Well I'm new here and just graduated University in summer out in Tokyo and moved here to Montreal.

I finally landed my first job which is in marketing but I will be making a starting salary of $30, 000 a year (BEFORE TAX), my overall monthly living costs (without a car) is at $1500 (or $18000/year).

I want my first car to be memorable, something that I can tell my kid about and then tell him he wont be getting one, but he can enjoy his Nissan Versa hahaha.
I am looking for luxury, power, safety, reliability and something that I can fit in.

Being 6ft 3 or so doesnt make me a monster by any means but I have long legs (my father is around 6ft 5 and my legs are longer than his). I do have experience driving very large vehicles as my primary learning vehicle and what I drove whenever I was back in Canada for vacation was a 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500HD crew cab/mid size box (6ft & 1/2?) but I dont have much experience city driving.

I found a 2000 Jaguar XJ8 VDP but someone I know (who owns multiple jags) told me to find a 1995 XJ6 as they are by far the most reliable and affordable.

I have up to $5000 to spend on the car straight up and plan on driving in Montreal though the winter as well .

I am very weary however whether or not I can actually afford one over the long run with repairs etc for the next few years and that's why I am here. I was hoping to get some insight as to whether is a good invest idea or not?

Anyways thanks to everyone in advance, I have been lurking around for a while and I know there are a ton of amazing members!

 

The "X300" XJ6s (1995-96-97 in North America) are very good Jaguars but they're reaching the age and/or mileage where some problems can be expected....so don't expect a drive-it-and-forget-it ownership experience.

Being able to do your own repairs makes a world of difference in the overall affordability of any used Jag.

There's a buyers guide at the top of this section in the "X300 FAQ Quick Link" thread.

Cheers
DD

 

Thisis really properly good choice , AJL6 is a powerful engine yet durable as well .However, rust issues can be found under wheel arches

 

I'm 6'3" also one suggestion I have is that to my knowlege all MY95's are SWB. In MY96 Jaguar added the extended wheelbase( VDP and XJ12). Also I believe MY97 offered the XJ6L.

If your going to have passengers alot mabye look into the LWB. There is no way I could fit behind myself in my 95. The seat is all the way back, Steering wheel is all the way in and all the way up. However once I get my legs in it's the most comfortable car I've ever drove. Just took a little getting used to at first.

Other than that, follow the advice with the buyers guide and good luck with your search. A Jaguar as a 1st car is pretty impressive.

 

Thanks, I've already downloaded and read it

I don't have any experience with car maintenance/repairs but I do have the will to learn. But from what I hear with jags if you don't know, go to a tech don't try to do it on your own?

Would undercoating it protect it enough from rust issues? Rust is my primary concern with pretty much any car I buy since Montreal apparently uses ridiculous amounts of salt throughout the winter.

It will mainly be me and my girlfriend with the odd passenger so that's not a major concern but I am glad to hear I fit. I would prefer a VDP over a regular XJ6 haha, I am a sucker for limited anything.

Thanks everyone!

 

I have a 95 Jaguar VDP. This is the most reliable Jag I have owned. I was thinking about getting something newer, but then I would have to get familiar with the newer one. Anyway, my car has about 267170 miles on it. Only problem I have right now is due to me hitting a few Hogs and tearing my wire harness. Hey, but this car is strong, durable and safe. There was no body damaged after the impact and I was safe. Of course the Lord was watching over me.

 

Thats pretty impressive JaguarVDP!

 

I am not an expert but undercoating would work may be it's already too late .However , these are not big deals , post '92 models have better protection .I had a '95 X300 and it had no rust literally whereas I had '88 XJ40 it was a rust bag lol

 

I have a 1995 Vanden Plas from South Carolina with 82,000 miles. I have six Jags and itis my favorite. Beautiful interior with the wood picnic tables in the back, etc. My suggestion is to get something from the South (but not near the ocean) and you should be good for a couple of years on rust. You can do much of the work yourself if you are willing to learn. Look around for prices on parts - they vary dramatically - some stuff you can find locally - some you have to buy from speciality Jaguar sources.

Great cars - probably right in your price range for one below 100K miles.

Good luck.

Richard Lindsey

 

The reason I want to undercoat is from what I hear and from the cars I see here they have a bit of an over-salting issue.

I thought undercoating would be fine so long as it was only summer driven?

Thanks for the tip, so by the South I assume you mean Texas, Nevada, New Mexico?

Cheers

 

Just anywhere there is not salt. The problem with the southwest is if the cars are left outside for long periods of time, it dries out the leather. Of course, if the car is taken care of and stored in a garage, the interior should be fine regardless of where you are.

 

delete