I would not buy the car. I recently had a $3000 repair bill for my 2000 XJ8 after my tensioners failed. Fortunately, due to financial situation it was manageable but it still is painful putting that much money into a car.

 

Aside from maintenance, do you realise how much gas this vehicle uses?

Driving to school every day is going to be difficult if the car keeps on turning right at every gas station.

School is even worse than commuting because it's always tempting to go home between classes.

Then there was the recent mega-thread where a student blew the motor out of his Jag. Many of the members here will remember that thread.

$5K can get you a great commuter car that will last until graduation and sips gas like a nun with a cocktail.

 

I've decided to get a Ford Fusion, I'm checking one out on Friday. It's a V6 with 220hp, 6 speed transmission, leather seats, a moonroof and surprisingly good gas mileage.

Oh, and I should have mentioned that I will only be driving to get groceries when I'm in school (if at all) since my house is 5 minutes from campus. Also, I can't go home between classes because my schedule is 8:30 to 4:30 or 5:30 solid. :P

Thanks for the help guys.

 

Why buy a car at all then?

 

A 2001 XJ8 with 140,000 miles, if properly maintained, can be a Beautiful car! But for all the reasons mentioned above, it most definately is NOT a student car!

Good luck with something more practical.

 

My mistake: you said 140K (87,000 miles). But my comments are still valid.

 

I just spoke with my Jag mechanic and he has a customer coming in tommorow with almost 400,000 miles on his XJR in Boston! Transmission only died at 250k miles! Original tensioners failed at 180k with no bent valves. XJR seems way more reliable than the non supercharged V8.

 

I agree that a Lexus would be a great reliable car, but because they depreciate so slowly, the only ones I was able to find for sale in that price range had RIDICULOUSLY high miles. I dunno. A 2001 VDP for $7500 with 76k... or a 2001 Lexus for the same amount with 160k? At SOME point, the Lexus WILL begin to wear out! ;-)

SirJag

 

In my program I go to school for 4 months then go on a co-op work term for 4 months alternating. This means I have to move every 4 months and for my work terms I could be in a location where public transit isn't available.

For example, some of my friends are working in remote locations, such as diamond/gold mines or oil rigs working on drilling machinery etc...

 

Mazda MX-3/MX-5 wagon then?

Base model Mercedes 280/320 wagon? But, definitely *not* the C32 - supercharger clutch, intercooler pump problems.

 

Hmmm....87000 miles on it? Spend the money on education. At that mileage you will have to "rebuild" the entire Jaguar unless previous owner(s) did all maintenance and then some. JD Powers is not all that reliable with their rating.
I love my 1998 with 44,000 on it but most of the issues were taken care of.
Get a good used car with under 60,000 mile on it and it will last you through your studies. Buy a Jag when you have your degree, I concur with all remarks on the subject.

Burza
1998 Vanden Plas

 

A final update for anyone who's curious:

I bought a 2006 Ford Fusion V6 SEL with 76 000 KM on it. It's burgandy with a black leather interior and it looks and feels like a brand new car. It has a moon roof, heated seats, a custom sony sound system, heated side mirrors and an analogue clock which surprisngly looks really good in it. I don't have any pictures of the car, but here are some photos of the same model:





Thanks for your help guys,
Scott

 

Congratulations.

It's a great colour, and a great looking interior. Make sure you look after the leather if you like the new car feel.

The parts are probably going to be dirt cheap compared to a Jaguar, and if you look after it, it'll last past graduation, and maybe into grad school.

Additionally, you won't have to obsess over the next repair required before you take off on the next co-op assignment.

You made a good choice for your current requirements.

 

What did you finally do? Did you go for the "safe" route, or choose something coddling as you study your butt off in school?

I recently had the same "issue," in that being of limited means, I saw a '98 VDP that I could buy with cash, for a really "good" price. All the sheet metal had its original VIN number tags still affixed, so it hadn't been in an accident, confirmed by Carfax. I heard the dreaded clacking upon start up, so after I bought it with 97K for just $3400, it got the thermostat, full cam chain system replacement, oil/filter, and coolant done. That ran me an additional $1200 through an independent guy in town.

Car has a squeak in the front left suspension identified as upper and lower ball joints, about $50 apiece and a relative breeze to install after removing the wheel of course. Mostly, believe it or not, it's been cosmetic issues, seat wear, some paint fading (champagne), respray of bumper covers, pitted chrome wheels. EVERYTHING works, it does not eat oil, no electrical issues whatsoever, and like others have stated, yes, if you are on a shoestring there are better choices, but having also owned a Lexus at one time, they have suspension bushing issues as well, requiring control arm replacement, they lose fonts on both the climate and radio systems, and they are not anywhere near cheap to maintain either, having similar cam drive replacement issues, with the attendant water pump/thermostat/coolant replacement, as well as other fluids that are endemic to any vehicle. It really isn't anything to be frightened of, and between my memory of my LS400 and this XJ8, Her Majesty is much more comfortable and finished better in terms of interior appointments. The LS400 had rather hard front seats, and while I drove it to 149,000 miles, they never did break in or become better over time.

That said, be prepared to pay anywhere between $500-1,000/year as routine chasing down of preventative maintenance and you'll be just fine. The way I looked at it, was that a comparable '98 Honda Civic EX with that many miles would have been the same money, and I surely know which I'd rather be ensconced in if ever involved in an auto accident, let alone everyday driving pleasure - which accounts for a lot for anyone on this forum!