New to the Jaguar family!

Well, here is the real poop on Jaguars, IMHO....Being a mechanic it's very
nice to work on and enjoy a Jaguar (Pre Ford late 1988). There are very few
American cars, and most imports to the US than can compare to it...I have 3
now..1986 XJ6, 1985 XJ6 and a 1988 XJ40 (pre Ford buy-out)...You WILL pay
for maintenance on a new or older jag, and probably far more than the car
itself is worth. If you have some working ability, there is NOTHING more
rewarding than driving a $3000 Jag and having people think it is worth far
more..NOTHING...You will also find there is NOT a better riding and handling
car you can buy for the money..The trade off is keeping it in a reliable
fashion which requires MUCH preventive maintenance..I will guarantee you,
there is nothing more rewarding in any fashion...PERIOD and I encourage ALL
to disagree with me...
With this group and www.jag-lovers.org all things can be overcome and
again, you will not find a better ride, or more enjoyable auto to drive...I
may be jaded, but I have been in and around all high performance and luxury
cars all my life and I am now 47....I also live near Detroit where there are
many who will disagree but have nothing to offer in the way of
contradiction...I am also a foreign car specialist. The only car better in
my opinion would be a Bentley....but they don't have the gitty up and go
like a Jag...

tribal..


"Sills" <wpsills.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> wrote in
messagnews:1281220f84b4fbf0dd91acc56a09d422@localhost.talkaboutautos.com...
>I don't nor have ever owned a Jaguar, but one is on my short list of
> possible replacements for my VW within 3 years (after my wife's SUV is
> paid off). However, when I hear about a $3000 oil leak at 48,000 miles,
> this scares me, and makes me wonder what the same problem would cost on a
> Taurus. What would a warranty to 100,000 cost from Ford on an X-Type,
> anyway? It sounds like a sensible investment for potential Jag owners.
> Still, the fact that you like the Jaguar despite this is encouraging. VW
> loyalists are quite similar. We are forgiving for a few flaws.
>
 >> Stay informed about: New to the Jaguar family! 

"Tribal"
I agree with most of what you say. The XJ40 was the last design by Sir
Lyons, introduced in 1987 in the UK and Canada LONG before Ford signed the
papers in 1990. This is one of the reasons you see so many mid-model
changes between the 1989 and the 1990 XJ40. The instrument cluster, the
Girling to Teves braking system, the AJ6 to AJ16 engine, the different ABS
system and on and on. It wasn't until the 1995 model year that Ford made
the wholesale major changes to the marque.

As for "Sills": ANY car is only as good as the owner and the mechanic
that maintains the car. I have 5 vehicles that are daily drivers and 1 in
restoration. I do most of the maintenance on my vehicles myself. Other than
$1000 for a complete go through on the '88 XJ40 when I first got it (rotors,
pads, all wheel bearings, differential hub bearings, accumulator, steering
rack, windscreen glass and a few other items) I have had very little cost on
any of these cars. The largest repair was I had to have done on any of the
vehicles as a $1000 for the replacement of the oil pump on the Dodge van.
The pump was only $80. The remainder was the labor because I had to have a
mechanic remove the front of the van and lift the engine out to get to the
oil pan. I did not have the equipment to do this.

Like "Tribal" says, if you learn these cars and do most of the minor
work yourself, they will be a JOY to drive. If you have a dealership doing
the repairs, you will soon be out of money and out of patience. It just cost
a friend of mine $182 on his XJ8 to have them simply tell him the 6 year old
battery was gone. They then wanted $289 for a new battery -- which he
bought for $80 from the auto parts store -- same brand same model.

Webserve

"denniscuster-news" <denniscuster RemoveThis @sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:uzfgf.1548$Y%5.476@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com...
> Well, here is the real poop on Jaguars, IMHO....Being a mechanic it's very
> nice to work on and enjoy a Jaguar (Pre Ford late 1988). There are very
few
> American cars, and most imports to the US than can compare to it...I have
3
> now..1986 XJ6, 1985 XJ6 and a 1988 XJ40 (pre Ford buy-out)...You WILL pay
> for maintenance on a new or older jag, and probably far more than the car
> itself is worth. If you have some working ability, there is NOTHING more
> rewarding than driving a $3000 Jag and having people think it is worth far
> more..NOTHING...You will also find there is NOT a better riding and
handling
> car you can buy for the money..The trade off is keeping it in a reliable
> fashion which requires MUCH preventive maintenance..I will guarantee you,
> there is nothing more rewarding in any fashion...PERIOD and I encourage
ALL
> to disagree with me...
> With this group and www.jag-lovers.org all things can be overcome and
> again, you will not find a better ride, or more enjoyable auto to
drive...I
> may be jaded, but I have been in and around all high performance and
luxury
> cars all my life and I am now 47....I also live near Detroit where there
are
> many who will disagree but have nothing to offer in the way of
> contradiction...I am also a foreign car specialist. The only car better in
> my opinion would be a Bentley....but they don't have the gitty up and go
> like a Jag...
>
> tribal..
>
>
> "Sills" <wpsills RemoveThis @hotmail.com> wrote in
>
messagnews:1281220f84b4fbf0dd91acc56a09d422@localhost.talkaboutautos.com...
> >I don't nor have ever owned a Jaguar, but one is on my short list of
> > possible replacements for my VW within 3 years (after my wife's SUV is
> > paid off). However, when I hear about a $3000 oil leak at 48,000 miles,
> > this scares me, and makes me wonder what the same problem would cost on
a
> > Taurus. What would a warranty to 100,000 cost from Ford on an X-Type,
> > anyway? It sounds like a sensible investment for potential Jag owners.
> > Still, the fact that you like the Jaguar despite this is encouraging. VW
> > loyalists are quite similar. We are forgiving for a few flaws.
> >
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: New to the Jaguar family! 

thanks all for the replies. i am capable of doing basic work on the
vehicles. in fact, for the BMW and Saab both I do as much of the
scheduled maintenance that I can so there is less time and cost
involved for the tech to do. usually that is changing/flushing
fluids, plugs, filters, etc. i don't know anything about brakes so i
don't go there... lol.

i used to live in Tulsa and was rather spoiled by a tech i had
servicing the Saab. he is Griffin certified and mainly works on
higher end vehicles. it was his own private shop with a partner and
were half the labor of a dealership. they also didn't mind me
bringing in parts for them to install if i could get them cheaper than
they could. i know a chunk of their revenue is from parts, so i
didn't do that too often... i would leave their place literally
able to feel the renewed strength of the car. i miss them a lot.

i am now in colorado springs and i haven't found anyone independantly
yet... i am going to talk to the rep at the dealer and see what
we're looking at cost wise for the warranty, but i have a feeling i
will be as shocked as i was at the seal repair.... wish me luck!
 >> Stay informed about: New to the Jaguar family!