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Very happy that I am looking to return to the world of Jag Ownership! But honest advice please..... which XJ should I go for?
My history of Jags include 3 models, a very battered XJ40 from an auction... well it lasted a while! LOL. Later on, I was lucky enough to have a 2004 Super V8, then I moved up to an XFR. Since then I have had various cars, AMG E Class 6.2 estate, Lexus GSF (believe me, this was a great car) but working in Aviation, C19 resulted in a sad tale of redundancy and having to sell this...
But I do love a Jag! I am, as you can see, into power saloons / estates, and with a budget somewhere between 15000-20000, I like the size and comfort of the XJ.. but that is where the problem is.....
I am not sure whether to go for a 2012 XJ LWB Supersport with the 5.0 supercharged or go for a post-2016 XJ autobiography with the 3.0 TD. Ideally, I am sure an autobiography supercharged would be the best of both, but that is currently out of budget!
So ladies and gents, what do you think? I know to be VERY careful of 2012 5.0 supercharged timing belt tensioners and ensure that these have been upgraded, and I like the 2016 extra features of the autobiography... but I also like POWER!
So please give honest opinions, they are very different cars so I know it's a big ask, but perhaps some owners can leap in and advise?
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Just as to share, a couple of photo's of my previous cars..... as always, great to discuss the pro's and con's of different cars and manufacturers..... Some of my earlier "boy cars" fortunately I do NOT have pics of..... but please comment and happy to chat as always!!
Super V8... love the looks... E Class AMG 6.2 - this was also great and loved that it was an estate! My partner at the time shared a great all time quote... she said "You cannot have Supercharged written in too many places!" LOL, lots of cars got to see the rear of this disappearing! Another auction buy LOL! Terrible engine, well great when it worked... but without doubt one of the best looking cars I had, the green plus the silver and gold wheels just really worked! Adored this car.. but spent way too much on mods... but loved that it wasn't four wheel drive, and once I had the larger wheels on her and flared the arches, it did look great! Bit boring to be honest! Loved this mod that I did to the rear panel, to paint it body colour and then install LED's inside! It stopped well!
Sorry All - still a bit new... here's a few of the Lexus GSF. If you get a chance to drive one, try it, but on a decent run.... not as quick as an M5 or AMG, but doesn't blink its traction control light all the time, and the sounds is fantastic... certainly will appeal to anyone that loves the sound of a V8!
You will see a theme in a lot of my cars.... the sound and passion takes over from what Magazines and programmes tell you are the best cars... don't be a follower... be someone who test drives and if it is the right car for you... enjoy!!
GSF Dials GSF Interior - only two options - the sunroof and the Mark Levinson audio upgrade - I think all came with the ML, most had the sunroof. HAHA, yes another black car... which to be honest, is not my first choice, but I always end up with one... it's about the car and the deal! The Merc 6.2 (well ish).... it's not about fuel economy!
Welcome. Definitely get the 5.0 because we're not going to be able to enjoy such engines on a daily basis for much longer. Everything is going to little 4cyl turbos or if you want a luxury driving experience, you'll have to go EV in the future. Don't worry about the timing chains. Just find one with low miles and change the oil twice as frequently as recommended with the "Ultra" Platinum and not just plain Platinum (which may be fine, but since you are worried about it, use the more expensive stuff with the Jaguar spec number on it). We actually have not had very many people post on here personal experiences with those timing chains and of the few posts I've read about it, its mostly hearsay and high mileage and who knows how they were maintained. Granted a lot of 2012s are now close or over 100K miles, but you seem to have enough budget that you don't have to buy one of those anyway. The nice thing about shopping for older Jaguar sedans is that they were often purchased new by old money or the executive class who got a new company car (truck here in Texas) every year or by gearheads like us who waste our money on whole fleets of cars. The Jag would be used by the pampered spouse, driven just to special events (literally church on Sunday) or vacation, or rotated among a fleet of luxury commuters. XFs like mine are harder to find low mileage (the XJ series grew too big for my attached garage) as they were more likely to be somebody's only car and make daily 30-40 mile commutes in from the suburbs, but many XJs saw much less intensive service thus low-mileage examples come up for sale more often. And be sure to ask to see the maintenance history. Just tell the salesman: "No Records = No Sale".
04-12-2024, 11:35 AM
Looking to Return to a JAG XJ... but which one!
