My last car, a Cadillac from the same era as the x308 had been first towed to the dealer at just 300miles (by prior-owner, was on the warranty-repair log) and had left me stranded waiting for AAA a few times - once was a total engine failure (dealer swapped it after a full month in the shop), and the Caddy averaged just 11mpg in the stop-and-go of the streets of NYC and 22-24 highway.

After 6-years with my VDP it so far has never needed AAA other than in the initial few months of ownership where I had to undo years of vehicle-neglect by prior owners (needed new battery & new throttle body), it gets 12-14mpg in aggressive NYC driving and I've approached 30mpg on long highway trips (never quite made it beyond 28-29mpg, but with a lighter foot it could definitely be done.)

That is not at all bad fuel economy for a 202"/515cm-long 2-ton vehicle, 30mpg is approaching hybrid territory

 

I drove the 2016 XJL with Supercharged V6, then a few days later the Range Rover V8 Supercharged 5.0 Liter and was surprised to discover they are essentially the same vehicle with a different aesthetic shell, and the range rover suspension was obviously very different, but all the user-interfaces, buttons, dashboard elements, as well as general driving feel, were identical. The seats in the Range Rover are downright horrid for my biology, could not find a comfortable position, and their signature mini-armrests make the ergonomics worse. But the overlap between the two brands is substantial.

 

I used to work for a company who's directors all had either new Land Rover Discovery or new Range Rover. Occasionally I had to drive them and I can honestly say I didn't enjoy the experience one bit. As vdpnyc points out they aren't the most comfortable and the other thing is people look at you with a sneer, more so in my case. I was 27 at the time and driving a £80K+ car people thought I was a rich kid or something, but in the X308 I was often looked upon with warm appreciation for the fact it's a traditional Jag. The funniest was when I gave the boss a lift home in my then 13 year old XJ8 because his wife had taken his RR Sport. We were gently cruising along nicely after leaving the depot and no words had been spoken since I started the engine. After about 5 minutes the boss blurted out "This is nice!! So Smooth! You wouldn't think for something so old!" I smiled and said nothing.
I also drove the brand new (back in 2012) Mercedes E Class AMG Estate back from the dealer, and it was one of the cheapest feeling interiors I've ever experienced. Heavy plastics everywhere and nasty little blobs of plastic on the end of metal stalks for the indicators and wipers.

 

I bet the e-class is nowhere close to as plastic'y as the 2004-2007 Cadillac line, specifically the cts and their crossover - thin hollow abs molded plastic used as door panels, who thought that matches the Cadillac icon?!

I've driven several of the older 90s/2000s Discovery's and Range Rovers, I think they're lots of fun, but can best be described as feels like driving a school bus, especially with the brake pedal that extends downward towards the floor like in a truck instead of forward/inward like just about all cars, lol.

 

The newest Range Rover I drove was a 2013 RR Sport, in black. I hated driving it because the looks I was getting from other people made me uncomfortable. They must've thought I was either a rich kid or a drug dealer.
I don't tend to notice things like brake pedal travel/angles to be honest, I drive buses and trucks for a living so it's all in a day's work.
I can't really say much about Cadillac's prestige, the only expeiance I've had of Cadillac motoring was in 2002 when we visited friends in Arizona and he had a 1973 Coupe De Ville. It was big, bouncy and square.

 

The biggest worry for me about continuing to use the x308 on a daily basis is parts availability. Every time I've been to the dealer for something, I've been told the part is no longer available. I've gotten a few things over the internet and lots of things from a salvage yard. But it means that if it breaks, its not being fixed over a weekend. I was a Jaguar club event last weekend and one of the guys there was telling me that since Tata has taken over, they haven't renewed hardly any of the old Ford era supplier contracts. As long as you've got a backup car to drive tho, you'll enjoy the x308. I sure do. Mine has been fairly reliable but I know its an old car and not just any old car, but a particularly complex foreign luxury car. If I feel I can't risk a breakdown on a particular trip, I drive my much newer Honda.

 

And there be your problem. Most x308 owners stopped going to the dealer when the warranties ended a decade ago... Every part can be ordered online, many with 1-2 day shipping if you pay the dime to send it that way.

 

Do other people feel that the x308 is a complexly engineered vehicle? I feel like it's actually very easy to work on, much easier than my prior Cadillac which stacked part over part like Tetris to ensure that every repair required extensive disassembly+reassembly

 

I find nothing complex on it at all. Seriously I don't.

 

Not at all, it is a super clean, straight forward design, with plenty of room in the (V-12 spaced) bay. No reason to complain at all.

 

I'll chip in here ;o)
I have owned my XJ8/308 4.0 litre Sovereign for ten years now and it has covered 215,000klm.
During that time I have done most service work and repair/replacements
myself.
I can safely say, I know my way around an X308 pretty well and honestly, it's a well engineered car that I would say is not overly complex in most areas.

Like any car of it's era, the electronic systems can be a worry if you're not familiar with such things.
But if you take the time to avail yourself of freely available service information....study it, familiarize yourself with procedures, there's
not much you can't tackle yourself ;o)

I will also agree with others that the parts supply is no problem on the aftermarket circuit and it's really not necessary to go any where near an overpriced dealer!
They are not interested in keeping parts inventory for cars going on to 20 years old....not worth their while.
Spend a little time on the net and working out your own inventory saves a lot of grief and bother and you can work out an efficient and quick parts supply.

Most normal servicing is very straight forward compared to many other cars in it's class.
There are moaners out there who see nothing better than deriding an otherwise well built car let down by previous owners inability or need to do regular maintenance and then blame the vehicle!

As for not being able to use it as a daily driver....that's piffle!
If it's maintained correctly and using proper service schedules and replacing parts when needed, it's just as reliable as anything else out there and still gets admiring glances for something that doesn't look like the rest of the CAD designed clones out there today ;o))

 

Not so much hard to work on, but its got a lot of features and functions that you don't find on cheaper cars like the gadget that moves the steering wheel out of the way automatically when you get out of the car and then resets it to your favorite position when you get back in. That had to be repaired on mine at like 29K miles and I doubt Jaguar would have the parts to fix it today. You might not think that's critical, but if you're on a road trip and it fails in the fully retracted position, it could be unsafe to drive home depending on the driver's stature. One of my favorite features is the mirrors pointing down in reverse. I use it every day and am just waiting on the mirror to wear out. But if that happens, I will definitely park the car till I can get it fixed.

 

I've turned both of those features off, lol, found them annoying. Different strokes for different folks.

 

I don't find them difficult at all, I find them quite easy to play around with if I'm honest. Oil change can be done inside of 30 minutes and that includes jacking and stands, air filter in less than 2 minutes, headlight & tail light bulbs all easily accessible, reservoirs all within easy reach, ignition coils quick and fuse boxes all very easily accessible and clean.
There are a few little "common" issues that are known and easily resolved these days thanks to forums such as this one and years of contributions from members. I love the X308 and I smile every time I come home from work and see it sat on the drive. I don't intend on using my latest as a daily because I have a commute that is less than 10 mins, but if I worked further away I'd be using it for that.
There is nothing else out there today that I'd rather be driving, and that includes stuff from Jaguar. I've not liked anything they've done since the 308 and the X350 onwards is a definite no go for me in terms of design, styling and interior trim.

 

Oh...I quite like the X350 but only in LWB form....otherwise it looks a little
'pregnant' ;o]P
A Portfolio would be nice with all the trimmings ;o)

 

Well gents I bought a 1998 XJ8 black on black 174,000 km. I'm loving it. Took it 500km to Melbourne for my best mates bucks and back and this weekend he will be using it as his future brides bridal car.

 

That's Boss Mate, I love it! Looks the business!

 

Haha thanks Stu. Yeah I'm loving it. Traded the 2009 X Type in so this is my main car.

 

Excellent! Looks like where you live isn't too dusty, not like some Outback places I've seen. Just make sure you protect it from some of the more extreme weather you get out there!! Lots of Wax to protect from the sun!! I had those wheels on my old ones, they're called "Celtics"
Now you can give some of the Holdens and Falcons a run for their money!

 

think i missed boat seeing you have already purchased xjr and it looks super sexy park an x type along the side of that which one...please.

i have owned a few jags xj40 xj6 etc and they have all had issues but you find that with all cars new old big small what i have found its the excitement and enjoyment that older jags bring.

where could you buy a luxury motor for a few grand in decent condition that has the prestige and history that comes with that iconic name jaguar.

the xj8 i have at the moment has and still does turn heads and is complimented on and makes me smile every time i drive it, it feels like what a car should feel like on the road and makes my day most enjoyable materialistic maybe if thats looking after something i own well thats me.

never had a new car and i presume i never will not when you can get a beautiful old jag or merc or similar for the price of given up smoking for 6 months depending on how many you smoke obviously.

new cars = nice. old cars time effort money =enjoyment.