New here and to jag. My wife has been it the mini van world for 21 years and it time to change.
I'm looking for a 05 or 06 xj in the mid to low 20's so if it doesn't work out I'm not out big bucks.
I have an agreement on a 05 xjr with 38605 mi for $23,500. I think the car has every option except voice command. Has NAV, alpine stereo, rear DVD entertainment center and so on. It is in VERY good condition, drove it around for about a hour, the ride is smooth and fast, breaks were crisp and smooth without any pulling.
Clean carfax-said one owner fleet car with rear brake pads changed at 21508mi, front pads changed at 28731mi, and THROTTLE BODY replaced, engine/power train computer/module checked at 35850mi.
Should I be concerned about why the Throttle Body was changed. The car DOES NOT have a warranty !
I must say after reading post all night about what seems to be a lot of repairs has me a little shaky about reliability.
Is this a fair price? Any thought will be appreciated. I need to pull the trigger today if I decided to go with it.

Thanks

 

In all honesty, if you are worried about overall cost of operation this car is probably not for you. I read somewhere the XJ is one of the most expensive cars to maintain and own at almost $1/mile. If you are ready to honker down $300-500 for brake rotors, 70 per oil change, and the occasional 4 figure repair bill, then I would say go for it. I own a XJR and it puts a smile on my face everytime I drive it, but then again I also have the SE warranty covering my behind.

 

Gold lined oil filters?

 

Last time I checked, it's $70-80 for an dealership oil change, the filter is $25-30 from Jaguar, 7.8 quarts of synthetic oil at $5-6 bux a pop.

 

Regular maintenance isn't a issue- I have a SD250 that cost $135 per oil change. I'm more concerned with the potential catastrophic repair. The car at $23500 with 38600 mi w/o warranty. It is in very good shape ride was tight and smooth no odd sounds or vibrations. I would like to know from those of jag wisdom if this appears to be a fair deal.
thanks

 

Jaglover, what year xjr do you have? What kind of non-maintenance cost have you had (warranty or not)? thanks

 

The lite just turned on. At $1/mile someone who puts 15,000mi a year on a xjr would pay $15,000 in up keep!!!

 

I picked up a long wheel base XJR (06 Super V8) last Novemeber with the SE once the original warranty runs out. I drove an 04 XJ8 before that. And a 00 S-type before that. My dealer costs are a lot lower than my wife's BMW. Oil change is $59.95, but includes an inspection of things like fluid levels and brake pads. I don't live in a low cost area (Bay Area of California). To be honest, I haven't had any major issues with any of them. While that is probably just some good luck , I don't think that you should worry about bad reliability. Most other Jaguar owners I know have had good luck with cars going back into the late 90's. I am sure you would enjoy the drive (or your wife would).

That said, the dealer is a real key to happiness. What's the nearest Jaguar shop near you like? Any good independents? Also, would you consider a warranty from someone else. Lots of people have posted on non-Jaguar warranties here. It would be a good way to preload your maintenance spending with about $4,000 I would guess. Then a deductable. But just a power train warranty would cover a lot of the catastrophic repairs.

The one thing I know for sure is that you would be hard pressed to find a better ride for the money.

 

That $1 figure is heavily biased. Take me for example, I had my car less than 3 weeks and there were 2 warranty claims on it already. The first was a buzz coming from behind the instrument cluster, the second was due to the rear parking sensors stopped working. Both repaired under SE and didn't cost me a dime, how much it would've cost I have no idea. But if I had to pay out of pocket, I'd be well over that $1/mile figure.

In my opinion, and others may disagree, I would never buy a XJR without a warranty. It's just too risky. With that said, I love my XJR.

 

Maybe a $1 a mile if all repairs and maint are done at the dealer (but honestly, am I to assume that the average Jag owner has laid out $30k in repairs and maint within 3 years of ownership? I just don't see how that is possible or these boards would be a ghost land), but after warranty expires I don't think I'd patronize the local dealer, indie shops or DiY would be a wise shift of my money.

 

I apologize if I am wrong about this, but I think the $1.00 per mile figure is total cost of ownership. If you go to the Edmunds site you can punch in the numbers for a 2005 XJR with lots of options and get a price of $28750. Then click on the true cost to own and low and behold, you see a 5 year summary of costs. Assuming 15,000 per year, the the cost per mile would be $0.99. Using an algorithym that isn't defined, they estimate the repairs and maintenance will be about $22,00 over five years. So, the R&M cost would be about $0.30 per mile, which is a lot more sensible. Consumer Reports refers to Jaguars as a very costly car to maintain, but give no figures other than the dealer cost for the 10,20,30, etc thousand miles servces.

 

That price seems about right and I do a lot of work for car dealers so im pretty tuned into pricing ( i have all the black books & auction data )...its more then what Id want to pay but given the mileage & perfect condition I think its a fair retail/private party price to pay....the biggest thing that irks me is it doesnt have a warranty, id never buy one without it even if I spent a lot more on the car, but thats just me. All it takes is one thing and the warranty pays for itself.

 

JagLover, can you describe the buzz behind the dash? Or PM me.

Thanks,

 

OK, I went out to edmunds to see what the cost to own thing was all about, well folks here is what they calculate to come up with their number:

Maint (they estimate about $1,500 a year)

Repairs (they estimate about $2,500 a year)

but they also include:

Fuel

Taxes

Insurance

Financing

and...

Depreciaiton

So, yeah, a dollar a mile at 15k miles. But at least now the number is more understandable

 

I like your smiling face wrt depreciation. Depreciation is what makes owning late model Jaguars so much fun. Someone else paid for half or more of the car. Thats why you can buy a $75,000 Jaguar for $25,000 three years later.

 

I read somewhere that Jaguar has the highest net worth of any other customer base, you gotta be too-rich-to-care to swallow that sort of depreciation.

 

So, as I said, let someone else pay for the first two years. Or three years, better yet. I don't think any luxury car is all that different. If it starts with the number 7, the letter S, or the combo A8, then its expensive to own and operate. Here's some numbers (using Edmunds) for 5 large size "luxury/performance cars". All are based on black color, 38,000 miles, short wheelbase (except for the S), model year 2005, and they are either sport models (BMW and Audi) or AMG models (MB). I attempted to equip them all equally to the 05 XJR that started this discussion.IMHO, the XJR looks pretty good. Performance comparable to the AMGs, way better than the BMWs and Audi. Cost per mile is not bad compared to the BMWs and much better than the MD AMGs. I didn't break out all the costs, but the depreciation on all these cars is pretty awful. The S55 AMG would have cost in the range of $115 to $125,000 new and the cost to own is crazy more than the others. All but the 545 would have had new purchase prices near that for the XJR. The Jaguar is way better looking (my opinion, remember). I think most of us here picked Jaguar. It makes sense financially to me based on the above, if, of course, you can afford the $1.00 oer mile cost of ownership. Feel free to disagree, but the bottom line is that all the cars in the XJ class are expensive.

 

10 Least Ticketed Cars

And if the financial drivel in my last post isn't enough to convince you to drive an XJ, then how about this for a reason.

1. Jaguar XJ
The Jaguar XJ gives drivers a smooth ride and an opulent interior. As the least- ticketed car in America, it also seems to provide the ability to fly under radar guns. There's a feature they won't tell you about at the dealership.


2. Chevrolet Suburban
Suburban drivers tend to need their large SUVs for hauling people or towing trailers, not breaking land speed records. So it's not surprising to see it on the list of least-ticketed cars.


3. Chevrolet Tahoe
The Tahoe shares some architecture with the Hummer H2, the most-ticketed car in America. Despite the two having similar sizes, the Tahoe manages not to attract as much police attention.


4. Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500
It's no shocker to find Chevrolet's heavy-duty trucks among the least-ticketed vehicles. These trucks are usually bought for their towing ability, not for impromptu drag races.


5. Buick Park Avenue
While Buick has recently begun to increase the oomph in their cars, the now- discontinued Park Avenue helped solidify the brand's image as cars for the senior set. No wonder Park Avenue drivers tend not to get very many tickets.


6. Mazda6
The largest car in Mazda's line up, the Mazda6 has plenty of the brand's zoom-zoom, yet still manages to be among the least-ticketed cars. If you love driving sporty sedans but can't take seeing any more red and blue lights in your rearview mirror, the Mazda6 may be just the car for you.


7. Buick Rainier
The now-discontinued Buick Rainier is a largely forgettable attempt at a near- luxury SUV. Maybe that forgettable nature keeps cops from noticing when one commits a traffic offense.


8. Oldsmobile Silhouette
Finding a minivan from Oldsmobile on the list of least-ticketed cars isn't surprising. What's surprising is that anyone is still driving a Silhouette.


9. Buick Lucerne
The Buick Lucerne offers a near-luxury experience at an affordable large car price. Being one of the least-ticketed cars means that the Lucerne's affordability continues after it's bought, thanks to fewer fines and lower insurance rates.


10. GMC Sierra 1500
The GMC Sierra is an attractive truck for work or play. With its ability to haul or tow heavy loads, this truck will do anything you ask it to, including avoiding traffic citations.

10 Most Ticketed Cars

1. Hummer H2
People who love the Hummer H2 probably love its bold, imposing looks. Apparently, cops love the H2 because it helps them meet their ticket quotas. Here's a tip: If you have an H2, maybe you shouldn't drive it near then end of the month when traffic cops are scrambling to make their numbers.


2. Scion tC
Seeing the tC on the most-ticketed list makes sense, given its popularity with young people. Its sporty performance, which comes at a price that makes affording tickets easy, probably helps tempt some drivers as well.


3. Scion xB
Like the Scion tC, the xB is aimed at younger drivers. Still, when you look at the xB's less-than-stellar performance, it's safe to assume that all the tickets xB drivers are getting aren't moving violations.


4. Mercedes Benz CLK63 AMG
If you're lucky enough to have a Mercedes AMG -- any AMG -- then a few tickets are worth unleashing this luxurious beast. Besides, if you've got a Mercedes, you can probably afford a few traffic citations.


5. Toyota Solara Coupe
Now, here's a surprise. The fifth most ticketed car is the Toyota Solara Coupe. Essentially a two-door Camry, the Solara isn't known for road-thrashing performance. Maybe Solara drivers just get a lot of parking tickets.


6. Mercedes Benz CLS63 AMG
The CLS63 AMG is another luxury performance car, so it's no shocker to see its drivers among the most ticketed. The question is: With all that power, why aren't more CLS63 AMG drivers outrunning the cops?


7. Scion xA
With the xA taking the seventh spot on the ten most ticketed cars list, Scion completes the traffic-ticket hat trick. Toyota's upstart little brand has only come out with four models over its entire lifespan -- and three of them will likely get you a date in traffic court.


8. Subaru Outback
Subarus have a reputation of being yuppie grocery getters, but the Outback manages to prove that stereotype wrong by being one of the top ten most ticketed cars. Apparently, the Outback is the car of choice for people who need to get to Whole Foods in a hurry, and maybe park illegally once they're there.


9. Audi A4
Audi often finds itself in the shadows of Mercedes and BMW, but not when it comes to getting tickets. The Audi A4 is the ninth most ticketed car in America.


10. Toyota Matrix
The Toyota Matrix is often credited for bringing SUV styling to small cars. Now it can also be credited to bringing insurance rate increases to thousands of its owners.

From: http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...r-a-cop-magnet

 

I read somewhere the XJ is one of the most expensive cars to maintain and own at almost $1/mile.

Road and Track's last Jag long term test car ran $0.91 per mile. This included everything for a new car including fuel and insurance. I have had Jaguars for a long time and can work on them myself, this makes it more affordable, but if you must go to a dealer for everything, you must realize the car could cost quite a bit to operate. These cars are the land of the $3500 set of shocks! I had a few things done before my warranty on the 05 ran out recently, a loose piece of shiny door trim, a horn switch, a tranny software remap and an interior light switch. The bill was well over $3,000. I just replaced the air suspension compressor out of warranty. The dealer wanted close to $2000 for this and it is a common repair. I also have a 96 XJ6 and it is pretty costly to keep in top condition. The list of parts I've ordered from Coventry West fills a file folder. When I call there, they know my credit card number by heart. I remember when I bought the XJ6 used, the previous owner had just done the 40,000 mile service and put tires and a battery in it and the bill for it was in the car, it cost $2,600. I almost fainted! These cars do not hold their value, so us regular guys can buy them cheap, but the repair costs are oriented to guys that can afford to buy these $70,000 cars! The dealers just say if you want to play, you have to pay! I say, learn to fix it yourself, then it costs about what regular people pay to have the work done on their Chevys in the shop.

 

did you purchase it? if so please post some photos.