2013 Jaguar XJ AWD Car Buying Tips

Isaac Bouchard

Jaguar continues to be haunted by peoples’ memories of the unreliability of their vehicles from ten or twenty years ago, which is a shame, as they score near or at the top of independent studies from outfits like JD Power, which show them to be on par—or ahead—of luxury rivals. Having exposure to so many vehicles, I can say that they appear to be at least as good in this regard as anything from the Fatherland.

The introduction of the 3.0 AWD model really makes the XJ a contender in resale value and usability as well, for markets such as my home and New England. Having tried to sell rear drive luxury cars I’ve owned myself, I can tell you it is much easier to move something with AWD.

There is also quite a bit of value in the XJ’s pricing structure, with models beginning in the mid-$70k range. What this means is that one can get a larger, more luxurious car for the price of competitors midsize sedans. Even my test vehicle, a Portfolio model, undercut rivals in terms of standard equipment and window sticker.

The spread from dealer invoice to MSRP on a lower spec model is good, too, at about $6,000 margin. This only increases as you move up the XJ food chain. Which means that there should be generous discounts on offer from the dealer. A wise strategy might be to consider a lease (as many do in this price segment) so that the company takes the risk on resale values, not you.

But don’t expect that there will always be deals to be had on the Jaguars. The company has basically outgrown everyone else in the US, in percentage of increased sales this year, since the intro of the V6 and AWD models. While still a minority player compared to more “established” luxury marques, the English company’s rapid growth suggest XJs wont be such a rare site on our roads for much longer.

Read Isaac’s Jaguar XJ AWD revirew here.

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.