Hi. I come for help on making this crucial decision. At 20 years of age I feel the need to buy this beautiful car.

Keep in mind that I don't want to break the bank and be able to be satisfied with this car for a long time. Since I've became interested in this car I began doing research and have found people who say they aren't reliable but yet again have found some great information and people who say otherwise.

Its been everywhere, therefore, I am completely and utterly lost in making my final decision. The AD to the XJR Im interested in reads as follows:

"Super charged V-8. 45,000 miles on new motor. New A/C system, new tires, new starter, new alternator, new brakes, new battery, new mass air flow. Car runs and drives great! All work done by All Jaguar Orlando."

I called All Jaguar. Dudes been working on this car for 12 years. He said they put new tensioners, a used engine that had 25,000 on the odometer. And many other things that I personally am not to aware of.

SHOULD I pursue this car, with my budget, it will not kill the bank at 6.500, Ill still have spare cash, or should I just drop 10k on a new car?

Im so STUCK right about now and would like some extra guidance.

Here's the maintence report

 

I would absolutely pass on this example. It's a 200k mile car for sub 100k mile car prices. These absolutely can be reliable, but maintenance intense, cars.

If you look, it's like a lot of high mileage older cars. Look at the periods of time and mileage between repairs. Most people go longer on oil changes than this car stayed out of the shop.

This is too much money for not really that good of a car. There are many better examples for this or less money. Also,consider passing altogether if you don't plan to DIY or budget 3k per year for maintenance and upkeep.

This is the one, right: http://daytona.craigslist.org/cto/5645272801.html

 

Yup thats the one

 

Yes, these Jags are maintenance intensive, and can cost a lot to maintain, especially if a dealer does it. If you can DIY most things, the cost becomes a lot more reasonable. For example, I have spent $4,000 over the last two years, and that is DIYing nearly everything. $1K on tires, $1K on getting the fuel pumps done by a shop, the other $2K is for parts for DIY maintenance.

If you look at that invoice, I would estimate they have spend $5K to $7.5K on maintenance per year, and that's just at this dealer. There is no reason to think that this well-established trend will not continue.

Are you prepared for that kind of cost, or willing to DIY?

 

Offer 4K.

 

Phew I have a personal mechanic that my mother has known for quite some time. And he can do a lot for us at a very reasonable price. I was gonna have him check the car out for me before buying but I really just want to be sure that my first car will not cost me my entire savings..

 

How many people have to tell you to stay away? This is not a first car and even if you have a mechanic that doesn't charge much you should figure $3K/yr.

These older Jags are for hobbyist mechanics with repair/diagnostic experience who are not going to rely on them for daily use.

 

Understood. I would think that after having these professionals deal with this jaguar over so long that it would reduce risks and basically be in perfect condition to just maintain so that everything goes smoothly.

But

I probably should stay away, whats a similar looking car that would be great as a first car? I dont really know what to look for.

 

Don't walk away from this car...RUN AWAY!

This is NOT a car for a 20 year old's first car. The cost of maintenance and daily operations (premium fuel) will bankrupt you. You say in your first post that you don't want to break the bank and want to be satisfied with a car for a long time...this car will not meet that criteria.

While we can all understand your attraction to a Jaguar (you are on a Jaguar enthusiasts web site after all), we have many years of experience and probably a little more mechanical talent and disposable income than you do at this point in your life. If you buy this car, it will be such a bad experience for you, that it will turn you off the marque forever and we don't want that. (We need young blood in the hobby).

Buy yourself something reliable and economical for now and save your money. (Yes, it will be boring in the short term). Find a local Jaguar club, get involved and learn all you can. They will welcome you and be glad for your youth and excitement. Put a little money aside each month and find yourself a worthy classic Jaguar project that you can work on and not have to depend on for daily transportation. It will be a rewarding experience and you will have a lifetime hobby. (plus a really cool car)!

You have already shown some great promise/judgement in that A) You have been attracted to the unique and classic styling of a Jaguar and B) You have taken the time to do some research and seek out advice from Forum members. Heed the wisdom here and resist the siren's call of this particular car. There are many Jaguars out there and many years for you to experience them. Be smart, be patient and you will be rewarded in the end.

 

I can well understand your attraction to the car. They are fantastic. At your age you are probably pretty busy, balancing school, work, and an active social life. You might consider buying a reliable daily driver first, for a few grand, then look for a Jag. You might consider a nice s type especially with a v6, easier to work on. I'm thinking about getting one, to go with my XJ6. Good luck.

 

Being 19, purchasing an XJ8 Vanden Plas as my first car that was far from good shape, I can safely say, unless you have a lot of spare time/money or a reliable secondary vehicle, I would not suggest purchasing one, they are reliable cars for the most part, however they do require lots of upkeep, like owning a horse, unless you have the time and money to take care of it, it will not be a fun experience, I have a fairly well paying job and a good second car. I've also been working on vehicles for a long time, so that tends to help, unless you have deep pockets or the ability to work on these cars it's honestly not a pleasant experience, it's not the fact they are not reliable cars, but they are aging every day, and with that age on the suspension and electrical systems especially, can cause a lot of havoc. And for something easier to DIY I would not suggest a S/C car as that's a whole different can of worms you'd be getting into. More parts to fail. If you really want a jag, find either a V6 S-Type, avoid and X-Type, or find a lower miles (1990s?) XJ6. Do not buy a Jag older than 1989.

 

I live in Jax Florida and this POS car keeps showing up on Craigslist (there's a reason it hasn't sold) It's got wonderful pictures of it, in the rain! Run away don't walk, way too many good examples out there for a fair price.

 

My Jag is a second car. That means when I have a project, like the recent front suspension rebuild, I could take my time and do it over a number of evenings and weekends. Then it becomes not a chore but something that is satisfying.

Now for the rear suspension rebuild, after a few weeks of actually driving it!

 

Where did you get the maintenance report?!

 

https://staugustine.craigslist.org/cto/5643930194.html

 

I bought a 99 xjr mechanic special as my second/soon to be daily, and I'm in about the same situation as you. I've got a car for now to drive while I get the XJR all taken care of, though I haven't been able to drive the jag past my street due to titling issues i'm fighting the PO about.

Everyone says it's a bad idea, but I paid almost nothing for it, 98k mi, completely rust free due to being a texas car. It even had the exhaust system replaced from headers back, as the headers are the only thing even remotely rusty. Already did full tensioners, water pump/tstat, some coolant hoses. Though it is at that point in its life where all the suspension bits are about to start going out, everything else seems solid as far as I can tell.

The biggest deciding factor is the fact that I'm confident I can DIY 95% of the service it could need. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm confident in my mechanical/electrical abilities, or ability to learn, I would not have even considered getting this car. Tinkering and working with my hands has been a significant part of most of my life.

That being said, I'll either get to prove most everyone wrong and drive a beautiful supercharged saloon, or learn a painful but important life lesson. I guess I'll find out within the next year or so.

edit: I agree with everyone else on that specific car though. I'd be worried about rust, suspension, any other rubber parts, brake system, etc. really anything that goes wrong on any 200k car seems like it will go much more wrong on an xj.

 

I wouldn't go for that example. But as for the idea itself, I say go for it. I would go for the newest one within your price range,that has also been taken care of.
My first car was a luxury car.. Bought it when I was 15 back in '03. It made me very happy, especially when I looked at all the crappy cars in the parking lot at my high school. Some of the maintenance sucked, but all of the good times I had with that car made up for it.

The thing is, you only live once (unfortunately.) So if this is something you really want to do, then do it. Worst case, the car you buy turns out to be a nightmare, and you end up scrapping it/parting it out. Not the end of the world. But best case, you end up with a fantastic driving experience that you will never forget, in a car that looks better than 90% of the cars on the road today.

It all depends on the amount of effort you are willing to put into it. Or in my case, a sense of determination to prove others wrong. I spent the last year daily driving a 20,000LB military surplus 6x6 semi tractor. No (functioning) heater in subzero temps, and 4ft tall 400LB tires that are a nightmare to change on the side of the road. But I did it anyway, because people said that it was a stupid idea, or would never work. I proved them wrong, and in the process gained a lot of good memories from my various adventures with that truck. I've already acquired a decent list of regrets in my life, but that was not one of them.

Do a little more searching, have a little more patience, and you will find the right car for you. I spent 5 months looking for the right XJR, but it was worth the wait

 

It has the potential to cost you your entire life savings.

Some jobs like suspension bushes take a lot of labour hours, and it
does not matter who is doing the job. There are a lot of jobs like
that on Jaguars.

Unless you can wrench at a mid to advanced level, a Jaguar
and in particular this model is not for you. Do not fool yourself
on your skill level if you take this route. Changing the oil is
not mid level. You will also need a lot of tools, some of which
are special purpose.

Parts are expensive at the dealer, and not common in the used
market. There is almost no aftermarket except for some consumables
like oil filters.

Also bear in mind the cost of insurance. The XJR is a high performance
vehicle, expensive to repair, and has a powerful engine. The insurance
companies know this and price accordingly. Especially for young drivers.

I think I just talked myself out of my own car

 

Plum's I have a 20 YO on my insurance and believe it or not, my insurance just went down going from the X300 to the XJR -100, seems traction control and multi airbags win over high output engine. I even questioned her twice about it! She said nope, it's cheaper. At least at AllState.

 

I was surprised about the insurance cost too.. I pay $77/month for my XJR through Farmers, and that's with $1 million coverage on everything. However, since I am 29 my rates are different compared to someone who is 20.