We recently made the bad decision to trade our '95 XJ6 on a Cadillac SRX... To make a long story short, I found a Certified 2004 XJ8 in perfect condition with 42,000 miles on the clock...same color as out 6 but this one is warrantied for 100,000 miles... My question is; How much is a "Certified car worth...does it make sense to pay 1k over Kelly Blue Book for this piece of mind? The tires are new; brakes are all done...rotors and all. I've read some posts on this forum of those who were "poor men driving a rich mans car" and thought it would be worth a bit of extra $$ for a piece of mind...I am average to above average in mechanical ability but...Jag's pose a bit of a "taxation" on my abilities...

Any advice would be appreciated... pro or con...

Thanks in advance,

Paul

 

The XJ8 is a 2006.... Sorry for repeating it's early without enough caffeine...

 

Paul, It's almost a toss up. My vote, however, goes to the $1K warrenty as being a good deal. Be aware that most extended warranties do not cover suspension and related air supply equipment-- which just happens to be the weak point of 04 and up XJ cars. Most extended warrenties do cover the induction components that sometimes fail and are quite expensive.
One mans opinion.

 

I'm leaning that way but was trying to get "justification" from experienced owners. This car has the "Select Edition Jaguar pre-owned warranty" and reading on Jaguar.com it covers "factory supplied components for manufacturer defect...(with the exception of minor items). I guess this is the tipping point for the purchase/sale; to pin them down as to what the Select Edition Jaguar pre-owned warranty covers in writing. The sales associate did say it comes with documentation as a "certified" vehicle.

The other magnet is it looks the same as the '95 xj6 after going through a time warp... improved styling, 4.2 liter V8 in the same color, interior as well as exterior...

Thanks for the response,

Paul

 

I'd consider that a very good price for the 'select' peace of mind. The 06 version will be better than an 04, and you may not have to worry about air suspension woes for a couple more years. The throttle body (the other Achilles heal on these models) will surely be covered, so I'd say its a good buy. No regrets, get the XJ6 upgrade and be very content!

 

I would not buy a Jaguar without Select Warranty. Usually costs $3000-$4000 and worth every penny.

FWIW
brdave

 

The sales associate said the dealership pays for the warranty but I thought he was trying to justify his price...after the responses to my question and a little research I'm calling him tomorrow morning with a deposit. We traded the '96 XJ6 for a '09 Cadillac SRX4 last October because she wanted a similar vehicle as my CTS-V (thought it would be "cool" to have 2 black Cadillac’s) and my wife has been sad ever since. We even tried to trace the VIN to a location on the XJ6 through connections to no avail. I am taking a bit of a hit on the SRX trade but I can live with that... This XJ8 is a beautiful car and the V8 compared to the inline 6 has to have some advantages.

Again thanks for the responses to my question and I will be sure and post some photos when I get it home.

Paul

 

I wouldn't pay $1000 over Kelly. Is that retail or Private party value? The warrenty should be a selling feature and not an increase in cost. Look at Kelly's trade in valve on the same car and I bet the dealer got it for less than that. Also, they made money on the new vechicle they sold with the trade. I would try and get the price down, I don't think these car are moving that much in this economy. Also, there will always be another one. have u tried finding a private party car will a warrenty? That would have you several thound $$.

 

When I purchased my VDP from the dealer, the purchase of the car was negotiated, then the select warranty was added onto the purchase price. There were several other after market warranties avaliable which appeared to be a better deal but I still opted for the Select warranty which extends the Jaguar Factory warranty which is backed by Jaguar.
A couple of bucks should not matter in the big picture as long as you are buying a car you like from a dealership you are comfortable with.

A wise man once told me: The bitter taste of poor quality remains long after the sweet taste of low price is forgotten.

Good Luck.
brdave

 

Um.. sorry, but I used to recommend Select warranty on cars, but they DO NOT cover air springs, nore suspension bushings. 2 items that you may need down the road. Easy care extended warranty does cover these items. unfortunalty, everything these days gets trimmed.
At least select goes higher on repairs bill before they need approvals first. most ext warranties will send an inspector over $1k in repairs

 

I plugged the info into KBB again using the Certified Pre-owned option and it puts the figure within $270.00. Sometimes I get a bit rammy when on the computer... I called today and got a better price by $500.00 so I'm now $230.00 on the plus side. The only draw back for me would have been the "dealer fees" but after getting the carfax I see that it's a one owner car with all the detailed maintenance records for the miles/service intervals...a big plus for me. I realize the vehicle has to be one owner for certified status but a piece of mind none-the-less.

I did try to find a private sale car for a month now but only come up with multi owners cars and plane trips to see/test drive, This negates the bad feelings for dealer fees for me due to the expense of flying/driving long distances to see a car. The other plus is that it's the exact color, inside and out as the '96 XJ6 we regretfully traded for the Caddy last fall. I told my wife that it looks like her '96 after a Macy's makeover. She hasn't seen the car and only knows I've been looking for a similar car...boy...she's in for a surprise when I take her Caddy for detailing this Friday It's coming home as a White XJ8. lol
I really appreciate all the feedback from all and forgot how nice of a community the Jag owners are. I look forward to some positive interaction on the boards again...I did say positive not asking how to fix things


Paul

 

Wow you live dangerously. I went from a '97 XJ6 to the '04 XJ8 that I now own. I enjoy the car but it took a while to get used how much taller the interior is and the extended length of the dash among other differences. When you first posted that you were looking for a replacement car for your wife I was going to suggest that she drive one for an afternoon if possible to see the difference. Good luck and please post her reaction. George

 

I think she will love it, unless she doesn't like a bigger cars. Also, if she doesn't you can drive her. I have a 96 XJR and an 04 XJR and they are worlds part. I have also drove a 95 XJ6. I think the 04 is much more refined, nimple and responsive. And as for price......a car is worth what you want to pay for it. My family has been in the used car business for 30 years, so I'm use to buying at whole sale prices. It took my about 10 years to find a 96 XJR and about 2 years for the 04. Sometimes the hunt is as fun as the car.

 

Just thought it would be polite to post the results of my Jag adventure. The car is awesome, much more than I expected and quite an improvement from our '96 XJ6. We had a 1 3/4 to 2 hour drive to the dealership on the Mass Pike and it took me about an hour and fifteen minutes to get home!! I wasn't trying to make time (or at least not that much) but the XJ8 rides and performs unbelievably... from a '96 XJ6 comparative stand-point.

Anyway, she loves it and I'm the hero now... Originally she wanted nothing but a 1995 - 1997 white XJ6. I found this car in white with as close as you can/could get interior color...the pinstripe is even the same as the old Jag. I want to thank all who offered advice, pro or con... this has been by far one of the best experiences of buying a vehicle I can remember...

 

We aim to please! great story WT, come back anytime, or stick around for the banter.