There isn't a luxury car that is inexpensive to operate. I don't care if it is a Lexus or Mercedes. Normal maintenance is expensive.

 

I wish I knew about the issue of the shift linkage bolt coming loose and falling off. It happened to me maybe 6 months after I bought it. It decided to fall out after a bad day at work and during a pounding head ache. Would have saved me a lot of grief had I done a little more research.

 

What a great used car deal they are.
Ten year old Jaguars, ten cents on the dollar?
Went looking for a nice used Toyota.
With auto trans,& air conditioning, for the wife.
Came home with an XJ8 Jaguar, too big.
I'll drive your Honda instead.
Took me six years to find the used Toyota

 

2004 XJ6

2008 XJR + a bit more punch
After more than ten years in X350 & X358, total mileage well past 300,000, I wish that I known how tough, reliable, durable and inexpensive to run they are. Between the two cars, consumables aside, all they have asked for has been one suspension compressor @£300, one ABS sensor @£55, one radiator @£117, two (aftermarket) catalytic converters @£140 the pair, 2 O2 sensors @ £40, a couple of drop links, a wheel bearing, and a wishbone, total C£180.

Amazing, and the XJR will slaughter the E60 M5 I had for a short while, without breaking either itself, or my spine.

 

The only thing I wish I knew prior to purchase was that here in the UK road tax is £55 per month for my 2006 model yet the same car a year or 2 older is £35

 

It is annoying, and unfair, but that’s what happens when we allow far left politicians and civil servants to control our lives, however, if an additional cost of £5.00 per week is a concern, then you probably shouldn’t be running a car at all, much less a full size luxury saloon. On the upside, depending upon the exact model, the 2006 onwards cars have some significant improvements over the earlier cars.

 

Thanks for that Phil. If you care to take a look at the Op's thread title it does not say what are you concerned about or object to with your first X350. I have no problem affording the extra £5 per week as i have a really good paper round that enables me to run my mint 3k car along with the additional tax expense. So much so that despite the 175 miles covered over a period of road tax costing £165 (3 months) I still own and enjoy the car.

My line of enquiry was why does the 3.0 V6 cost as much as the 3.5 V8 to tax and yes I wish I had known that before buying as I may have gone for the larger engined model maybe even an XJR as they are still a cheap purchase especially if you have a 35 year background in all types of automotive repair as I do.

I am intrigued by the upgrades you mention for the 2006 V6 model you touch on. To the best of my knowledge they are the same engine, trans, body, interior. The obvious differences in the later cars being a lack of body moulding's, No windscreen moulding and other minor exterior cosmetic details. Am i right in thinking there may be a few extra Hp in the later cars with the same V6 engine? Feel free to elaborate with any differences you know of.

 

Apologies if I offended you; I read so many posts from people who seek out earlier cars subject to lower VED, yet give no consideration to all the other much more significant running costs of any vehicle. I agree that the system is ridiculous and unfair; we have two vehicles stuck in this £600+ per annum trap; a few years older, or newer they would attract less taxation for the same emissions.
I answered the question of why; far left politicians and civil servants.
I qualified my reference to upgrades with reference to the exact model; the answer specifically for the 3.0 V6, is unfortunately not so much as with the V8s, and particularly the R. As far as I am aware, the less obvious improvements in your case are limited to seats, switchgear, and electronics, the last being less troublesome than on earlier cars (although even they weren’t bad at all).
I have also spent a lifetime repairing and modifying cars, and find the X350/358 an incredibly inexpensive car to run, especially considering what it offers in luxury and performance terms, mostly because they are so reliable and durable.

 

Thanks Phil, I was taken aback a little by your assumption but appreciate your further post .

 

I would have been happier if my '06 base had been a European-bodied car without a sunroof. Here in the USA mid-west, with plenty of deciduous trees, the sunroof drains get clogged easily, which led to water under the passenger seat, stinky carpet padding, corroded grounds, and many dashboard warning messages. This is especially troublesome if the car isn't garaged or is frequently in a carpark with pleasant shade trees. Both true in my case. When that car was totaled in a flood, it took 7 months to find it's replacement because I was being picky about year, colors, and model. My '08 had been in a warehouse for a year before I bought it but the first time it went through a car wash, water dripped down from the headliner by the windshield. I immediately took it to the shop and had the drains cleared, sunroof sealed with silicone and the switch de-activated. Done with sunroofs. Full stop.