Why get an M3 when I can get a Jag XKR?

Why get an M3 when I can get a Jag XKR?

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Discussion

SimpleSam

Original Poster:

53 posts

84 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
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Similar mileage, similar age, similar price, simlar tax, similar insurance for a E92 M3 or a Jag XKR 5.0 supercharged. (about £25k )

If I don't care so much about the rear seats, what's the point of an M3. With respect the Jag has the better name, looks much nicer, is much faster (every youtube vid I see has the XKR 4.2 or 5.0 destroying the M3) and so why am I so drawn to the M3?

I think it's because I'm assuming maintenance costs are less with a M3 than a Jag, and also it'll probably depreciate less than a Jag. Plus for some unknown reason I'm assuming teh BMW will be better for driving like a maniac around town (I don't do track days but not every road is straight!) but the Jag might be better for straights. Plus for some reason I'm assuming the M has more safety? Struggling to convince myself though to drop money on something uglier and slower... no offence intended!


LordHaveMurci

12,040 posts

169 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
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Different cars aren't they, do you want (need) a 2 seat GT or a 4 seat sports saloon?

Or just buy a 997 & be done with it wink

woogie

3,313 posts

252 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
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Jags are old mans cars lol

Maybe when your 60 lol

Drive both and see, I know what I would rather as I have it

BuzyG

787 posts

211 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
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Or buy a Z4M for half the money and have more fun.

XKR might be fast on a dual carrage way but down a nice B road they are floaty boaty fat things, that a hot hatch or an Z4M will destroy. Never ever been tempted by an M3, it's a taxi IMHO, so can't comment there. smile

woogie

3,313 posts

252 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
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BuzyG said:
Or buy a Z4M for half the money and have more fun.

XKR might be fast on a dual carrage way but down a nice B road they are floaty boaty fat things, that a hot hatch or an Z4M will destroy. Never ever been tempted by an M3, it's a taxi IMHO, so can't comment there. smile
He's not a hairdresser though ;-)

SimpleSam

Original Poster:

53 posts

84 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
quotequote all
LordHaveMurci said:
Different cars aren't they, do you want (need) a 2 seat GT or a 4 seat sports saloon?

Or just buy a 997 & be done with it wink
Well tbh I don't *need* either... but don't tell my wife that!

I just *want* something that looks very good and goes very fast smile

I don't like the look of Porkers at all.

The M looks ok to be fair, it's not ugly. But the Jag just looks sublime.

Are they actually different in driving them? Like, around town and surrounding windy coutnry roads being a boy racer when I want to be is the Jag too unwieldy but the M more agile?

SimpleSam

Original Poster:

53 posts

84 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
quotequote all
woogie said:
Jags are old mans cars lol

Maybe when your 60 lol

Drive both and see, I know what I would rather as I have it
Mate I may be only 40 but I sure as hell feel like 60 with my toddler keeping me up all night! I don't care about age image. I feel like an old man so have no worries having a Jag!

LordHaveMurci

12,040 posts

169 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
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What's your car histoty up until now, what are you currently driving?

SimpleSam

Original Poster:

53 posts

84 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
quotequote all
BuzyG said:
Or buy a Z4M for half the money and have more fun.

XKR might be fast on a dual carrage way but down a nice B road they are floaty boaty fat things, that a hot hatch or an Z4M will destroy. Never ever been tempted by an M3, it's a taxi IMHO, so can't comment there. smile
Loved Z4Ms and almost bought one. But far too low, small and impractical. And quite slow as well according to stats.

Interesting what you say about XKR being fast on a straight. Why is that? Is it the length? The wheelbase? Will it not be nippy arond town or windy country lanes?

SimpleSam

Original Poster:

53 posts

84 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
quotequote all
woogie said:
He's not a hairdresser though ;-)
You don't know that for sure... I drive a TT wink

SimpleSam

Original Poster:

53 posts

84 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
quotequote all
LordHaveMurci said:
What's your car histoty up until now, what are you currently driving?
Ok... so I've had stcar followed by stcar.

Then thanks to various unfortunate events got into a bit of money and so bought my first nice (and my current) car which is an Audi TT 2.0TFSI DSG.

Incredible looks, incredible DSG, awesome speed, and great practicality (put my baby in the back several times when desperate, large boot with seats down, bought building supplies in it when desperate etc).

It's time for a change though and I can't get over a) the weird slight lag from standstill when pushing throttle (I've started another thread here about this issue) b) the speed being 'only' 6.2s 0-60 - yeah it's quick but to be fair it looks faster than it is. Boring looking hot hatches can cane me!

Quickmoose

4,489 posts

123 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
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The route less travelled for me.
The Jag.

The traffic light GP is a waste of time these days, and even the power war is tiring.
A nutter in a hot hatch will still run a M3 or Jag close, depending on how brain dead the driver is...
I'd be getting the Jag, because of the comfort, the interior ambience, the sound and of course the looks.
The only negatives are the slush-matic and the ZX spectrum instead of a media/control interface.
It's not that heavy is it? aluminium construction?
Either way, BMW's success is the main reason I'd not get one, purely because I'd not want to confuse my hard earned reward with one of millions pounding the streets....The Xk is either a wafty 4.2, a thrusty supercharged, or brawny 5.0.
Beemer wise it could be a derv, a 1.6 an estate a hatch a saloon, an M branded wannabe, an actual M....

Actual alternatives would be a BMW 6, or a Merc SL...neither of which have the looks for me.

Funnily enough I'm eyeballing a 4.2 SC as my next car..... quite, quite different from my current one though....hoping it won't be a mistake, I just fancy some comfort, a bit more space and more muscle from the engine, for a change.

SimpleSam

Original Poster:

53 posts

84 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
quotequote all
Quickmoose said:
The route less travelled for me.
The Jag.

The traffic light GP is a waste of time these days, and even the power war is tiring.
A nutter in a hot hatch will still run a M3 or Jag close, depending on how brain dead the driver is...
I'd be getting the Jag, because of the comfort, the interior ambience, the sound and of course the looks.
The only negatives are the slush-matic and the ZX spectrum instead of a media/control interface.
It's not that heavy is it? aluminium construction?
Either way, BMW's success is the main reason I'd not get one, purely because I'd not want to confuse my hard earned reward with one of millions pounding the streets....The Xk is either a wafty 4.2, a thrusty supercharged, or brawny 5.0.
Beemer wise it could be a derv, a 1.6 an estate a hatch a saloon, an M branded wannabe, an actual M....

Actual alternatives would be a BMW 6, or a Merc SL...neither of which have the looks for me.

Funnily enough I'm eyeballing a 4.2 SC as my next car..... quite, quite different from my current one though....hoping it won't be a mistake, I just fancy some comfort, a bit more space and more muscle from the engine, for a change.
Useful thoughts, thanks. Yeah you're right it's not heavy but it's just so long and unwieldy looking. There has to be a reason why people say Ms are more nimble and Jags are better on straights only but I can't think why. Either there's truth in it or it's a poor excuse for the youtube vids proving Jags beat the pants off M3s....

As for traffic light GPs. It's almost as though you're suggesting Jags are no good off the line? The slushbox slow to leap off is it?

Quickmoose

4,489 posts

123 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
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SimpleSam said:
Useful thoughts, thanks. Yeah you're right it's not heavy but it's just so long and unwieldy looking. There has to be a reason why people say Ms are more nimble and Jags are better on straights only but I can't think why. Either there's truth in it or it's a poor excuse for the youtube vids proving Jags beat the pants off M3s....

As for traffic light GPs. It's almost as though you're suggesting Jags are no good off the line? The slushbox slow to leap off is it?
I reckon M3's have better balance... because despite the Aluminum stuff, they always do get described as unwieldy when compared to similar cars.

I've no doubt at all the Jag is awesome off the line...just me personally, bored with that aspect of driving...that the quality of a car is best made obvious by mashing the throttle in a straight line.
So what if a Ford/VAG/Renault mega hatch thing can get away better or go round a corner better.... clearly if you wanted that kind of car you'd get one...if 'winning' matters.
I'd wager that a few weeks into Jag ownership your average speed reduces as you appreciate real power, comfort and the things a Jag offers that a more mass produced 'white good' doesn't/can't
...and then now and again you'll mash the throttle and enjoy the thrust...hehe


Quickmoose

4,489 posts

123 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
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Also I'd be looking at later 2007 onwards...purely on the basis of not getting a car that needs a radio aerial to extend...

a 2008 XKRS is my sweet spot, the very subtle mods and ltd numbers mean to me it's even better looking and a must be a safer bet depreciation wise.

Edited by Quickmoose on Wednesday 12th April 17:03

Gemmot

117 posts

85 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
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I have had a 130i and a 4.2 xkr

Totally different machines as would be an m3 vs xkr.

In a straight line, an xkr would easy win a drag race..... until the first corner arrives

My xkr was fragile and i was comstantly worried about what would fail next. In 18 months of ownership, it needed a new cat on the left bank... good job warranty covered it otherwise that would have been a grand and the passenger seat belt warning came on randomly and annoyingly.

I suspect an M3 wpuld be better built, but looks wise thr xkr wins. Both cars attract positiveand negative attitudes on the road, but gemerally people were nicer to me with the xkr. In the bmw, every barry wanted a race and no one would let me in a queue.

Hope this helps

SimpleSam

Original Poster:

53 posts

84 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
quotequote all
Thanks Quickmoose that's helpful stuff...

as you've been looking into it yourself have you been able to find any useful info about maintenance costs. It seems people automaically say "Jag!? Maintenance will be astronomical!" But is that really so? Is it likely a 10 yr old well looked after Jag will just need teh yearly services and that's it?

SimpleSam

Original Poster:

53 posts

84 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
quotequote all
Gemmot said:
I have had a 130i and a 4.2 xkr

Totally different machines as would be an m3 vs xkr.

In a straight line, an xkr would easy win a drag race..... until the first corner arrives

My xkr was fragile and i was comstantly worried about what would fail next. In 18 months of ownership, it needed a new cat on the left bank... good job warranty covered it otherwise that would have been a grand and the passenger seat belt warning came on randomly and annoyingly.

I suspect an M3 wpuld be better built, but looks wise thr xkr wins. Both cars attract positiveand negative attitudes on the road, but gemerally people were nicer to me with the xkr. In the bmw, every barry wanted a race and no one would let me in a queue.

Hope this helps
Interesting. So the Jag is useless doing anything around a corner? I can't think why, for a car that's built for performance, but I've seen it said in some reviews too.

As for people trying to beat an M3, that would be annoying. Also not letting me into a queue would be annoying. I'm a nice chap and let people in all the time.

In fact the reason I bought my TT instead of a Z4 coupe is pretty much because I hated the association of nobs and BMWs and didn't want to be classed as a BMW driver.... so it's clearly still an issue so something I have to think about.

AshBurrows

2,552 posts

162 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
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SimpleSam said:
Interesting. So the Jag is useless doing anything around a corner? I can't think why, for a car that's built for performance, but I've seen it said in some reviews too.
Because it's designed to be a big luxo GT cruiser. The M division is supposed to be heavily track influenced. Depends what you want.

Quickmoose

4,489 posts

123 months

Wednesday 12th April 2017
quotequote all
SimpleSam said:
Thanks Quickmoose that's helpful stuff...

as you've been looking into it yourself have you been able to find any useful info about maintenance costs. It seems people automaically say "Jag!? Maintenance will be astronomical!" But is that really so? Is it likely a 10 yr old well looked after Jag will just need teh yearly services and that's it?
Gemmot's contribution suggests all is not particularly rosey.
But no I've haven't yet done any meaningful research, a few specific Jaguar owner forums, and honestly off the back of that and a mass of youtube vids I got the impression the 4.2 lump was/is a tried and tested unit, and the car as a whole a pretty unstressed reliable thing....

Just google XKR problems and not a lot comes up
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/jaguar/xk/reliability
http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/jaguar/xk-series...
https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/jaguar/xk-20...