Advice on Trading a Jaguar S Type for BMW E38, E39, E60 or Jaguar XJ (X350)

[Kal-El]

Hi, Gentlemen and ladies (if there any)

I currently own a S Type Jaguar (2000 model year), which is a great machine that has very unique and distinctive looks and loads of road presence, specially where I live most of the time (outside the Colombo).

However, I have been thinking of trading my Jag to one of the following models.

1. BMW E38 - 740iL preferably (1998-2001) - used to be a dream car for me and still is to some extent,very rare to find.

2. BMW E39 - 525i, 530i preferably (2001-2003) - not sure if this will be a downgrade from my S type Jag in terms of looks, sheer road presence and power.

3. BMW E60 5 Series - (2003-2006) - Nice car, not many on classifieds like the F10 5 Series

4. Jaguar XJ (X350) - (2003-2007) - The big brother to my S Type. Amazing looks, expensive and very rare.

5. Audi A6 (C5) - (2000 - 2003) - also, not sure if this will be a downgrade from my S type Jag in terms of looks, sheer road presence and power.

6. Merc W211 E Class ( 2002 - 2005) - Looks elegant, may not be a bang for the buck due to high demand for Mercs in SL

 

Since I am used to fuel consumption, parts availability and maintenance cost of premium euro's, I humbly request from you to guide on on,

1. What kind of improvements that each model will offer in comparison to my S Type Jag ?

2. Can you point out a mint condition E38 (long wheel base LCI), E39, E60, XJ - X350 that is intended for trade / sale ?

3. Other general advice ?

Thanking you for your precious time..

Kal-El

[PreseaLover]

2 minutes ago, Kal-El said:

Which clarifies your motives for using a Nissan Presea and hence the name "PreseaLover"

 

spot on boy

[Kal-El]

Ok, with the guidance of all your contribution, I managed to narrow down my options to E38 BMW and XJ (X350) Jaguar.

Let's give another round between these 02 cars.

Edited August 4, 2016 by Kal-El

[Kavvz]

19 hours ago, PreseaLover said:

 

knowing her personally I don't think she will visit the forum anytime soon  she's busy with racing and stuff... 

I hope sincerely that she doesn't own a Presea; else she won't have a moment's peace, what with our friend PL stalking the crap out of her...

[PreseaLover]

1 hour ago, Kavvz said:

I hope sincerely that she doesn't own a Presea; else she won't have a moment's peace, what with our friend PL stalking the crap out of her...

LOL no no I don't stalk her and we are good friends,, and No she doesn't own the Presea, I think she doesn't like the presea much, she is into fast cars

[Kal-El]

2 hours ago, PreseaLover said:

LOL no no I don't stalk her and we are good friends,, and No she doesn't own the Presea, I think she doesn't like the presea much, she is into fast cars

It almost seems to me that this LADY that everyone is talking about is more like a MYTHICAL CHARACTER. 

A Sri Lankan Lady that do RACING! and in to FAST CARS!

[YALA]

Your comparing two different vintages and price tags when you compare the E38 with a X350 buddy. Simply going by the two i would stick with the X350 but it will come at a price.

But if you really want to compare the E38 you would have to compare it with the X308 and not the X350. The E65 should be compared with the X350 simply due to the reason its more of a level playing field due to the era. 

[Kal-El]

3 hours ago, PreseaLover said:

 

22 minutes ago, YALA said:

Your comparing two different vintages and price tags when you compare the E38 with a X350 buddy. Simply going by the two i would stick with the X350 but it will come at a price.

But if you really want to compare the E38 you would have to compare it with the X308 and not the X350. The E65 should be compared with the X350 simply due to the reason its more of a level playing field due to the era. 

 no I don't stalk her and we are good friends,, and No she doesn't own the Presea, I think she doesn't like the presea much, she is into fast cars

 

Edited August 5, 2016 by Kal-El

[Kal-El]

22 minutes ago, YALA said:

Your comparing two different vintages and price tags when you compare the E38 with a X350 buddy. Simply going by the two i would stick with the X350 but it will come at a price.

But if you really want to compare the E38 you would have to compare it with the X308 and not the X350. The E65 should be compared with the X350 simply due to the reason its more of a level playing field due to the era. 

100% agreed. However styling of X308 does not excites me like X350 (and X358 - are there any X358 XJ's in Sri Lanka?). IMHO, No car (let's keep out the Bentley's, RR's, A Martin's and hyper cars out of the picture here) has that amazing presence and elegance like a long wheel base X350 or X358 (miss the leaping cat in the bonnet) series XJ (Ok the new 'Maserati Quattroporte' looks just as good).

However an early sample (2003-2005) costs around 6 million here (saw amazing gold color one advertised not too long ago for that price), which may be a bit out of my budget for the time being. E38's can be had (if facelifted iL version can be found easily) for less than half of than price (2.8 - 3.0 million). E60's starts at 4.0 mill for 2003 and good facelifted E39 still demands over 2.5 mil.

Choices, Choices. 

[YALA]

so basically the way i see it your only option is the E38 and the X350 is a just a dream for the time being. What is your actual budget then maybe the forum might be able to narrow it down and help you better.    

[Kal-El]

16 minutes ago, YALA said:

so basically the way i see it your only option is the E38 and the X350 is a just a dream for the time being. What is your actual budget then maybe the forum might be able to narrow it down and help you better.    

Thanks for your concern. As I have mentioned in the beginning, I intent to upgrade from my Jaguar S Type (2000) and since it is already a fantastic performance / luxury car, the main concern for me was whether the listed cars will be a upgrade or a downgrade from my S Type. Although I love E38, it is 05-06 year older car than the S Type. E39 is also 4 years older, Audi A6 (C5) 2-3 years older car. So as much as I love these cars, there is a risk of feeling downgraded if I decide to go for one of these. Since no one I personally know owns any of these cars, I cannot personally test any of the cars, hence the purpose of the thread.

Yes, it is also about the money. When trading my S Type (which I think worth 2.5 million now), I may not have to spend a lot for others (except for an XJ X350 of-course). My main concerns are,

1. How to find excellent condition car as these are very rarely advertised in classifieds (specially E38, E39, E60 and XJ)

2. What would be the true upgrade in terms of looks, performance, luxury, road presence and driving dynamics. I like E38 very much, but not sure if i feel downgraded if I decide to upgrade.

So, a more detailed comparison would be of great value.

Cheers

[YALA]

Apart from AL having the largest community of petrol heads, they also either own or know the owners of cars this unique. your bound to come across someone who knows one of the above. Maybe just change the thread name to suit it. Also try the enthusiast pages on FB plenty to start off your search.

I wouldnt go down that path of upgrading. these cars came out perfect and it would be a crime trying to upgrade looks etc. 

[PreseaLover]

1 hour ago, Kal-El said:

1. How to find excellent condition car as these are very rarely advertised in classifieds (specially E38, E39, E60 and XJ)

yeah that's right.. I got a proposition for you, the same thing I did for years and years when I was looking for a good condition presea... here are the steps to follow, which I did, which in terms worked for me and sure will work for you....

1. Whenever you see a car of this sort on the road, follow it until you stop it and persuade the car owner to sell it. It is really important that you convince the owner why he should sell it and somehow make him sell it. If he gives you his number call him constantly and remind that his car needs to be sold to you..

2. Advertise in every possible forum you come across in the internet, every possible facebook group, study group, or if you can put up a poster in your university notice boards that you need this sort of a car.. As an example I even advertised my "WANTED NISSAN PRESEA WHITE COLOUR" advertisement in a sattelite forum too.. still if you time White nissan presea in google, you will see all my advertisements i made years back in the first page of results...

3. Constantly post status updates (5,6 times a day) on facebook saying you are looking for a car of this sort until all your friends notice that you are looking for a car of this sort until they make it a point in life to find one for you and give.

4. Change your whatsapp name to JaguarLover and post a whatsapp status too saying you are looking for a car of this sort so that whenever someone looks at their whatsapp list they will know the drill if they come across any.

5. Wherever you go, whoever you meet the very first thing you should do is to say that you are looking for a car of this sort just in case they would know someone who owns (But do not mention these things in job interviews or clients meetings or anything related to your job)

6. Take a huge half sheet and write in big letters saying "I'm interested in your car, if you are willing to see, please call me, and write your number"... Now this is going to be valuable when you see a car parked on the road and you cant find the owner for hours and you have to go somewhere. In that case put this paper under the wipers of the car so the car owner will see it when he comes to the car. Or else go to all the buildings around the car and ask the security who owns it and talk to him..

If you follow these steps, im sure you will find a good condition one... but it takes time.. wait for it... good luck!

 

[Kal-El]

24 minutes ago, YALA said:

Apart from AL having the largest community of petrol heads, they also either own or know the owners of cars this unique. your bound to come across someone who knows one of the above. Maybe just change the thread name to suit it. Also try the enthusiast pages on FB plenty to start off your search.

I wouldnt go down that path of upgrading. these cars came out perfect and it would be a crime trying to upgrade looks etc. 

No, YALA, i didn't meant to upgrade the looks (i.e. modify the car). I meant to I intent to upgrade from S Type to one of the models discussed in this thread. I would never modify the car. Recently I felt the urge to buy a new set of wheels that are from another manufacturer, yet I restrained my urge and decided to keep the stock ones.

I noticed that you own a x308 and that thing is a beast. It' sleek and feline IMHO, I may not be the biggest fan when it comes to the design aesthetics. But that is a PROPER JAG and truly a man's car. Would love to hear from you how it drives or how it glides.. especially in comparison to a S Type like mine.

[Kal-El]

11 minutes ago, PreseaLover said:

yeah that's right.. I got a proposition for you, the same thing I did for years and years when I was looking for a good condition presea... here are the steps to follow, which I did, which in terms worked for me and sure will work for you....

1. Whenever you see a car of this sort on the road, follow it until you stop it and persuade the car owner to sell it. It is really important that you convince the owner why he should sell it and somehow make him sell it. If he gives you his number call him constantly and remind that his car needs to be sold to you..

2. Advertise in every possible forum you come across in the internet, every possible facebook group, study group, or if you can put up a poster in your university notice boards that you need this sort of a car.. As an example I even advertised my "WANTED NISSAN PRESEA WHITE COLOUR" advertisement in a sattelite forum too.. still if you time White nissan presea in google, you will see all my advertisements i made years back in the first page of results...

3. Constantly post status updates (5,6 times a day) on facebook saying you are looking for a car of this sort until all your friends notice that you are looking for a car of this sort until they make it a point in life to find one for you and give.

4. Change your whatsapp name to JaguarLover and post a whatsapp status too saying you are looking for a car of this sort so that whenever someone looks at their whatsapp list they will know the drill if they come across any.

5. Wherever you go, whoever you meet the very first thing you should do is to say that you are looking for a car of this sort just in case they would know someone who owns (But do not mention these things in job interviews or clients meetings or anything related to your job)

6. Take a huge half sheet and write in big letters saying "I'm interested in your car, if you are willing to see, please call me, and write your number"... Now this is going to be valuable when you see a car parked on the road and you cant find the owner for hours and you have to go somewhere. In that case put this paper under the wipers of the car so the car owner will see it when he comes to the car. Or else go to all the buildings around the car and ask the security who owns it and talk to him..

If you follow these steps, im sure you will find a good condition one... but it takes time.. wait for it... good luck!

 

Well PreseaLover, you got some ballsy list of instructions over there and I appreciate it.

But, wouldn't that make me a CAR STALKER or a CAR VOYEUR 

I would have to consider whether to take that path that may leads to, well,  ... AUTO INSANITY 

[PreseaLover]

2 minutes ago, Kal-El said:

Well PreseaLover, you got some ballsy list of instructions over there and I appreciate it.

But, wouldn't that make me a CAR STALKER or a CAR VOYEUR 

I would have to consider whether to take that path that may leads to, well,  ... AUTO INSANITY 

These guys in AL calls me a car stalker though... so im sure if you take this path, you will be labeled as one too

But at the end you need to satisfy your soul son, nothing else matters...

[Kal-El]

1 minute ago, PreseaLover said:

These guys in AL calls me a car stalker though... so im sure if you take this path, you will be labeled as one too

But at the end you need to satisfy your soul son, nothing else matters...

No thanks PL, I'd rather be labeled as Kal-el - the son of Jor-el of Krypton for the time being. 

If i reconsider, I would definitely get back to you

But I respect your last line there. Yes we have to satisfy our souls at one point. Otherwise we all will be driving Alto's... (no offense to Altos)

[Hoonigan]

On 8/2/2016 at 8:45 PM, Kal-El said:

@ Trinity :- If there are ladies in here as you said, I would love to hear their opinion on these "MAN CARS". It would be insightful.

@Hoonigan Thank you for your valuable input. I understand the motives behind your recommendation and I can't help but agree. But I am open to more detailed comparisons with first hand experience of driving / owning these so called luxo-barges and I would prefer this thread expands to a scale that would be also informative to other euro enthusiasts like me that are interested on these aging, but still wonderful automobiles.

 

No first hand experience with the bigger toys unfortunately. I personally prefer the smaller sedans like the 3 series and the C class. I feel that they are more engaging than their bigger brothers.(But my opinion is purely speculative)

I own a fairly basic E46 with very little bells and whistles but I enjoy every drive I take regardless.

[Kal-El]

1 hour ago, Hoonigan said:

No first hand experience with the bigger toys unfortunately. I personally prefer the smaller sedans like the 3 series and the C class. I feel that they are more engaging than their bigger brothers.(But my opinion is purely speculative)

I own a fairly basic E46 with very little bells and whistles but I enjoy every drive I take regardless.

You still got an Ultimate Driving Machine, regardless the size or the number of bells and whistles.

I am not a person who is after Bells and whistles and hardly use some of the bells & whistles of my S type. But size does matter.

Ever since I was a teenager, I was fascinated by imposing sedans and even though I agree with you that smaller ones like your E46 are more driver oriented and may offer greater driving thrill, I prefer the stretched euro's like E38 and XJ that has unmatched road presence and are the best cruisers in the world IMHO.

[Kal-El]

Any gentleman with hands on experience with BMW E38 (preferably long wheel base facelift model) and / or Jaguar XJ (X350) kindly provide a detailed comment on these cars as I have yet to find that information.

Thanks

[AJ84]

On 01/08/2016 at 10:30 PM, Kal-El said:

Hi, Gentlemen and ladies (if there any)

I currently own a S Type Jaguar (2000 model year), which is a great machine that has very unique and distinctive looks and loads of road presence, specially where I live most of the time (outside the Colombo).

However, I have been thinking of trading my Jag to one of the following models.

1. BMW E38 - 740iL preferably (1998-2001) - used to be a dream car for me and still is to some extent,very rare to find.

2. BMW E39 - 525i, 530i preferably (2001-2003) - not sure if this will be a downgrade from my S type Jag in terms of looks, sheer road presence and power.

3. BMW E60 5 Series - (2003-2006) - Nice car, not many on classifieds like the F10 5 Series

4. Jaguar XJ (X350) - (2003-2007) - The big brother to my S Type. Amazing looks, expensive and very rare.

5. Audi A6 (C5) - (2000 - 2003) - also, not sure if this will be a downgrade from my S type Jag in terms of looks, sheer road presence and power.

6. Merc W211 E Class ( 2002 - 2005) - Looks elegant, may not be a bang for the buck due to high demand for Mercs in SL

 

Since I am used to fuel consumption, parts availability and maintenance cost of premium euro's, I humbly request from you to guide on on,

1. What kind of improvements that each model will offer in comparison to my S Type Jag ?

2. Can you point out a mint condition E38 (long wheel base LCI), E39, E60, XJ - X350 that is intended for trade / sale ?

3. Other general advice ?

Thanking you for your precious time..

Kal-El

W211 it is if you are comfortable with the price tag. That would be my next buy in next year.

 

My bad. I did not go through comments before posting. Gosh! Waste of time..

Edited August 8, 2016 by AJ84
Got updated later.

[Kal-El]

14 minutes ago, AJ84 said:

W211 it is if you are comfortable with the price tag. That would be my next buy in next year.

First of all, I see you got a great taste with cars and I admire that, 

Second, is there a particular reason why you are in for a W211 E class. I know it is a luxurious and prestigious vehicle. But It may be slightly behind BMW or Jaguar in terms of driving dynamics. Regardless a great choice that I full recommend.

[rayman]

Driving dynamics? Jaguar? The newer ones maybe. But the old X and S type were pretty bad. Jag's are cruisers. Extremely comfortable, but definitely not a driver's car. This is aside from the fact that the old S and X type were a Ford parts bin special.

Edited August 9, 2016 by rayman

[Kal-El]

23 minutes ago, rayman said:

Driving dynamics? Jaguar? The newer ones maybe. But the old X and S type were pretty bad. Jag's are cruisers. Extremely comfortable, but definitely not a driver's car. This is aside from the fact that the old S and X type were a Ford parts bin special.

You may have much more hands on experience with lots of cars than me. But according to my experience my S Type got good driving dynamics and as you said, very comfortable cruiser. It may not be up to the standard that what you considered as 'drivers's cars'. If you can point out several cars that you prefer to categorize as drivers cars, then that info will be helpful to many here in AL. Thanks for your comment BTW.

[Supra_Natural]

30 minutes ago, rayman said:

Driving dynamics? Jaguar? The newer ones maybe. But the old X and S type were pretty bad. Jag's are cruisers. Extremely comfortable, but definitely not a driver's car. This is aside from the fact that the old S and X type were a Ford parts bin special.

 

A Jag is not a driver's car? What gives you that idea may I ask? Jags may be excellent at cruising but if you turn up the heat they respond to it very well indeed. 

[tharindra]

Sorry for pitching in late, but you won't go wrong with the E39, probably the last 'purest' model BMW ever made and an excellent all rounder. Go for a face-lift M54 and I doubt you would want anything more out of a car. You would probably be a bit better off on the parts and maintenance side compared to the E38 as well.

Oh and ride-wise, upgrading to Bilsteins takes the E39 to a different level, so you get the luxury cruiser ride whilst retaining its sportiness.

Edited August 9, 2016 by tharindra