Should I buy one ?

Vercingetrix · October 17, 2014

Hello, I'm new here and wet behind the ears as far as Jaguar is concerned.

I feel something of a fraud here as I do not own a Jaguar now so please forgive me.

Always loved Jaguars, promised myself I'd own one before I fall from the twig.

That day seems to have arrived and I am presently considering purchasing an XK.

I was considering a 2009 or later model.

Trouble is that I'm wary of the running costs.

I'm not concerned with the mpg so much as the servicing costs, service interval, insurance, tyre wear, those sorts of factors.

I am nearing the end of being shackled to a mortgage and presently have about £300 a month to spare or squander.

I usually cover about ten thousand miles a year on fast country roads in Wales.

Do members think I should take the plunge and treat myself to an XK or is there another model members consider I may be better purchasing.

Or should I steer clear of this beautiful car and dream on?

Your viewpoints would be very much appreciated and I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards

knightsmith · October 18, 2014

David,

You've convinced yourself, go get one.

I have a XKR, fantastic car, tyres are about £225 each (although i haven't bought any yet), I average 24 MPG, and can get 31 MPG on a run, which isn't bad considering it's a 5 litre supercharged engine.

Insurance I can't tell you about as I don't know your age and stuff, but mine is £345 a year .

I am getting the car serviced on Monday so will let you know the cost of that then . They need servicing every 12 months or 15000 miles.

In general i've found the Jags (i've had two) about the same as the BMW's to run, and a darn sight cheaper than the Aston Martins i've owned .

I think if you find yourself a good independent garage (we have a list ) that will keep the costs down

Welcome to the club, we have a few Welsh members also . If you take a XK for a run, it will be yours .

ATB,

Trevor

Old Peter · October 18, 2014

Hi David and welcome to the Club.

I know the roads that drive on, as I used to work at the Steelworks in Shotton when it was a big works, and lived there too. Before emigrating to Derbyshire and then here in the Midlands.

The Jaguar is a great car to drive, but I have not as yet ventured into the very sporty models, and being a very young 80 I am probably not likely too.

Jaguars are very well made and surprisingly economical driven properly, not boy racer style.

Maintenance costs are not high if you do as Trevor says and find a good independent garage that will not charge you about £125 an hour labour costs.

Genuine Jaguar parts can also be obtained which are not too expensive.

A lot depends on the car that you want to buy, and if you look around there are plenty on the market, and some at very good prices. The X Type is a very nice car - I had an All wheel drive SE 2.5 litre petrol, which was a gem that someone stole, and I went for the car that I drive now , an S Type 2.7 litre Diesel which is quite fast as well as quite economical, the engine being the result of a Ford and Peugeot partnership.

The same engine went into the more modern XF, later uprated to the 3.0 litre Diesel which the XF now has, and does appear to be very popular.

tyres should not be a great problem, but it is important to stick to top brands, and properly aligned with the right pressures will last a pretty fair length of time --- my car runs on Pirellis which cost about £160 a corner if you shop around. A lot does depend, of course on the wheel size, as Jaguars of the same model and have wheels between 16" and 18" on the same car and you see a few with wheels up to 20".

All you will need to convince you about Jaguars is a test drive. You don't need to be a rich man to drive one, and an old pensioner like me is not unique in the Club, so jump in, have a good look around and then enjoy the experience.

Regards,

Peter.

KEN33Y · October 18, 2014

Hi Dewi, Croeso obviously as you have gathered another proud Welshman. I'm living down South on the Beacons not to far away from Swansea.

I have recently purchased an XKR having moved over from Mercs. I cannot say the MPG is any different from my SL to the XKR even though it pushing over 400BHp. As I've not had the car for long I cannot give you an honest opinion on tyres etc but I will be upgrading my wheels before the next change of shoes because I have BBS wheels running run flat tyres which I don't like. I will from then on be using the likes of tyreshopper.com to buy tyres.

Servicing will be done not by and Indy because I am not aware of one nearby however, it will be performed by someone I trust who knows his cars and never charges over the top.

Vercingetrix · October 18, 2014

Hello Peter

Thank you for your response, it's very kind of you to spare me some of your time.

I am sure you're correct that were I to have a test drive I'd be convinced. I am presently resisting the temptation - which is exquisite in a way - but I'm sure that one day, I'll be behind the wheel and searching desperately for a reason not to part with my savings.

I'm glad you think I don't need to be a rich man to drive one as rich I am not.

If I purchase an XK, I'll let you know.

Thank you Peter.

Regards

Vercingetrix · October 18, 2014

Hello Ken

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

I suppose I could ask around here for an independent Jaguar specialist and find out some more information regarding servicing costs and the like.

I'd imagine with driving an XKR you have a continual smile across your face.

I've read something about wheel-size and it seems the 20 inch wheels are not the best and should be avoided.

Any thoughts on that ?

Anyway, thank you Ken for your time and reply, it's appreciated

Regards

Vercingetrix · October 18, 2014

Hello Trevor

Thank you for your response.

I have already replied to you but my reply doesn't appear here so I must have done something wrong.

You is a wicked man !

Encouraging me to plunge in like that. I'm convinced once I had a test drive, I'd be hooked.

I've been running BMWs for a few years so your comparison is useful, thank you

I'd be interested to know how much your service costs. I hope it will not be too expensive.

I hope you get a good long night's sleep tonight as your reply was posted very early this morning.

Thank you for your time Trevor

knightsmith · October 18, 2014

David,

Firstly I have 20 " wheels and don't have any problems .

Also, I have never had a long nights sleep in my life, I am always up before five (awake long before that , but I listen to the radio ) and I take the wife's dog for a three mile walk around the reservoirs at 5-45 every morning without fail .

Not a lot of point in having savings as I am finding out to my cost, wish I'd p****d it all up against the wall over the years , the thanks you get for it.

So go and buy an XK, or an XKR , you might as well !

ATB,

Trevor

jag2 · October 18, 2014

hi david. the xk is a fantastic car to drive and the looks it gets is unbeliveable . mercs, bms,audis are common as muck . people say to me what a beautifull car. regards charlie

KEN33Y · October 19, 2014

Hello Ken

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

I suppose I could ask around here for an independent Jaguar specialist and find out some more information regarding servicing costs and the like.

I'd imagine with driving an XKR you have a continual smile across your face.

I've read something about wheel-size and it seems the 20 inch wheels are not the best and should be avoided.

Any thoughts on that ?

Anyway, thank you Ken for your time and reply, it's appreciated

Regards

Yes 20" wheels are not really required 18" would suffice Dai which retrospectively would reduce tyre wear and costs which is why I would be in the market for smaller wheels in the future probably, when I see the tyre tread diminishing on what I have at present.

Vercingetrix · October 22, 2014

Oh dear, so much enthusiasm pushing me ever closer to buying one. Thank you, all of you.

I saw a fabulous looking XKR 2002 4.2 Supercharged with only 19,000 miles but at £25,000 - Arden body styling.

It's presently for sale on Autotrader http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201407185919140/sort/default/radius/1500/page/1/onesearchad/used,nearlynew,new/usedcars/model/xkr/postcode/ll151yn/make/jaguar/colour/red?logcode=p

If I'm honest, I really love the older body style of the XK but what do you think of this 2002 model?

It looks fabulous to me.

Trevor - you said you were having your car serviced on Monday and would let me know how much it cost. I hope it wasn't too painfil

Regards

KEN33Y · October 22, 2014

Looks a fantastic example David, bit weary of the price but then its price / mileage =

You will not get a better colour but the only thing that would spoil it for me is a roof but the others prefer not to have a rag top

knightsmith · October 22, 2014

David,

The service has been put off until next Tuesday as the garage owner has damaged his back.

£25K seems rather a lot for a 2002 XKR, why not pay a bit more and get the 5 litre model , or even the 5 litre XK ?.

As for 20" wheels, cannot understand the problem people have with them, I get on with the fine, still horse for courses

ATB,

Trevor

jag2 · October 23, 2014

david i have 20inch wheels on mine and have no probs. charlie

Vercingetrix · October 23, 2014

Dear Ken, Trevor and Charlie,

Thank you for your comments. The 2002 car does seem expensive but I have to balance the age of the car with the very low mileage, the looks of the older model and the benefits of purchasing a younger model with a 5litre monster engine.

I have a lot of thinking to do. It would be a done deal were I to go and look at that red one and do something about the price. Is there anything to look out for with the earlier 4.2 engine that the 5.0 litre engine resolved?

Comments noted about the 20 inch rims too, thank you Charles and Trevor.

I'll keep noodling around.

Thank you every one for your time. I do appreciate it.

Regards

jag2 · October 23, 2014

david mines got the 4.2 engine. ive had the car 2years come april, and no probs at all with the engine or any thing else apart from parking sensors but thats fixed a while ago. 5ltrs got more power thats not rocket science , ive never been in the 5ltr job. but have to say i am happy with my 4.2 charlie

knightsmith · October 23, 2014

David,

I agree with what Charles says, it's all horses for courses really.

The 4.2 is fab, as is the 5 litre , and the 5 litre supercharged engined cars .

The degree in difference of power isn't something that should be an issue really, as all the cars are powerful compared to your average car .

This is why I didn't get the XKR-S recently, I didn't think it was worth trading in my car plus £19500 for a car of the same age, for minimal improvement in performance.

If you like the car you saw, buy it, it you're happy that is the main thing .

Mileage doesn't seem to matter as much these days with modern cars, whereas it used to be a defining issue in years gone by .

I think £25K does seem expensive for the year of car you were looking at, and I would think you could get a standard XK 5 litre which is newer for the same money.

But as I said, if you like it buy it, they're all good.

ATB,

Trevor