Hi everyone, fabs here from montreal. I'm in my late 30's with 2 little kids. I currently drive a 2007 saab 9-3 wagon and really like it! I came across an as for a nice 2006 xj8 (rwd). I'm wondering what you think....would this car be a good choice for a dad with 2 little kids? is it practical? I like the look of the car and the big v8 rwd of it...
i t would be my daily driver..including lots of snow in winter time, and winter tires would be a must.
thanks
fabs

 

If you like the car go for it and don't overthink it. I bought mine as a 40th birthday present to myself. Like you I have two young kids. When their friends first get in the car they ooh and aah, even at that age they're impressed. Notice the new Jaguar ads show guys our age driving the vehicles.

 

Hi Greg, thanks for writting back. I forgot to ask, in terms of reliability and more importantly, maintenance, how do these cars stack up?
I can manage to do the basics (oil change, tranny fluid flush, clean sensors, plugs/wires)...are they pretty easy to work on? or super complicated? in terms of going to the dealers, what would it cost for an oil change lets say???
thanks
fabs

 

they are pretty reliable, but parts and labour expensive are more than on "commoner" cars.

For example the suspension bushes are huge, and need changing after round about 60k miles.

Tyres are big and expensive (my Michelin Sport were £310 each, but would not suit your winters - you may want two sets of wheels)

MPG is not much as it's a big powerful car, even if you have delicate feet like me

Brakes might be double what your SAAB costs

Oil change once a year minimum, 5W-30 Ford spec oil, though a fast-fit company can do it easily enough, or buy your own. I am happier with the genuine Jag oil filter for a little extra.

Scratches and chips are more tricky as it's aluminium, not steel, and can get corrosion bubbles.

Even the windscreen wipers are special.

 

p.s.

changing the plugs, when you get to the rearmost one, will bring you hours or even days of innocent fun. Luckily they last 100k miles.

 

Hi mate go for it I got my 1st jag at 21 an I still have the car now an I have 1 kid

 

If you are in the habit of going to IKEA ... forget about it with a Jaguar unless all you want to buy is a desk lamp.

The 900 Series Saab hatchback had unparalleled cargo capacity for its size. The 9-3 wagon is probably even roomier.

The 900 Series also started every time, even after sitting for months under a snow bank.

Wish I still had it for beating around .... especially when I have the XJR laid up for days or weeks and need parts

 

oh yes, the back seat doesn't fold, and the boot is smaller than you'd expect.

 

Hi guys, thanks for the info. I guess it all on how
You look at it, if the parts are a bit more expensive and need to
Be changes once in a while its not bad, just
Paying for gas. On the plus side at least there are dealerships around, unlike saab. I do like the space and cargo area room. I do like the fit and finish of the jag. I hear that v8 engine has good grunt? How do you find the tranny operation? Shifts smoothly? And issues on that front?
Thanks
Fabs

 

I have owned many Jags. This has been the most reliable, by far...it has only cost $4k in do it myself repairs over 8 years. For good reason, I have never trusted a Jag as my only car.

If the repairs don't scare you, then it is hard to find a better driver.

 

The most important thing with up-market cars like this is to have proof of regular servicing. If the car is neglected, it can come back and bite you. Having said that, service is only a 10k miles OR yearly job. Things like tyres can be expensive but there is plenty of mid-range stuff out there that is more than adequate. With two young kids you are not going to be a wheel-spin to wheel-lock sort of guy, at least I hope not ! I have got Accelera Phi on the back wheels and have not had any problems in 40k miles !! OK, there are Pirellis on the front, but when these wear out, I shall seriously consider mid-range. If you're in a cold northern place that gets lots of snow, you might look around for a set of used wheels and put a set of winter tyres on. We normally don't need this in the UK but where you are, it might be prudent.

Other thing is that there are Jaguar independent shops around who charge much less for labour than the main agents. Also there is a very active after-market in Jaguar parts especially those that Jaguar seem to want lots of dough for, yet wear out quickly. You can normally manage to get OEM parts for a lot less off the internet, and there are very reputable suppliers who have been in the business for decades

 

CDJ...wow that's great...so with about $500/year that is pretty good, i find. I've already spend way more than that in one year on my saab actually.
If it's a pretty good engine to work on (room to work around) then it should be good.

Frasier...no i'm not a "burn-out from light-to-light" type of guy. I do highway everyday (with stop and go). as i said i can do some basic repairs, so if the car is easy to work on it's not an issue.
I like the fact that there is a bit more activity in the parts dep't, as there is not too much on the saab front and have to go to indi. garages. There is just one last gm dealership that works on these cars, but i'm afraid to go..hahaha
As for tires..why are they so expensive? tire size? on good thing is that a few years back they made it law here in quebec that you have do have "winter" tires on your car in season. I currently have nokian hakka studs on mine and like them, and would consider putting them on the jag.
The reason i like RWD, was that i find it more predictable in winter time to steer. I once had a '96 chevrolet caprice (police pack) at one point (was RWD) and was the best winter car i ever had!!!
thanks
fabs

 

We went from Saab 9-5 and 89 900T to Jag XJR 2005 and Volvo XC90 2.5T of similar vintage. The Jag this weekend got me 25.2mpg on a long trip, which is better than you could get in a 9-5, and better than the volvo. The back seats in the XJR are roomy enough for 3 kids, even with car seats. I'm in my 30's with two little daughters. The heated seats and heated steering wheel are very nice in the winter.

I haven't put snow tires on it as I do have a truck with snow tires.

Some parts are expensive. My car came from texas and the air suspension started leaking in the 0F winter weather here. Other than that, it seems like a real nice winter car. I have not had a jaguar specialist do work on it; my normal import mechanic (who likes Saabs) fixed the suspension issue and did oil/filter/plugs change no problem. It's probably no more expensive than a contemporary Saab, where some parts are reasonable and others are ouch.

 

Hey Phil, cool to see some young daddy-o's with the jag wheels..hahahah
Funny enough, we too had 2 volvo's before we switched to two saabs (i had a 2006 v70 2.5t and a 2005 xc70 2.5T). We both like our saabs over the volvo's, the xc70 was good in snow but i find the saabs to be more of a "drivers' car".
glad to hear that your saab mechanic also works on your car, good to have. Do you prefer the jag or prefered the SAAB?
What i was say ing before is that at least with the jag, you CAN go to the dealer for parts or go with aftermarket if you want (i hope?).
what i forgot to ask was, do these RWD jags also have like a "limited-slip diff"? where if one wheel is slipping the other will slowly turn? if so, it should be good in the snow.
fabs

 

mine has traction control, I don't know if they all do, but AFAIK not limited-slip.

 

In Maine, we've got one little tiny Jag dealership about 2+ hours away. Not convenient, but we used to have none till recently. Pretty much 95% of the Jag drivers in Maine are summer tourists up visiting from southern states. Saab however was everywhere; like more popular than a Honda accord or Dodge Caravan. Saab service is mostly aftermarket now. I'm not going to drive 2+ hours to get my car serviced if I can avoid it, so as with any car, find an independent mechanic who is competent and trustworthy.

I like older Saabs better than newer ones. The new ones are fast and everything, but try to be both a drivers car and practical. The older ones are better at this in every way but are a bit less refined doing so. The Jag is a very refined drivers car. The speed is effortless and differs from the Saab mainly in that there is no torque steer or turbo lag, both of which can be fun. But an XJR likes the same cold or damp morning air that a turbo car likes.

 

Hey Phil, yes the indi is the better route, well not much option for me.
I can't compare about the saab's as i never
Had the older ones. The ones we have, have some good pickup and not much lag. I won't lie, i do prefer a bigger non turbo v8 over
The small turbo ones.
Fab

 

hey Fabchef i think if your into nice things like a jag go for it Im 25 yrs old with my first jag and i have two kids as well a 5yr and a 8month but like everyone said its all about keeping the maintenance up cause if you don't the cost will add up very quickly jags are very good cars but big difference from your average American car but once you get the hang of doing the maintenance yourself its not quite what people make it out to seem ill say go for it its a whole different experience and a attention grabber!!

 

Don't worry about it not handling the winter.

I drove my XJR one snowy Swiss winter, just need to get some proper winter/snow tyres and you'll be fine.

I must admit though, the back seat not folding down is a PITA from a practical point of view. If you have two cars in the family and the other is a wagon then you'll be fine for the Ikea stuff...

 

Junior, thanks for writing and for the positive comments. I take it the back seats are roomy enough for 2 car seats? got good trunk space?
As far as maintenance goes, it seems to me (from what i saw on the net) that there is a decent amount of room in the engine bay to work on it and not too difficult to get to things? I saw a video on youtube of changing the spark plugs on the V8 and doesn't seem too bad, not much stuff to move out of the way. In an odd way, i was happy with my caprice that the A/C unit was not there at all, cause it made it easier to change the plugs.On a ball-park figure, in one year, just basic stuff...what would it cost ...$500-1000 bucks? i think i spent way more than that on my volvo (was a little disappointed with this car).
thanks again gang! Oh ya, what is the main difference in the different models (ie: regular model vs vandon plas)??
fabs