Hey MickJagguar, I read your posting and you're killing me! You must be in the Connecticut area, I test drove that Radiance 07 in Hartford and fell in love with the car, it just wasn't my color choice, I was holding out for Indigo with Champagne. They showed me the 08 green car too, it was in their garage getting ready for sale. I more of an 07 or earlier person, I like the chrome around the back bumpers and the traditional grille. Congratulations on your purchase, say hi to your kitty for me.
We met in a parking lot at 11pm. My XJ was up on top of his massive car carrier. The car was sitting among other makes and models and it really stood out, it looked triumphant up there, and suddenly I remembered Jaguar's "Gorgeous" television ad campaign in the US from a couple years ago where the announcer used the word gorgeous a million times (you can see it YouTube). The driver drove the car off the truck, had me sign a form, didn't check my ID or anything, then said "enjoy" and we were done. Suddenly I was alone in the car I'd been wanting to buy for years, in an empty parking lot late at night. I'm sure many of you can imagine how I felt behind the wheel, knowing it was mine all mine.
I love the car, and so does the family. It's a bittersweet experience because from today forward the car is only going to get older so I'm appreciating these early days of ownership.
Question for you - the interior has a distinct Jaguar scent, I remember it from most of the XJs I test drove - someone asked me 'are you sure the previous owner wasn't a smoker?' but I'm insisting it's the leather. It's the same scent I remember from the XJs at TCD and others I've been in. Any thoughts? Now this person put doubt in my mind, but I'm still thinking it's the Jaguar leather scent.
Hey MickJagguar, I read your posting and you're killing me! You must be in the Connecticut area, I test drove that Radiance 07 in Hartford and fell in love with the car, it just wasn't my color choice, I was holding out for Indigo with Champagne. They showed me the 08 green car too, it was in their garage getting ready for sale. I more of an 07 or earlier person, I like the chrome around the back bumpers and the traditional grille. Congratulations on your purchase, say hi to your kitty for me.
#17
03-20-2011, 09:08 PM
Veteran Member
Congratulations!
As for the scent, mine had a strange scent when I first got it. It was strongest in the trunk. Apparently the vent tube on the battery had popped off, and water (may have been overfilled at one point) was leaking from the battery to underneath the spare tire. Once I cleaned this up, the smell went away and it smells like it should, of rich wood and leather everywhere!
As for the scent, mine had a strange scent when I first got it. It was strongest in the trunk. Apparently the vent tube on the battery had popped off, and water (may have been overfilled at one point) was leaking from the battery to underneath the spare tire. Once I cleaned this up, the smell went away and it smells like it should, of rich wood and leather everywhere!
#18
03-20-2011, 09:39 PM
#19
03-23-2011, 07:50 AM
Navigation Voice
So how do you change the voice? I've never been able to find a setting for this ('07 VDP)
Anyway, you can change the English accent to American if you wish, or alternatively, 5 other foreign (European) languages. Have fun with the car, it's a fun learning curve. And thanks for the educational message. I always wondered about the auctions and direct whole-sale dealers.[/QUOTE]
Anyway, you can change the English accent to American if you wish, or alternatively, 5 other foreign (European) languages. Have fun with the car, it's a fun learning curve. And thanks for the educational message. I always wondered about the auctions and direct whole-sale dealers.[/QUOTE]
#20
03-24-2011, 07:36 PM
