My dear fellow XKR enthusiasts....since my 2007 M5 is nearing its warranty period, I am once again on the hunt for another vehicle. M6 coupe/convertible is on the very top of my list, but the 2007+ Jaguar coupe/convertible is looking mighty tempting as well with its elegant styling, adequate handling, supple ride, supercharged grunt, exclusivity and better gas mileage. I know that the Jag isn't known for reliability but lately it has been building rather nice and somewhat reliable vehicles.

I posted this same question on the M6 forum, though biased, the reliability concern remains.

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e63...ml#post1735635

Just wanted to get a first person's ownership experience instead of, "my friend had one and the car blew up after one week" type of horror stories. Appreciate all of your input!

Gene

 

i recently pulled the the trigger on my 07xkr and i love it to death i was also looking at a 6 series bmw and i researched that car on bimmerfest.com and got turned off by the many issues

 

I will tell you like this.

I have had a 2004 XKR droptop.
A 2005 XK8 Carbon Fiber Edition droptop.
A 2004 XKR coupe.
A 2007 XKR Jaguar.

Now, there are many people on this forum with multiple cars and what must be multi 100,000 salaries, as they have all kinds of rides. I am a Major in the US Army with 16 years of service to my country, and my payscale is available for viewing to the public at anytime, so money is kind of precious to me. That said, I believe you are only here once (sorry Hindu's) and I want a nice ride. Getting the Jag was a bit of a stretch for me, but I keep getting them when I trade mine in instead of others.

As for what to get? Well, performance wise maybe fritz has a better car. But I dare you to look at a Jag, look at a Bimmer or a Merc and say, "Those German's look better." Aston Martin aside, Jag's are the best looking cars in my mind.

Reliability? In the past maybe. I believe J.D. Power rated them #2 in reliability among luxury brands and #1 in customer satisfaction and service after the sale. Lexus was first, but SEVENTH in service after the sale. Mercs where once known for their quality but have pretty deplorable records now. Bimmer may be okay, but I think they are ugly. That is just me. I like redheads, lots of guys hate "gingers."

I have had no serious problems with any of my cars since 2003. The minor things that came up were taken care of promptly and with unmatched service. Personaly, I would not pick the Bimmer (you will look like a Belgian cement salesman as Jeremy Clarkson says) but that is up to you. I would pick the Jag.

 

I purchased my '08 XKR in Nov of '07 and to date have had 'zero problems'. Other than oil changes and routine service car has not seen the dealer.

I had ana '06 XK8 for two years prior that was also 'bulletproof'!

My wife had a 5 Series BMW that had one small issue after another. BMW did a great job of fixing everything under warranty; but it was such a pain that after owning three BMW's in a row she just bought a Mercedes.

 

Your information is dated. Jags are exceedingly reliable and very, very well-made. I've had BMW's (good - but very common and boring to look at) and Porsches (nightmares - in the shop constantly) and Maseratis (thrilling but fragile) and I can honestly say the Jag is by far the best car I've ever owned. It's luxurious, gorgeous, fast, a blast to drive, and you don't see one on every block.

 

Thank you for all of your responses...I knew I should have sought advice here first! I believe that the XKR has just surpassed the M6 on my list of next vehicle. Now I just need to find out where I can get my vehicle serviced in/near Tallahassee, FL....I live in southern Georgia but TLH is the biggest city around.

Question about the back seat, it looks rather tiny, anyone with experience of fitting a front facing child seat?

ps. Major Darth, I salute your devotion to this country. I am from a military family as my father retired a full colonel.

 

If you're looking more for performance I would get the M6 or the 2010 XKR. Coming from a E60 M5, you might be alittle dissappointed in the performance with the '07-'09 XKRs. My '08 XKR feels quick but not fast....but I do get alot of looks.

 

and they ride in booster seats in the back (although I do have to move the front seats forward - thankfully, the steering wheel adjusts forward too!). But to be honest, I've found with the deep bucket seats in the back that firm throw pillows work better at getting the kids to the right height where the shoulder strap fits perfectly on their chests. That's the real purpose of booster/child seats. I may have to prove that in a court of law someday, but my main concern is the safety of my children and the pillows work better. The booster seats actually put them up a little too high. Somebody should invent booster seats that work with bucket seats!

 

And I have to add that after owning a number of fast cars, the XKR has plenty of speed. I'd put it up against an M6 anyday.

 

Thanks Ghostrider! I don't expect the XKR to compete with the M5 in the performance department...I'm simply in love with the beauty and the concept of the XKR. BTW, what wheels do you have on the XKR, it's GORGEOUS!

Gene

 

I've have owned jags for the past 25yrs and know first hand where the reliability legends came from. My 94 XJSv12 was in the shop for 31 of the first 90 days that I owned it and then atleast mothly there after. I never had to wash or vac, the car because the dealer did it with every service. My first v8 car in 98 completely changed my views of jag ownership. I use to own them because I loved driving them but now they are as rock solid dependable as any of the competition.
Every couple of yrs when I start thinking about a new car I go out and drive the competion. In the past it was a tough call but usually went with the Jag.
When I got into my 09 XKR there wasn't even the slightest doubt in my mind what car I would be driving next. This car is just down right fantastic. The U-tube vid on the other post on this forum sums everything about this car up perfectly and that was with the 420hp car. If you're going with a 2010 there is no competion in my mind.

 

... aforementioned XKR video thread, and link to video for your viewing pleasure.

 

Lovely video of the XKR! Now that I have more first hand confirmation of the late model reliability, the M6 doesn't stand a chance anymore. Believe me, I love my M5, it was a childhood dream come true, but having owned it for the last 2 years there's just something missing....maybe it's the harsh ride, the constant interior rattle, the excessive technological gadgetry, the anemic torque below 3K rpm, the "nice 5-series" from my co-workers.....hopefully the Cat can fill the void. One thing I will miss for sure is the door-to-door maintenance where the dealership(~40 miles away) will drop off the loaner car and exchange it at the end of the day all for free...well, not really, but it's a good feeling knowing that I don't have to pay for maintenance for 4 yrs.

 

Jag does the same thing if you have any issues for free. At least mine does. I got pea gravel in my Brembos when they were repairing a road and it sounded like a bunch o cats caught in a sausage grinder when I tried to stop.

 

Since the nearest Jag dealership is 150+ miles away, the local high-end import repair shop owner informed me today that they can repair Jags out of warranty or with third party extended warranty, but any issues under factory warranty will need to be done at the dealership. This is the car that I'm drooling over....what do you guys think? Worth the risk that the dealership is 150+ miles away?

http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/dd...aler_id=793665

Gene

 

Not sure why my last post did not register....after talking to my local high-end import repair shop owner, was informed that any repair work under factory warranty will need to be done at a certified Jag dealership which is 150+ miles away. Third party extended warranty will cover repairs done here after the factory warranty expires. My options at this time are:

1)buy a late '07 or early '08 XKR along with a third party extended warranty
2)uproot my family and move closer to the dealership...lol
3)consider 911 Carrera

thoughts?

 

Moving the family for a car is probably not an option. The distance to dealer is one of the reasons I got a Jag instead of an Aston Martin. The dealer service centers just aren't frequent enough. 150 miles is a ways if something DOES go wrong. Although if under warranty they still have to come and get your car at no charge I believe.

Porsche. Ugh. I think they are all ugly, the styling hasn't changed since 1962, they make a "look at me in my Porsche! See how cool I want to be!" statement. Great drivers cars, but I don't like them.

There is always the Corvette, but you have the same "look at me" problem. You could get an SRT8 Challenger. I actually drove one while home on leave, and it was an absolute blast. Nowhere near as refined as the Jag, not as fast, but man...you just feel like a badass in that car. It's loud, it's bold, it's aggressive, and is sure to put a smile on your face.

Not sure if any of that helped.

 

In my honest opinion, there is no comparison between an m6 and a jaguar xkr. i read some of the post form the bimmer forums and ofcourse they say the typical "jaguar is a problem car" Recently jaguar has surged to the top of J.D. power and associates. The cars are much more reliable now then they were when they were owned by british leyland motors a few decades ago.

As for the perfomance the m6 has more horsepower, 500 but the car is alot heavier than the jag and in my opinion not as good looking. With that said, the M6 will still be faster than the XKR.

Also driving a jag is a little different than driving an M6. Both cars are very prestigious but for me the jag does it better.

I am not sure if you are familiar with the show on BBC called Top Gear but here is a clip with Jeremy Clarckson reviewing both the cars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6cwEBTJTRQ