new generation xj8...

I read the same review.

Honestly, my experience with the aluminum 4.2L XJ8/XJRs is extremely limited (on purpose, I don't like 'em) aside from what my feelers pick up on the Jag related boards.

Used they are an absolute bargain. A 2 year old car with 4 years left on the warranty for 70% of MSRP is a deal if its your bag.

They retain more value than 50% after the first year. In fact, they retain 55-60% after 3 years.

At 4 years is when you hit the 45-50% depreciation. IMO, you want to buy a Jag between its 3rd and 4th year of life with records or a trouble free history and low mileage. Then hold onto it.

I bought mine about 4 1/2 years ago for $26,500 plus tax and license, its worth $7-8k now, I put on 91,000 abusive miles (126,700 total) and its been trouble free motoring. Literally, I've spent more on a car cover than I have fixing items that broke.

The '98-'03 models eat its wheel bearings faster, need primary and secondary timing chain tensioner revisions, had a problem water pump, t-stat and throttle body problem early on, and the 5-speed ZF billed as a "sealed for life" disuades some owners from servicing the damn tranny so goes boom after 60k-120k miles depending on how hard you've used it. The '98-'00 suffered from nikasil cylinder liner degredation if the oil was not changed frequently enough in severe service environments and high sulfur oil was used.

The new aluminum 4.2L engine has incorporated double row and redesigned timing gear along with newly revised tensioners to fix this issue, they've learned their lesson regarding t-stat and water pump issues, and the only reservation would be wheel bearings and suspension related problems due to the new air system. Its supposed to ride as comfortable as the VDP's but as tight as the XJRs it replaced.

Its still too early to tell how reliable the X350 (factory designation) will be. Only after its out of warranty will we be able to tell if it was designed to be disposable when the warranty expires.

Dats all I know! Check out www.jag-lovers.org and www.roadfly.org

Sunny

 

Offer the best of both worlds in that the body design hasn't changed much - if anything, the newer ones don't look as sleek, bloated actually - and you have the nearly bulletproof reliability of the straight 6 engine. With a little looking, you can find the last of the straight 6 VDPs between $9K and $15K.

1996 was the first year of the stretched wheelbase of the '90s era cars. It's like a limo in the back. I've racked-up around 45,000 miles in the 3 years I've had mine and knock on the wood dash...been very reliable. Hasn't stranded me at all. Sunny, what do you think?

KevFla

 

Truthfully, the Ford funded Jaguar V8's are more luxurious than the early and mid 90's models and the new aluminum XJ8 is finally becoming a mainstream luxury sedan by offering an average to good level of accessories, comfort, handling, performance, and price.

Its been a long road to bring the V8 to the current level of reliability and I think the new XJ8 will be almost as reliable as the last of the inline sixes you and I currently enjoy driving as hard, often, and worry free.

I think the A8 or LS430 are superior cars to the XJ8 and VDP variants. They also cost more, too. I think a bit of the sporting edge is being lost that was developed with the XJ40 and X300. The dual personality of the older inline six models is apparant when you're driving one. The new ones are no less capable but they feel softer and don't inspire the same confidence behind the wheel.

Jaguars were designed for drivers and I think Ford is starting to blur the lines between sportiness and luxury too much in a market where its struggling to maintain its identity amongst slow sales, factory closures/revisions, and lukewarm receptions to new model announcements.

Truthfully, why buy one or two year old XJ8 when you can buy a 3 year old XJR or Super V8 for the same price cost? Hey, buying a Ferrari new is one thing, but Jags are real transportation. They lose value, they do the job well, and designed to rack up mileage. Why buy them new?

Strictly speaking dollars and sense, there are a couple of Jag models that stand out as special made the last 10 years. They are the only ones worth considering in my opinion. They are...

'95-'97 XJR - $5-14k
'95-'96 XJ12 - $5-11k
'01 XJR - $20-25k
'01 XKR Coupe - $28-35k
'02 Super V8 - $30-35k
'03 S-Type R - $35k

You deserve the depreciation hits if you spend any coin on a Jaguar made in the last 4 years and not consider one of these cars instead. Accept no substitutes! Feel bad for all those new X-Type buyers you see driving around.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Jaguar-XJ-Super-V8-2001-Jaguar-Vanden-Plas-Supercharged-Super-V8_W0QQitemZ4563915252QQcategoryZ31847QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Jaguar-S-Type-R-2003-Jaguar-S-type-R-XENON-HeatSeats-ALPINE-CDch-18inWh_W0QQitemZ4563158866QQcategoryZ6273QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Wow, I just cruised through ebay and it seems you can get fully loaded 04' XJR's for right around the 50k mark. That seems like an insane value. How does the 308 compare with the new 350 JaguarXJ6? Any direct comparison's?

 

Direct comparisons... I haven't driven the X350, but spoken with owners who went up the ranks from X300 XJR to an X308 XJR and now an X350 XJR.

They state the X350 XJR is as comfortable as an X308 VDP and when you whip it around the corner, the air suspension combined with the CATS has kept the X350 XJR more flat (least amount of roll) than any previous R model and its extremely nimble (compared to the older models).

Its a lot of car and a lot of depreciation. If you have the swag, I say get a used X350 trade-in car with less than 10k miles and have fun. Or, wait for the Portfolio edition for the best of both supercharged and VDP worlds.

Resale value wise, the Super V8's will hold the most, closely followed by the XJRs, then the VDPs, and the bog standard models follow behind it.

Only an S-Type R or a non-nikasil X308 XJR will give you similiar capabilities/thrills. Upside is less cost, better styling. Downside is, more weight, slightly less fuel economy, slightly less comfortable than the normally aspirated models X308 models.

The new X350 XJRs get the same fuel economy as the normally aspirated X308 and its suspension is much more flexible depending on the demands you put it under.

From a "poor man," if I were to buy a Jag right now, it would be slightly used S-Type R if I wanted a warranty, or the lowest '01 XJR I could find, examine/upgrade the upper and lower chain tensioners and drive off into the sunset.

If I was looking to just get into the fold with a nice car, the '97 XJR is a steal considering its reliability, torque, and being last of the sixes. Once the S-Type R start getting a few more years on them, it will become the runt that will stand out from the rest of the lineup as the best bargain.

Sunny