While I'm not a youngster, it was my then 19yr old son that not only found this car but begged me, pleaded with me, cajoled me, convinced me to get it. He loves it but then again he is a car nut.

 

I think that's right. If you want prestige and sports but arent passionate about anything in particular and dont want to be different, then looking at pretty much any review would have you going to the M3/4 or the 911. No one is ever going to ask you why you did, so in that regard they are a very safe and good choice. Audis on the other hand I tend to think are for people who need a prestige car for image, but secretly hate cars.

 

My thoughts exactly. My wife and I attended JOTI a while back and I was surprised to see that we were below median age. I am usually one of the oldest at any car "gatherings' I attend, but not there.
I got the impression that the F-Type was a bit outside of some of the participants thoughts on what a Jaguar was supposed to be.
... well, I would not have bought one of the older style Jags. Regardless of my age I tend to be drawn to cars that are targeting younger demographics.
I love the car and feel Ian Callum is a design genius. The lines will be gorgeous long after the newness has worn off.

 

This is a car for the sportscar type not an age type. I'm 70 and this is just the last in a long string of 2 seat roadsters. A lot of people who traded XK for the new F Type got out fast once they realized it was a completely different type of cars. It appears late XK's sell really fast off dealer lots.

 

 

 

Added my vote.

I do not know the answer to that question, but my guess there are many reasons why. One could be that youngsters can start with a cheap (whether or not second hand) BMW, and work their way up to newer/more expensive models with age. The market offers plenty of those down here. A quick check on one of the most popular car sites down here (Belgium) offers 3.142 second hand BMW’s with a max asking price of €10.000 only. The same exercise for Jaguar, 193 cars only, and most of those 193 will be pretty to very old, not exactly those models kids would like to drive. I do not even take taxes and insurance in account, in general when applied to the bigger engine/more powerful cars, not affordable for the youngsters here. So they go with the in bigger numbers available brands and cars like for instance BMW, and if they stick to the brand, might end up with a M model. In general, the F-Type – after all a two-seater only - is not bought as (single) daily driver, but one of the multiple cars one owns, whereas for instance a more powerful BMW, Audi, is a way out for the enthusiast driver that needs to drive around with kids, and/or cannot afford to own such a car as a weekend toy only… The other way round, heaps of official BMW dealers, and independent garages that do work on BMW's, so it is a very safe option to go for a BMW when it comes to (local) support, as for Jaguar dealers, whether official ones or independent...

 

To elaborate on my previous reply...

Same exercise for second hand cars on that one site all brands included - 52.325 cars available, with a max price of €10.000.
With 193 of those 52.325 being Jags, that is 0.36% only of the total number of available second hand cars on that site with a max price of €10.000.

Little chances one would start with a Jaguar as first car by these numbers only...

 

spot on

 

+2. The F-Type is a hot-rod sportscar for affluent youngsters of all ages.

 

I do also agree with some of the other comments about many buying other cars because of lifestyle choices - 2-seaters aren't for everyone. My neighbor across the street loves my car and wishes he could have one, but they have 2 kids so instead he just got an M5. Another neighbor has also told me he wishes he could have one, but they have 5 kids so both of their vehicles are SUVs. One of the lawyers I work with really wants to get out of his Audi and kept looking at mine when I got it but feels he must have something with a back seat. There are many reasons a 2-seater doesn't work for people, and like others have said, you see far more BMWs on the road and people are just generally more familiar with their brand. Heck, I keep getting teased about not knowing better than to get a Jag since I'm having apparent electrical issues because people STILL remember pretty much only that about the brand.

All that said, if I could have afforded this car when I was much younger, heck yeah I'd have jumped on it! If you count the first Mustang that was supposed to be mine (my parents sold that beauty 2 weeks before I turned 16 even though we'd had her for 2 years planning on her being my car - one day I will again have a '67 Mustang to replace her), I've had 3 of those - they were fun, but affordable, easier to work on, much easier to find (and cheaper) parts, also easier to find a mechanic if you didn't feel like working on your own. Granted I didn't have this kind of performance, but honestly when I was in my early 20s, I'd have probably been in jail for reckless driving (since I now know that certain speeds automatically come with the additional reckless driving citation and it's at the officer's discretion whether or not to arrest you and impound your car - not me, my husband recently in his Stinger discovered this since he didn't go to jail but we now have to deal with the speeding ticket, the reckless driving ticket and are waiting for the super speeder ticket to arrive). I did get my first speeding ticket within a month of having a license and that was in a V-6 Fox body (but at least a hatchback so less ugly) Mustang. Since I love cars in general and mine in particular, I'm very careful and more worried about damaging my car than I am myself so while I will drive in a spirited fashion, I don't do stupid.

I've also noticed that there seem to be fewer real car enthusiasts among many younger people. They (the ones I am exposed to) seem to see a vehicle as just a way to get from Point A to Point B and they don't care about performance or even usually styling. Yes, that's a generalization and I hate doing that, but it seems to be a trend and it makes me sad because cars (and motorcycles) can be an art form AND transportation.

Ok, off my soapbox since I'm leaving work early to go home and finish costumes and then drink heavily for the next 5 days or so.

 

Fortunately, I learned about contraceptives early in life. I've never had anything other than two-door vehicles unless they only had two wheels.

 

Oh, same here (to both parts of that)! Wait, my one attempt at being a grown up, I did have 4-doors, but that was more about having space to haul around bicycles or my 3 greyhounds I had at the time. That didn't last long and I went from a 4-door Volvo to a roadster. I refuse to grow up! I wish I'd gotten the motorcycle bug years ago, but at least I'm doing it now. Which reminds me, I need to go order my Corbin saddle.

I used to actually have nightmares about having kids if that tells you anything.

 

I have 2 kids and fortunately, my smarter half loves SUVs, so I've not had any difficulty with 2 door cars. Jaguar has always been on my radar, coming from a Jaguar family (3 XK120s, 2 XJ6s, an XJS and an XK8), but it was always too cushy. While shopping to what ultimately ended up with the F-Type, the top contenders were the Audi RS5, the Maserati GranTurismo, the Cadillac ATS-V Coupe, the BMW M4 and the Merc C63 Coupe. I quickly ruled out the Cadillac. It was a great car, but it just didn't feel as good as it was. It didn't inspire the soul, for lack of a better term. The Audi was another great car with a phenomenal B&O sound system and technology aplenty. It drove well and looked pretty good. This was my number 2 pick. The C63 was raw, stupid fun. I liked it a lot, I just don't think of myself as a Merc person. The Maser was the best sounding bar none. The engine noise alone just about got me to buy it on the spot and the back seats were surprisingly usable, but the performance just wasn't there.. The Beemer...it was great, but I think I liked the Audi a little more. Then there was the Jag..

The Jag was a very good bad idea. It didn't even pretend to have back seats, where all the other cars could at least accommodate someone in a pinch. The technology was way behind and it had the worst sound system of any of them. On paper, it was not in the top 5, but let's face it, you don't buy a car like the F-Type because it makes the most sense. I bought it because it filled a void. It made me smile. I liked looking at it. I liked listening to it. I loved stomping on the go pedal. I liked that I don't see many on the road. The list goes on.

Jaguar had (arguably still has) a reputation for being a stately older person's car. The F-Type is brash, it's loud and it's impractical. It's also poster material for 16 year old's bedroom walls.

 

I am 24 as I mentioned before -- have no kids -- and no plans on kids anytime soon....buuuuuut the lack of usable space in the convertible is shocking and has actually been an issue for me quite a few times.

Its bad to the point where my girlfriend and I can HARDLY fit a duffel bag each for a weekend away -- anything more than 4 days or so, we're **** out of luck and stuck taking a different car to the airport. In the same vain, I travel for work a bit and ALWAYS have to take a different car, I can't fit a suitcase and backpack in the trunk of the jag which is a little outrageous. I can definitely understand why that would turn people off of the car -- an M2 has a usable trunk [and a back seat to toss a bag on]. This hasn't really been an issue for me as I've always had a couple cars but in the last few weeks I've sold everything except the F Type trying to reorganize my life for what comes next, its certainly going to be tough using the jag as a 'practical' vehicle for the next couple months.

 

I've considered getting one of the strap-on soft luggage carriers, but haven't had the need, yet.

 

I'm not sure what you're referring to, do you have a link by any chance?

 

Fortunately for me, my husband has multiple vehicles and always has at least one that can handle dogs or bikes so I didn't have to go the practical route. When I decided to replace my Solstice, I wanted a convertible again (I'm just a convertible kind of girl) and looked at a Mercedes SL400, there was a slightly older (but low mileage) Aston Martin Vantage V8 convertible I showed him (so the Jag would look like a reasonable solution). Of course he kept pushing another Mustang but I tend to keep cars for a very long time so I wanted something that spoke to me (I do like the new Mustangs, but wanted to see what my options were). He knew it was a done deal when I test drove my first one and then it was just a matter of finding the right one.

It is all of those things and more for me. But like I said, I fall in love with my cars. Vivien is no exception, even if she is spending way too much time away from home at the dealership.

 

That brings up another point. My F-Type is the first car I have named since my ol' 77 Firebird (Grace). With her red interior, I just had to name her Roxanne.

 

A number of options here (there are a bunch of these old threads)...
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/f...e-rack-143600/

I like the idea of a soft strap-on bag, rather than a strap-on rack...
http://www.boot-bag.com/toppage1.htm