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A couple of forum members who were heavy contributors (one in GA and another in Philly area) went with XFs for daily drives and were never heard from again. Maybe that's the best route although the 5 liter engines have had trouble with tensioners, water pumps, and a mechanical fuel pump that is incredibly noisy.
Another sedan I was considering that I liked, but never could find one in the used car market was the Infiniti Q70/M56 with the v8. I could only find the 3.7L to test drive. Only things I didn't like about it were the bug-eyed headlights and the hood over the instrument cluster, but other than those minor styling things I thought it was a great sedan. It would likely be more reliable than a Jaguar but oh well. Had a v8 with standard suspension come along before the XF, I probably would have bought one. Apparently something like only one in five hundred came equipped with the v8 and almost all of those were optioned with the stiffer sport suspension and 20 inch wheels with rubber band tires.
Test drove a 2016 Infiniti Q-50 today w/ 13,000 miles majestic white on premium caramel leather(custom option oppossed to the graphite leatherette). Sweet,sweet machine for sure. Motivated private seller & me anticipating a windfall of cash next week, may equal another addition to the drive way lol.
Last edited by King Charles; 06-08-2018 at 05:49 PM.
My 2002 XJR has been extremely reliable for the almost four years I’ve owned it but it only has 80,000 miles. If I were to decide to replace it (I’m not!), I’d seriously consider looking for a low mileage 2003 XJR. Or maybe a Super V8 for something a little different.
I had a 2008 Lexus LS460L for six years and I have to say that was absolutely the finest car I’ve ever owned. I actually miss it even after owning it as long as I did.
Regarding a Masarati, I agree, they are so sexy. But their reputation for being so unreliable and expensive to own would keep me away.
I went Italian but made in Poland Can't complain. Good economy, no rattles, sturdy quality. Basically that what my XJ couldn't provide... And a turning circle of around 9m...
The major difference between an X-308 and a Maserati Quattroporte is the exhaust note. I accompanied my friend to do a test drive and consider the sound simply deafening and cannot stand it after 5 minutes driving. Another concern for a DIY'er would be the cost and availability of parts which simply cannot match Jaguar's.
I like the looks of the X-351 and its aluminium body, but they are now on air suspension struts and they are very expensive to replace.
The BMW E38 740iL is very reliable and solid but comes with less chrome than a VDP but still looks quite stately.
You are like me, in the fact that you don't want a common car. What about a sports car? C4 ZR-1. Still the only the DOHC vette to this day. If you stroke it to 441 cubic inches, you'll make 900 horsepower NA. The zf6 trans is one the toughest trans ever put into a vette. C4s handle amazing, especially if you have a z07, z51 or zr-1 car. A z07 car has the exact same suspension as a zr-1, but with stiffer spring rates.
I really like 2003-2006 Mercedes E55 AMG's, and they're known to be pretty reliable, and they're supercharged.
I think Pontiac G8's are nice too. The G8 GT and the G8 GXP have a NA V8 in them--they also made a V6.
You can find them for under $20k for sure.
The time has come. The Jag will be fully paid off on Friday, and I've even decided what the replacement will be. In carrying on my tradition of purchasing European cars with 100k miles on them and then making it three years before regret sinks in, the replacement will be a late 2000's Mercedes Benz GL550:
Originally I was thinking a nice SL55 AMG, but then decided I might better look at something at least somewhat practical. I do more with cars than just drive around with no luggage or anything. I had the BMW prior, and the Jag this round, so I thought you know, I haven't had a Benz yet, so lets go for that. My next choice was an ML63 AMG (because power!), though finding one nearby that wasn't beat to snot was proving difficult or way overpriced. And realistically, it has less room for passengers than the XJR does, especially rear seat legroom. At least from everything I can tell, anyway. That turned my attention to the GLs, Full size, plenty of room, and still good power and comfort. I don't NEED a seven passenger vehicle, but on the rare chance it would come in handy, I'd rather have it than not. Plenty of room for cargo, moving things back and forth to the boat, and such. Mileage won't be much worse than this one, where I live, and the GL550 has a tiny bit more aggressiveness in looks than the GL350/450 models. Found a few within a few hundred miles with a little under 100k miles that are easily in the budget while leaving extra for any details needing attention. With any luck, it'll happen in the next couple weeks.
Still torn on the Jag though. I won't sell it to someone, that's a given. With the actual value of the car with it's current laundry list of (admittedly minor) issues, it wouldn't bring much. And anyone that wanted it around here is likely to just drive it into the ground and it would break my heart to watch it fall to pieces when I drive by. So the options are to either keep it and slowly fix little things over time just because and have it for down the road - or to take it and trade it in at whatever dealership I go through for the marginal trade in value. Doing so would mean I don't have to worry about it, I don't have to see it, one less car in the driveway, less money to spend on it or frustrate me with, and a slightly cheaper car payment on the next car. I'm just wrestling with the actual probability of me getting around to actually fixing what it needs. Work has been ramped up with 70-80 hour weeks with one day off, and that's taking a toll. Can't imagine having time any time soon to tinker, and when the weather is nicer I'm not going to want to be greasing my elbows when I could be relaxing. But I also do really love the car, despite it's shortcomings. The value is only present for me, because I'm used to the quirks and the things wrong. I could part it out for a lot more, sure, but then I'm stuck with a shell and then will have to watch it hit the scrapper which would be quite sad.
I decided that despite the low resale value of the XJ8, like you I would hate to see it get beat to hell or even know that's going to happen to it. There's a real nice one that recently showed up parked on the street in front of a nearby Section 8 subsidized apartment complex and that's the typical fate of these cars. It won't stay nice for long. I give it three months before the driver side mirror is hanging by the wires and less than a year the clear coat will be gone from the black paint. And that's only if something major mechanical doesn't fail sooner that the new owner can't afford to fix.
A few decades ago, my uncle was going into a nursing home and needed to sell his beloved 1967 Chrysler Imperial coupe. Everyone that came to look at it disclosed that all they wanted it for was the 440 engine to put in a drag racer. People were offering as much as $5,000 for it. But my uncle refused to sell it under those circumstances. He ultimately sold it to a collector who was a friend of the family for a mere $750 after promising that the Imperial would not be dismantled for its motor for as long as he lived.
I kind of feel the same way, obviously its hereditary. I already got a newer daily driver and now ready to sell the XJ8 to make room for another "toy" (the wish list is several pages long). But I decided that I would go ahead and fix several major oil leaks and detail the engine bay before I do so that it would appeal to an enthusiast rather than somebody looking for cheap transportation. As a leaker that'd cost a few thousand to r&r the motor and reseal at indy rates, I know it'd just wind up in front of a Section 8 apartment somewhere, probably driven only till it ran out of oil.
Right now the engine is out (that darned oil galley bolt on the back of the motor wasn't even tight). But progress is slow and I barely get two or three hours a weekend to work on it. Sometimes I think why don't I just call the public TV channel and donate it but then my darned DNA kicks back in. With any luck I'll have it back together in time for a British car show in May. I'm going to put a sign on it at the show saying that I'm taking applications to "adopt" it. The ideal car-parents must have a garage and would be nice if it had some Jaguar siblings to keep it company. But no more than I paid for it (it was dirt cheap in 2011) I figure I already got my money's worth out of it. I'll be happy if it just brings enough to pay for work I'm putting into it now (if I could just stop the "while I'm at its).
That's the actual GL550 I'll be picking up in Virginia on Saturday. The first choice I had was in PA, but couldn't get a deal made, but this one ticks every single box on my want list, so I don't mind the extra drive (or money) to get it. Only thing I can find fault with is the headlight covers need a good polishing, but otherwise, fully loaded. Tow package, rear seat entertainment, ventilated seats, and so on. 382 HP 5.5L V8 with mileage about what I'm already getting, and a lot more space for the just-in-case-I-need-it moments.
The Jag will be staying home, at least for now. It's just not worth it to trade in, and I'm fine with that. Summer comes, I'll thin out some of the nagging little things and figure out where to go from there. Perhaps offer it to sale cheap for someone on the forums, at least then I'll know it's going somewhere that someone might have a clue what they're doing! Until then, it'll look nice parked next to everything else!
Wow, that will be a whole different ride than the Jag, congrats!
Polishing those headlight covers is not really a big job, they will come back nice and shiny (I did them on our previous SLK).
However, be sure to finish them off with a good special sealer, otherwise they will be turning yellow in no time again.
My sister bought a 2018 Maserati Levante. I have to agree with your opinion on build quality. It looks and sounds great but the interior materials were blatantly cheap. The door panels and switches seem like a 2010 Charger. Made me even happier with my just as quick 20 year old XJR.
If you could find a cheap Impala SS (94-96) or Marauder (panther body) they also make for menacing sedans and being old body on frame platforms they go and go while taking abuse and have a lot of the police package upgrades like heavy duty trans coolers, tougher suspension and upgraded alternators. Also as they made about a billion crown vics and chevy B-bodies parts are still cheap. Prices for good examples are approaching 20K but values seem to be rising so you likely won't have the same trade in issue. Only note is the GM 4L60E was known for problems around 100K if poorly maintained. I'm a sucker for big, archaic sedans, forget progress.
Big, archaic sedans? Lincoln Continental 2017 - 2019 model. Same size as a 308, and leg room of the VDP or L model. Mine has a 2.7 twin turbo with 335 horses and AWD. Giving them away cuz everybody wants a SUV.
06-08-2018, 10:41 AM
Can't complain. Good economy, no rattles, sturdy quality. Basically that what my XJ couldn't provide... And a turning circle of around 9m...
