I see a lot of nice Jaguars for sale with close to 100k or a little over and they have been maintained and serviced has anyone bought such a car and has it been reliable ? should I look at vehicles with less miles ?

 

I did buy such a car a few months ago. A 2005 Jaguar XJR with 99,000 miles on the clock.
I researched this car for almost a year before buying and thought I would have to go for a 2004 model because of a tight budget. Also they were very few and far between in my area. Then this one came up 40 miles ago at a dealer in high end off lease cars where he took the XJR in as a trade.
The Carfax reported it as a single owner car and detailed maintenance that looked good. I am well aware that a lot can be missed on a Carfax report.
It was and still is in nearly new condition cosmetically and drives extremely well. I have put nearly 3,000 on it with a trip to Maine and back and lots of short trips in good weather. I do all the maintenance myself on all my cars and have owned Jaguars in the past.
I have upgraded it with VACM, Bluetooth, rear view camera, and a trunk pedestal spoiler. I need to change the trany fluid, supercharger fluid and rear axle fluid. Maybe a got lucky. I have certainly read some horror stories in this forum but also some excellent help is available here.
Oh I did have a slight leak in my right rear shock, in cold weather, which a slight turn of the coupling for the air feed cured.

 

The answer is 'it depends' as you can imagine.

From a dealer you run the risk that a poorly cared for car has been detailed into looking like a well cared for one. However, if it were from a private party that you could speak with, get a feel for how well they looked after the car, or if they could afford to have it well looked after, then I believe you could get a great 'bang for the buck' car.

Where the car lived, the conditions it drove in, the type of driving, etc. makes a huge difference over a hundred thousand miles. If you found a car, with detailed receipts and records, that had a 110K on the clock -- it could be a significantly better and more reliable car than one with 70K that has been spruced up for a dealers lot.

To give just one example... if an owner when they first got an air suspension fault, had it properly taken care of right away, that car is a better long term investment than the car where the owner ignored the problem for a couple of years "because the car always rose up after I started the engine". Because the latter example now has an overworked compressor and stress on the other components because one leaking shock was not replaced until it was time to sell.

 

I also bought such a car---2004 XJ Vanden Plas with about 107K miles.It came with most of the service records including invoices from jaguar dealers for about $15k over the past 4 yrs,including new coolant recovery tank and hoses,new throttle body,replaced rear crankshaft seal, the 100k mile service and other stuff.

It still had leaking transmission cooler lines and transmission oil pan leak---but I had a new transmission pan and transmission fluid "in stock".Also the power folding mirrors did not fold.
All the other stuff looked good,so new oil lines($199),two new mirror bodies($600),transmission pan and fluid($200),do all my own work and should be good for another 60K miles without too much expense.

It will be interesting comparing with my 2004 S Type regarding reliability.

Anyway, to reiterate comments above,if you have all or most of the maintenance history, the car is in good shape,price in known repairs and if you can do most of your own repairs--go for it.

 

I would. One that had a loving owner (like mine!).

One thing to remember is from Cambo's FAQ:

"Full Service History?
You need to be aware that an X350 at 95'000 miles, even if it's been service "by the book" will be on it's original spark plugs, transmission fluid, power-steering fluid, differential oil, drive belts, and possibly even it's coolant. Make of that what you will."

 

I would most likely give it a second thought if it still retained the problematic air suspension as there would simply be better values out there.

 

Yep,depending on price. Good for many years yet. Budget in the known's from those in the know from here. It is 10 years old but good maintenance is everything.

 

I would not buy any vehicle for daily driver that has more than 50K miles. It's just me. No matter how much proper maintenance done, most vehicle with higher mileages will break down due to normal wear and tear. If its just a weekend car, go for it. Both of my previous Jaguars I sold when they reached 100k miles. I meticulously maintained both Jags but I can hear and feel the cars changes overtime when they reached 100 K miles.

 

In a word yes. 100K miles with good maintenance is 'almost new' with modern cars. Still a teenager

I bought a beautifully looked after (mechanically and cosmetically) Lincoln SUV last year that had 130K miles at the time. Paid almost nothing for it and it's been a dream to own and drive.

 

Just as a counterpoint... Years ago when I was looking for a V12 XJS, I found a car with 42K that looked like it was showroom new. When I took to an independent Jag specialist for a buyer's check, his first words to me were "walk away, it not only needs thousands of dollars of work now, it'll will need thousands more down the line."

I also know of someone who has over 400K on an V12 XJS, and the heads have never come off. If you saw the car in parking lot, you'd admire it and never imagine how many miles it had seen.

What is the total cost of ownership going from 50K to 100K versus going from 100K to 150K?

Like I said, "it depends"...

Cheers

 

"I would not buy any vehicle for daily driver that has more than 50K miles"

With the respect it deserves Anna we are not all financially able to do that.

 

Hi tailfin joe,

I've pondered your question, and here are my thoughts: I would be hesitant to purchase any out-of-warranty luxury-performance car unless I had the tools, knowledge and time to do most of the service and repairs myself. If I had to rely on a dealer or independent professional mechanic, I'd be inclined to recommend a borderline-luxury model with a history of being less expensive to maintain (the Toyota Avalon comes to mind).

On the other hand, if you can do most service and repairs yourself, and you find a clean well-maintained Jaguar at the right price, you will absolutely love owning and driving it, and you'll find most of the service and repair information you need right here at the Jaguar Forums.

That's my two cents.

Cheers,

Don

 

I am pleased with people's fear of buying our type of cars with some miles. Makes them cheaper for me.
I bought mine at 99k miles, did plugs, transmission and sc oil change. Now at 150k miles and done a battery and coolant hoses and discs. I am now waiting for someone to have afear of an F type.

 

I bought a 2004 x350 with 160000 miles, did a radiator, trans pan/fluid change, and a new battery. It is my daily driver, so far no problems... Paid less than $6000.00 for it.... Looks like new, expect to easily get 230000 miles out of it, then sell it for about $8000.00 when I'm done with it😊

 

I feel the same way miles are miles I have looked at some and all the right parts have been replaced , but since these are high -end cars they have so many parts and modules that you hope that only normal wear tear items might have to be replaced , but then again I"ve seen low miles car nickel and dime people to death.

 

Gippsland,

That is not true. I started searching for a low miles 2004 XJ8 around three years ago. They were in a range for $12,000.00 to $18,000.00. However, it appeared that Jaguar XJ8's value depreciated so fast that if once looks hard enough, a 2004 Jaguar with low miles can be purchase for less than $8,000.00 now a day. I got mine for $6,500.00 couple months ago with 4,7000 miles.

 

At 47000 miles I would expect to be just at the beginning of a lot of deferred maintainance issues... Transmission, brakes, cooling system, suspension bushings etc... I would much rather let the previous owner pay for all of that and enjoy the car after he pays the bill😄

 

After a lot of research, about 2 years ago I bought an 04 VDP with 144k for a good price. I've done the typical maintenance it needs at that mileage, now have over 191k, and feel as if it runs like new. I agree with Don's earlier post that the higher mileage luxury vehicle is expensive to maintain unless you can do the work yourself and have access to a local Jag dealer when needed. I think I made a good decision with the purchase.

 

How much work do you do yourself ? and from 144k to 191k how much have you spent in repairs ? ,has most of your electronics held up well because of the high miles?

 

I had rotors and pads put on front first thing. Indy shop did that for too much $. After that I've done everything myself, including coilovers, dimmer switch replacement, headlight bulbs, water pump/serpentine belt, thermostat tower (it was leaking because of a crack along the seam), front outer tie rods, and an emission problem (I ended up doing spark plugs, reman fuel injectors, O2 sensors, and catalytic converter--I used an Eastern Catalytic that fit exactly for about $250, and GB reman fuel injectors for a total of around $200--got rid of all my codes and runs great now). Also did trans flush with new pan/filter. The only non-working electronic item is the park assist; weren't working when I got her and don't really value having it fixed. Rain sensing wipers weren't working, but maybe it was you who suggested checking the sensor--it had been disconnected, but works now after reconnecting. All the other electronics work fine. All this would have cost me many thousands at the dealer.