Alternative to Jaguar XJ

DF1

I test drove an older XJ6 lately and I must say was very impressed by the comfort, handling and power of this car.
What would kill me is the fuel bills, road tax and repair costs.
Is there anything with similar characteristics as the Jag but less expensive to run ?
Maybe a peugeot 607 ?

mickdw

Buy the jag but only if you have a lump of cash for running it.
Hard to compare the jag to other cars.
A 607 doesnt compare & they can be a real moneypit, moreso than a jag some would say.
If you want power in an older car, you are pretty sure to be looking at a big tax bill regardless of make of car

SouperComputer

XJR

BrianD3

What year and engine XJ6 did you drive and what is your budget? Plenty of cheaper cars have *some* Jag like attributes. The Peugeot 607 as mentioned, Volvo S80 etc. Even some smaller car like 406s etc.

Also a Citroen C6 has the same 2.7 litre diesel engine as a recent diesel XJ (C6 also has a 2.2 litre option) and is much the same size and weight.

In general modern family cars are so big that they can approach old XJ size. The current Ford Mondeo is only 6 inches shorter than a 1992 XJ6.

jimogr

Out of interest, what year was the XJ6?

Eoin

If you want the effortless power feeling of that type of car, then I reckon most cars in that range are all going to have the same road tax and similar fuel bills.

So you're left with trying to find the most reliable car. In which case, a Lexus LS or GS might well be worth a look.

SouperComputer

Joking aside....I own a '99 S80 T6. Its a really nice car, but the XJ6 would probably outhandle it. The S80 is probably the most comfortable car ive been in, including cadillac, BMW and other "prestige" brands. Took it for a 700mile roadtrip last weekend and its was like being in a twin turbo lazyboy, with slighty firmer seats. As an aside, I got 27MPG (US) average on the trip, 11.48KM\l. I'd say it could be better than this, no idea how this compares to cars in the homeland.... I still have to do a tuneup including a small vacuum leak and replace\gap spark plugs. For the most part, I was cruising around 75MPH.

That said, the S80 is overly reliant on complex computer systems. If you plan working on your own car, I'd reccomend an S80, but if you are having a garage do the work, I'd shy away from one as the maintenance costs wont be worth it IMO.

BrianD3

eoin wrote: »

If you want the effortless feeling power of that type of car, then I reckon most cars in that range are all going to have the same road tax and similar fuel bills.

Just for comparison a Jaguar X300 XJ6 3.2 has pretty much the same performance as a Volvo S80 D5 2.4. The Volvo also costs several hundred less in motor tax and is far more economical.

An XJ40 2.9 would have significantly worse performance and would still drink fuel.

Therefore it is important that he tells us exactly which "old" XJ6 he drove.

af_thefragile

An old 5 series BMW?

or what about the Jag XF. IMO the best looking small saloon out there.

DF1

Thanks for all the replies.
It was a series 2 XJ6 4.2
I know it is vintage but would rather buy something more modern because of the maintenance on the older cars.
Budget 6 to 10 k euro.

DF1

What sort of fuel consumption could be got out of the X300 XK6 3.2 ?
Mid twenties ?

BrianD3

A Series 2 XJ 4.2 would be a viable daily driver if you bought carefully and were doing low mileage. Zero depreciation, maybe slight appreciation. Only 48 quid to tax it for a year (vintage tax). NCT exempt. A complex car for its time but with none of the electronics of a modern car.

DF1

I was told the series 2 XJ6 would only return about 12mpg !!!!!!!!
Is this about right ?

SouperComputer

DF1 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies.
It was a series 2 XJ6 4.2
I know it is vintage but would rather buy something more modern because of the maintenance on the older cars.
Budget 6 to 10 k euro.

W124 Merc?
E38 BMW? (not too bad electronics wise)
Lexus LS or SC?

BrianD3

I was told the series 2 XJ6 would only return about 12mpg !!!!!!!!

Maybe not quite that bad but in that ballpark! Still, the lack of depreciation and absurdly cheap tax compared to a modern car would go a long way to making up for this fuel consumption

If you are/were seriously considering a classic XJ, you should post in the classic forum or ask for this thread to be moved there.