Jag XKR and BMW 840Ci

[Frances The Mute]

£6k - £7k budget. That money can get a supercharged Jag or a late 840Ci (non-nikasil) 4.4.

What would you choose and why?

[Frances The Mute]

Thanks for the input, gents.

I'm a BMW zealot, but have always liked the look of the Jag since it came out.
There's space in my life for a 'GT-ish' car so it would be rude not indulge myself. The charged XKRs certainly did pique my interest for obvious reasons and I'm trying to diversify my fleet so it seemed like the natural choice - outside of the ruinous offerings from TVR.

E31Shrew said:

OP...See you're in the West Mids area, so if you can make your way to Shrewsbury you're welcome to take it out for a 'leisurely' spin!

Cheers, Shrew. I may well take you up on that!

[Frances The Mute]

Some good discussion in this thread.

I've tried 2 XKR's and whilst the initial feel and engine 'rawness' are very appealing, I'm struggling to get to grips with the interior styling. That and the fact I know very little about Jaguar means it has a tough job of convincing me.
Having been in E31's a few times (but not driven one for a number of years) they certainly seem more like home given my exposure to BMW ergonomics.

Saturday I shall be visiting E31Shrew to take a look at his 8er (top man!) which will hopefully give me an up-to-date foundation to compare against when I go to see one for sale on Sunday.

[Frances The Mute]

Thanks DD. You're a bit far away but I appreciate the offer.

[Frances The Mute]

I am indeed. See you then

[Frances The Mute]

E31Shrew said:

Good to meet you FTM!

Sorry I had to rush off so soon. Needed to change my underwear!

Seriously. Good luck with the search...

Cheers Shrew - likewise.

I'm rarely in this position as I'm a pretty resourceful chap. However, having taken up the offer of a look around a fellow PH'ers car, it turned into an extremely enjoyable afternoon of motoring related fun.

In testament to what I like to consider the quiet majority of this forum, I was promptly invited to see the very gorgeous E31 in Avus Blue (fitted with Alpina 18" rims) pictured earlier and pillage the owners experience for any relevant info before being given the keys to enjoy it first hand.

This was further enhanced by the fact that the relief road where we pulled in to switch seats, there was an XK8 with it's bonnet up, looking very sorry for itself. I took this as a sign!

The aforementioned E31 was subsequently given a dose of right foot and thoroughly enjoyed on the country roads around Shrewsbury - cementing the notion that my instinct is serving me well and that the E31 is the car I should be concentrating on.

After the drive and various discussion about the cars on my radar (amongst many other things), it was suggested we both visit a local-ish dealer that had an example I was interested in.
Cue much laughter and general PH fun as the rest of the afternoon unfolded around searching out and test-driving what E31's the area had to offer.

In a nutshell, I spent an impromptu but excellent afternoon in the company of a true gent and enthusiast which was an absolute pleasure.

Thank you E31Shrew. If you make it to the Mids meet in July, the milkybars are on me ;-)

[Frances The Mute]

Almost a year on from when I originally posted up about this topic, I've finally found a car worth putting my money into. It's ace.

[Frances The Mute]

Yup

[Frances The Mute]

Cheers, gents.

It will look even better once I score the OE wheels for it. That won't happen until Monday, though. I had to 'borrow' these from my B10 as the Style 32's that came with the car did it no justice whatsoever.

[Frances The Mute]

jdw100 said:

That said I do like the 8 series but to my mind it does look more dated, not that that would be a problem for me.

Funnily enough, I ordered the 8 Series portfolio from Brooklands which arrived today.
It has various roadtests replicated and there are two articles that include the XJS and XK as joint tests with some great photos. In both, the 8 looks far more modern in direct comparison.

outofstepuk said:

Someone described the 840 as a white elephant, so figured I'd show mine. It's even got a proper gearbox

Very nice. A manual would be great but they're very thin on the ground. Plus, the car is a bit of a pudding so the auto is better suited from an overall perspective. That's what I keep telling myself

g3org3y said:

It does look really really really good with the Alpinas though.

Perhaps worthwhile getting a set for it?

Alternatively Style 5 BBS cross spoke/split rims look rather lovely on the 8 series too.

E31Shrew has a set of 18's on his 8er and they do look fantastic. I wan to return it to it's original spec so a set of M System II's are in the pipeline.
As much as I like all of those wheels, these really suit the lines of the sport kit which lifts the car as a whole and make is look much more purposeful which belies the fact it's a near 2 tonne fatty!

[Frances The Mute]

g3org3y said:

I'd also consider M Paras too. They are rather sexy alloys.

Yes, fantastic wheels. I had a set on my Individual 7er. 18's do compromise the ride on the 8er though.

E31Shrew said:

See you on Sunday at the e31 appreciation section

I'll keep you a space

[Frances The Mute]

Yup. Just a burst hose in a ridiculously inaccessible space. That will teach me to do warp 7 in a car that's an unknown quantity...

[Frances The Mute]

I clearly missed the last few posts.

Excellent cars there, gents. The interiors are especially cheeky. I did find one in Atlantis Blue with that interior but it was a bit rich for the whole package.

JagXJR said:

Take a wild guess from the username lol

The Jaguar no question, you have the waft ability with almost super-car performance should you need it.

I had a BMW hire car when the Jaguar went in for repairs and could not wait to get the Jaguar back.

Clarkson is bang on when he says the Jaguar has soul, the BMW has none. You have to actually drive both to realise that, and there's your answer.

Try both and pick the one that is right for you.

I already have. As nice as the Jag is to look at, the 8 delivers everything I need.