BMW & Jag fans...which would you choose?

[Winks_Elf]

My husband and I are long time BMW fans. I've personally owned a '96 325 convertible, and a 1990 525 with upgraded suspension. The 5-series is my all-time favorite car. Unfortunately it had a blown head gasket, and I stupidly traded it in for my (ick) van. Now we're looking to get me a "new" toy, and the choices are a 1995 BMW 525 with 110k miles on it (barely broken in for that car), or a 1996 Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas with same miles. I personally have never driven a Jag before, but am going to test drive it on Monday.

For those of you who are enthusiasts for each, which would you choose? This is not going to be a daily driver as I work from home, but rather a fun weekend, fair weather, and drive across the state when necessary car.

 

[4ceRunner]

I personally have always liked BMW's better. I wish I could get my hands on a early 2000's 3 series.

I don't know when for sure Ford purchased Jag, but that is something to take into consideration.

Thirdly I am from Atl and the traffic here is horrible. So for me its all about what I am most comfortable driving. I may love the way it looks but if it has hard seats I have to say no, because we spend so much time in our cars.

 

[Winks_Elf]

They purchased Jag in 1988-1989.

 

[RhubarbPie]

We have a 2008 328xi and we LOVE it. Like seriously love it. Its our first joint car together. We got it in the middle of 2008 and so we got a decent deal for that car (since the 09s were coming out already).

My dad has always had BMWs (since the very early 80s) until recently (he switched to Mercedes) and my FF parents have a 7 series and a 5 series.

My vote is clearly for the bimmer!

 

[PinkTower]

I'm also looking for a BMW of a similar age. They are very hard to find right now. We bought a 1984 528 new, drove it twenty plus years, and gave it away to a church. They are still driving the car.

 

[Winks_Elf]

I must admit that I'm leaning towards the Jag after seeing the reviews on that particular year and model. So far I have not come across a bad review on that one. I know the 525 handles like a dream, but hubby has a '99 M3 convertible, and he's going to get a 5-series, so it's not like there won't be one here to drive. I guess the proof will be in the pudding once I have a test drive in a few days.

Looks wise, I like them both, but the styling of the Vanden Plas is just exquisite. The long sleek lines, graceful curves, attention to detail...the 5 series interior looks a little plastic-ish at the dash, while the gorgeous polished wood and plush leather of the VP makes me swoon.

 

[Dancing Fire]

we used to own a 95 BMW 540i....what a POS !!

 

[Imdanny]

Sorry I'm an Audi and Mercedes enthusiast so I don't know. Good luck though! It sounds like you have some interesting choices!

 

[pennquaker09]

I wouldn't call myself an enthusiast, but we have a 535i and I like it. I liked the CTS more, but apparently that's a "old person" car, whatever that's supposed to mean.

Btw, Ford doesn't own Jaguar anymore.

 

[Gypsy]

I'd take another look at Audi. Frankly the BMW's my parent's and their friends own spend more time in the shop than anything else. And the Jags... they don't look like Jags anymore.

We went and looked at Audi's a while back and WOW.

 

[Catmom]

I'd take another look at Audi. Frankly the BMW's my parent's and their friends own spend more time in the shop than anything else. And the Jags... they don't look like Jags anymore. We went and looked at Audi's a while back and WOW.

Exactly and I'm loving it! The new Jags don't look like "old man cars" anymore. They are fun and exciting and I absolutely love mine. They definitely get noticed. I've had people taking pictures at stop lights and I get stopped often with people asking about it. We've been long time jag owners and have always leased but with this new one we love it so much that we will buy it at the end of our lease. I would suggest a new Jag.

 

[Winks_Elf]

we used to own a 95 BMW 540i....what a POS !!

Did you have engine issues? I know that year had some kind of code issue with the 8 cyl engines, and a lot of the engines had to be replaced.

 

[Winks_Elf]

Sorry I'm an Audi and Mercedes enthusiast so I don't know. Good luck though! It sounds like you have some interesting choices!

We're also trying to find a mid-90's C or E class 4-Matic, but they typically are a lot more expensive and very hard to find in our area...same thing with the Audi's. I've owned a cute little 190E myself, and never had a problem with the car the entire time I owned it. The only thing I didn't like about it was that when I got passed by a big truck on the highway, you could really feel the push-pull sensation because it was a small car.

 

[Winks_Elf]

I'd take another look at Audi. Frankly the BMW's my parent's and their friends own spend more time in the shop than anything else. And the Jags... they don't look like Jags anymore.

We went and looked at Audi's a while back and WOW.

Wow, that is so surprising to hear for me! Some of our friends are die hard BMW fans (classic ones, like the E34 body style and the old 2002's), and not only were they the most dependable cars but the most crash worthy. Of all the cars I've owned, my old '90 525 handled the best. I have bad panic attacks on Rt. 80, and never once did I experience that in my 5-series. The car truly felt like an extension of myself, and it just felt like I was going with the flow of the road rather than "dealing with the road," if that makes sense. I also knew that if I did get hit, my children would be pretty safe in that car.

Thank you so much for you input, it is very appreciated! Post your all-time favorites (model and year), and why they're your fav's!

 

[Amethyste]

I'd seriously take a look at the Jag. My uncle had plenty of jags and he loved them and to what I remember, were reliable for him.
I have a BMW at the moment and I love it as well. It's a hard choice. Even most highly reputable brand will always have several lemons out there...

This is my all time favorite. Why? Cause I had one in 1988. my heard got broken after it was stolen in Montreal... I miss it!
I know it's not a MBW nor a Jag, but in some weird way, makes me all nostalgic

 

[steph72276]

Well, I'm sure you've done your research so I'm sure you know that Jags are insanely expensive to maintain and repair. And when you're looking at a 15 year old car or so, I would count on things happening here and there. The parts are very expensive and the labor is too b/c you can't take it to just joe mechanic down the road, you have to usually have a place that specializes in Jags or the dealership itself. And the same thing to a lesser extent with BMWs. Expensive vehicles come with expensive parts. I would just keep that in mind while you're looking and always have a special fund set aside for repairs if you go with one of those. Personally, if I were looking to get an older car I would go with an Acura, Lexus or Audi.... but if the Jags or BMW are what will make you happy, go for it, but just make sure you take repair bills into account.

 

[Winks_Elf]

We currently have hubby's M3 convertible (he's restoring it himself; long story, damage caused by someone beating it and driving drunk over a median, not him though), the Dodge Ram 4x4 for winter, my Windstar (family mobile!), and the Lexus ES300 (fun to drive!). We pretty much maintain and repair the vehicles ourselves unless it's something really complicated and hard to get to.

Ames, that's a fun looking car! Sorry it was stolen from you.

 

[Rockdiamond]

I'm a car lover myself- just got a brand new 135i convertible- talk about fun!!

I have heard far too many reports of bad reliability on Jaguars- stick with the beemer......

 

[4ceRunner]

Since your DH is going to have a 5 series go with the Jag. That way you can at least drive both. If you have read good reviews that means overall its a pretty good car. But if you go with the 5 series yourself that means you'll have 2 5 series and although that wouldn't be bad thing but it would mean no matter which car you drive it's always going to be the same. If you have always liked BMW's but have found another car that you really like a lot then go for it, if the test drive goes smoothly, and you'll always have your DH 5series when you want to drive that.

 

[Jennifer W]

I'm a car lover myself- just got a brand new 135i convertible- talk about fun!!

I have heard far too many reports of bad reliability on Jaguars- stick with the beemer......

David and I have had this conversation before, but he really should have got one of these instead of a BMW This to me is the ultimate car, if you can find one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_C6

Kidding - BMWs are a joy to drive and beautifully engineered and styled. I think I'd go for that. Plus, my friend got his Jaguar serviced last month for the first time. Nothing major needed done, it was a first service and it cost him £498 +VAT. Even doing any work yourselves, the parts would cost a fortune I suspect.

 

[Dancing Fire]

we used to own a 95 BMW 540i....what a POS !!

Did you have engine issues? I know that year had some kind of code issue with the 8 cyl engines, and a lot of the engines had to be replaced.

you name it! engine,trans,electrical,etc,etc....

 

[diva rose]

BMW all the way!
My husband and I have a M3 - ok..more like his car but I love it.
The 5 series are very comfortable and I believe BMW are cheaper to maintain.
They are at least in Australia - not sure about other countries.

 

[risingsun]

I have a 3 series BMW. I love this car. Jags need to be purchased with the optional 24/7 mechanic on-call "package" to keep it on the road

 

[Catmom]

I have a 3 series BMW. I love this car. Jags need to be purchased with the optional 24/7 mechanic on-call "package" to keep it on the road

Well I'm on my 4th Jag and I've never had a problem with any of them. Initially that's why we leased them because of all the horror stories but in my experience they are just stories not fact. Maybe stories put out by BMW and Mercedes eh?

 

[Winks_Elf]

I went and took a look at the Jag in daylight Sunday, and gave up on the thought of test driving that one. The bumper isn't sitting quite right (there was about a 1/2 inch gap between the bumper and top part of the car on the drivers side, no gap on passenger side), the SRS cover on the steering wheel seemed to be not on all the way, and the dash on the passenger side seemed to be slightly further away from where it should be sitting.

I'm not in a rush to get another car, although I know my husband wants to purchase one in the next month. I'll be patient, do more research, and when the right one comes along I'll know. Thank you all for your input!