Hmmm... maybe I should consider selling the Mustang privately in order to speed up this process a little bit. Do you think I could get more money for selling the Mustang privately, or by trading it in and trying to leverage a high trade-in price that way?

 

Dealer will never give you the money you'll get on a private sale, but private sales do take time. Generally, cars are not worth what they think they are.

Do you have a note on the car? If so, selling private is very difficult. The advantages to trading a car in is reduced sales tax on the next car and immediate transaction without lemon law concerns.

 

^ What he said...
Trade-in tends to hurt, Especially when you find out they give you nothing like the trade values quoted by Edmund's or KBB.
They have a "Black Book" value, which is basicly Auction prices.... Their common response is "Why would I want to give you more than I can buy it at auction for"?

Reduction of taxes thanks to a trade-in does come into play as well... Ours is 9.5%! It is a painful hit to any purchase.


Vince

 

I don't know, from what I've been reading recently, trade-in values have gone through the roof. The last two trades I made were my 2006 Jaguar XJ8 and Honda Insight. The Honda Insight was a zero-down LEASE that I had only made 6 payments on. I should've been thousands upside down. They paid it off, essentially buying it for more than a brand new one cost. The Jag's trade-in value was surprisingly close to blue book value, considering that they knew it had been in a serious wreck. And it's not like I got a bad deal on the Mustang I traded it for--I still paid $5k under MSRP with all the rebates and such.

Just looking on autotrader or eBay reveals how few used cars are available in the 1-3 year range. I think these cars are most profitable for dealerships since they can sell extended warranties, etc., on them. In this economy, people are holding on to their existing vehicles, so there aren't many lightly used vehicles available at auctions, and the ones that are up for auction are commanding high prices

And yes I have a note on the Mustang, so selling privately will come with additional challenges. Not to mention that the buyer is probably going to be financing the vehicle--meaning it will be twice as complicated. So I guess I have no choice but to trade in.

mosesbotbol, I noticed you said something about the air con hose. Is this a typical problem? What happens to it?

 

Lol.... All I can do is wish you the best on that, just be ready to fight for every penny. The sales staff are pros after all...

The AC hose is a known problem that a Service Bullion (TB00121 (for VIN ending with B00001 - B33100) issued was issued against.
The drain tube gets blocked and it starts dumping water onto the passenger floor. An amazingly expensive fix as it is listed as a 3 hour task at shop rates. My used '07 already had the damage done and as well as the fix according to the service logs...

Vince

 

Thanks for the info. As far as you know, is this only for '07 models?

Also, the damage you talk about--what is it? Rust? Corrosion?

 

The JTB lists 2007-2009.
Damage is dependent on how it was handled... Quickly says little to none... I'd say mine was let set a bit, and the carpet showed signs of staining (Something I have now well hidden via a black permanent marker.) I haven't lifted the carpet out it to look underneath...sorry. Being Aluminum, the car is a little less prone to corrosion like we experience on steal chassis. But it is a good question I should go answer myself this summer buy pulling it up and getting a first hand look at the sheet metal underneath
Maybe someone who has can tell us more?

Vince

 

I have had water leak into steel cars in the past and have never seen rust from that. I would be shocked if an aluminum car showed signs of rust due to water!

Any real reliability problems to worry about? The X350 seemed to have the most problems with the air suspension and the transmission. I imagine the XK does not ride on an air suspension, and the transmission from what you guys have told me is quite good. Is it reliable, too?

Maybe the convertible tops have more problems?

 

Mehhh... maybe this isn't in the works right now. I just looked on edmunds.com to see how much these cars are worth. For what I want (something in outstanding condition), the prices are too high. $35k or so for an '07-'08 XK and $40-50k for an '07-'08 XKR.

I only want to pay $30k!!
Decisions, decisions...

 

I feel your pain.
I was shopping Mid to upper $20k used Audis when I glanced over and got a silhouette view of my XK.

Love hurts.... so good....

V

 

As much as acceleration isn't the biggest priority for me, it's hard to justify paying $35k for a car that is slower than my current vehicle that I could buy for half the price.

I could also get a C6 Corvette (used) for $30k and blow the XKR out of the water at $40-45k!

I do enjoy shifting my own gears with a fully manual transmission, but in a high powered car, I can understand the need for paddle shifter automatic rather than a manual transmission.

Is the luxuriousness of the XK and the beauty of it and the mystique of the Jaguar brand really worth the high price premium over bare bones performance cars?

 

^ Sorry, that is only a question you can answer. I already made my decision, so all I can answer is "Yes... Most definitely".

 

That all depends if you value luxury, beauty, and exquisite style. If you don't care about those things, and you just want to get a fast car, then the Jag wouldn't be the best choice for you.

 

There is a quality of manufacture that Jaguar has over the Vette, along with just sheer beauty that is hard to beat. There are a ton of cars that offer better performance than XK or even XKR, but to me it's not about stats, but about the whole picture.

Would you rather have a "MILF" or a "Butterface"? Only you can answer that one.

 

I think the problem for me in buying an XK is that I would be sacrificing a lot of performance, but gaining a lot of luxury, status, prestige , etc. But you might think the price would be sort of similar given the performance aspect of it--or at least a lot closer. At the very least, I'd expect a regular XK to be about the same price as a similar Corvette (maybe they are?).

I don't have to be sold on the brand--I've fallen in love with Jags over and over again and this would be my third!

One of my hobbies is keeping my cars clean and polished, but I feel like I haven't done much of that since I sold my 2006 X350 VDP. That car was an absolute beauty and deserved all of the attention I gave her. The Mustang on the other hand, I rarely wash. It looks fine when it's dirty. I don't get really motivated when I see a hundred others on the road.

At this point, I think I really want an XK. I want a car I can be proud to own, and something I will be motivated to keep looking like new!

But I think now it almost becomes an issue of dollars and cents. I think this vehicle is right on the edge of what I can afford to buy. Including car payments, I have budgeted about $1000/month for all of my vehicle costs. (Insurance, gas, maintenance, etc.) Any more than that would probably stretch me too thin!

Love hurts so good, but I want to make it out of this alive!!

 

Also, does anyone have any idea how many XKs were made through the years? I'm kinda curious. I really liked that I rarely saw another X350 each day when I had mine.

 

It's a lot faster to wash the XK than the XJ (excluding wheels) by a wide margin!

 

I can't help you turn your thread into a slugging match between cars. Each has strong points. We Jag owners are biased, but not lacking in experience. I would not mind owning a Vette, but it would not be what I choose to drive cross country if an XK were my alternate option.
For short runs and shoot-outs yes I can bet a Vette would be a hoot... But for driving pleasure in 95% of the real world, I'd take something like an XK or Audi any day.

But hey, I'm getting old, and my lead footed days are on a decline. I enjoy cabin comfort, build quality, ride quality, and the occasional spirited sprint when the wild hair grabs me... So far my XK is batting 100.


Again I wish you only the best, but it sounds like your budget is leaning you in another direction. I understand, cause mine is pretty darn tight too.

Vince

 

Well, I know from speaking to a sales guy that is from England that for the past few years Jag has been making around 50K cars - that's everything. The US gets about 10 - 15% of that.

If we go with 15K cars a year and split that evenly between the XK/R, XJ, XF, that's 5K cars of each type (and the XF's are more numerous, but just for sake of argument...)

So for the US, population around 340 Million, there are (possibly) 5K XK/R's. Let say that the XK and R is split evenly and that makes 2500 XK's and 2500 XKR's per year.

So, if you add up that number since 07, there are approx 12,500 each of XK's and R's on the road, for a country with 340 million people in it. Not very ubiquitous!! Of course there are probably less XKR's than XK's do to price and manufacturing.

Mercedes makes about 250K cars a year. And the American makers (together) make a boatload (>750K??)

Jag is definitely a niche player in Auto's in the world, but even given that the name is very well known. From my experience, "most" people consider Jaguar a "rich man's" car.

I consider it a privilege to have one.

 

I would not mind a 'Vette either. But if I were just going to get another run of the mill 'Murican muscle car, I'd rather just keep what I have now rather than waste money changing to something only mildly more enjoyable. The XK, on the other hand, would be a complete change of pace. A car with real presence!

To give you an idea of the cars I've owned (I'm 25, so if I keep this up, I'll have a pretty long list!):

1994 Mazda Miata
1997 Lexus LS400
1986 Porsche 944
1994 Mitsubishi Mirage
2006 Jaguar XJ8 Vanden Plas
2011 Honda Insight (leased)
2012 Ford Mustang
1983 Jaguar XJ6

I only have those last two in my possession now. I think what I'm going to do now is save up as much money as I can until December rolls around. Then I will evaluate.

I am in the process of selling my XJ6 now, hopefully for $1500 or so, which would be a nice contribution to the downpayment for the XK.