Which engine to go for on an early 350

[james S]

My 98 XJ is going to go in the next few months and I am considering an X350 at around the £15k mark - I need to minimise depreciation as I think I fancy an XF once secondhand ones emerge

Which engine is the one to go for?

No oil burners at this price so its a choice between the petrols and with little difference between MPG is it as simple as going for the 4.2 beuase its biggest or do the others have something else to offer.

Oddly there seem to be few 3.5s around - should I read anything into this

Also any 'must haves' on the spec list - I am guessing sat nav?

Thanks

[piquet]

James

i bought an x350 xjr in the summer it used to be owned by jaguar so has all the options boxes ticked and will go through what is and isn't worth having as options later.

I've driven the v6 and the 4.2 na and sc, it so depends on what you're going to use it for, i have to be honest but unless you're really want the warp speed option the 4.2 is plenty of power and a great engine, if you're just looking for general cruising even the v6 is perfectly capable of keeping up with the motorway traffic. If i was buying new i'd probably choose a specced up sport model over the r.

of the options i have, the ones which are really useful in my opinion are:-
front as well as rear parking sensors
sat nav and the enhanced audio set up, only because you control everything through the sat nav screen
the front heated screen is useful
the cd changer is useful but you can gat an ipod interface which will cost you 295 fitted
the xenon lights are fantastic
the powerfold mirrors are useful
the phone is useful if you spend long periods in the car


my big surprise was the adaptive cruise control which is extremely useful and worht having if you're motorway cruising, but it's a rare option.

I don;t see much point in the blinds, heated seats, jaguar voice and the dvd rear entertainment package unless you're planning to drive kids long distances

my only warning is they are amazing cars, if you find a good one, i'm not sure you'll want to get an xf

oh and get one registered before 22/3/06 that way there's no g band tax

pk

[Jaguar steve]

I've driven the 3.0 V6, and was amazed by how good it was.. It felt quicker and more responsive than the X308 3.2 V8, and was impressively smooth and quiet.

Never had the chance to compare it with the V8s in the 350 though, but IMO it's certainly good enough, and the 6 has the potential for improved fuel economy over the larger engines too.

Unless you want the extra performance, you may get a better deal on a V6 There seems to be more around and at lower prices then a equivalent age/mileage V8 XJ

[james S]

Thanks chaps - v helpful

I'm also considering a 308R as a cheap option for a year, but I think its probably time I moved into the current decade.

[Jaguar steve]

You will probrably still see a fair bit of depreciation going on - even at £15k. If Jaguar ever launch a "new" XJ then values of the X350 will fall pretty quickly down to bargain barge money.

If you're planning to keep the car for a few years, and get some value out of it then of course it's not a problem.

The other risk to residual value is running costs and tax. If the theiving Ccotch Stunt Darling and his lefty ecomentalist buddies decide to further increase the tax charged on larger cars - the mechanism is in place already with the taxation of post March 2001 cars based on C02 emissions - then you're potentially looking at a massive loss in value 'cos nobody will want one.

This is one of the reasons I've stuck with my 2000 XJ. Older large - engined cars are lumped in a single tax bracket that is hopefully less likley to be changed due to the effect it would have on the less well off, and depreciate very gently. I reckon I've lost less than £1k a year and also benefit from cheaper insurance as the value of my car is relatively low.

Ya pays ya money and takes ya choice of course, but I'd say adding another £8/10k - more than doubling the potential purchase price in fact - of a XJ really does not give you a £8/10k higher value car that's twice as good.

Have a drive in a good 2000/2001 X308, and look at the figures, then see what you think. There's bargains to be had if you look around.

JS

[OctaneBooster]

I have a 3.5 V8. Plenty of go and average 27mpg. Haven't driven the others, but note that the petrol XJ6 is lighter that the X Type with the same engine. Sadly we can't say the same for the new XF which seems heavier than both, apart from looking like a Lexus. I don't know if you've seen the pictures of what Jaguar are planning to replace the current XJ with, but its one serious dogs breakfast of overly aggressive German styling features copied from you know where. I think any nice XJ will be in demand for years to come, given that the only other elegant looking large saloon is the Quattroporte or maybe at a pinch the Merc CLS.