1997 Jaguar Vanden Plas 6 cylinder from North America
Summary:
Most affordable used, luxury car available
Faults:
Wiper won't work in slow position. Works fine on fast position and in intermittenet position.
Dealer checked this out and said the replacement part was $600. Ouch. I passed. I can live with it.
General Comments:
This is the second Jag I've owned. It is comfortable ride with smooth acceleration.
This car CONSTANTLY gets praise and admiration from from friends and strangers.
I have never had the car in the shop (other than to check out the wiper problem) and I have done nothing, but change the oil every 3,000 miles.
Reliability is no longer an issue with Ford-owned Jaguar. The fact that some stigma still lingers is all the better for those of us who pick these baby's up for a song.
Car handles well and just begs to be pulled up to about 120mph.
This was a $70,000 luxury car (new) that I bought for $35,000.
Beautiful and reliable.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 21st August, 2003
18th Jul 2004, 16:10
Agree whole heartedly re the "panache." Had the same problem with the wipers. Is it endemic? Don't know.
Assuming that your problem was the same as mine... I would suggest that you re-visit a "proper" mechanic, that does not work for a dealer and loves Jags as much as you. Mine, a Certified Jaguar Trained Master Mechanic right out of England, took one look at my "problem" and said, "mmmm, just a minute." He was gone for about 5 minutes and returned with two small relays. He popped the two out from the front of the engine area and popped the other two in. And bob's your uncle, all fixed and for the cost of a case of beer! Now, even if that is not the problem, it still is a cheaper solution than no slow speed wiper or a monster bill that might not be the answer.
He's my mate by the way, and sold me my first Jag quite a few years ago. We have been joined at the hip since. So find one, an ace mechanic that knows Jags, and nurture him/her well. Roses at Christmas is a nice touch.
Also visit http://www.alldata.com/ to keep on top of what's what with any given year of Jag. They carry "service bulletins" that are sent out to dealers about what's going wrong, and it gives you a heads up on what to watch out for. That is about all it's good for. Also, when buying another JAG, check there to see what to expect, and to see if the new one has had all of its service bulletins attended to.
Al.