Welcome to Kerbcrawler and specifically the very first one. Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you don’t like Jags then I’m afraid there will be rather a lot of that for a couple of weeks, then normal service, (cheapie MOT borderline cars) will be resumed. It is just that the survival of Jaguar bothers me. Keeps me awake at night. Jobs are at stake of course, but this is an important part of our automotive heritage. Never mind that TATA own it, spiritually Jaguar belongs to all true car enthusiasts.
Also read in conjunction with this recent feature https://www.freecarmag.com/is-jaguar-dead
Just to let you know what will happen in next week’s Kerbcrawler, there will be a buying guide to contemporary Jaguars. Or rather, ones up to 10 years old or so. I will let you into a secret in that I was asked by a publication to come up with some ideas. They rather liked my proposal to celebrate recent used Jags to fit in with the ideals of their enthusiast and financially flush subscriber base. Unfortunately they didn’t like it, but I am sure you will. But that’s next week.
You might have noticed that there are some silly cartoon dog heads on the pictures. That’s because you should always beware of the dog. Slog the Bangernomic dog has been around since the original Bangernomics book written over 30 years ago. He is also used as a rating system in the Bangerpedia collections, so you may be familiar with the little hound. Except that in a logical world it would be the more dogs the worser the used car should be, except that the opposite is the case. I will though give my reasons for each rating on each car. Seemed like a fun thing to do. If you think it is daft, let me know. My justification of the Slogs will be in bold.
Right now, happiness really is a warm, used old Jag. It always has been. Let’s go and see what could get us into some bother and on the back of a flat bed recovery truck.
The used car market always delivers when it comes to Jags. I’m on the wonderful site that is Gumtree and 10 minutes before I logged on this beauty showed up. Yes it is an X Type estate which is one of the better looking models of the last few decades. Not everyone liked them, not least because you can dig up the Ford Mondeo connection. Who cares about that, the Mondeo was always great to drive. The thing is, the X never delivered the grace that we all expect from a Jag. Older examples could be a bit ropey in service, but this one is supposed to be different.
It’s a 2004 example with just over 103,000 miles. Power is supplied by the reliable 2.0d engine, with manual gearbox and Classic specification. The pictures looked pretty good, maybe some paint on the offside front wing, but I would need to see it in the metal. Who knows, I probably will. This is a dealer sold car, but significantly this is a one family owned example which comes with a service history. It may be car trade hyperbole, but there is a chance this could well be the best X-Type estate in captivity.
The asking price is £1295. A twenty year old model, but that’s something of a bargain for a one owner, neat and tidy diesel load lugger. That was a good start, so let’s stay on the old Tree of Gum and see what’s next….
Normally I wouldn’t give an X anything near five slogs and referring back to my 2000-2010 Bangerpedia I only just about managed two for the saloon and estate which was at least a handsome old thing. In this subjective case I will change my mind purely because there seems to be a very solid history and just the one keeper.
Anyway back to the classified…and that would be a 2010 jaguar XF at £3995. Yes the price reeled me in and it’s a 3.0 V6 with a low enough 57,000 miles. It’s been in the classifieds for more than a couple of weeks and being a Premium Luxury the spec is comprehensive enough. Leather, heated electric front seats and climate plus the selling dealer had serviced it, so this was a drive away deal.
The MOT history was interesting enough and seemingly the suspension issues from 2022 and 2023 were fixed so that it got a pass in June. Presumably no one needs big, thirsty Jags anymore, it is supposed to deliver almost 27mpg, but always a lot less in real life. Ideally then an offer would be in order. There were a lot of XFs in classified ad circulation so there seems to be a downward value trajectory, so it is time to go looking for a good old fashioned open top Jag.
I would say this is a solid three star Slog rating, it should be fine overall, but this is exactly what Jags have always been, sensible big car buys even if you are braced for the sudden expense of something serious going wrong.
There are a few to choose from. Although my attention was grabbed initially by a 2005 XKR-S with just over 40K miles I though that for a couple of grand more a 2009 XK 4.2 seemed like a more sensible buy. Certainly the description was reassuring, last owner for ten years and all the stamps taking it to a marginal 52,000 miles. Supplied with a service and MOT it was another drive away at just over £14,500. As per the description there wasn’t much in the way of wear and tear. A stunning example for dreary hatchback money. So far then no risky Jags. We must change that.
Certainly a four Slog rating because it is one of those safe buys from a dealer, I know you can always knock one off because it is going to be expensive to maintain properly, but in that case buy a Micra C+C.
The modern day iffy Mark 2 Jag that would probably get written off in an episode of The Sweeney would be an S-Type. It was almost designed to be that way that is the model of bargain basement choice and the majority of the sub £1000 ones are parked in Scotland according to my unscientific research. Anyway amongst the ones priced at £600 was a 2002 2.5 litre petrol V6 with 54K miles. The MOT is valid well into 2025, but as ever taking the time to examine the history on the GOV UK website is always worth it. Previously the rear subframe was a bundle of trouble and then the last one it passed advisored welding and a ton underseal applied with a pasting brush.
If it got you to the next Mot, that’s £85 a month, which is cheaper than most train fares and all you have to do is add petrol. At least it would be fun and for the purposes of this first Kerbcrawl we never left the world of the Gummed Tree. That’ll have to change. See you next time.
A two Slog? Yes it might be fine to limp as far as the next MOT, but certainly not a long term prospect. Caution advised and while it might have made a three Slog rating normally, safer just to take away a Slog just it case it lets you down.
Images are all copyright Gumtree and used for illustration purposes only, please go to Gumtree.co.uk to view and buy these vehicles
