After five years of ownership I might be selling my baby. I've loved owning this car and if I sell it I'll miss it terribly. It's been super reliable and I've enjoyed caring for it.

Question for the group, does anyone have experience selling their X350 here in the US? If so is there much of a market? Something tells me that even priced fairly there might be lackluster demand. These cars are something of an acquired taste. Mine has 70k and enjoyed meticulous maintenance.

Welcome your experiences and opinions ...

 

I'd just keep it if it was me. I hate the process of buying cars and if it's reliable and still low miles, why get rid of it?

 

I notice down here in Florida that they don't stay for sale for long, so i'm sure there's a market for them.

But do you mind telling us why you are thinking about selling it?

 

So here's the deal. These are special interest cars and as such usually take 90 to 100 days to sell. Place your add in as many internet venues as you can, provide plenty of well executed photos, play up the maintenance records and price it fairly.


Pay no attention to low ball jerks but be prepared to show some flexibility. The value of the car is not what dealers advertise but rather what they actually sell for. The big problem is dealers who offer financing and 1 stop shopping.


Lastly, remember it only takes 1 buyer and a seller with a positive personality. Keep the car looking it's best throughout the process and out of service if possible.

 

I agree with Tarhealcracker..... they sell here and nice cars sell reasonably quick and I follow the AZ used Jag market. Pictures..... clean car......service records and above all price the car correctly. Asking 25K for a 8K car and saying you will negotiate is a waste of time. I have bought and sold many (over 10) Jags here in AZ.... its all about how you market it. I would say stay away from eBay.....its really geared more for dealers on something like this. Seems private owner sales tend to lag unless its a steal. For what its worth I never had a Jag (95-2006 misc bodystyles) longer than 3 weeks when I put them up for sale. Good luck and I am sure you will miss it.

 

Thanks everyone for the input. Acutally all you did was confuse me -- now I'm rethinking it!

My car has been reliable however the reality of owning an 8 year-old car means parts start to fail. Nothing unique to the brand; just a reality. For me it's a matter of budgeting for the occassional repair and dealing with my daily driver being out of service unexpectedly or budgeting for a payment and getting into a newer car covered by a warranty.

I test drove a CPO Jaguar last week and really liked the car. At first I was steadfastly loyal to our traditional model with the heritage look & feel, but I'm slowly coming around to appreciating the new lineup. As I worked through the numbers there's actually a compelling case for trading it in versus dealing with the sales process and giving up blocks of nights & weekends to meet buyers, only to extract a few more bucks.

Plus you only live once and there's something appealing about falling in love all over again.

 

GregW


Right on buddy! You have arrived at the same conclusion many folks who are new car shopping arrive at. If you can afford it, the ease and convenience of using a dealer is very attractive in terms of old car disposal, financing and selection.


The key is "if you can afford it".

 

Ahh, there it is. Daddy wants a new toy!

If you trade it in, you'll take a bigger bath than selling it outright but selling it outright will take time as you've already read from Tarhealcracker and John.

Regarding repairs....still cheaper than buying new, until you reach the cars book value, and even then, people still repair and drive them into the ground.

Possible and probable repairs/ maintenance are not a good reason to trade in a well running car (tried it once. My wife saw right through me). Down time, maybe. A new toy, well that's a different reason entirely. So if you have a significant other who balks at new purchases, we can help you concoct as many excuses as may be necessary.

 

Sean / Tarhealcracker ... it's a sad day indeed when complete strangers on the web can read right through me. Here's the deal. I really, really liked the newer Jag and I felt the tug I felt when I got my X350.

And yes there's most definitely a spouse in the picture. But that's working in my favor. After an alternator repair last week left me Jagless from Monday morning to Friday afternoon I got the disapproving comments about "your old car." So, she's onboard with a newer warrantied car with low miles and I advised her that my payment would be half of hers.

Voila. Wife on board.

Then I get into my X350 and thoroughly enjoy the ride. What to do what to do.

This explains why Jay Leno has so many cars.

 

Keep the XJ (if it's completely paid off) and still get the new Jag.

 

Well that would be the thing that made my mind up. If I've got to make payments on it, I'm not buying it. If I can pay cash without feeling like I'm breaking the bank, then I'd consider it.

 

It can be worth paying a little extra just for the convenience and sometimes the peace of mind. (I'd keep it, but I DIY.)

 

Here in CA the market for used Jags is nil (while the unreliable Range Rovers sell like hotcakes). I've had my car in various ads for the last 2 years and received only 1 firm offer, but decided I loved the car too much to sell it. Browsing Craigslist, for example, I keep seeing the same Jag ads over and over. On the other hand, when I bought my commuter Prius, I was bidding against 5 other buyers.

If you own a British sedan, be prepared to keep it for a long, long time (and budget $1-1.5k/yr for maintenance if like me you're not DIY).

Cheers,
Wolfy

 

Agree with you about payments, but Jaguar is offering 0.9% financing (as in less than one percent) -- cash buyers come out ahead putting $$ to work in an investment while giving Jag's finance partner a measly 0.9% over a couple years.

 

pmail me if you'd still like to sell your car. I'm shopping for a clean XJ8 (X350)

tks, john

 

I went to have a look at an X351 the other day at a local dealer. I have test driven the current XJ, and it is a very nice car, although the avant garde styling takes some getting used to !

What puts me off is the sheer cost of changing. My X350 is worth little, so I would need to pay out a load of my capital just to buy a 2010 or maybe a 2012 car. Yet if I calculate what I need to pay each year to keep my car on the road, I can well afford it, and keep my capital in the bank, (actually it is invested and currently making me money).

The bottom line is that the new, current, XJ is not sufficiently attractive to me to get me over my reluctance to change for the price I would have to pay. All this plus the roof popping problem that I suspect I would run into and drive me mad.

 

Spot on Fraser. I have the same perspective but recognize it's a personal choice.

I'd be more likely to trade my car for an XK8 coupe with someone on this forum, assuming similar care and condition.

The market is skinny niche. The value of our cars drop rather quickly from new and literally plummet @ 10 years or 100,000 miles. Maintenance is cheap enough.

 

The more a car gets complicated the more I tend to steer away from them. I'm tech savy, an engineer and like to do my own work. But there is just something about taking the driving experience away from the car. I love my 04xjr because it is basically keeps most of the older XJ's look while adding just enough modern amenities that it isn't a dinosaur. Honestly Id prefer that some of the electrical nonsense that will eventually go wrong (aka self adjusting features) weren't there but Ill live. Same with my 01 xkr. But I do see the allure of a newer warrantied car. Took me awhile to like my 04 xjr over the older model! Unfortunately resale value on the car is not high and I'm sure trade in would be even less. If you could keep it and upgrade.....Knowing you've taken good care of the car...That would be my choice:O)

 

Yes I feel your pain too. I got an offer on my X350 last year for $10k but decided to keep the car, today its KBB value is 1/2 of what I paid for, or $7k. I'll probably keep it forever, having just replaced rear brakes and front air struts/compressor.

The X351 styling is hardly 'avant garde' anymore 4 years into production. A 2011 XJL Portfolio with chrome mirrors actually look quite stunning in person, and can be had for $33k (original MSRP $85k!!!!) Wait a couple more years and it'll probably drop down to 15k, then I might consider getting one.

The problem with Jags is it takes an awful long time to fully depreciate out, unlike the Japanese cars. My current car is still dropping at $7k and hopefully will stop around $4k if I am lucky. It pains me to think my Jaguar is worth less than my wife's similar-year Civic.

But I am happiest in this car than any other cars I've ever owned. So there's that.

Cheers,
Wolfy

 

I find that since I got my 05 x350 i have people in my close circle make comments like "well, someone must have got a big promotion" or " when did you win the lottery?"

I have to say that these cars have a presence, and you can have them for Honda civic money. Even the guy/girl in the Porsche will look over at a stop light.

We all pretty much agree that the maintenance can be expensive relative to other makes, but what price would you put on the smile you have when you are driving your car?