Talk me out of (or into) a Jag XFR
Discussion
OK so it's coming to new car time. I've currently got a 2011 Volvo S40 as my shed, and a Z4 E89 30i as my 'nice' or weekend car. The thing is, I probably now do less than 3000 miles p/a combined in both. The other half would really like me to keep the Z4, and so would I as I really do love it - it doesn't owe me anything and I've so far kept it the longest of any car I've had (nearly 5 years). So that one is staying.....I think.
The Volvo is another story - I hate it, it really isn't a pleasant drive at all, no power, basically it's got to go. The thing is, what to replace it with. Because I do so few miles, the price of petrol (at the moment at least) doesn't really bother me so I'm considering a V8. And I keep coming back to the Jaguar XFR - can they be beaten for the money? Budget is up to 20K but under 15K would be better, mainly because it wouldn't be used enough to justify the outlay. To give you some ideas, this is a short list of what I've considered so far. Some were probably on there when I was considering chopping in the Z4 so they may be out of budget unless I change my mind.
Jag XE-S, XF-S, XFR
Alfa Giulia Veloce
BMW M140i - or any B58 tbh......540i would be my ideal one car solution but they're ~25K ish
Audi S4/5 Sportback
Golf GTI or R (if it's an R, I'd ideally have the estate)
Seat Leon Cupra 300 (again - it would have to be the estate)
Cayenne GTS (JayEmm's fault)
Merc CL500 (ZX10...
)
I need 4+ seats, a usable boot, rear doors are preferable. Wafty would be good but as you can see from the list I'm open to ideas.
Am I mad for considering a 10-15 year old Jag? Or should I do it now before I decide it's a terrible idea?? I've seen a few facelifted ones in my budget, just also wonder if high miles should put me off. I did test drive an XJ 3.0 S/C last year and it was a bit rough (and massive) but was lovely really hence why I've been looking at the XE or XF with the same engine.
Would love to see what PH thinks and indeed if there's anything I've missed!
Cheers
The Volvo is another story - I hate it, it really isn't a pleasant drive at all, no power, basically it's got to go. The thing is, what to replace it with. Because I do so few miles, the price of petrol (at the moment at least) doesn't really bother me so I'm considering a V8. And I keep coming back to the Jaguar XFR - can they be beaten for the money? Budget is up to 20K but under 15K would be better, mainly because it wouldn't be used enough to justify the outlay. To give you some ideas, this is a short list of what I've considered so far. Some were probably on there when I was considering chopping in the Z4 so they may be out of budget unless I change my mind.
Jag XE-S, XF-S, XFR
Alfa Giulia Veloce
BMW M140i - or any B58 tbh......540i would be my ideal one car solution but they're ~25K ish
Audi S4/5 Sportback
Golf GTI or R (if it's an R, I'd ideally have the estate)
Seat Leon Cupra 300 (again - it would have to be the estate)
Cayenne GTS (JayEmm's fault)
Merc CL500 (ZX10...
)I need 4+ seats, a usable boot, rear doors are preferable. Wafty would be good but as you can see from the list I'm open to ideas.
Am I mad for considering a 10-15 year old Jag? Or should I do it now before I decide it's a terrible idea?? I've seen a few facelifted ones in my budget, just also wonder if high miles should put me off. I did test drive an XJ 3.0 S/C last year and it was a bit rough (and massive) but was lovely really hence why I've been looking at the XE or XF with the same engine.
Would love to see what PH thinks and indeed if there's anything I've missed!
Cheers
Edited by ajguk on Sunday 21st May 21:48
Former XFR, giulia veloce, e85 3.0i and s40 t5 owner here, so my perspective is hopefully useful!
XFRs are one of the biggest performance car bargains available. The drive is great and with your mileage I would definitely go for one. A lovely balanced chassis that is well suited to uk roads. Standard fit dunlops arent great, but easily resolved. Reliability was good, other than failing door locks that are easy to replace. They are difficult cars to sell from my experience, find a private seller and push for a deal.
The giulia is a different beast. Slower, but more nimble. I found the giulia more fun than the XFR, but I'm a convert to "less is more". Changed the Z4 to a ND mx5 incidentally and never looked back.
As for my BMW. A consumate all rounder but nowhere near the event or as special as the XFR or giulia to me.
XFRs are one of the biggest performance car bargains available. The drive is great and with your mileage I would definitely go for one. A lovely balanced chassis that is well suited to uk roads. Standard fit dunlops arent great, but easily resolved. Reliability was good, other than failing door locks that are easy to replace. They are difficult cars to sell from my experience, find a private seller and push for a deal.
The giulia is a different beast. Slower, but more nimble. I found the giulia more fun than the XFR, but I'm a convert to "less is more". Changed the Z4 to a ND mx5 incidentally and never looked back.
As for my BMW. A consumate all rounder but nowhere near the event or as special as the XFR or giulia to me.
FamousPheasant said:
Former XFR, giulia veloce, e85 3.0i and s40 t5 owner here, so my perspective is hopefully useful!
XFRs are one of the biggest performance car bargains available. The drive is great and with your mileage I would definitely go for one. A lovely balanced chassis that is well suited to uk roads. Standard fit dunlops arent great, but easily resolved. Reliability was good, other than failing door locks that are easy to replace. They are difficult cars to sell from my experience, find a private seller and push for a deal.
The giulia is a different beast. Slower, but more nimble. I found the giulia more fun than the XFR, but I'm a convert to "less is more". Changed the Z4 to a ND mx5 incidentally and never looked back.
As for my BMW. A consumate all rounder but nowhere near the event or as special as the XFR or giulia to me.
You've covered all bases there to be honest! Definitely something to think about, I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for the right car. The only thing that puts me off is as you say the difficulty I might find in resale, but perhaps that's the price of admission XFRs are one of the biggest performance car bargains available. The drive is great and with your mileage I would definitely go for one. A lovely balanced chassis that is well suited to uk roads. Standard fit dunlops arent great, but easily resolved. Reliability was good, other than failing door locks that are easy to replace. They are difficult cars to sell from my experience, find a private seller and push for a deal.
The giulia is a different beast. Slower, but more nimble. I found the giulia more fun than the XFR, but I'm a convert to "less is more". Changed the Z4 to a ND mx5 incidentally and never looked back.
As for my BMW. A consumate all rounder but nowhere near the event or as special as the XFR or giulia to me.
NortonES2 said:
Had my 8 year old xfr for 4 years now, no idea what to replace it with so keeping it. I've replaced one door lock and the front lower suspension arms which last 6 to 7 years depending on mileage.
Cheers for that, great to hear from actual owners! Definitely leaning more that way now. I just picked up an X351 XJ Supersport with the same engine as the XFR and it's outrageously good fun, the most inappropriate mix of enormous barge, sports saloon handling, and wicked engine. The noise, oh my word, in a world of tinny farting blaring turbocharged rubbish it sounds so proper.
They're a conspicuous bargain, and far less given to humongous bills than most other 500bhp+ european cars. 600bhp is an upper pulley and remap away, £1400 odd at Paramount.
They're a conspicuous bargain, and far less given to humongous bills than most other 500bhp+ european cars. 600bhp is an upper pulley and remap away, £1400 odd at Paramount.
My partner has an XF, she picked it up for £8k with 36k miles, which I felt was an absolute steal. Hers is a 2010 3.0 TDV6 240 Premium Luxury, and I have to say it's a lovely place to be. The room, the quality of finish and the shear "waftability" make it feel special every time we go anywhere. She daily drives it, but it doesn't seem to lose its charm, no matter the miles she racks up. We've had to replace the OSF and OSR door latches, but the dealer paid for that as they failed within two weeks of purchase. Other than that, it's just needed diesel (no supermarket rubish of course). Next on the to-do list is the serpentine belt, which is going to set her back about £900, but once that's done, it's done for 10 years/100k miles (being really smitten with this car, I suspect she may end up fitting a second one in years to come). It really is a very nice car, I'm surprised at how "under the radar" it appears to be outside of the more car focused community. Personally, I really think you'd like it.
ajguk said:
OK so it's coming to new car time. I've currently got a 2011 Volvo S40 as my shed, and a Z4 E89 30i as my 'nice' or weekend car. The thing is, I probably now do less than 3000 miles p/a combined in both. The other half would really like me to keep the Z4, and so would I as I really do love it - it doesn't owe me anything and I've so far kept it the longest of any car I've had (nearly 5 years). So that one is staying.....I think.
The Volvo is another story - I hate it, it really isn't a pleasant drive at all, no power, basically it's got to go. The thing is, what to replace it with. Because I do so few miles, the price of petrol (at the moment at least) doesn't really bother me so I'm considering a V8. And I keep coming back to the Jaguar XFR - can they be beaten for the money? Budget is up to 20K but under 15K would be better, mainly because it wouldn't be used enough to justify the outlay. To give you some ideas, this is a short list of what I've considered so far. Some were probably on there when I was considering chopping in the Z4 so they may be out of budget unless I change my mind.
Jag XE-S, XF-S, XFR
Alfa Giulia Veloce
BMW M140i - or any B58 tbh......540i would be my ideal one car solution but they're ~25K ish
Audi S4/5 Sportback
Golf GTI or R (if it's an R, I'd ideally have the estate)
Seat Leon Cupra 300 (again - it would have to be the estate)
Cayenne GTS (JayEmm's fault)
Merc CL500 (ZX10... )
I need 4+ seats, a usable boot, rear doors are preferable. Wafty would be good but as you can see from the list I'm open to ideas.
Am I mad for considering a 10-15 year old Jag? Or should I do it now before I decide it's a terrible idea?? I've seen a few facelifted ones in my budget, just also wonder if high miles should put me off. I did test drive an XJ 3.0 S/C last year and it was a bit rough (and massive) but was lovely really hence why I've been looking at the XE or XF with the same engine.
Would love to see what PH thinks and indeed if there's anything I've missed!
Cheers
I'd say around 18k is the sweet spot for the XFR they're a very good car that rides well & has a bombastic engine to boot:The Volvo is another story - I hate it, it really isn't a pleasant drive at all, no power, basically it's got to go. The thing is, what to replace it with. Because I do so few miles, the price of petrol (at the moment at least) doesn't really bother me so I'm considering a V8. And I keep coming back to the Jaguar XFR - can they be beaten for the money? Budget is up to 20K but under 15K would be better, mainly because it wouldn't be used enough to justify the outlay. To give you some ideas, this is a short list of what I've considered so far. Some were probably on there when I was considering chopping in the Z4 so they may be out of budget unless I change my mind.
Jag XE-S, XF-S, XFR
Alfa Giulia Veloce
BMW M140i - or any B58 tbh......540i would be my ideal one car solution but they're ~25K ish
Audi S4/5 Sportback
Golf GTI or R (if it's an R, I'd ideally have the estate)
Seat Leon Cupra 300 (again - it would have to be the estate)
Cayenne GTS (JayEmm's fault)
Merc CL500 (ZX10...
)I need 4+ seats, a usable boot, rear doors are preferable. Wafty would be good but as you can see from the list I'm open to ideas.
Am I mad for considering a 10-15 year old Jag? Or should I do it now before I decide it's a terrible idea?? I've seen a few facelifted ones in my budget, just also wonder if high miles should put me off. I did test drive an XJ 3.0 S/C last year and it was a bit rough (and massive) but was lovely really hence why I've been looking at the XE or XF with the same engine.
Would love to see what PH thinks and indeed if there's anything I've missed!
Cheers
Edited by ajguk on Sunday 21st May 21:48
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305197...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302284...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302184...
As good as the XFR is, I'd take the CL500:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305057...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202212062...
Or the CL63, the downside of going for the 63 is the car would be a fair bit older than the XFR:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303285...
Interesting how very much more these XFRs are going for at retail vs trade auction - they're absolute poison there. I bought my supersport last month, a 2010 example with 55k miles and in superb condition with a FSH, for £11,800 + fees. December 2021 it was sold at a dealer to the last owner for £21k and the guy two years before that paid £22k.
Come time to sell privately or trade it in you won't be getting anything remotely like the dealer price for it, I'd go private and bid the seller right in the nuts.
CL500 is a very fine car, but has nothing even remotely close to the visceral appeal of the XFR, it's a completely different thing wouldn't you say? Great cars though, and ABC is wonderful.
Come time to sell privately or trade it in you won't be getting anything remotely like the dealer price for it, I'd go private and bid the seller right in the nuts.
CL500 is a very fine car, but has nothing even remotely close to the visceral appeal of the XFR, it's a completely different thing wouldn't you say? Great cars though, and ABC is wonderful.
Edited by GeniusOfLove on Monday 22 May 22:53
Vsix and Vtec said:
My partner has an XF, she picked it up for £8k with 36k miles, which I felt was an absolute steal. Hers is a 2010 3.0 TDV6 240 Premium Luxury, and I have to say it's a lovely place to be. The room, the quality of finish and the shear "waftability" make it feel special every time we go anywhere. She daily drives it, but it doesn't seem to lose its charm, no matter the miles she racks up. We've had to replace the OSF and OSR door latches, but the dealer paid for that as they failed within two weeks of purchase. Other than that, it's just needed diesel (no supermarket rubish of course). Next on the to-do list is the serpentine belt, which is going to set her back about £900, but once that's done, it's done for 10 years/100k miles (being really smitten with this car, I suspect she may end up fitting a second one in years to come). It really is a very nice car, I'm surprised at how "under the radar" it appears to be outside of the more car focused community. Personally, I really think you'd like it.
A diesel that has only done 36k miles in 13yrs!? If ever there was a case of someone (the previous owner) who shouldn’t have bought a diesel, this is it! Lured in by the headline mpg figures but not doing the mileage to justify it. I know the OP is interested in the petrol XFR but I’ve looked at both petrols and diesels recently. The big issue with this JLR oil burner is that if repeatedly shut down during a DPF regen then you can get excess diesel in the oil which can lead to catastrophic engine damage. Keep an eye on your oil levels and change it regularly.
Details on this specific JLR engine issue here: https://www.kmotors.co.uk/common-faults/dpf-mainte...
PurpleTurtle said:
A diesel that has only done 36k miles in 13yrs!? If ever there was a case of someone (the previous owner) who shouldn’t have bought a diesel, this is it! Lured in by the headline mpg figures but not doing the mileage to justify it.
I know the OP is interested in the petrol XFR but I’ve looked at both petrols and diesels recently. The big issue with this JLR oil burner is that if repeatedly shut down during a DPF regen then you can get excess diesel in the oil which can lead to catastrophic engine damage. Keep an eye on your oil levels and change it regularly.
Details on this specific JLR engine issue here: https://www.kmotors.co.uk/common-faults/dpf-mainte...
Totally agree, she does more like 30k a year, so the Jag is loving being able to stretch its legs.I know the OP is interested in the petrol XFR but I’ve looked at both petrols and diesels recently. The big issue with this JLR oil burner is that if repeatedly shut down during a DPF regen then you can get excess diesel in the oil which can lead to catastrophic engine damage. Keep an eye on your oil levels and change it regularly.
Details on this specific JLR engine issue here: https://www.kmotors.co.uk/common-faults/dpf-mainte...
ZX10R NIN said:
I'd say around 18k is the sweet spot for the XFR they're a very good car that rides well & has a bombastic engine to boot:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305197...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302284...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302184...
As good as the XFR is, I'd take the CL500:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305057...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202212062...
Or the CL63, the downside of going for the 63 is the car would be a fair bit older than the XFR:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303285...
There are a few facelift models for a bit less than £18k - some slightly higher mileages. Would that put you off if it had good MOT history and FSH?https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305197...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302284...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202302184...
As good as the XFR is, I'd take the CL500:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305057...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202212062...
Or the CL63, the downside of going for the 63 is the car would be a fair bit older than the XFR:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303285...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202305137...
Edited by ajguk on Tuesday 23 May 14:25
I'd suggest one with higher mileage that's had things like the serpentine belt and tensioner and gearbox fluid change done already are worth considering, it takes two big maintenance costs out of your short to medium term ownership window, meaning you can just focus on enjoying the car knowing someone else paid to do them
Vsix and Vtec said:
I'd suggest one with higher mileage that's had things like the serpentine belt and tensioner and gearbox fluid change done already are worth considering, it takes two big maintenance costs out of your short to medium term ownership window, meaning you can just focus on enjoying the car knowing someone else paid to do them
Thanks, I’ll look out for that in any ads…..out of interest, how much for this kind oof work to be done if I factored it in to any purchase?Gearbox fluid is an odd one, you can get an actual ZF service kit for £180 that includes the oil, filter/sump, and new bolts, and it takes all of an hour to do it but everybody wants to charge you £400+ for the job. Do you get paid £200+ after tax an hour? If not then it's worth doing it yourself 
If you can DIY they're a really quite cheap car to own, they even have a special pipe for an oil extractor and the filter housing is on top of the engine so a full service a dealer would want £400 for is literally 30 minutes of work and less than £100 of oil and parts to change the fluids and filters. The much feared valley hoses requiring the charger to be removed is also not a particularly difficult job, but specialists and dealers will absolutely ream you for it.
Supercharger can be sent off for a rebuild for £450 odd too, I'd much rather face that than replacing a turbo or two on one of the Hot-V German 500bhp V8s!!
If you can DIY they're a really quite cheap car to own, they even have a special pipe for an oil extractor and the filter housing is on top of the engine so a full service a dealer would want £400 for is literally 30 minutes of work and less than £100 of oil and parts to change the fluids and filters. The much feared valley hoses requiring the charger to be removed is also not a particularly difficult job, but specialists and dealers will absolutely ream you for it.
Supercharger can be sent off for a rebuild for £450 odd too, I'd much rather face that than replacing a turbo or two on one of the Hot-V German 500bhp V8s!!
ajguk said:
Thanks, I’ll look out for that in any ads…..out of interest, how much for this kind oof work to be done if I factored it in to any purchase?
The Aftermarket Jaguar specialist that my partner asked to quote the work (her car is a prefacelift 3.0 TDV6 so has a belt not a chain like the V8 petrol) said £900 for the cambelt belt (including pulleys) and £400 for the gearbox fluid and filter change. All OEM or Genuine parts. Not a terrible price for quite a lot of labour intensive work.Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff