I've been a forum member for quite some time now, but regrettable not very active. My XK8 has been running great so I haven’t had the need to look for tech helps on the forum. I know I should be logging in from time to time and welcoming new members but honestly I’ve had little time lately. Oldest son getting married, middle boy buying his first house, the youngest going off to college and the wife and I are trying to figure out this whole empty nest thing. I list all my excuses in hopes I’ll get some responses to my question; what should I buy.
My top three test drives are; 2011 Jaguar XJ, 2011 Lexus LS460 and 2011 Mercedes E550. I know that this being a Jaguar forum there will be a lot of pro Jaguar votes. I’ve read the many post regarding the roof pops and rattles. Is there anything else I should know about? The members of this forum are very well informed and I do value your opinions.

 

If you get the Lexus, be sure to get that alarm that goes off if you fall asleep and leave your lane....you'll need it. I thought it was a fine car, a nice ride, just unbelievably boring to drive. But if rock-solid reliability was number one (and only?) on my list, maybe I would have gotten one.

All I can say about my 2011 SC XJL is that I love it. No roof popping. No problems. Beautiful, fast, fun car that gets lots of looks, and is not another cookie cutter luxobarge. No regrets. Would buy it all over again.

 

You can't go wrong either of these rides but let me remind you Mercedes holds a better resale value over Jaguar (that doesn't mean I vote for Mercedes and E Series has cheaper parts than XJs , S Class is a different world and it's what equivalent to XJ .

 

Well based on the three choices you gave and seeing that you already owned a LS400 the LS460 might be the way to go. I like my Jaguar and maybe by the 2013/14 model if will be what its suppose to be tech wise but right now it isnt. But if you are looking at the Jaguar you might want to wait and see if this latest roof popping fix actually works. I myself haven't had that particular issue so really you would be at the luck of the draw and when you are paying that much money I am not sure if that is a good place to be.

 

The E550 isn't in the same class; doesn't mean you won't like it (I sold my CLS to buy an XJ; the CLS is just an E with a "good suit", and it was a nice car.. I sold it because it was in the shop constantly).

My co-worker has the LS460. Reliable. Cheap to repair (like 1/3-1/5th the cost of my CLS; an oil change for his car is about 100 bucks, for mine it was close to 500). Solid as a rock (very quiet inside). Very good technology (the navi system is one of the best in the world). And.. Unfortunately, about as exciting to drive (and look at) as a well worn Laz-y-boy. It's so dead and isolating, it's like riding down the road in a tomb. Which it likely will become if you drive it tired; it should have a warning on it "May cause uncontrollable sleep in driver", it's so isolating and dead that it's got to be one of the most boring cars on the road to drive.

The MB is very different, it's much "grittier" and raw; noiser inside, and about 1000% more fun to drive. It's also much better to look at (both the E/CLS and the S class, which is more competitive with the XJ).

The XJ is a steal in this market (7/S/XJ), the BMW 7 or MB S class is going to be at least 10K more for similar features. The interior is BY FAR better on the XJ. And, IMHO, it looks much better as well. It's exciting to drive, and it's comfortable for passengers. However, it's got issues (roof problems and noises being the most common on this board) that you'll have to deal with. Maintenance is expensive (on par with the Germans, in a whole different league than the Lexus). And it depreciates like mad (especially in comparison to the Lexus).

I'd drive them all and see what you like. The Lexus/German/Jag comparison is pretty stark, you'll find out quickly that these cars aren't really all that similar; it will probably make your decision much easier.

 

RippedPuma I agree with everything you said above. However, I'm curious as to your comment on the maintenance & the depreciation. With Jag's Platinum coverage what do you pay for? I'm not sure about the depreciation on the 2011 XJ............

 

Jffcurt,

Sorry, you're right, I should have made my statement a little more clear. Out of warranty maintenance for the Jag, I would expect would be more on-par with the costs on the CLS than the LS. Oil changes on the CLS are about 400 dollars; my wife's Lexus RX is 80 dollars (at the dealership) for an oil change. I don't know this to be true, but I'd expect that the Jag is going to be closer to 400-500 bucks for an oil change, instead of about 100 that the Lexus currently commands.

But, as pointed out, for the first 50K miles, the Jag is certainly going to be cheaper (can't get cheaper than free!).

I'm curious, does anyone know what a normal service would cost on the XJ? They are all still under warranty, so I'm wondering if anyone can look in a book somewhere to see what a service on the car (normal service, 15K, for example) would typically cost.

 

Believe me I know what you mean about the CLS. I traded in my 2007 CLS 63 for the XJL and it was a big ouch when I took it in for the service calls (oil changes). Now if Jaguar can just fix this LOUD popping when I take it in on Tuesday......... I was driving back from the movies this afternoon with a friend in the car and went over the dreaded incline and it knocked three times and I said I have to take it in on Tues. for that and she said I thought it was something clanging around in your trunk! I have faith they'll fix it on Tues. but boy it's pretty bad when you have someone in your car and you're scared to death the knock from hell will rear it's ugly head!

 

my dealer charges 80 dollars for an oil change..

 

On the XJ or a CLS (or something else)?

 

80 dollars for the xj