How about a '03/'04 infinity G35 sedan.4d..... rear drive..trac +stability control and pretty fast, fairly economical,too...a decent trunk, nice interior.Plus original owner profile tends to show a more responsible type of owner/maint.
How daft am I? New Lexus versus old Jag
- Thread starter cadfaeltex
- Start date
- Status
Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: javacontour
If you have another car for when the Jag is in the shop, it may not be so insane.
Otherwise, yeah an 8 on the scale of 1-10.
Screw that! a 10 out of 10! you DONT want to do that man. You will be kickin yourself in the Butt.
+1. If you can't afford to buy the Jag as a second car that's likely going to be a project car, but maybe one that could be a lot of fun - so long as its not your only transportation - then its a bad idea.
There are DD workhorses and there are fun to drive cars. Rarely (among the vast seascape of what's out there) a car comes along that is both. This isn't one of those, and as another member stated they are separate cars and they don't mix.
As I can only manage to keep only one car maintained right now I chose the personification of the appliance DD. No way would I give it up for something more fun to drive that I know will always be a question mark on whether it starts on any given day or is off the road for any period due to a necessary repair.
As a second, fun to drive car, the math changes as you always have the reliable DD to fall back on and can deal with whatever comes up on the fun car as time and resources permit and without being stuck for transportation in the meantime or having to pay today's small fortune on rentals or cabs to see you through while its in the shop.
-Spyder
Originally Posted By: javacontour
If you have another car for when the Jag is in the shop, it may not be so insane.
Otherwise, yeah an 8 on the scale of 1-10.
Screw that! a 10 out of 10! you DONT want to do that man. You will be kickin yourself in the Butt.
+1. If you can't afford to buy the Jag as a second car that's likely going to be a project car, but maybe one that could be a lot of fun - so long as its not your only transportation - then its a bad idea.
There are DD workhorses and there are fun to drive cars. Rarely (among the vast seascape of what's out there) a car comes along that is both. This isn't one of those, and as another member stated they are separate cars and they don't mix.
As I can only manage to keep only one car maintained right now I chose the personification of the appliance DD. No way would I give it up for something more fun to drive that I know will always be a question mark on whether it starts on any given day or is off the road for any period due to a necessary repair.
As a second, fun to drive car, the math changes as you always have the reliable DD to fall back on and can deal with whatever comes up on the fun car as time and resources permit and without being stuck for transportation in the meantime or having to pay today's small fortune on rentals or cabs to see you through while its in the shop.
-Spyder
Last edited:
You have a PM.
Yeah, part of the reason I posted was to be talked out of it. Think I'm there. The Dave Ramsey plan is why I keep coming back to dumping the Lexus car payment but just can't bring myself to do it (plus wife is dead set against it). Was on the plan, was within a month of getting CC's paid off, had a paid off little Mini Cooper I loved, and my wife's car we could have paid off by now. Then I hit a bad period with some emotional stuff and fell of the wagon. Got the Lexus and started to build the credit card back up. Guess that's my stupid tax. If it wasn't for our renters moving out I still could have finished paying everything (including the Lexus) off by middle to end of next year.
Say a prayer that we find a buyer soon for our house. BTW, anybody need a 4-3 in Enterprise, AL
Say a prayer that we find a buyer soon for our house. BTW, anybody need a 4-3 in Enterprise, AL
Originally Posted By: RTexasF
You would be better off having a sex change operation than trading for that Jag.......the upkeep would be way less.
Ouch, not going there
You would be better off having a sex change operation than trading for that Jag.......the upkeep would be way less.
Ouch, not going there
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
BMW e30 or e36.
From the mild 318 to the wild 328.
Your choice of coupe, convertible or sedan.
Check some BMW sites for typical problems.
I own an E36 M3. great to drive, but that advice is like saying, "its better than herpes, because it can be cured...."
the list of typical problems is at least a full page. I know, I'm in the SCCA and know lots of long term owners. They really are that bad. But not as bad as a Jag. Not even close.
I love British cars, BMWs & other sport German cars, and Alfas, but, you have to be honest with yourself. Really, get an old Miata or a manual Acura Integra. Fun, without the problems. Save a little more and get an old Honda S2000.
BMW e30 or e36.
From the mild 318 to the wild 328.
Your choice of coupe, convertible or sedan.
Check some BMW sites for typical problems.
I own an E36 M3. great to drive, but that advice is like saying, "its better than herpes, because it can be cured...."
the list of typical problems is at least a full page. I know, I'm in the SCCA and know lots of long term owners. They really are that bad. But not as bad as a Jag. Not even close.
I love British cars, BMWs & other sport German cars, and Alfas, but, you have to be honest with yourself. Really, get an old Miata or a manual Acura Integra. Fun, without the problems. Save a little more and get an old Honda S2000.
I've had four Jaguars, and still own two, and the reality is that a 1994 Jaguar is a near certainty to be more reliable and durable than any of it's European contemporaries.
That said, I wouldn't trade any new car for a seventeen year old car, no matter what the older car.
edit: sorry, re-read and saw that the car has the AJ6 engine. This is a very fuel efficient and reliable engine, and very easy to work on. It is not common in the XJS cars; most have the V12. I had two AJ6 powered cars and loved them.
You are more likely to get accurate information about these cars at jag lovers. There is a multiple hundred page DIY service manual for the XJS that has been written by jag lovers participants and is free to download and this might help you decide if this is the type of car you can handle servicing. They are very easy and pleasant cars to DIY, if you know what you are doing. Hacks can create very expensive problems.
That said, I wouldn't trade any new car for a seventeen year old car, no matter what the older car.
edit: sorry, re-read and saw that the car has the AJ6 engine. This is a very fuel efficient and reliable engine, and very easy to work on. It is not common in the XJS cars; most have the V12. I had two AJ6 powered cars and loved them.
You are more likely to get accurate information about these cars at jag lovers. There is a multiple hundred page DIY service manual for the XJS that has been written by jag lovers participants and is free to download and this might help you decide if this is the type of car you can handle servicing. They are very easy and pleasant cars to DIY, if you know what you are doing. Hacks can create very expensive problems.
Last edited:
So let me see if I understand.
You have a 1 year old "look at me, I'm pretending to be rich" car on which you can't afford the $800/month payments. You want to trade it for a 17 year old "look at me, I'm trying to be cool" car that's noted for being unreliable.
Your excuse is that you've gotten used to "power and convertibles", when the reality is you're using vehicles to try to boost your low self esteem and shallow self image, correct?
My advice would be to bail out from under the Lexus, purchase something cheap, boring and reliable, and then invest some of the savings in a therapist. You need serious emotional help, and you're trying to use a car as a crutch for emotional issues.
To top it off you were almost completely out of debt, but by your own account you went deeply into debt again for ego boosting purchases? Doesn't that behavior strike you as a bit bizarre?
No amount of car buying or trading will fix what's wrong. You need serious emotional help.
You have a 1 year old "look at me, I'm pretending to be rich" car on which you can't afford the $800/month payments. You want to trade it for a 17 year old "look at me, I'm trying to be cool" car that's noted for being unreliable.
Your excuse is that you've gotten used to "power and convertibles", when the reality is you're using vehicles to try to boost your low self esteem and shallow self image, correct?
My advice would be to bail out from under the Lexus, purchase something cheap, boring and reliable, and then invest some of the savings in a therapist. You need serious emotional help, and you're trying to use a car as a crutch for emotional issues.
To top it off you were almost completely out of debt, but by your own account you went deeply into debt again for ego boosting purchases? Doesn't that behavior strike you as a bit bizarre?
No amount of car buying or trading will fix what's wrong. You need serious emotional help.
Originally Posted By: Trav
Quote:
Upside - no car payment and 800 bucks a month back into the useful budget
The XJS is sure pretty IMO much easier on the eyes than the high priced Lexus.
I don't know about crazy but i would find a cheap older Toyota to fill in for the times the Jag is down which could be more often than you would like.A good old Jag can be a minor PITA a bad one can nickel and dime you death.
Before committing to the Jag have someone who really knows them inside and out go right through it.
Lot to think about.
But thats the problem, trying to find a good Jag mechanic is a very difficult task.
Quote:
Upside - no car payment and 800 bucks a month back into the useful budget
The XJS is sure pretty IMO much easier on the eyes than the high priced Lexus.
I don't know about crazy but i would find a cheap older Toyota to fill in for the times the Jag is down which could be more often than you would like.A good old Jag can be a minor PITA a bad one can nickel and dime you death.
Before committing to the Jag have someone who really knows them inside and out go right through it.
Lot to think about.
But thats the problem, trying to find a good Jag mechanic is a very difficult task.
Originally Posted By: RTexasF
You would be better off having a sex change operation than trading for that Jag.......the upkeep would be way less.
What the??
You would be better off having a sex change operation than trading for that Jag.......the upkeep would be way less.
What the??
Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: RTexasF
You would be better off having a sex change operation than trading for that Jag.......the upkeep would be way less.
What the??
I didn't get it either. I thought it was just me who missed it
Originally Posted By: RTexasF
You would be better off having a sex change operation than trading for that Jag.......the upkeep would be way less.
What the??
I didn't get it either. I thought it was just me who missed it
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
You're trading an appliance for a much more interesting, collectible, and fun-to-drive car. Insane? Depends on your definition.
A 19 month old Lexus IS 350C is an appliance for you???
If so, what is my car? A soap bar?
At least, it is RWD.
You're trading an appliance for a much more interesting, collectible, and fun-to-drive car. Insane? Depends on your definition.
A 19 month old Lexus IS 350C is an appliance for you???
If so, what is my car? A soap bar?
At least, it is RWD.
People usually reveal how they feel about something with the word choice they use, whether they intend to or not.
When it gets down to it, all of our cars are appliances in that they are machines designed to make our lives easier. Some like to use the "appliance" label on cars they don't like; I guess it makes them feel better or something.
When it gets down to it, all of our cars are appliances in that they are machines designed to make our lives easier. Some like to use the "appliance" label on cars they don't like; I guess it makes them feel better or something.
This thread has gotten comments similar to when I was searching for a car with some charm. I ended up getting an E34. It's been a project but I knew that going in. On the upside it makes me smile driving it and right now in my life I need that. Life is too short to drive boring cars.
So, you're military. Live on base? Can get (ie walk) to work every day?
have a hobby shop with lifts, tools, and someone who pretends to know what they're doing via groupthink?
Get the jaaaag. You're already starting to talk in English english (ie "daft"), watch some Top Gear reruns and go nuts.
have a hobby shop with lifts, tools, and someone who pretends to know what they're doing via groupthink?
Get the jaaaag. You're already starting to talk in English english (ie "daft"), watch some Top Gear reruns and go nuts.
Pretty much decided against this.
As far as low self esteem goes, because I wanted a 'fun' car means that I am somehow damaged? Interesting concept. Now I will, and did admit that when I got the car I wasn't in the best state of mind. I have severe PTSD and at that time was waking up to screaming of battle buddies every night (and day).
Yes I live on base and could walk or ride bike but I'm on call on my job and have to answer emergency calls on a moments notice anywhere in the area so I like to have my car with me to respond.
Our autocraft center opened last week so I got to change my own oil for the first time in years.
As far as low self esteem goes, because I wanted a 'fun' car means that I am somehow damaged? Interesting concept. Now I will, and did admit that when I got the car I wasn't in the best state of mind. I have severe PTSD and at that time was waking up to screaming of battle buddies every night (and day).
Yes I live on base and could walk or ride bike but I'm on call on my job and have to answer emergency calls on a moments notice anywhere in the area so I like to have my car with me to respond.
Our autocraft center opened last week so I got to change my own oil for the first time in years.
If I wanted an old Jag as a DD, it would have to be an 88 XJ6. First year of the XJ40 platform, slow as heck though (that one year had super tall gearing), but not a Ford yet. My grandmother has one, has about 77k miles on it. Other than a few electronic quirks, it runs and drives perfectly with no mechanical issues. They seem to be a bit more reliable than most others.
I'd consider an XJ-S to be a little crazy though. However, if it's got an AJ-6 I6 like the XJ6 I mentioned above, those engines are solid (much less quirky than the V12s). If you don't mind working on it regularly to keep everything in tune and happy, it wouldn't be a horrible choice, especially if you can still get to work without the car if needed.
I'd consider an XJ-S to be a little crazy though. However, if it's got an AJ-6 I6 like the XJ6 I mentioned above, those engines are solid (much less quirky than the V12s). If you don't mind working on it regularly to keep everything in tune and happy, it wouldn't be a horrible choice, especially if you can still get to work without the car if needed.
The one I was looking at is the 4.0 liter 6 cylinder that I've read is much more reliable.
Originally Posted By: rslifkin
If I wanted an old Jag as a DD, it would have to be an 88 XJ6. .... They seem to be a bit more reliable than most others.
I'd consider an XJ-S to be a little crazy though.
Having owned four of the Ford era cars, and still owning two, I just disagree with this in its entirety. The '88 and '89 vehicles were notoriously unreliable and thrown together, and well deserved the moniker that one needed two Jags to be sure of having one that ran. My first Jag was an '89. They are great driving cars, maybe better than some of the later cars - but from a reliability standpoint they just sucked.
By 1994, the year of the car the OP was formerly considering, Ford had made tremendous strides in reliability on the cars. They were not the equal of the late 90's or the 2000 Jags that are on par with Lexus for quality and reliability (or perhaps better considering the Lexus UA issues), but they are very good cars, and largely free of the problems that plaque their german contemporaries (with the exception of the early AJ-V8 Nikasil engined cars - Nikasil worked out slightly better for Jag than it did for BMW, but that's really not saying very much). I still have my 1994 V12 powered Xj12 so still have first hand experience with that era car.
To the OP: I would not, repeat not, trade a new car for a seventeen year old car, regardless of the marques involved. That said, the car you were considering should be easy and pleasant to maintain, parts are readily available and not expensive, and there is no reason that the '94 car cannot be a reliable DD. There is a long and shameful history of consistently incompetent service from Jaguar dealers, "specialists", and everyone else offering to work on these cars. The big caveat is to avoid, at all cost, letting people work on the car that do not know what they are doing. They will, as Trav warned, likely turn minor PITA's into expensive problems.
Kirby Palm's "Experience in a Book, Help for the Jaguar Xj-S Owner" is now 700 plus pages and is still a free download at jag-lovers.org. If you are DIY competent, or want to get that way, the XJ-S, especially an AJ6 or AJ16 powered car, is an easy car to maintain.
If I wanted an old Jag as a DD, it would have to be an 88 XJ6. .... They seem to be a bit more reliable than most others.
I'd consider an XJ-S to be a little crazy though.
Having owned four of the Ford era cars, and still owning two, I just disagree with this in its entirety. The '88 and '89 vehicles were notoriously unreliable and thrown together, and well deserved the moniker that one needed two Jags to be sure of having one that ran. My first Jag was an '89. They are great driving cars, maybe better than some of the later cars - but from a reliability standpoint they just sucked.
By 1994, the year of the car the OP was formerly considering, Ford had made tremendous strides in reliability on the cars. They were not the equal of the late 90's or the 2000 Jags that are on par with Lexus for quality and reliability (or perhaps better considering the Lexus UA issues), but they are very good cars, and largely free of the problems that plaque their german contemporaries (with the exception of the early AJ-V8 Nikasil engined cars - Nikasil worked out slightly better for Jag than it did for BMW, but that's really not saying very much). I still have my 1994 V12 powered Xj12 so still have first hand experience with that era car.
To the OP: I would not, repeat not, trade a new car for a seventeen year old car, regardless of the marques involved. That said, the car you were considering should be easy and pleasant to maintain, parts are readily available and not expensive, and there is no reason that the '94 car cannot be a reliable DD. There is a long and shameful history of consistently incompetent service from Jaguar dealers, "specialists", and everyone else offering to work on these cars. The big caveat is to avoid, at all cost, letting people work on the car that do not know what they are doing. They will, as Trav warned, likely turn minor PITA's into expensive problems.
Kirby Palm's "Experience in a Book, Help for the Jaguar Xj-S Owner" is now 700 plus pages and is still a free download at jag-lovers.org. If you are DIY competent, or want to get that way, the XJ-S, especially an AJ6 or AJ16 powered car, is an easy car to maintain.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
