XF advice - prospective buy
Discussion
Hi all
All advice from XF owners appreciated. Keep toying with the idea of an XF as my next car. Some serious used bargains out there it seems.
Think the big concerns for me are the fact that they are only available in auto and I have always preferred manuals for driver involvment, and I do not really understanding the engine range
seems to me the sensible choice would be between a v6 3.0d S, and a 4.2 superchaged
the diesel S seems to be the best out of the range of diesels for performance and economy. If I go the other way and look at the petrol for the performance the 3.0 seems not to be worthwhile over the diesel due to the performance vs. economy, the 3.0 petrol sits in the middle in both respects. The 5.0 supercharged whilst no doubt amazing is too much for the road-only driving that I will do. The 5.0 Portfolio I am not sure about and welcome any insight.
Happy to be corrected on anything there by owners with the knowledge, and happy to hear reviews on any other aspects of the car, what to look out for etc
FYI budget would be under 20k
thanks in advance
All advice from XF owners appreciated. Keep toying with the idea of an XF as my next car. Some serious used bargains out there it seems.
Think the big concerns for me are the fact that they are only available in auto and I have always preferred manuals for driver involvment, and I do not really understanding the engine range
seems to me the sensible choice would be between a v6 3.0d S, and a 4.2 superchaged
the diesel S seems to be the best out of the range of diesels for performance and economy. If I go the other way and look at the petrol for the performance the 3.0 seems not to be worthwhile over the diesel due to the performance vs. economy, the 3.0 petrol sits in the middle in both respects. The 5.0 supercharged whilst no doubt amazing is too much for the road-only driving that I will do. The 5.0 Portfolio I am not sure about and welcome any insight.
Happy to be corrected on anything there by owners with the knowledge, and happy to hear reviews on any other aspects of the car, what to look out for etc
FYI budget would be under 20k
thanks in advance
Edited by menousername on Monday 2nd June 12:42
What kind of mileage and driving are you going to be doing. I had a diesel XF and ended up doing lots of short journeys and around town stuff and the DPF clearance procedure due to that was a nightmare! I also found the quality of mine (one of the first built admittedly) was not the best. The auto thing is fine but the rising gear knob and revolving vents get on your nerves after a while because it just makes the start up so slow.
strangely the mileage is one of the reasons for me considering this, but you will probably find my mileage low...
about 8k a year miles... up from 4k before this year due to a change in circumstances
its not so much the economy as the comfort
you make a good point about the start up - one of the things I disliked about autos was the whole issue of not being able to switch off the ignition still in gear, and not being able to jump in and let the handbrake off at the same time as starting the car etc
sounds odd I know but a bit of multi-tasking when hopping in and out quickly when safe to do so
about 8k a year miles... up from 4k before this year due to a change in circumstances
its not so much the economy as the comfort
you make a good point about the start up - one of the things I disliked about autos was the whole issue of not being able to switch off the ignition still in gear, and not being able to jump in and let the handbrake off at the same time as starting the car etc
sounds odd I know but a bit of multi-tasking when hopping in and out quickly when safe to do so
- edit - mileage is mostly composed of short 2 mile journeys in the week and the big mileage comes from motorway journeys at the weekend so yeah lots of town driving for sure
Edited by menousername on Monday 2nd June 13:01
not quite the same beast but I bought a 2.7d S-type last year, I've done 8k miles and have to admit even taking it gently I only get 25mpg average on mainly short journeys of 4 miles to main office (it never really gets chance to warm up!). I thought I was going to be doing 400 mile weeks, but we have a travel ban so hardly been anywhere.
Longer journeys I know the car is doing 40mpg+, but on average it's under 30.
With hindsight I would have got a big (but not supercharged) petrol.
Longer journeys I know the car is doing 40mpg+, but on average it's under 30.
With hindsight I would have got a big (but not supercharged) petrol.
The 4.2 engine is very nice, very robust and a pleasant drive. The 5.0 engine really is a step forward though. It's more powerful and more economical. There's nothing not to like really. It's also not as vicious on the road as you may suppose. It's entirely at home driving sensibly as the smaller engined models.
The ZF automatics are superb as gearboxes go too by the way.
What sort of budget would you be looking at?
The ZF automatics are superb as gearboxes go too by the way.
What sort of budget would you be looking at?
Had my 3.0D S Portfolio for a year now and love it. I can't comment on the other engines as never tried them but the autobox is really sweet and of course you can use the paddles too.
I would however recommend you get one with the rear parking camera which is a must in my view. The Jag Sport interior is also worth having as are Xenons which aren't standard on all models.
I would however recommend you get one with the rear parking camera which is a must in my view. The Jag Sport interior is also worth having as are Xenons which aren't standard on all models.
jamieduff1981 said:
The 4.2 engine is very nice, very robust and a pleasant drive. The 5.0 engine really is a step forward though. It's more powerful and more economical. There's nothing not to like really. It's also not as vicious on the road as you may suppose. It's entirely at home driving sensibly as the smaller engined models.
The ZF automatics are superb as gearboxes go too by the way.
What sort of budget would you be looking at?
are the 4.2 and 5.0 you refer to the supercharged?The ZF automatics are superb as gearboxes go too by the way.
What sort of budget would you be looking at?
budget prob in region of 15k, could go up to 20 ish but prefer not too - whole idea is the amount of car for the money, since they have really come down right
menousername said:
jamieduff1981 said:
The 4.2 engine is very nice, very robust and a pleasant drive. The 5.0 engine really is a step forward though. It's more powerful and more economical. There's nothing not to like really. It's also not as vicious on the road as you may suppose. It's entirely at home driving sensibly as the smaller engined models.
The ZF automatics are superb as gearboxes go too by the way.
What sort of budget would you be looking at?
are the 4.2 and 5.0 you refer to the supercharged?The ZF automatics are superb as gearboxes go too by the way.
What sort of budget would you be looking at?
budget prob in region of 15k, could go up to 20 ish but prefer not too - whole idea is the amount of car for the money, since they have really come down right
For £15k-£20k though I'd rather have a cared for 4.2 than a bottom-of-the-market 5.0 for £20k, personally.
The good lady wife does about the same mileage per annum, and opted for a 2011 5.0 Premium Luxury (I think). It's an absolutely fantastic car in my opinion. Fast, handles well and has an excellent interior (R type interior in ivory with aluminium and piano black cappings).
It's ran perfectly over the last 14 months or so, servicing is reasonable and it's more economical than the 4.2 S-type that it replaced. She averages around 23-25mpg week in, week out and on longer runs it exceeds 30mpg easily. As an added bonus we had a Spires exhaust fitted before delivery which really transforms the sound of the excellent AJV8 gen III engine. It has more than a hint of old school musclecar to it.
Looking on Autotrader, good ones start around £22k. If that's a little too much, then I'd opt for a well cared for 4.2 or 4.2 supercharged.
It's ran perfectly over the last 14 months or so, servicing is reasonable and it's more economical than the 4.2 S-type that it replaced. She averages around 23-25mpg week in, week out and on longer runs it exceeds 30mpg easily. As an added bonus we had a Spires exhaust fitted before delivery which really transforms the sound of the excellent AJV8 gen III engine. It has more than a hint of old school musclecar to it.
Looking on Autotrader, good ones start around £22k. If that's a little too much, then I'd opt for a well cared for 4.2 or 4.2 supercharged.
thanks all
yep seems to be a case of waiting for the right one to come along - have seen some decent 5.0 portfolios down at the 16k mark before I think there is some variation in the pricing on those but you are right there are few available right now
same with the 4.2 to an extent
yep seems to be a case of waiting for the right one to come along - have seen some decent 5.0 portfolios down at the 16k mark before I think there is some variation in the pricing on those but you are right there are few available right now
same with the 4.2 to an extent
- edit - may have been 18 mark cant remember now
Had mine 19 months now, which I bought new. The vents and the rising hear knob still tickle me..They're great. It's been the most reliable car I've had so far, beating my Audis & BMWs, and that goes for the build quality too. All my German cars were regular dealer attendees due to things breaking or rattling. Not so with the Jag. It's only downside is the colour, which looks fantastic when clean, but looks dirty very quickly. That's been remedied soon, as a new Italian Racing Red one is a couple of weeks away.
menousername said:
you make a good point about the start up - one of the things I disliked about autos was the whole issue of not being able to switch off the ignition still in gear, and not being able to jump in and let the handbrake off at the same time as starting the car etc
You can switch the ignition off with the car in gear and you don't need to let the handbrake off as it disengages automatically when you begin to drive off.I have an Xfr which is used for a daily 16 mile commute and longer weekend journeys.
Insurance is cheaper than my golf gti which preceded it; fuel economy is not great but not disastrous either c20mpg which fir the sense of occasion and v8 rumble is worth it for me. Normal unleaded cheaper than diesel means it is all ok, in my head at least!!
3.0s diesel looks great value and performance and I suspect for motorway munchers it is the right option.
Cannot see the point in the non v8 petrol, no economy, no burble, no performance....
4 months in, it is a lovely car; leather is good quality, optional b&w sound system is excellent and power is sublime and ridiculous. A few rattles, but no issues, and great to be back to having a heated front screen for frosty mornings.
Hope that is some help
Insurance is cheaper than my golf gti which preceded it; fuel economy is not great but not disastrous either c20mpg which fir the sense of occasion and v8 rumble is worth it for me. Normal unleaded cheaper than diesel means it is all ok, in my head at least!!
3.0s diesel looks great value and performance and I suspect for motorway munchers it is the right option.
Cannot see the point in the non v8 petrol, no economy, no burble, no performance....
4 months in, it is a lovely car; leather is good quality, optional b&w sound system is excellent and power is sublime and ridiculous. A few rattles, but no issues, and great to be back to having a heated front screen for frosty mornings.
Hope that is some help
craigjm said:
What kind of mileage and driving are you going to be doing. I had a diesel XF and ended up doing lots of short journeys and around town stuff and the DPF clearance procedure due to that was a nightmare! I also found the quality of mine (one of the first built admittedly) was not the best. The auto thing is fine but the rising gear knob and revolving vents get on your nerves after a while because it just makes the start up so slow.
I'm on my second one. Not a single problem with either. The revolving vents and gear knob don't affect the start-up ? The vents can be left open anyway if you go into the menu.
Fantastic car. Mine's in Italian racing Red and I love it.
I've been keeping an eye on the used XF market for a few months looking for a 3.0 S diesel, and there appear to be a fair few manufacturer approved cars with a high mileage and priced lower than other examples.
Having enquired on a few with O prefixed number plates, it appears that these are "Jaguar ex management cars". Reading up on a few topics on PH and xfforums, these could have potentially been lease cars, rentals or driving experience thrashers.
This coupled with the fact that the "Used approved" warranty is only 3 months puts me off with the fear that I'll be left with some very expensive bills when that warranty expires.
What's the general opinion on Jaguar ex management cars, good buy with a big war chest for repairs, or cheap for a reason, avoid like the plague?
Having enquired on a few with O prefixed number plates, it appears that these are "Jaguar ex management cars". Reading up on a few topics on PH and xfforums, these could have potentially been lease cars, rentals or driving experience thrashers.
This coupled with the fact that the "Used approved" warranty is only 3 months puts me off with the fear that I'll be left with some very expensive bills when that warranty expires.
What's the general opinion on Jaguar ex management cars, good buy with a big war chest for repairs, or cheap for a reason, avoid like the plague?
eltawater said:
I've been keeping an eye on the used XF market for a few months looking for a 3.0 S diesel, and there appear to be a fair few manufacturer approved cars with a high mileage and priced lower than other examples.
Having enquired on a few with O prefixed number plates, it appears that these are "Jaguar ex management cars". Reading up on a few topics on PH and xfforums, these could have potentially been lease cars, rentals or driving experience thrashers.
This coupled with the fact that the "Used approved" warranty is only 3 months puts me off with the fear that I'll be left with some very expensive bills when that warranty expires.
What's the general opinion on Jaguar ex management cars, good buy with a big war chest for repairs, or cheap for a reason, avoid like the plague?
Having worked at Jag and seen how some are treated, I wouldn't buy an ex-management car. It is luck of the draw though, as some are treated really well.Having enquired on a few with O prefixed number plates, it appears that these are "Jaguar ex management cars". Reading up on a few topics on PH and xfforums, these could have potentially been lease cars, rentals or driving experience thrashers.
This coupled with the fact that the "Used approved" warranty is only 3 months puts me off with the fear that I'll be left with some very expensive bills when that warranty expires.
What's the general opinion on Jaguar ex management cars, good buy with a big war chest for repairs, or cheap for a reason, avoid like the plague?
Not all "O" plates are ex-Jag though. Ridgeway Jaguar in Oxford have all their new ones registered with "O" prefix, one of which will be mine in a couple of weeks. Want to buy my 62-plate?
Edited by fatboy b on Thursday 5th June 20:13
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