Dayz Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Guys, Hope I am not wrong posting this on here, if I am please delete it. I have search the web for reviews on those 2 cars but didn't find what I wanted from a mechanic perspective, as the thread for the BMW 750il. Since my business is going pretty good, I am looking at a new car or new old car. The Jaguar XJR from 1998+ and the mercedes S-Class from 2000+. Jag: - Nikosil engine 1998-2000, needs replacement sooner or later. - Transmission sometime goes bad. - Electronic, not bad since Ford took the brand. Mercedes: - Elect. controler or module goes bad. I haven't really heard anything bad besides those things. I want a reliable car, comfy, to travel, that looks good and isn't the worst thing to maintain if I do the work myself. I am like most of you, I will not let someone else touch my cars. Please any feedback, be harsh, please. Anything to make me stay away from those 2 cars so I can get a really good picture of the cost invlolved. If you have any website to look at, it would be great. I have search the web a lot, but I got bored of those people that cannot change a light bulb on their cars or whine about their 10 000$ transmission. Thanks a lot !! Dayz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e_racer1999 Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 honestly, i'm not big on either of those marques; however i was looking at a 1997 XJ6 myself before i got the infiniti (I30). both cars are handsome; the parts for the mercedes will be more. for a luxury sedan, i will always choose beh em veh. but for those 2 cars, i would prefer the jaguar. a bit sportier, still not great gas mileage, but like you stated, since ford took over they are relatively trouble-free. at least compared to earlier models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragonfly Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 I have not driven or been involved with either one of the cars mentioned but I have driven and been involved with the Jag XK8 and the Mercedes C class. Over the years I have driven a lot of cars some of them costing in the 6 figures and out of all the cars I have driven the XK8 was the one I enjoyed the most as far as a combination of comfort and power/handling, but it had lots of little issues that added up to lots of dollars very quickly. The Mercedes (all of them) are expensive to have work done on by someone else or yourself. A good friend of mine who owns his own shop has worked on them for years, he told me that of the "common" cars on the road they are the most expensive as far as parts go. On the good side though Mercedes are very comfortable, classy and if taken care of reliable. Good luck (I know I did not actualy answer anything that you asked but I hope I helped a little). Dragonfly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hey_Allen Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 As far as the Mercedes questions go, you might take a look about over on http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforum/ The newer MB cars seem to be a bit worse on the expensive to maintain attribute than the older cars. I can speak from experience on the '80s S class, if you can maintain it yourself, the majority of the parts are not badly priced, and it's surprising just how much of the car was engineered to be repaired, rather than just replaced. My daily driver is an '82 300SD. A little grumpy when cold anymore, but it'll get me there, and still turns in ~30mpg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dayz Posted August 21, 2007 Author Share Posted August 21, 2007 Dragonfly: I guess you a right, it is an expensive car to take care. Ferrari oil change can cost 800$, why ? Synthetic oil, better filter, what else? I feel that shop repairing mercedes or any other High end carcharges an extra for luxurious labor. Next time you see your friend, do you mind asking him how reliable is the last version of the S-Class? I would really appreciate your/his feedback. Hey Allen, I am thinking the same way, there are a lot of parts, used parts available and if done by yourself, can see why it would cost you an another arm for repair. My priority is that I want a reliable car, a car that will get me where I want to go. A control on the seat or the electric mirror isn't what I consider essential. Thanks guys for your reply! Dayz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillZ260 Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 Just spent a week in a 520D w/ M trim here in Scotland, and I'd recomend that car to anyone! Regaurdless of the engine choices we have in the US, this car did EVERYTHING well. I loved it and if I could afford one, I'd have one in the driveway as soon as I started working in the states again. The 2.0 Diesel was a bit low on power off the line but it CRUISED on the highways and got about 32 adv mpg over the week, despite the un-godly price of Diesel, which was almost $9/Gal. Any US 5 series is goign to be an excelent DD. Beautiful , braked, handled, and drove very nicely, and the big KNOB on the console worked decently. One downer for the road, it could have had better lumbar support, since I couln't find the adjustment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armand Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 I have a very close friend who's parents have leased every single model of the S class since 1991. I've been in several rides in all of them, and driven the latest S550 and their old S500. I have to say that if you take good care of it, I would go with the S class. They are very reliable IF you maintain them well, and the comfort they provide is just plain ridiculous. And if its speed your looking for, that old S500 HAULS. That thing just MOVES, especially after 50mph and it never stops. My parents own a 1997 e320, and they've got 145,000 miles on it so far, and its given us no problems. We've just been doing the regular oil changes and tune-ups throughout its lifetime. I drive that car here and there and it still puts your head into the seat. If your looking for a sedan, my personal choice would be the old 5 series. If you can find one with low miles, go for it. They handle very well, are reliable, and just plain look awesome. I remember watching many top gear and fifth gear episodes and they always said how they consider the old 5 series to be the best handling sedan they've driven. One thing you should really consider when looking at the Jaguar is its re-sale value. I'm not sure if it has changed over the years but I remember about 4-5 years ago they had one of the worst re-sale values on the market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e_racer1999 Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 ^that's true; jag resale values are looowwwwww..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihatejoefitz Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 ^that's true; jag resale values are looowwwwww..... That can be an advantage when buying used, like he is planning to do. I would go with the Jag. Since I have never driven either of these cars, I am basing this on aesthetics alone. Also, you will definitely stand out from the crowd in an XJR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan280zt Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 I guess I can chim in on this subject since I am Jag tech and all... I understand that you work on your own stuff and I hate to tell you but you will let other people work on your car. Electronics require special equipment to diagnose and there are way too many computers (20 + from top of my head) and its all on networks. Throttle body is $1500 and yes it will go bad, steering rack is about $1400 there is ok chance that it will leak, front seal on diff, always leaks and alot of time its too late to fix I think diff is about $3k. Trans is damn good unit I have only seen one get changed in year and half afther all its made by Mercedes AMG. ECU's are solid not many problems with them. Suspension holds really good only thing that tends to go wrong are lower ball joints and they are about $90 a piece. If I was ever to own Jag it would be xj6r. 322hp inline six cheap to work on same body style as 1998-2003 only very small exterior differences. If you have any more questions let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JIM73240Z Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 i would probalby go with the jag as well. i owned a ML55 AMG for a while. the suv was a dream to drive. beat several mustang gt's in it. not bad for 6000+ lbs of vehicle. the brakes had to be replaced once a year. in their wisdom, it was better to replace the softer rotors at $300 per than replace the pads. oil changes were $150 and to do the schedule 2 maintainance was $350. all that is is oil change and top off other fluids, replace cabin filters and grease the joints. i hated getting rid of it but i could not afford all of the maintainace on it at 100,000 mi. jimbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 I've owned two W126 chassis S class Mercedes (1986 420SEL, 1989 560SEL) and both were fantastic cars. The 420SEL was repair free for the 5 years I owned it except for cam chain replacement at 120K and HIVAC control unit replacement at 135K. Both repairs were expensive and the last one was the reason I sold the 420 and bought the 560. The 560 was repair free but circumstances required selling it after about a year. Budget about $2,000 per year for repair and maintenance on an older Mercedes. Per the folks at Burce Strauss in Costa Mesa the last good S class was the W126 chassis. The W140 and later S class models began the decline of Mercedes that continues to this day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dayz Posted August 22, 2007 Author Share Posted August 22, 2007 Thank you very much guys for your reply, I will look closer those 2 cars. Ivan, can you explain in more details what you were saying about the Jag? and why an XJ6R instead of a XJR 1998+. Why does a TB go bad? Bushings? than it would be a recurate problem. What is the problem with the steering rack?... I am trying to understand what to look for if I go with the Jag. Mercedes s-Class seams to be a good car and nicely made. Any more infos on those? Thanks, Dayz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan280zt Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Dayz, Problems that I have listed are just usual things that go wrong. T/B is electonic unit almost like drive by wire but its still using cable. What do you expect when something is huge electric motor with 3tps's and several pedal position sensors built in in. Most of the jags will have one of them get changed in its lifetime. Lower ball joints are just regular wear crap, and every here and there I see steering rack leaking (no rebulit kit available) my point was that they are just very expensive to replace not that they go bad that often. I just really like xj6r because that inline six has been around since like 50's or so (just different displacement) and only "serious" thing that can go wrong with them is valve seals when car has over 100k miles. Electronics are good not too expensive, easy to modify for power, and you can get trans adapters for gm transmissions. This is just my personal preference. Ivo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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