USED Jaguar XJ Saloon (97 - 03)

My car

Big badge, big car, small cash to run.

My car

The car is absolutely awesome - smooth but extremely powerful.

Unfortunately, the dealer has been less impressive.

1. They kept me waiting for two weeks for delivery (not a major problem but they kept promising delivery of the car "the next day"). The salesman promised me two years' free servicing by way of compensation, but then retracted this offer.

2. The dealer lost the service record. As ther car had had a replacement engine the previous year (according to the salesman), I was keen to maintain the full service history. At the time of writing, I have still not received the computerised copy of the full service record.

3. There are several bodywork defects that were covered up prior to selling.

4. The dealer does not return my calls and, despite reporting this to Jaguar UK, the matter is still unresolved. It is a classic case: as soon as you drive off the forecourt, they do not seem to want to know.

In summary, I decided to buy from a franchised dealer, at significant extra cost, in the hope of avoiding all the uncertainties that dealing wth a private seller can involve. However, in my experience, I would have been better off buying privately, saving £4000 to £5000 on the purchase price, and then saving that money to pay for the running costs.

My car

I have owned this car for nearly four years and, other than mormal wear and tear and services, have had no problems with it at all.

Without a doubt, this is the best car I have owned, and I've had a few.

My car

It has a completely different ride to my XJ6. This represents superb value for money second-hand. The combination of the eight-cylinder engine and a smooth five-speed automatic gearbox make for rapid progress. If you own a Jaguar, you are well aware of the fuel consumption, but it is a price worth paying for arriving in such style. I cannot imagine trading down - it's more a case of which Jag shall I have next.