Does anyone have a suggestion for a rooftop carrier that won’t damage my XJ8 Vanden Plas? I am planning a trip with 3 others and we will need luggage space.
thank you!

 

Have you considered a trailer hitch and putting on one of those luggage racks there? They can get pricey (the mount mainly) depending on what your willing to spend, but definitely won't damage your roof.

Those roof ones can be just as costly for the ones that work best.

 

Thank you HH, always good advise from you. I am, though, a little concerned with someone rear ending me…after all, they’ll be staring at my gorgeous, freshly re-clear coated and polished Jaguar, and not realizing I have an extra 20” sticking off the back end!🤣👍🎸
Thank you sir, I shall consider this option for sure!
On a serious note though, if I wanted to go for the roof, , a good set of roof racks does not pose any issues, as far as you are concerned?

 

An option I'm not fond of, but it would depend on the type of attachment, would be the trunk mounted rack. I put a bicycle one on my girls car and it worked great for a little Mustang, not sure about an XJ8.

 

Thanks HH, I looked into those, rather do the rooftop than that on the XJ8.

 

just my personal opinion as the following statement, our X308 is the last car perhaps on the planet I would think driving to the road trip and with baggage over the roof.

it is totally un reliable and expensive to fix.

unless you really really want to do that, I respect that .

 

Yeah, it's not that I want want to, but I've to to figure how to get 4 people and luggage from Jacksonville to Biloxi, MS. I think the trailer hitch/rear mounted rack that HH suggested may be the best option ay this point. If it will fit inside the trunk after we get there, that would be perfecto. Thank you for your input!

 

Of course, the cost of the hitch, you may be able to buy new clothes when you get there for that amount...lol

Biloxi ey....not to bad a drive really, I-10 and your there...about 6 hrs for you minus fill ups and potty breaks. Use gas buddy app to find best fuel prices and beware of cash only prices.

 

Rent a minivan? That might give you a bit of piece of mind and the cruise control will work! Should give you a bit of better mpg and you won’t have to get some type of luggage carrier and trailer light woes.

 

Actually the roof sills work quite well for a roof rack. Jaguar sold it's own and states 100 kg max weight in the manual ('99, 3.2).
You're not damaging anything if you install it thoroughly. Gas consumption goes up, though.

 

That might have been a Euro option and not an NA one, stuff like that tends to be not popular here. There are many aftermarket ones now, but you'll pay for a reliable one ($400-up)

 

LOL! Well. the cruise control is now working!....NO MINI VANS!! LOL Thanks man...I'm going with a small trailer hitch style system my body guy know about, perfect for my Vanden Plas. It has a small 1.5" round receiver made specifically for a certain tailgate that folds up and also fits in the trunk. He said the receiver won't even be seen when the platform isn't on there.