Originally Posted by JRo

I certainly will keep my eyes open. The biggest issue for me has been making time to actually look for a car. As it happens I got slammed with a couple client engagements all at once so other than scouring the online ads late at night, it has been hard to make time to look at cars. The next issue is finding a quality ride with in the budget I have allotted.

Either I will find my dream ride or I will use the time not finding the right dream car to increase the budget.

Part of the thinking is that I am only thinking about keeping a car for a couple of years. I may keep it longer but I kind of feel like my goal for a used car is really 24 months. Anything longer is bonus and if I can enjoy the car for 24 months and then let someone else enjoy the car then I am a happy camper. If I can salvage half my investment at the end of the ownership experience then I feel like the purchase was a decent experience. In my case I am looking using a car for about 20K. So really the question I have to address is can I keep a car reasonably road worthy without costly repairs for a couple of years. I am not looking for a free lunch in my next car purchase, I just don't want to have a permanent art exhibit in driveway either.

The XJR that I looked at last week would have been so labor and cost intensive, I don't think I would have enjoyed the next 24 months with car. It just had too much wrong to begin with.

Anyway, I will certainly look at the 2002-03 XJRs. Also considering Tirefriar's advice to look at the later versions of the XJ6R as a good introductory alternative. The merits seem to be, similar body style, fewer electronics and lower cost of entry. The down side is less grunt, older car. All in all, still Grace, Pace and Space. I could be a pretty happy Jaguar owner.

Originally Posted by Tirefriar

Jason, thanks for the kind words. Two things to keep in mind is a) get the best one you can afford and b) realize that ANY used car will require maintenance. They are only new before they are sold to the first owner.

Agreed....As a general rule, I try to keep the best you can afford in mind. Always a good policy. Also I am aware that all cars need maintenance. Not expecting new just looking to keep from making silly purchasing mistakes. My experience is new is not always worth the asking price either.

Going for quality car will help you accomplish most of your goals successfully. First, a well maintained car will keep you on the road rather than in the shop. You give yourself only 24 mo so you would want to enjoy the car rather than hate it for sitting at the mechanic and draining your wallet.

I may keep the car longer or I may decide to upgrade. You may say that I have low expectations of any used car so I am basically looking for two years of avoiding major trouble. I do believe in regular maintenance and keeping the car in good working order. So if I can limit my shop visits to once a quarter, I am a happy driver.

I looked at the XJRs for sale on the web in the LA area. There are few to begin with and even fewer from private sellers. Out of around 20 cars less than half were private owners. I always advise not to buy used high end cars from non-franchised dealers.

I assume this is because the cars were acquired via auctions without history? If so these are good reasons.

The prices are all in line with clean low mile cars being around $10k +/- I don't foresee the prices of clean XJRs dropping much more than 20% over the next 2 years. So if you take care of your jaguar for 2 years you should get back more than your expected 50% when it comes time to sell.