Motors Is GOO getting too old?

I am, according to certain friends. Why you ask? Because I'm getting rid of my 2003 Saab Convertable, and getting an S-Type Jag instead.

But wait.

It gets worse. It'll be a DIESEL S-Type. And Automatic.

Yep. GOO's getting an oil burner. But in my defense, I'd like to offer the following.

• It's an S-Type Sport - so decromed, lowered & stiffened suspension plus 18" rims, and not a trace of wood trim in the cockpit.
• It has a 2.7 litre twin-turbo V6 engine that sounds nothing like a diesel
• It's faster than the Saab
• It's gets better mileage than the Saab
• It's more spacious than the Saab, even though it's not especially bigger than it
• It costs no more to insure
• It's cheaper on the repayments

And most importantly, It's put together better. The Saab has been back to the garage soooo many times it's not funny.

I'm angling for a Midnight black one, with lots of toys - but I'm waiting on the dealership to find me one (i'm buying approved used about 12 months old, so I don't get reamed on the first year's depreciation). So fingers crossed, I'll have it sometime in March.

The defense rests.

 

Still, its a Jag - When you pull up to the pumps and go for Diesel, you'll feel your heart sink

 

Oh, I dunno about that. The Saab has a 60ltr tank, and on average needs filling up every 8 to 9 days, as with the mix of driving we do (a mix of town and fast dual carriage way) we only get about 25 mpg. That makes my heart sink. That and the fact that the bloody fuel gauge has stopped working properly, and Saab are still waiting for the parts - even though they've been ordered for over 6 weeks!

Now the Jag also has a 60ltr tank, and will average 35-40 mpg doing the same type of driving - so less time at the pump. Hurrah!

Even better on the M-Way. Saab - lucky to get 31mpg. Jag - over 50mpg.

 

If your after a cool diesel, you should have looked at 530d Sport, Audi A6 3.0TDi Quattro or even the Mercedes E270CDi Avantgarde. How much is a 12 month old Jag retailing for?

 

Good choice GOO - I know thinking about an oil burner seems grim, but that Jag is magnificent, as (despite rumours) most of them are.

The build quality of the new ones is wonderous, especially for the revised S-Type (which you're getting), as well as having an absolutely massive enthusiast base (the Jag driver's club and the Jag enthusiasts club having something like 20,000 members between them).

 

Diesels can be pretty cool. BMW 535d (amazing car, although MPG isn't very good for a diesel), Skoda Fabia vRS (great fun), VW Phaeton 5.0 V10 TDi (V10 TDi 'nuff said)

 

Wouldn't buy a Merc - we looked at one, and whilst it looked nice, visions of the build quality issues my old man had with his kept surfacing. Never been a fan of BMWs (don't get me wrong - great cars, but don't like the asthetics. Plus everyone and their dog's got one). Also looked at Audi, but didn't like the A6 (quite liked the look of an A3, but the Mrs hated it.)

The other thing is that all three dealerships had the most condescending, arogant salespeople I've come accross. Is it a requirement for German car outlets to have snide employees?

Apart from the fact that the S-Type was a joy to drive, the guy who we where talking to at the Jag garage was a top bloke. Didn't talk down to us, didn't push us, and gave us the keys to the demonstrator and essentially told us not to come back until we'd given it a damn good blast! So we did...

 

Whenever I've been to the Jag garage, even just to pick up the car with my Dad (he's a big Jag fanatic), the mechanics and salespeople have always been really nice and friendly.
Most of the people in other garages are pretty nasty usually, the other one that stands out were Volvo (the parentals bought a V70), who were really nice and friendly.

 

How do the diesel's respond to computer tweaks over there?

We have 6500lb diesel pickups running 13 second 1/4-miles with light mods ie ecu and propane injection. The Cummins Dodge has 610lb-ft from the factory. I would like to see more diesel options. Our full-size diesel pickups can get 25mpg.

 

Cheaper? Despite the fact Diesel costs ~5-7p more per litre??

Go for it imo. If it sounds good then what does it matter.

 

It may cost £5-6 quid more per tank, but if the tank last almost twice as long, yes, it's cheaper - due to less frequent visits to the pump.

A tank (brimmed) on the Saab is usually about £45. Every 7-8 days, and gives me about a 280 mile range. A tank of diesel for the Jag may cost more (approx £50), but if it means that I only fill up every other week... Well, I'll let you do the math.

 

Fair enough.

600 miles on a single tank.. Oooo nice. I can do probably 400-450 at a push on £35

Not that a 1.2 Clio compares to a 2.8litre V6 though

 

My Passat does about 330 miles to a tank which is about £50.. Not very good.
I'm going to get a diesel at the end of the year. Hopfully a 530d!

 

I do about 40 mpg city, 60 mpg motorway in a Skoda Fabia 1.9TDI. I spend no more than £20,-- (about 330 miles) per fortnight on fuel.

 

No its not its a Ford!!!!! LOL

it does have the same rear chassis as a Mondeo. and it uses ford wiring looms, alarm, switches and seat mounting frames, i dont thin kthe engine is jag i think it could be volvo which is always good

and yep you are getting old, wanting to drive an arm chair.

the only way you can really tell if your getting old is insurance for cars like these are cheap. i'd have one but i couldnt afford the insurance

good choice.!!

 

My micra does about 400 mile to a tank which is £35 if its driven like a granny

But my SX would return about 200ish to a tank which was £50 21 miles per gallon thats why im driving a bloody micra

 

The enginge is a Jag unit made by them, designed by a bloke from Jag, paid for by Ford with a few of the best parts from an already brilliant car.
...And it's not an armchair, get in one and find out.

 

No it doesn't. The X-Type is based on the Mondeo chassis. The S-Type is based on the American Lincoln-LS chassis. In both cases the Jag boffins have breathed on things like the suspension and chassis rigidity to make them peform better than the originals.

 

Yep sorry my mistake it is the other way round, my boss has a S-type and he loves it he has the V6 petrol engine but he does complain about how much it drinks

Oh dont get me wrong the jag engineers are fantastic, and can do wonders with the chassis

my answer to him is DONT BUYA BLOODY V6 THEN

 

What sort of mileage do you do? Whilst diesels do return better MPG, generally (and this goes for second hand as well as new) their better residuals mean that, if you do a fairly low mileage, its actually a good two or three years of ownership before you've saved any money over an equivalent petrol model, and not everybody keeps a car like this that long - generally people with this much money to spend will buy a newer model rather than running their car into the ground

Using the example of second hand E39 BMW 530d vs the 330i, the diesel costs less to run, but costs a lot more to buy in the first place than the petrol, so it doesn't actually save you any money unless you do 15,000 miles a year or more (one could work out the maths based on book price, fuel costs and mileage for both, but its complex and time consuming to say the least, but when you're spending a lot of cash it pays to make the right choice).

If the diesel doesn't save you any money, why not go for the better sounding and possible more fun to drive petrol (the Beemers I use for example are almost identical performance wise, but the petrol with its wider rev range will probably be the more rewarding drive for a blast down a b road..on the other hand the dervs wave of torque makes cruising a breeze with fewer gear shifts required, so it also depends on your driving style and preference as to whether that really matters).

Heard very good things about the 2.7 twin turbo diesel though in the Jag, and the petrol options don't seem anything awe inspiring unless you go for the 'R' model. I do like the S types looks as well, especially in 'sport' guise. Nice choice