I respectfully disagree... Let's add up the parts alone

Battery : $160
OEM Transmission pan & fluid : $300-350
Differential Fluid: $20
Belt: $60
Engine Oil/Filter: $50 (good quality filter & OEM spec oil) or $80 (OEM filter & oil from dealer)
Air Filter : $20 (non-OEM) $40 (OEM)
Wiper blades: $40 (I was told only Jaguar blades work)

Total ~$650-750

 

Without a doubt doing the jobs yourself is the cheapest way to go even if you do the simple jobs yourself will save money and these forums are a fantastic source of information. I have a Lexus IS 200 2001 model it's the best car I have owned now the wife's car it still has the original bulbs in it apart from service items the only thing needing replacing is a front shock . I think if you know all the things that can go wrong with a secondhand model of a car and except them you cannot complain even so there is something special the way a jag drives

 

+1 on that although shock might be a bit more.

My XJR I bought at 98,250 about 14 months ago. Its now at 106,000.

Not a daily driver and it sits weeks in the Winter as I do not drive in icey conditions or snow.

I do 2 or 3 trips from MD to MA/ME a Summer otherwise local trips.

I have only had 1 issue a leaky right rear valve at the air block in the trunk. Slight 1/4 turn solved that issue.

I have flushed and changed the transmission fluid, changed oil/filter, plugs, filters (cabin and air) and coolant.
Just replaced the supercharger with an upgraded one and 2.5 pulley.

The only job I paid to have done was the super charger rebuild and I took it of and intalled it myself.

I replaced the valley hose and many others while I was at it. This was purely preventive maintenance.

 

You don't always have to pay OEM prices. For example, a good battery can be as low as $125. Transmission pan/filter can be found around $50. A flush without replacing the pan can be done for around $200. Replacement belts are $20. Wiper blades do not have to be Jaguar brand. Inserts can be had for less than $10 each.

Even at your estimate, you can save nearly half the cost by performing these tasks yourself.

 

I worked in engineering and I know the difference between OEM, OEM spec, and aftermarket. OEM has Jaguar logo and overpriced. OEM spec is often made as same supplier for Jaguar part but without the logo. Even, if supplier is different; it has to meet or EXCEED OEM standards.

"Aftermarket" only means that it "fits" but it doesn't guarantee that it will function as well OEM. Plastic ZF pan & filter from China are a great example. Not using LG6 is another example. The most famous example of all is the "air" shocks; most don't have true CATS functionality.

My car is too new & immaculate condition to start saving pennies. When it passes 150k & 10+yrs, maybe then I will start skimping pennies.

And yes, I can do the work myself if I wanted to.... I changed the battery myself. It was $160 bc it was the best Bosch battery money can buy. I don't want to mess without. Transmission service isn't something that DIY can do without shop tools. And if I screw it up; the cost is catastrophic.

 

Wait a sec, do you mean those great OEM engineering and standards like ZF's "sealed for life"? (well, until real life intervened...)

Or how do chemically identical fluids that meet the exact same standards, make any difference just because one comes in a bottle labeled Jaguar or ZF Lifeguard 6 versus Mercon SP or any other fluid that meets the Shell M-1375.4 spec?

What's wrong with a plastic pan & filter that "fits" since the OEM pan & filter is nothing more than plastic that "fits"? Particularly since the "aftermarket" pans come with more robust and better engineered fasteners than the engineers at ZF deemed necessary (again real life rearing its ugly head).

Not trying to be rude or anything, but those are perfect examples of things where aftermarket or other branded products can be just as good or actually better than OEM.

 

Let's not pretend that a 2008 XJ is still the $75k + car it was 8 years ago, no matter how immaculate, unless it's somehow new-old stock. If you want to still pay OEM prices for a car that costs less than $20k and will continue to depreciate for the forseable future, that's your business. But to say others here are "skimping pennies" is not only an exaggeration, but an insult as well.

Sales are slow, so Jaguar has to make money somehow, I guess.

 

OK so the OP hasn't been back since he posted and we may be talking to ourselves.

His comparison is moot. Jaguar is not a Pontiac.
"not a lot of money in repairs" means something different to all of us. He had 500k miles but no mention of what it cost him to get there.

It's a luxury car, top of the line. Of course repairs aren't cheap but with non OEM parts available now, they are less than they used to be.

The reality is that they have a poor reputation and are rated as one of the most expensive cars to maintain (consumer reports I think, is where I saw the numbers for 5 year cost of ownership)

He's not asking about maintenance which is unrelated to repair but also a cost factor and ultimately plays a role in repair costs.

Let's face it, we own em cause we love em not because they're cheap. They are my vice, my hobby and I love them.

So let's make this fun and figure out the Vegas odds that the OP will reply