Hi, Glad I found the forum.

My 1st post. I am looking to purchase a 2005 Vanden Plas with 19,678 miles. Select/Certified.
The selling price is $33K, I think $27-$28 is more in line. The car will be at the dealer next Tuesday for me to drive. What do you guys think?
I emailed Jag HQ regarding what is covered by the extended warrenty and they said to see my dealer for details. Any one here know what is or is not covered?

Some other questions.

Does the Vanden Plas come standard with the rear audio in the arm rest?
Bi Xenon lights
Navigation
Any other comments would be appreciated.

Current Cars

I have a 04 Jag x-type (purchased new) and it has been problem free!!!
BMW Z3 3.0 Mint
E Class 197K miles (minor wear items only)
Yukon XL Denali


I Just dumped a 08 RX350 Junkxus (purchased new) with 2,823 miles. What a piece of junk. A Toyota in a tux! What a noisy, tin can, over rated car.(a lot of problems, oil leaks, wind noise, road noise, funky transmission, etc.) I drove a loaner 08 GS350 AWD loaner for over a week, and I have to tell you that it was just as much a tin can and poorly built Juckxus as the RX.

This is one reason I do not believe consumer reports.

 

hello, well i recently purchased a 2005 SUPER V8 , which basically is a VDP with the XJR power. and i will tell u that these are some fine autos. as for the options that u mentioned , yes they are all standard on the VDP as well the the picnic trays,

Things to look for are the brakes. seems the XJ rotors are weak. when u do go for the test drive next week , check out for shaking or vibrations on steering wheel while braking at medium to high speed. as i been having this problem and just wondering if it is common to the XJ series.

good luck and keep us posted.

 

That price is about average for a certified 05 VDP from a dealer.

 

Rear Entertainment was only standard in the Super V8 in 05. Edmunds has a good library on options and stuff.

$33K is a rip off for VDP. Your thinking is about right for that car. You can get a certified R for about $30K with warranty. (what I paid for mine) Depends on the options on it I guess.

Warranty covers everything electrical and mechanical...no wear and tear parts. The fuzzy line here is the HVAC system. Can't get a straight answer from the dealer on this. You should also find out what the "in service date" of the vehicle is to see if there's any factory warranty left on it. You can get this by pulling the car fax report. Also wait until September 30 to throw down as they will be more likely to give you a better deal since it's the end of the financial quarter.

 

Well, I drove the VDP today Silver & black. It needs front brakes, tires, an alighnment, a rear tail light lens, and side marker light!! Some wind noise, little to no road noise. It has not been certified yet. The body (less the two lenses) and interior are in like new condition. Not to crazy about the standard VDP wheels. It drove great knowing it needed the above items. No rear audio, it has bi -xenon, navigation, etc. They will not go below $32K!! I believe $27-$28 is fair with all things corrected. One year on factory warranty and then the select warranty. Any input?

Also do these cars really obtain 26-28 mpg on the open road at 70-75 mph?


I also drove an 2004 XJ8 black, on black that was certified. 34K miles, new brakes, tires etc. Great to Good condition. Navigation, bi-xenon,alpine sound. It did not feel as floaty as the VDP. $24K firm. One month on factory warranty then select warrenty.

Any input?

 

No way to tell what it's worth until you drive it. It might have just come from a flood in Louisiana or it may have been driven by a little old lady to church in Phoenix. The low miles could either by very light use or8 months waiting for parts after the accident with the locomotive. If you like it, check NADA for guidelines. To me,a car that you can drive and that has a warranty from the dealer is generally worth more than a remoteauction car or used car dealer unit.

 

Also check Carfax.

 

The car fax: 1 owner from PA, no accidents,no flood damage, etc.

I think you are correct, if I wait until the end of the quarter maybe they will do the deal.

I assume they will correct all the issues I found.

 

Make sure you get it in writing on a "We Owe" slip.

Remember all car warranties operate off of what's known as "complaint based system"
No squeaky wheel. No grease.
I gave my dealer a laundry list of items to fix which he documented. The only thing they may not cave on is a brand new NAV DVD since it's money out of their pocket...but if you press and press, they may give it to you.

I also tend to stay away from 1st production year vehicles of any sort unless it has a late production date on the door. 04 XJs had lots of TSBs out. You should ask the dealer to pull the service history and look for bulletins performed. Also check ebay prices for an 04 XJ8 and use that as a stick for how good of a deal you're getting. Some dealers also sell certified warranties separate from calling a vehicle "select edition."

 

bi-Xenons are not available in US - EU and ROW I suppose - not a big deal IMO. You get regularlo beam Xenons with auto leveling. EU and Japan also get the NAV + TVoption, which is not available forUS/Canada.

As far as milege goes: I cruise at 70-75mph and it shows 31mpg on a flat road.Mileage is prety good.

RES and Nav are options for the VDP, so is the adaptive cruise, front parking sensors and headlamp washers. Xenons, premium sound, 6 cd changerand16 way adjustable heated seats are standard. Rear 4 zone AC and heated steering wheelareoptions as well. Dealer installed options include: phone support (wired or bluetooth), vioce recognition, audio (iPod) interface.

05 VDP is the long wheel base, which has the mega cool picnic tables on the back seats and a few inches extra leg room. You should also know that 04 is not the first production year for x350 it was introduced in 03 in EU.

The Super V8 has "the works" as far as options are concerned.

 

Cruising at 65-70 mph, I get 29 mpg. (04 XJ)

 

Going from Atlanta to Pensacola I get 31mpg. Return, I get 29mpg. I guess going to sea level is down hill, so I guess I am averaging 30 mpg. This is using cruise @ 70mph. If you look at JTIS the XJ350 includes a 2003.5 year model. This is the UK version I suppose. The XK is the same. The latest model appeared as an 06 model in the UK. Can be very confusing.

 

They will correct the issues but will not move on price. I will hold my price at $28K with the ipod kit (I will install it) and 08 Nav disk. I will wait until the end of the month / quarter and see if they are willing to do the deal as others have stated. If the deal is done I would like to add the mesh upper and lower grill. Any one use Zaino on silver Jag paint?

 

Mesh upper grill is awesome. Not so crazy abouth the lower one.

 

I agree.

 

I have the lower grill on my XJR. Looks awesome from greater than 25 feet away. Up close, you can see the screw heads and the black rubber seal (my car is gray). I expect it would look substantially better on a black car. I wonder if the OEM 08 XJR lower bumper would fit on it. Love the new lower mesh grill and fog lamps...though it would probably be super expensive even if it did bolt on.

 

Hi;

I am usually in the XK8 group as I have a blue 99 that i have a love/hate relationship with.

Ok last night after a month or so of watching my car lists on Cars.com I bought a 2005 Vanden Plas for $23,875. Dealer had reduced from $28,875. 1 owner fleet vehicle, clean carfax and service records. Loaded but no nav. I am a guy so I just drive around until I find it.

I am very happy.

 

Don't feel bad about the Nav, it is not all that great. It is OK, but not great.
You can get a great stand-alone unit for $400 with 10 times more features and up to date maps.

 

I know I have only had this car for a week but I am in love with it. I read a review that said "it is the only car where people fight over who gets to ride in the back." I understand this one.

Ok, I live in Kansas and does anyone have experience with winter driving. It has the Continental 235/50 R-18 all season tires with the Mud and Snow initials. I commute 80 miles back and forth everyday and I wonder how it handles?

What is the Top Speed on this car?

Thanks

 

Way over priced. I can buy that car without certification for $15K to $20K. So you are paying $13 to $18 for the cert????/ If the engine fell out you'd be even. I bought same car with 23K miles on id in 09 for $26K No cert and no problems. Good Luck.