Have you seen those TV commercials for Jaguar?
They are Slick, slick--wow--really slick.

They are so good, I can't help but turn my head
and watch them whenever they come on.

It sounds like actor Willem Dafoe's voice is used
in the background (actor in "Platoon" and "The Last
Temptation of Christ").

A commercial like that makes you really want a
Jaguar, doesn't it? In my case, I know there's no
way I can afford it, and let's
face it, the reliability and mechanical quality is
probably better at Toyota.

I guess Toyota doesn't need super slick commercials
to sell cars...<laughter>

"Built_Well" <bw (AT) bbbb (DOT) com> wrote

Hi Group,

I took early retirement in 1990 age 59.
For the 8 years prior I had 2 1600cc MR2s.
Wonderful, never put a spanner near them but for maintance.

I got my payout from 38 years of private pension.

RIGHT I will have my JAG.

Could not stretch to a new one but a 2 year old 38k miles
maintained by my local Jaguar main dealer and for sale at my Main Jag
dealership.
Jaguar 3.6 litre XJS auto in light blue. WOW.
delivered with full tank of fuel and a big bunch of flowers
for the wife.

For the next 10 weeks we broke down in more places than I can remember.
one when the internal oil cooler in the radiator for the Auto box took a
leak.
Higher pressure water went into the Gearbox and torque converter.
It was replaced under warranty.
Comment from JAG main dealer " we are not sure this is covered" I never even
looked at him.
Cost was £3000.
It just went from bad to worse.
My wife and I had been married at that point 42 years, It was near divorce I
tell you.

I drove into Jag Showroom on the Sat morning 10 weeks after purchase
we reckoned they had it in there repair shop 4/5 weeks of that,

Gave them the Keys and made some rude suggestion.

They agreed to let me choose another car from the lot.
All were Jags or Rovers.

I said I would settle for another MR2, by now it was the 2Ltr model.
They done a deal with local Toyota dealer where I had purchased my prior 3
MR2s from.
It was 1 year old..11k miles.

Jag pointed out I had no warranty from them at all.
It still had 2 years of Toyotas warrantee.
It was nice to tell Jag I did not think I needed any cover from Jag.

Had the MR2 3 years no problems.
Bought a new CAMRY 1995 4 cyl 2.2 ltr Auto I still have it 77K miles on
clock.
What can I say. Its been PERFECT.
But I still pass the Jag dealer and kind of oogle.
The reps look at me hoping I wont come in to buy again.

So thats my experiance.
In passing the Jag went back on the forcourt at £3000 more than I paid
for it. Marked new gearbox/converter fitted.
God at 38k miles what an admission.

Merry Xmas

Johnny UK.

JM wrote:

Sorry to hear about your misfortune 15 years ago.
Thank goodness that happened in 1990, before Ford
bought Jaguar. At least Ford can't be blamed for
that one....

Does anybody know: In terms of reliablity and
mechanical quality, has Ford helped Jaguar or
hurt it

Built_Well wrote:

I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing that it certainly has not helped.
Ford also owns Mazda and Volvo, and the reliability of both has gone
downhill since Ford bought them.

Hard to believe, but true -- High Tech Misfit <me (AT) privacy (DOT) net> typed:

Some questions; and I mean them sincerely: Has the reliability
actually gone down? Or has the reliability not gotten as much better
as the competition?

What I mean is, are those brands less reliable than they used to be,
or are they more reliable, but not as reliable compared to the other
brands out there (like Toyota)? It makes a difference . . . .

Don
--
"What do *you* care what other people think?" --Arline Feynman

Built_Well wrote:
snip
I'm guessing by what I've seen on Motorweek & Car & Driver but it has gotten
better. I've seen a couple shows where they pointed out improvements in
quality, how much I'm not positive.
Also, in the last 15 years, Ford's quality has improved, like Chevy and
Chryco, so due to that I think it would be fair to assume Jaguar has
improved as well.
davidj92

"High Tech Misfit" <me (AT) privacy (DOT) net> wrote

I don't know about Mazda but in the case of Volvo, you must carefully
consider all aspects of the quality issue.

Volvos prior to 1995 or so were fairly simple affairs. SOHC 4-banger in
most, turbo'ed in some, RWD. Lots of room in the engine compartment. Some
had I-6 engines. They were building a durable but simple car in a
straightforward way.

They were wonderful autos. I've owned three. However, your basic Volvo had
a 114hp engine. It handled well and, thanks to its sharp turning radius, it
was very easy to park. Due to the simple layout, they were also pretty easy
to fix.

But they aren't bullet-proof. Not by any means.

Fast-forward to today... The new Volvos have FWD or AWD, transverse DOHC I-5
engines, some with a lot of boost. There's more useable interior room, more
gadgets, more ... stuff. They look completely unlike the Volvos of 1990 and
I'm sure they've got a dramatically higher part count.

If they're not quite as reliable as the old Volvos, it wouldn't be a big
surprise but it's a much more contemporary car. I'd give Ford something of
a break on this.

In article <6r2dnQ61GIwI0DHenZ2dnUVZ_sGdnZ2d (AT) sysmatrix (DOT) net>,
"Built_Well" <bw (AT) bbbb (DOT) com> wrote:

I know someone who runs an independent Jaquar repair shop and he says that
recent Jaquars are about as reliable as recent Fords, but which he means,
the reliability is acceptable, but not up to Toyota standards.

Clearly, Jaquar reliability is much better than it was in about 25 years
ago.

But also note, that Consumer Reports is of the opinion that the current
reliability of European cars (mainly German) is not as good as American
cars.

So make of that what you will.

Merritt

Merritt Mullen wrote:
I had a Jaguar XK8 for a couple of years up to '99. It was the best built
car I have ever owned. Totally reliable over the time I had it.

Huw

Who told you that, your Toyota dealer? LOL

mike hunt


"High Tech Misfit" <me (AT) privacy (DOT) net> wrote