Jaguar isn't a "rich" person's car. That was a generalization. A new Jag is an upper middle class person's car. (LOL).

The "Japanese cars are more reliable" notion is one that came about for US auto makers CRAPPY cars of the mid 70s into the early 90s. Name a decent American car made in 1980?

Bad reputations die hard. I now think that American made cars (if there really is such a thing anymore - rather it is "assembled in America") are as or more reliable than anything out there - and cost less for the same class - whether it is econo boxes, daily mid-sized, 'Stangs/Cameros/Challengers, to Vettes.

In addition, American cars generally cost far less to repair than imports - including Japanese.

Much of the blame for the lingering bad reliability image lies with

 

...dang, left me hanging!

 

oops, bad "editing"

"...lies with US automaker management, not workers."

 

But that's not the case with the OP. He bought a very nice luxury automobile at HALF the price of a boring, bog standard yuckmobile. He coulda/shoulda but didna' wanna take the other half of the money and hide it under the mattress for just in case.

The original owner of my car took a thousand dollar a month depreciation hit on the car for the first three years of it's life, so I got it for a song. I've driven it for 4 years so far with only routine mtce being required. The money I saved at time of purchase is sitting in the bank for the day when it's really needed. I'll still be ahead of the game.

 

I doubt he had the other half of the money to begin with nor has the discretionary income to build up a car-health-savings-plan. I think that's what he's saying in "I think I made a mistake."

 

When I first saw this post, I assumed you were a brand new purchaser (as I am, I've owned an XJ6 for several years, but the XJ8 is new for me), but now see you've owned this beauty for almost a year. There aren't many used cars you can buy in which you don't have to invest SOME money, and in your case, not much at all. Looking at your purchase price, I think you STOLE the car! 83k for this engine is nothing.

My neighbor and good friend is a Jag service manager. He warned me of the possibility of air shock failure, but also said they don't break all the time. Yes, hugely expensive if it does break, but what if they don't? No cost, great ride...

And rather than worry about what might happen, here is the attitude I'm taking about my '07 XJ8: I'm enjoying the darts out of all the things you mentioned--luxurious interior, beautiful ride, great MPG, no rust worries, and of course, the envious looks of others. And IF I'm hit with huge bills (huge to me is the 2k bill others have mentioned) THEN I'll get rid of it--but that may never happen. You bought the car (just about) fully depreciated, so the only financial risk is a big repair bill.

Normal maintenance items (tires, breaks, starters, etc) are no big deal if you can do the work yourself and aftermarket parts are available at only a slight premium price from most automotive parts houses--you usually have to order them, because there aren't enough Jags out there to make it worthwhile for a parts store to stock them--but they are available.

Finally, if you buy ANY newer vehicle, you will not be able to diagnose squat. They have all gotten too complicated for the typical backyard mechanic.

If 'ya love the car, give it a go. Maybe it will be kind to you.

 

This thread is pretty common in Forums for cars in this price range. What separates people that like cars like this is not money but car passion. I have had a passion for British cars my whole life, they just make me feel good, even if they are trouble, I still like them best. I have them whether they make economic sense or not. I think many of the owners here are similar. Folks that like Jap cars are different, they analyze things, they care about repair costs, gas mileage, taxes, etc. Jag lovers analyze less, they go with passion and heritage. Just different kinds of people and they just do not always understand each other.

 

There are two other ways to make sure you have proper context for a $1000 repair bill

1) Buy a boat, pretty soon a $1000 car repair seems reasonable

2) Be married to someone who remodels your house, a lot.

 

Yes, I suppose that might be the case. I've seen lots of people that didn't plan on the tires wearing out and don't have the funds to replace them when the time comes.

 

Clifsmith,

I'm in San Antonio, too, and after a few trips to the dealer (Barrett's) for some repairs, I was getting bummed out as well. However, a friend turned me on to Victor's Service Center (http://victorsservicecenter.com), located downtown, near the Quarry Market area. Labor rates about 2/3 of Barretts, he's got about 30 years experience and a nicely equipped garage from what I see.

It also helps that my wife is friends with the wife of the head mechanic at Barretts.

Hope this helps.

 

Lol 30yrs experience, is not 30 yrs experience on jaguars is it?

 

Brutal, all I can go by is what he has on his web site, and what others have told me.

Actually, I stated the 30 years from memory. Below is the quote from their web site.

About us

Victor's Service Center was established in April, 1986, specializing in the repair and maintenance of Jaguar and Ferrari automobiles. Soon afterward, the company hired mechanics with the skills necessary to work on Mercedes Benz.
Later, yet again the company expanded its services to include service on Range Rover and Land Rover.
Victor D'Souza, owner and chief mechanic of Victor's Service Center has over 35 years experience in Jaguar repairs and maintenance. His philosophy is to provide the customer with the best possible personalized service at a fair price.
At Victor's Service Center we like to first discuss the repairs with the client to assure as much as possible there are no unpleasant surprises.
From time to time through the history of Victor's Service Center, they offer used automobiles for sale. Some are sold on consignment and some are company owned. If you would be interested in an automobile sale you can always contact Victor personally.
One of Victor's notable achievements was to mechanically remodel a Series III E Type using modern technology and many performance upgrades to produce a sports car that is both powerful and reliable. For a more detailed discussion, please see our Car Gallery Page. Victor has replicated this feat for others.

 

oh how true!

 

Very well said. There is a favor or personality about Brit machines. They attract or repel you.

 

A few thoughts on this subject. Most of the owners on the site seem to have purchased their Jaguars used. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, I'm one of them. I purchased a pristine 04 xj8 with 32k miles, Nav., Xenon, 18" wheels, etc. in August of 09. Car is for pleasure only... have other vehicles to drive regularly. Paid $20,000 for it. Couldn't and wouldn't have considered $70+ for a new one but at $20k, didn't think there was much risk. So far, 6 months and 6k miles later, the cars been great. Does the thought of big bills scare me? You betcha. I did buy the car from an independent shop that's specialized in Jag's for 30 years or so and I bought a warranty for piece of mind. I would have been afraid to buy the car from someoe who sells a bit of everything. Would I have bought it if it had to be my primary transportation? Not in a million years. Will I sell it if it needs a few repairs? No. Will I sell it if it it starts to make frequent non-warranteed trips to the shop? Absolutely. The problem for most of us is that we want to play in the big car market but without spending big car money. It's kind of like making a bet on a game or a race beacause you're thinking of how much you'll win and forgetting that you can't afford to pay if you lose. As long as you do your homework and learn about the cars before you buy, there shouldn't be too many surprises at the back end.

 

Most of you are just too funny.
Most of you guys should stay away from Casinos. Because alot of you are simply gamblers. Most of you guys with the 20-30k entrance fee to get this car you simply got it to play your odds. But chances are you really cannot afford it when/and if your 5-7k transmission goes or your 10k engine goes. You are simply ridding it out to see if you can make out. At the first sign of trouble you are out. But you dont realize that even getting out has its huge risks, like substantially loosing alot of money when trading in the car broken or if you are dishonest trading it in with the problems and not disclosing the issues. And even then you will loose out because the car already depreciated immensily due to a bad rep car.
All I am saying is that there are better choices out there. The Xtype cars are a very nice car will alot less problems. The reason why I am stuck with this XJ8 was not because I wanted to its a very long story that I dont care to share. But I am stuck with it now unless I decide to take a huge loss trading it in. No one buys these cars from a particular so dont try to recomment to sell it privately I already looked into it. Ive been playing the lottery just like you guys have and so far I am loosing out greatly.

And I am sorry an XJ8 is not a toy never was intended to be one it is a luxury vehicle for a wealthy person that could at the time afford it.
An XK can be classified as a toy if you want for those that wanted a sports car on the weekends, and probably have a spare utility or sedan for daily use.

Cheers.

 

Wow, what a bold generalization. You realize that you just called the other forum members financially irresponsible?

I suspect that most of the people on this board can easily afford their car and are realistic about the running costs.

Personally, I buy everything used as I think it is stupid not to take advantage of the opportunity to buy a lightly used asset for dimes on the dollar vs. new.

BTW--my XJ8 is my daily driver, I have other cars that I consider toys.

 

[QUOTE=ricardoa1;179649]Most of you are just too funny.
Because alot of you are simply gamblers. Most of you guys with the 20-30k entrance fee to get this car you simply got it to play your odds. But chances are you really cannot afford it when/and if your 5-7k transmission goes or your 10k engine goes.

It's like I said, some folks are bean counters, others are passionate and could care less about the risks. It takes them all to make the world an interesting place. The point of the above comments are that it's "bad" to do something you cannot afford when following your heart...the Puritan ethic in all its finery! I love it....... Go crazy, guys and love these cars, they are worth it.

 

I did not call the all the forum members anything, But you are right, based on the information that some have shared on this thread alone. One can come to the conclusion that alot of the posters are playing a game with an unreliable car. I did not go into detail about being financially responsible or what it is you want to spend your money on. But the Original Poster clearly does not have money projected for the repairs and nor does he want to. He does not want to play a game, maybe he cannot afford it or maybe he chooses not to afford it. Simple. Do as you wish, I only offer an opinion, that opinion being mine. I do it for discussion sake to kill time and enternain myself. I mean you cant take too seriously what I or others have said, most should come to a decision based on facts and his or her own will.

 

You gather your facts before buying, then make a decision and live with it. If you're going to angst about it all the time, it's not worth it and you probably made a bad choice and should get out asap. This applies to used car purchases in general...it's just a matter of degree based on what you bought. High end cars - potentially high end headaches. Run of the mills cars - generally smaller or less costly headaches. Regardless of whether people on this forum bought their cars new or used, the majority of the posts here are complaints about the costs of parts and repairs - and people seeking advice on ways to avoid the same.