Italian, German, Swedish or British?
Discussion
Long story short. I currently find myself driving a 2003 Jaaaaaag x350. 4.2 v8, no nav, but car-phone. Black over cream leather. I bought it in 2012, when it had done 110,000 miles. Sold it to my dad in 2014, he's kept it mainly as a second car since, but gave it me when he bought a 5.0 XF.
It's now done 154,000 miles. The central locking system is knackered and I suspect the cooling system needs attention. Waiting in a McDonalds Drive Thru queue the other day after a 3 hour drive down the M6 (Not very Jag - I know) saw the temperature needle climb to the top of the dial. Waiting for 5 mins then driving a mile or so with the heater on full seemed to solve the problem. I haven't tried it since.
I currently work from home and the Jag is perfect. However a potential change in job means spending the next 6 months commuting 60 miles/day before we move. When we move, I won't need a car anymore - it'll be a completely luxury item.
The question I have is.
1: Do I keep the jag. Accept that I'm going to whack a load of unleaded in it and hope it doesn't need anymore money spending on it.
2: Get rid of the jag and buy something else with the proceeds of the sale. With a budget of, say £4k and the specific aim of getting to work and back in style and comfort for the next 6 months, selling it when I've moved.
That being the case, what would I change it for?
Thoughts so-far include an Alfa Romeo (Brera or Guilietta) another barge in the shape of an S-Class or 7 Series or something like an old SLK/BMW Z4.
The most important things are: Auto, bluetooth phone and music (or an easy way to make this happen) and in an ideal world, heated seats.
In an ideal world (and also owning a Golden Retriever) I'd get an old Range Rover or Discovery 3, but that seems a potentially ruinous decision. Do I go Swedish and get an old Volvo estate of some form? I've even considered a Lexus RX400h.
I'd ideally like to avoid VW and VAG cars. Just spent 2 years with a Touareg and it was bland, boring and achingly dull.
It's now done 154,000 miles. The central locking system is knackered and I suspect the cooling system needs attention. Waiting in a McDonalds Drive Thru queue the other day after a 3 hour drive down the M6 (Not very Jag - I know) saw the temperature needle climb to the top of the dial. Waiting for 5 mins then driving a mile or so with the heater on full seemed to solve the problem. I haven't tried it since.
I currently work from home and the Jag is perfect. However a potential change in job means spending the next 6 months commuting 60 miles/day before we move. When we move, I won't need a car anymore - it'll be a completely luxury item.
The question I have is.
1: Do I keep the jag. Accept that I'm going to whack a load of unleaded in it and hope it doesn't need anymore money spending on it.
2: Get rid of the jag and buy something else with the proceeds of the sale. With a budget of, say £4k and the specific aim of getting to work and back in style and comfort for the next 6 months, selling it when I've moved.
That being the case, what would I change it for?
Thoughts so-far include an Alfa Romeo (Brera or Guilietta) another barge in the shape of an S-Class or 7 Series or something like an old SLK/BMW Z4.
The most important things are: Auto, bluetooth phone and music (or an easy way to make this happen) and in an ideal world, heated seats.
In an ideal world (and also owning a Golden Retriever) I'd get an old Range Rover or Discovery 3, but that seems a potentially ruinous decision. Do I go Swedish and get an old Volvo estate of some form? I've even considered a Lexus RX400h.
I'd ideally like to avoid VW and VAG cars. Just spent 2 years with a Touareg and it was bland, boring and achingly dull.
FWIW your jag is worth about a grand from WBAC.
Cooling problem will need to be investigated if you're going to run it! I'd be tempted to WBAC it and move on, it's what I'd do with mine if it needed any real work.
Any old £5k barge is almost certain to have issues. Other than the lunatics on the bargain barge thread here nobody sells their 15 year old 7 series because it's running tip top and doesn't need anything spent on it in the forseeable future.
ETA - you can add bluetooth for phone to your X350 for about £60, PM me if you want details. You can also add aux in for audio if you're handy with a soldering iron...
Cooling problem will need to be investigated if you're going to run it! I'd be tempted to WBAC it and move on, it's what I'd do with mine if it needed any real work.
Any old £5k barge is almost certain to have issues. Other than the lunatics on the bargain barge thread here nobody sells their 15 year old 7 series because it's running tip top and doesn't need anything spent on it in the forseeable future.
ETA - you can add bluetooth for phone to your X350 for about £60, PM me if you want details. You can also add aux in for audio if you're handy with a soldering iron...
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 7th October 16:43
stickleback123 said:
FWIW your jag is worth about a grand from WBAC.
Cooling problem will need to be investigated if you're going to run it! I'd be tempted to WBAC it and move on, it's what I'd do with mine if it needed any real work.
Any old £5k barge is almost certain to have issues. Other than the lunatics on the bargain barge thread here nobody sells their 15 year old 7 series because it's running tip top and doesn't need anything spent on it in the forseeable future.
ETA - you can add bluetooth for phone to your X350 for about £60, PM me if you want details. You can also add aux in for audio if you're handy with a soldering iron...
I bought it solely on the advice of the lunatics on the Bargain Barge thread. Cooling problem will need to be investigated if you're going to run it! I'd be tempted to WBAC it and move on, it's what I'd do with mine if it needed any real work.
Any old £5k barge is almost certain to have issues. Other than the lunatics on the bargain barge thread here nobody sells their 15 year old 7 series because it's running tip top and doesn't need anything spent on it in the forseeable future.
ETA - you can add bluetooth for phone to your X350 for about £60, PM me if you want details. You can also add aux in for audio if you're handy with a soldering iron...
Edited by stickleback123 on Monday 7th October 16:43
Apart from the time when switching the windscreen wipers on caused the engine to cut-out and the time the brake line split in the Lake District, it's been mostly reliable.
Should you replace it, what would you replace it with? Not easy to figure out, sadly.
Tom_Spotley_When said:
I bought it solely on the advice of the lunatics on the Bargain Barge thread.
Apart from the time when switching the windscreen wipers on caused the engine to cut-out and the time the brake line split in the Lake District, it's been mostly reliable.
Should you replace it, what would you replace it with? Not easy to figure out, sadly.
SO far my 2003 4.2 has:Apart from the time when switching the windscreen wipers on caused the engine to cut-out and the time the brake line split in the Lake District, it's been mostly reliable.
Should you replace it, what would you replace it with? Not easy to figure out, sadly.
Had the tank straps snap so the fuel tank fell onto the propshaft at 95MPH ont he M5. I drove it for about 15 miles like that thinking it was a loose undertray making the noise
Had the OSF hard brake line split so I lost most braking force (as you will understand)
Tyre disintergrated, can't blame the car for that
Gearbox rebuild as it wasn't shifting right. Total waste of money, no rebuilt box is ever like new
Frequent EMLs which seem to now have cured themselves
I have also changed the aux belt and tensioner, and done a few other odds and sods on it. They are great cars but not cheap to keep running in good order, and as you say it is very hard to think of what to replace it with. My heater is very weak on the drivers side so I am contemplating getting the matrix changed now too, which is bound to be £500.
Truth be told it's not bad for a 15 year old car, but I wouldn't want it as my only vehicle.
ZX10R NIN said:
GS450h
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
S Type V8
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
E500
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Quite like the look of the E500 and the Lexus. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
S Type V8
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
E500
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
An estate/SUV is pretty tempting too - an impending house move in the medium term and a golden retriever who needs bringing home from muddy walks in the short-term make them a tempting prospect.
Question is, would you change a known quantity for an unknown quantity? Old adage that the cheapest car is the one you already own....
I reckon it's time to give up the Jag, taking into account your forthcoming commute, dog and house move if it were me I'd be looking at a Volvo V50 2.4 D5 and whilst it's got good enough performance stock, a cheeky remap will take it to 235bhp and 475Nm of torque making it rather interesting. Just look at how comfortable those seats look as well.
£3,795 Volvo V50 2.4 D5 SE LUX with 89k miles
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
£3,590 Volvo V50 2.4 D5 R-Design Sport Geartronic with 86k miles
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
£3,795 Volvo V50 2.4 D5 SE LUX with 89k miles
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
£3,590 Volvo V50 2.4 D5 R-Design Sport Geartronic with 86k miles
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Tom_Spotley_When said:
Quite like the look of the E500 and the Lexus.
An estate/SUV is pretty tempting too - an impending house move in the medium term and a golden retriever who needs bringing home from muddy walks in the short-term make them a tempting prospect.
Question is, would you change a known quantity for an unknown quantity? Old adage that the cheapest car is the one you already own....
No, any of those is out of the frying pan into the fire territory IMHO. If you're looking at another old barge with a four grand cost of change you're better off sticking with your old barge with a four grand war chest for repairs. None of those is significantly better at anything than a 4.2 XJ8 and is just as likely to kick you in the pods.An estate/SUV is pretty tempting too - an impending house move in the medium term and a golden retriever who needs bringing home from muddy walks in the short-term make them a tempting prospect.
Question is, would you change a known quantity for an unknown quantity? Old adage that the cheapest car is the one you already own....
The V50 is quite nice if quite small (particularly rear seats), but having just moved on a D5 C70 (same platform) that engine is very coarse and unrefined in the C1 small car platform where it isn't subframe mounted. Constant grumbling and vibration and of course the noise.
I can't deny it's effective though, the power delivery when remapped is hilarious. I went through a gearbox, two clutches, and a pair of driveshafts over 100,000 miles....
Tom_Spotley_When said:
Quite like the look of the E500 and the Lexus.
An estate/SUV is pretty tempting too - an impending house move in the medium term and a golden retriever who needs bringing home from muddy walks in the short-term make them a tempting prospect.
Question is, would you change a known quantity for an unknown quantity? Old adage that the cheapest car is the one you already own....
The E500's are pretty much bulletproof drive train wise they can have a few electrical niggles but as a whole they just keep going, the things to get done are the gearbox fluid & filter change as well as the 16 spark plug change.An estate/SUV is pretty tempting too - an impending house move in the medium term and a golden retriever who needs bringing home from muddy walks in the short-term make them a tempting prospect.
Question is, would you change a known quantity for an unknown quantity? Old adage that the cheapest car is the one you already own....
stickleback123 said:
No, any of those is out of the frying pan into the fire territory IMHO. If you're looking at another old barge with a four grand cost of change you're better off sticking with your old barge with a four grand war chest for repairs. None of those is significantly better at anything than a 4.2 XJ8 and is just as likely to kick you in the pods.
The V50 is quite nice if quite small (particularly rear seats), but having just moved on a D5 C70 (same platform) that engine is very coarse and unrefined in the C1 small car platform where it isn't subframe mounted. Constant grumbling and vibration and of course the noise.
I can't deny it's effective though, the power delivery when remapped is hilarious. I went through a gearbox, two clutches, and a pair of driveshafts over 100,000 miles....
nonsense, the GS450h is a solid reliable workhorse - I would suggest anyone head over to the Lexus Owners club for some more sensible advice, the battery is the main concern like i said but its DIY-able if you know what you are up to for a cheap fix.The V50 is quite nice if quite small (particularly rear seats), but having just moved on a D5 C70 (same platform) that engine is very coarse and unrefined in the C1 small car platform where it isn't subframe mounted. Constant grumbling and vibration and of course the noise.
I can't deny it's effective though, the power delivery when remapped is hilarious. I went through a gearbox, two clutches, and a pair of driveshafts over 100,000 miles....
for the price you can get them and if you are looking for a comfy refined barge its a no brainer
ericmcn said:
nonsense, the GS450h is a solid reliable workhorse - I would suggest anyone head over to the Lexus Owners club for some more sensible advice, the battery is the main concern like i said but its DIY-able if you know what you are up to for a cheap fix.
for the price you can get them and if you are looking for a comfy refined barge its a no brainer
I know next to nothing about Lexi, but am I right in thinking the RX450h is the same as the GS underneath? for the price you can get them and if you are looking for a comfy refined barge its a no brainer
The bigger boot is tempting for the chien - and for all the crap that's associated with a house-move...
E500 estate is also tempting. I suppose finding a good one is a different prospect. Failing that, an e320 could also work.
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