amcdonal86

I am beginning the process of planning to buy my next car. If I get a large sedan, it is going to be either a 2004-2006 LS430 or a 2006-2007 Jaguar XJ8. The XJ8 actually seems to be much cheaper for similar mileage and year.

Right now what the LS430 has going for it in my mind is a lot of amenities/features, somewhat classy and incredible reliability/durability (don't have to worry about sudden failures that cost $$$). However, I think it suffers from the same things as my current LS400, in that it feels incredibly bland after a year of ownership.

What the XJ8 has going for it (in my mind) is brand prestige/heritage, classy and classic gorgeous looks, lower initial purchase price. It is also lighter weight (not sure if that's so desirable in a luxury car). From what I have read, reliability is pretty good, but durability doesn't seem to be. (How many XJs do you see with over 100k miles on them?) Unfortunately, unless you search hard, it really doesn't seem to have many features that my current '97 LS400 doesn't already have.

Has anyone driven an XJ8? I have heard that the suspension (all of them have air suspension) isn't very good, but how does it compare to an LS430 in other aspects? What do you guys think? I feel like I need to reward myself as I just finished grad school!


http://www.mycarwallpapers.com/image...j8-l-11136.jpg

mewhee

And for good reason, a Jaguar right off the showroom floor is truly a thing of beauty. But, like an extremely captivating woman, they come w/ a lot of baggage, especially after getting some mileage on them.

No, I've not driven one but my Jag XKE of years past (at the risk of comparing apples to oranges) was by far the most fun car to drive, let alone the attention it drew, but it was the proverbial money pit of which Jaguar has never shaken that reputation. Since '93 I've stuck w/ Lexus and never regretted it.

Fwiw, like you I drove an LS400 for many years. Don't be fooled into thinking the LS430 is just an upgraded version. Far from it. I'm like a kid again, taking out my LS430 just for the sheer joy of driving once again. YMMV ...

Btw, congratulations on graduating! Enjoy the fruits of your education, you've earned it

Will and the FurCrew

amcdonal86

Haha, thank you very much. Maybe I do need to take another look at the LS430. As you indicated, I WAS just assuming it was an upgraded version of the UCF20. I will definitely test drive it.

I think after Ford got involved with Jaguar, the quality of the cars really improved. From what the Jaguar forum people say, the 2004+ XJs are definitely more costly to maintain that its Japanese counterparts, but at the same time, much cheaper than its Bavarian rivals.

I forgot to mention that one of my favorite things about the XJ is that I rarely see any. Even in Arlington, VA, where expensive cars are found everywhere, I don't see an XJ of that generation every day. In fact, I don't even see one every week. But I see LS430s all the time!

I do like the refinement of my current LS400, but I just feel like there is so much left to be desired (mostly sex appeal, I think).

Playdrv4me

Yes, post Ford Jags are a night and day difference from pre-Ford ones. However, they are still Jags and when something DOES break, it is prohibitively expensive, and you won't get the bend over backwards dealer treatment you do with a Lexus. In fact, you will probably have to search for a Jaguar specialist to work on the car, and the search for a good one can be tedious in and of itself.

You definitely know what you are doing because I also considered an XJ8 for the sexyness, oodles of character and the fact that the car is still basically current as the new model isn't on a lot of roads yet and even if it were, most people can't even tell its a Jag to begin with. However, I can advise you after driving a workaday model with basic amenities, that it isn't even worth bothering UNLESS you get a Super V8, Vanden Plas, or XJR. And the bottom line was, I couldn't find any of those for what I paid for the LS430.

So yes, those two are a great cross shop. I would avoid the W220 S Class and the E65 7 Series like the plague (and I am a BMW guy) if reliability concerns you at ALL. However the masochist in me might still consider a 2004 plus A8, those are just dripping with beauty inside, and look amazing outside.

amcdonal86

Haha, thanks for the info. I am trying to get a Vanden Plas, but I would also consider an XJ8-L as they are not that much different than the VDP (except for the wool rugs, sound system and tray tables, optional rear/AC, piping and ruching in leather). I'd only want one black on black and with NAV (the dash looks stupid without NAV, even though the NAV unit looks archaic)!

AlexusAnja

I drove a friend's '06 XJ8 about two years ago when I was looking for my LS and the test drive sealed the deal for me on the LS. The Jaguar was too Buick-ish inside with the huge wood dash. I'm sure it's real and not faux wood (hopefully), so that's a whole lotta wood.

It also suffers the early to mid '90s European luxury car problem of bad ergonomics and placement of buttons. Maybe I'm just too use to where Japanese manufacturer's place their buttons, but the Jag's buttons just were not where you would expect things. And buttons... OH there were like 100 of them all over the dash, ride side, left side, NAV unit. Ugh...

The shifter being on the "right" side of the center console was also a little clunky. You shifted down normal, but to enter "sport-manu" mode you had to do a "U" to come over to left side, where a normal shifter would be. Just "strange."

Ride wise, it was no better or worse than the LS I felt. If nothing else, slightly more firm, but much noisier. Nothing beats the LS in cabin quietness. The Jag was not a loud beast by any means, but it just wan't a Lexus. My friend's tires were sort of worn, and uneven for some reason, so that could have affected the overall feel on the road.

Styling wise, it's subjective so I won't even comment much except that the classic lines of the Jag. did not win me over the other problems with historical reliability and so-so quality of the "Ford" Jaguar.