Diesel auto barge - is a £10k XF going to be a money pit?

[Lefty]

Contemplating a new addition to the fleet. I was looking at Benz e320cdi (although I've had one before and fancy something different). Also looked at e60 530d and 535d but saw a 90k mile xf 2.7d which looks really lovely.

I know very little about the xf, what are they going to be like at the £10k mark?

[RammyMP]

Fella I work with has got an '08 reg one, had bother with the handbrake locking on, other then that his only complaint was it was heavy on diesel, he's got the 2.7.

[kinghottinger]

I've just bought one - petrol - it's very nice indeed. The only niggle for me is the fiddly touchscreen and the basic audio in mine. Worth checking. The 2.7 is good but can have common problems I have read on JLR forums and if you are prone to scope/budget creep the 3.0 is even better. I had the bigger oilburner in my D4 and it is a top motor which pushes the XF around very well.

[0a]

Spend £5k on a proper v8 barge, keep the rest for fuel (though you will save by having less go wrong) - proper barges should be petrol, not diesel

[Lefty]

Thanks for the replies. Main criteria are comfort and economy, I've been commuting (80 miles per day) in a rock-hard 18mpg Impreza so looking for something quiet, smooth and cosseting. 40mpg would be nice!

I actually started off looking at volvo s60/s80 but an XF just looks so much more special.

Any more suggestions? No over wheeled, rock hard Audis please

[rfn]

The XF is a lovely car, even with the 2.7D.

My father had two, both 3.0D one Luxury and the second a Premium Luxury, following an S Type with the 2.7D.

He loved them, but they proved very unreliable. Chances are that an older/high miler has been well looked after and probably had troublesome bits replaced! Worth a shot.

He now has a '06 E320 CDI which is just lovely but quite 'old man' (he is over 70!).

[0a]

This lovely "BMW 7 SERIES 750i (Sat Nav) 4.8 4dr" http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201... avoid the reliability highlighted in the above post!

[Patrick Bateman]

Since when did the 750i get so cheap at those miles?

[chr15b]

Patrick Bateman said:

Since when did the 750i get so cheap at those miles?

if you'd ran that from new, depreciation like that would make you cry!!

[Patrick Bateman]

chr15b said:

if you'd ran that from new, depreciation like that would make you cry!!

It's why I can never see me spending much more than £10k on a car when you can get value like this.

[Lefty]

Stop tempting me with v8's you bds

[McSam]

Make sure you get a 3.0, spending a little extra for it if need be - it's a better unit in every respect, quicker, smoother, and much more economical. It will definitely be worth the premium.

Apart from a few little niggles on early cars that got sorted out by Jag, I've not really heard a bad word about them. For me, they're in a different league to any other car in this segment and price range, and I'd have a 3.0D S like a shot if I was in the market. Preferably in that very rare but quite fantastic deep purple they do

[0a]

Lefty said:

Stop tempting me with v8's you bds

It's priced far under a diesel XF at £10k without the reliability issues - it could be the budget option?

[Patrick Bateman]

The XF isn't that bad reliability wise is it?

[0a]

Patrick Bateman said:

The XF isn't that bad reliability wise is it?

Ssssh... the OP will be much happier in a proper barge with a V8 and just needs man maths justification.

[va1o]

For the money I don't think you can do much better. I like buying cars like that since its still fundamentally the same shape as the model currently on sale, but old enough to have suffered some heavy deprecation.

[Stedman]

A sorted S80 D5 manual (first gen) would be perfect, non?

[Lefty]

Here's the deal.

My "fun" car is an old Impreza. I've also got a couple of old Land Rovers. My wife had a fiat 500 twinair and we just bought a Legacy Outback as the "family" car. Wife likes it so much she never used the fiat. I actually really like the 500 but it's a bit small and raucous for commuting so my plan is to flog it (maybe 6 grand), add a couple of thousand to the deal and get myself something wafty to commute in 3 or 4 days per week, using the P1 in good weather and when I'm in the mood for a blast.

I've just had the p1 engine rebuilt and it seems a waste to pile commuting mileage on it (despite it being great fun on the b-roads).

So a v8 might work but at the moment having to fill the impreza every 3rd day is a pain in the arse, especially cause it needs 99ron.

[king arthur]

McSam said:

Preferably in that very rare but quite fantastic deep purple they do

Deep Purple of course being the band behind the track they used in the initial TV adverts for the XF.

[0a]

Lefty said:

Here's the deal.

My "fun" car is an old Impreza. I've also got a couple of old Land Rovers. My wife had a fiat 500 twinair and we just bought a Legacy Outback as the "family" car. Wife likes it so much she never used the fiat. I actually really like the 500 but it's a bit small and raucous for commuting so my plan is to flog it (maybe 6 grand), add a couple of thousand to the deal and get myself something wafty to commute in 3 or 4 days per week, using the P1 in good weather and when I'm in the mood for a blast.

I've just had the p1 engine rebuilt and it seems a waste to pile commuting mileage on it (despite it being great fun on the b-roads).

So a v8 might work but at the moment having to fill the impreza every 3rd day is a pain in the arse, especially cause it needs 99ron.

On a more serious note than my posts above, why not get yourself a mint BMW E38 728. Owners on the barge thread report excellent economy, you could get a fantastic one for under £5k, and they have a petrol engine which in my view makes a barge.

My boss has a new 730d and the average economy gauge is reading 28mpg - don't go on EU stats, go on what real drivers get from the vehicle. 6 pot diesels are not particularly economical in real use.

The smooth, balanced 7 would be a great contrast to your P1, and you wouldn't need to spend £10k. Why not post on the smoker barge thread for inspiration ?