1998 740 or 2000 XJR...which should I buy?

Greetings all and thanks in advance for you insight.

The 740 has 160K+ miles, clean carfax.

The XJR has 70K+ miles, clean carfax.

In general, in Y2000+ model years are the XJRs finally in the same league with German and Japanese makes in reliability???
I notice a precipitous drop in prices the closer these cars come to 100,000 miles. Do they suddenly fall apart after 100,000?

For the 740, what should one expect of this model with this many miles but a solid maintenace history? Is it, like Toyotas and Hondas, solid for another 100,000 if well-maintained??


Many thanks,


Cavallini

 

i got a 96? 97?' 740i with 130K miles, put 30K miles on it in 90 days, nothing went wrong, did have new brakes put on when i bought it though, otherwise it was an amazing car. drove it non-stop 1200 miles one day without a single problem. my car was a single owner before i bought it and maintained religiously, however i have heard horror stories with the 7, and did a lot of research before i bought mine, but took the plunge anyways, 160K miles vs 70K miles does sound like a bit much, you should be able to find other 7's with a lot less miles for not much more $$$, what is the price on the 7?

 

This particular model is $7,995. But there are hundreds available between $8K-$16K.

30K miles in 90 days??? Were you in cross-country, continental race? lol

I like the Jag for exterior looks. But honestly, the 7 is very sharp in its own way. I'm leaning towards the 7 because the Jag is beautiful but almost too feminine, if you see what I mean. The 7 is very sharp, clean and masculine, without looking bulky. It is very color dependent, however, so I'm only looking at white, silver and gold. It is too simple and big for black or blue.

Forza,


Cavallini

 

A 98 440 in good condition with a good history can be a fabulous car indeed. Check it over at the dealership, hook up the computers and check the history. You'll feel like you own a jet if the suspension is working properly and in good condition.

 

How much are you planning on driving these cars? I can't imagine spending more than a few thousand on a car with 160k. No offense, but if you are looking at 10 year old cars with 170k, a BMW might not be the way to go. It will likely be a pretty reliable car if well maintained, but after a while things do go wrong, and boy will it be expensive. My suggestion is to get something cheaper with lower miles (think Japanese).

But for the opinion between the two... I'd take the Jag. Jag's reliability has been steadily improving since Ford took over in the late 80s. Repairs and maintenance will likely be pretty similar, but I am going to guess that the car with less miles will win in this case. I think the Jag will be more fun to drive too (neither driven either). 370hp supercharged v8, and an interior to rival Bently, sounds good to me!

 

My bad, I thought the 740 had 100,000 miles, not 160,000. It may have too much wear and tear, check it out well, every component.

 

That's good to hear and definitely is the plan.

Many thanks,


Cavallini

 

Just have a dealer go over it and check codes.

 

I plan to use it as a daily driver. I put about 30 miles a day on a car, all casual highway driving. I plan to keep it for a year or so.

The interior is rather different between the two, as is the exterior. I don't know if the Jag rivals the Bentley but it's more chic and warm than the 740 of course.

No offense taken. Honestly, I began my search in this price range looking at Acura's. lol. But for the same years and mileage I discovered the 740s and for fewer miles, the XKR. Surely, the Japanese aren't THAT much more reliable when the miles cross 100,000. And the differences between the 740s, XKRs and the Acuras are significant in terms of value for the money.

What's appalling is the original price of the Jag and Bimmer compared to what they fetch six or seven years down the road.

Some people buy 8 year old Accords, Camrys and Civics for the same price as a 740 or sometimes an XKR, with similar mileage!! 740s are running from $7K-$15K in years '96-2001, and '98-2001 XKRs are running $10K-$16K+.

Obviously maintenance costs are widely different but for a 6+ year-old car, unless I'm in college and on a serious budget, what's the difference?? To me, keeping a few thousand in car savings isn't a major issue, especially if I'm getting that much more car for the same money.

Am I crazy or the only sane one??? lol

Forza,


Cavallini

 

I'd go with the BMW. They are bulletproof if they were maintained properly. I daily drive a BMW M5 and LOVE IT!!

 

Get the Jag. My first XJ was a 95, drove it 75k miles. Then bought another one, an '02. It currently has 67k miles. The XJR is a rocket when you want it to be, and comfortable cruiser the rest of the time. I've never had any maintenance issues outside of the norm, and both were (are) great cars. Besides, BMW's are a dime a dozen, at least where I live.

90k miles differnce in the 2 cars you're looking at should also be worth something. I'd rather risk the next 90k miles in the Jag going to 160k, than another 90k in the BMW going to 250k.

 

Make sure that the engine block on the 740 has been replaced. It is a huge $$ job and often is a problem on the V8 engined cars. This is a well known problem.

 

+1. I'd definitely vote for the XJR. Huge disparity in power too.

 

Had 740i E38 before. Have a XJR now. Go for the Jag. Don't ask why.

 

So it's about 4-2 in favor of the Jag. Hmmm.

I'm leaning a little to the 740 but the miles are a big question. The XKR OTOH is a rocket and more rare.

No serious maintenance issues with the XKR you say??? That's very good to know?

Why then do they plummet in price the closer they get to 100,000k???

Again, thanks all


Cavallini

 

I would go with the 7-series. The BMW's are really reliable, and 170,000 miles is basically nothing. Our family had a 2000 BMW 3 series which we sold with 190,000+ miles, and the only major thing that had to be replaced in that time was the clutch. The car had plenty of life left, and could easily have done over 250,000 miles with no other problems. The only reason we sold it was we needed something with awd.

 

XJR XJR, da XK is da coupé.

The BM, i sold it when it had 167 000km (100k miles). From 120k to 160k, the car started to get old, had an issue with the power steering, stuff coming expensive. In Europe we had the manual tranny option feature, 6 gears. Running it on autocross with the DSC off is a great fun trust me, and the car is very practical overall, and is one of the most beautiful BMW's imo, the design is well balanced.
The XJR V8 supercharged is just another world. More power, less stiffness, the beige interior is just amazing, the LOOKs are just incredible. The lines are still very actual today, and it's more easy to live on a daily basis. The V8 is very reliable, compared to the sorcery of the old V12, it's just not comparable.

 

The question about the pricing of the Jag doesn't have anything to do with reliability. They just don't tend to hold their value well at all. I currently have an 03 X type, I bought it 2 years old for half what it was new. I have almost 95k on it now and have had very few problems.

On the other side, my dads 5 series has about 160k on it now, and it is starting to show its age. A lot of little things are starting to go wrong, and they all add up rather quickly. He is also going to have to replace the suspension soon which will be rather costly.

Get the Jag..

 

If a model of car is known for not holding its value, than there must be a reason{s}.

 

Excellent points. The supercharged V8 is very compelling. I agree about the 740's lines. It is the best balanced Bimmer since the 3.0CSL and until this year's 3-series coupe, to my eyes.

Many thanks,


Cavallini

 

Also very strong points, for and against. The Jag's have been steadily climbing in reliability since the late 90s, if I recall correctly, to their current level near the top. Hmmmm...

Many thanks,


Cavallini

 

Yet another strong vote for the 7. Yoru views and experience on engine/mileage are what I would expect. This is what I expect from Hondas and Toyotas, 250k easily, with basic maintenance. I would expect similar longevity from a MB and a BMW.

I plan to own this car for a couple of years and put probably 20,000-30,000 miles on it, the vast majority being highway miles.

The big attractions to the XKR are their interior, the miles, and the performance, all of which are strongly in favor of the Jag.

The BMW's lines are actually prefer slightly to the Jag's although I haven't seen this particular iteration, the 1999-2002 pre-aluminum body of the Jag in silver, my preferred color.

Hmmmm....


Cavallini

 

Very good points. Many thanks. I'm slowly leaning towards the Jag because the few who have owned both always prefer the Jag.


Forza,


Cavallini

 

Pav, you must give me more than that. lol

Come now, we're among friends. Yours is precisely the experience and insight I need.


Forza,


Cavallini

 

I explained you a tad before. you quoted me twice.
To add more of what i told you already, it's a shame you don't have the manual tranny on the 7 in the US, it's a very different car with it. You feel like Jason Statham in the Transporter. It's a flying bundesbahn machine, and for me one of the last cars having all the necessary confort options you ever need in a car. All the modern limousines are just too much of features inside and feel like spaceships.
As far as i'm concerned the best mileage to buy a 7 is max 75k miles, and be sure of what the owner did with the car. Also, it's important to choose a good optionned car and taken care of, there are issues with the interior wear that are pretty annoying sometimes. Quite satisfied of the 7 experience actually overall except this power steering problem and various electronics that stopped working (PDC for ex).
I was always a Jaguar fan tho, and from my owners experience, the quality of the materials used is better, the assembly is a little less good than on the BM. The materials even if not taken care of are ageing better than on the 7.
Now about the driving experience. The Jag floats a little more than the 7, i don't know if for this peculiar model you could take CATS. More more more power in the Jag, and is more pleasant to drive.
I may add that both were engineered at the same time period (1992-1994) but the facelifting of the jag is also a full revamp and re-engnieering of the car. Taking the 6cyl XJR from 97 and the V8 the cars are completely different which is not the case of the facelifted 7 in 1999.

The BMW came to be more expensive in use than the Jag.