My Dad's just purchased a Jaguar X-Type 3.0 V6!

[G.T]

5 more than none - and that's only in the Portsmouth area.

True. Thanks for that link, that's two more than what was on my list.

 

[Pebb]

Another good saloon car is:

The new VW Passat (My big bro is getting one of these!!)

 

[Dave A]

^My big bro's got one, it's a good car.

 

[E55Power]

Speaking of ****ty British brands, can I name a single one that ... isn't ****ty? And yes, I hate TVR.

What about Lotuses?

I wave at all Elises I see, even though I don't own one. It's the only car I do that for. I love them.

 

[Dave A]

Speaking of Triumph, there's another ****ty British brand.

Speaking of ****ty British brands, can I name a single one that ... isn't ****ty? And yes, I hate TVR.

Funny, Triumph were one of the top Sportscar makers in their day, compared to cars that were around when they were they were among the best sportscars in the world.

Whats also funny is that US brands are ****tier, and the best car brand in the world is British, Aston Martin. So go back to you're cell and carry on taking it up you're a$$.

 

[G.T]

OK, guys, things have changed a little and I'm very happy about it.

First, we test drove a Jaguar X-Type, 3.0 V6 SE, 26,000 miles, 51 plate, auto, full leather interior, sat nav, CD autochanger in boot, optional rear fold down seats and in Pacific Blue and was up for £14,000. We thought this was very good value so we took it out for a spin. The car rode a little more smoothly than the Mazda 6 and was a little quiter on the motorway, but the big difference was engine noise. Wow, it was much quiter than the Mazda, even when you put your foot down (faster and better sounding too ). We loved the wood trim on the dash too, it matched the cream leather well.

After this, we then got a test drive in a S-Type 3.0 V6 Sport, £20,995 , in grey, full grey leather interior, auto, and a marble-like dash (can't remember much else). To be honest, I was expecting more. I've never really been in a luxury car before so I didn't know what to expect. The whole interior was boring and dull because of the colour, we all thought the same. My Dad said he felt the extra weight of the car when he put his foot down, the respose wasn't as quick and, he thought the car was just too big. With the X-Type, it closed around him and he felt a part of the car. The S-Type didn't feel like that to him and that was the main reason we didn't get it. Of course, the car was quieter and more smooth, but we didn't think it was worth the extra money.

We did try out another S-Type, 2.5 V6 SE £18,995, light blue, auto, full cream leather, (and other stuff). I remember the dealer saying that the Sports suspension on the other model won't be that much of a difference at all from the standard set-up. Well, what a lie. The car drove over the bumps alot more smoothly. The dash was made up of some other wood, whch was alot better, so was the leather. But all this just wasn't worth the extra £5,000 really.

So there we have it. Of course there are a few touch-up jobs that need to be done on the paintwork from tiny scratches and like that, but I thought it was a very good deal. We got £9,600 for our Mazda 6, which was lucky because the facelift is about to come out. My Dad was pushing the salesman a bit to get that price. He said at firth we might only get £8,000. But, it all worked out thank goodness.

So, what do you guys think?

 

[Quattro20v]

So,what do you guys think?

Everybody is happy, so I'm happy too. I guess...

 

[Dave A]

Yep, you both seem to like the car, it's got no reliability issue so as long as you like the car you've not done bad.

 

[a6m5]

Speaking of ****ty British brands, can I name a single one that ... isn't ****ty? And yes, I hate TVR.

What about Lotuses?

I wave at all Elises I see, even though I don't own one. It's the only car I do that for. I love them.

I want to use this as my sig. soooo bad! I don't want to embarrass M5 though.

 

[1X83Z]

What about Lotuses?

You mean that performance-oriented Malaysian brand?

I want to use this as my sig. soooo bad! I don't want to embarrass M5 though.

I considered Lotus when I made the post but:

a) the brand itself is 64% owned by a Malaysian brand who, unlike Ford to Jaguar or Land Rover, has a major hand in developing new products
b) all Lotuses except the Elise suck big time. I personally consider the Esprit one of the twenty worst cars of my lifetime

 

[E55Power]

a) Whoop-di-doo. Jaguar is 100% owned by Ford, and you better beat Ford has say in the new products, yet you still call Jag British.
b) That's Greaaaat. Too bad the Elise (and varients) are the only Lotuses sold today. That's like saying, "I hate the 1989 300E Mercedes. Damnit. They're SO ****ty! All Mercedes are such crap. Damnit. I HATE MERCEDES!". Pretty stupid, eh?

As for the Esprit. I love it. In fact. I'd say that when it was sold, it was one of my top 5 choices if I had $10k to spend.

Esprit Pros:
+GREAT looks
+Engine
+Performance
+Handling
+Sporty-orientation
+Engine Sound
+Fun to drive
+Nicely equipped interior

Cons:
-Limited Dealer Network
-Expensive, and extensive repairs needed.
-Only Two seats? (Which can go both ways, if you ask me)
-Dated Design? (Even though in 2004, I thought it looked AWESOME. Top 5 <$100k best looking cars, in my opinion)

 

[Jacks]

You mean that performance-oriented Malaysian brand?



I considered Lotus when I made the post but:

a) the brand itself is 64% owned by a Malaysian brand who, unlike Ford to Jaguar or Land Rover, has a major hand in developing new products
b) all Lotuses except the Elise suck big time. I personally consider the Esprit one of the twenty worst cars of my lifetime

I know proton own 64% of lotus but I thought lotus helped develop proton. Isn't that why on proton's you get little badges saying handling by lotus, and the only car proton has had a "major hand in developing (correct me if i'm wrong)" is the new elise.

Esprit, in the twenty worst cars of your lifetime! Personally i think thats just plain madness.

 

[a6m5]

I know proton own 64% of lotus but I thought lotus helped develop proton. Isn't that why on proton's you get little badges saying handling by lotus, and the only car proton has had a "major hand in developing (correct me if i'm wrong)" is the new elise.

Esprit, in the twenty worst cars of your lifetime! Personally i think thats just plain madness.

Esprits are really cool, and I've been noticing......... M5Power can be mad and genious at the same time.

 

[Dave A]

He's smart but has a dodgy opinion on foreign (to him) cars thats just ridiculous. Anmd yes, it's Lotus that does work on the Protons not the other way round, Proton just do the funding at the moment.

 

[E55Power]

If you ask me, Doug's a narrow-minded sonofa*****.

 

[High-Test]

dude, you didn't just say that...

But, Congrats, G.T!

 

[1X83Z]

b) That's Greaaaat. Too bad the Elise (and varients) are the only Lotuses sold today. That's like saying, "I hate the 1989 300E Mercedes. Damnit. They're SO ****ty! All Mercedes are such crap. Damnit. I HATE MERCEDES!". Pretty stupid, eh?

No. You're saying we can only judge a manufacturer by its current products. That's among the most bizarre views I've ever heard represented here.

Esprit Pros:
+Engine
+Performance
+Handling
+Sporty-orientation
+Engine Sound
+Fun to drive

Do you realize that all six of these categories can be summed up into one category called "performance?" And do you also realise performance wasn't even really that good compared to Porsches, even naturally-aspirated ones, which come with a warranty and a dealer or two, and without extensive depreciation? The Esprit's great when you just think "Esprit." Consider some rivals and suddenly you realize why I've only ever seen one V8 in my life.

Remember life's maxim:

SUPERCARS ARE ALWAYS A HORRIBLE PURCHASE, PERIOD.

+Nicely equipped interior

I assume there's no navigation system, remote starter, or air-conditioned seats. I also have a feeling there's no sunroof. By "nicely-equipped" do you mean "it has leather and power locks?" Perhaps you mean "might give a Hyundai Elantra GT a run for its $18700." Nicely-equipped my ass.

He's smart but has a dodgy opinion on foreign (to him) cars thats just ridiculous. Anmd yes, it's Lotus that does work on the Protons not the other way round, Proton just do the funding at the moment.

If you ask me, Doug's a narrow-minded sonofa*****.

How can you say that when you hadn't even heard my reason for disliking the Esprit yet? You guys are like Dodger fans - it hasn't ended but you're already out of your seats.

 

[Joey D]

Actually Doug is a very knowledgeable sonofab**** if you ask me.

 

[TheCracker]

I drove a brand new X-type estate 2.0D this weekend. I've never really been a great Jag fan so i had no real expectation for it. It drove very much like a Mondeo (it would, would'nt it) which is no bad thing. The one thing that stood out to me was the quietness of it, at around 100mph (did i say 100? - i ment to say 70 officer ) there was very little engine noise - and thats from a diesel! All in all it was pretty good. Having said that, one of our directors at work had a fully spec'd V6 version and had nothing but problems with reliability.

 

[G.T]

I drove a brand new X-type estate 2.0D this weekend. I've never really been a great Jag fan so i had no real expectation for it. It drove very much like a Mondeo (it would, would'nt it) which is no bad thing. The one thing that stood out to me was the quietness of it, at around 100mph (did i say 100? - i ment to say 70 officer ) there was very little engine noise - and thats from a diesel! All in all it was pretty good. Having said that, one of our directors at work had a fully spec'd V6 version and had nothing but problems with reliability.

The previous owner had our car for 4 years. Does it work that if something went wrong with the car when he had it, that the new part will be reliable and that the problem is fixed?

I'm hoping that in 4 years some of the problems have been fixed.

 

[sn00pie]

b) all Lotuses except the Elise suck big time. I personally consider the Esprit one of the twenty worst cars of my lifetime

You don't like the Lotus Elan?

 

[amp88]

Lotus F1 cars....

 

[E55Power]

The Esprit does have a glass roof, Doug. I'd think atleast you would know that.
Two rivals...Maserati Coupe, Panoz Esperante.
Why'd I pick these two? Because they're both low production, sporty, coupe's in the price range of the Esprit.
Tell me why the Maserati and Panoz are so much better, I'm dying to know, really, I am.

Personally, some of us don't care about alot of the **** they put in your Mercedes. I don't give a **** if my car has air-conditioned seats. The interior of the Lotus is comfortable, yet supportive, is great looking (You know, it's got piping, standard, does the Mercedes have that? Oh wait, I forgot, all the useless bull**** they put in the Mercedes makes up for that, Riight? My bad.), the leather is of high quality, and the layout is ergonomic. That's all I need. Plus, the glass roof is excellent.

Doug, I knew why you wouldn't like the Esprit. It's because you only care about objective things. Reliability, 0-60, worthless technology. That's pretty much what goes through your head.

Plus, I'm guarantee you that a late model Esprit V8 will annihilate a CLK55 on a drag strip, and even a Kleemann CLK55 on a tight track. But that doesn't matter at all, riiight?

You see, there's this thing -- it's called...fun. The Lotus is a fun car. It's got a loud(er) engine, it's got quick acceleration, you sit low, and feel like you're in some kind of racecar.
A CLK55...boring. Wow. If your idea of fun is cruising down the highway at 60mph, listening to crystal-clear Mozart, than maybe the CLK55 is fun to you.
But some of us, like myself, would enjoying taking those sharp turns on mountain roads, and the music to our ears is that wonderful V8 revving, not classical music.

 

[daggoth]

Lotus invented MR cars I believe... They have made great cars throughout the decades.
IMHO of course

 

[daggoth]

The Esprit does have a glass roof, Doug. I'd think atleast you would know that.
Two rivals...Maserati Coupe, Panoz Esperante.
Why'd I pick these two? Because they're both low production, sporty, coupe's in the price range of the Esprit.
Tell me why the Maserati and Panoz are so much better, I'm dying to know, really, I am
......
But some of us, like myself, would enjoying taking those sharp turns on mountain roads, and the music to our ears is that wonderful V8 revving, not classical music.

Whoa!! Go You Girl!! We should get together sometime

I mean, you're a girl right? I think I've red somewhere that you are.... O.o

 

[daggoth]

Oh, and G.T great purchase, I've always liked Jags (even when Ford bought it) Also for me the most beautiful Car of all time is the XJ220.
But any Jaguar looks great in British Racing Green 👍

 

[Danny]

Ladies and gentlemen, you heard it here first. The first recorded instance of somebody outside North America actually liking an American car for what it is, rather than just grudgingly admitting that it might be decent, but they still wouldn't have one.

Ahem. I have long been a fan of the Cadillac Seville, and my family and I were going to import one, until the price of the import halted our progress.

And I'd kill for a Viper.

 

[1X83Z]

You don't like the Lotus Elan?

It was underpowered, and I will always hate Lotus for not making them more available.

The Esprit does have a glass roof, Doug. I'd think atleast you would know that.
Two rivals...Maserati Coupe, Panoz Esperante.
Why'd I pick these two? Because they're both low production, sporty, coupe's in the price range of the Esprit.
Tell me why the Maserati and Panoz are so much better, I'm dying to know, really, I am.

They aren't. LIKE EVERY SUPERCAR EVER BUILT, ALL THREE OF THOSE CARS ARE ABSOLUTE JOKES. Doesn't the Maserati Coupe do 0 to 60 in like 5.5 seconds? And the Panoz is pretty much a 911 except with crappier styling and handling and like $40k more. Supercars are for idiots.

I said Porsche and then you said Maserati and Panoz. This is because you know you can't beat my example of the 911 - it's simply a far better car. I'll give you another example: Corvette. Find me one reason why I would get an Esprit ($100k+) over an '05 Corvette ($43700).

Personally, some of us don't care about alot of the **** they put in your Mercedes.

Then why didn you mention that the Lotus has a nice interior?

Doug, I knew why you wouldn't like the Esprit. It's because you only care about objective things. Reliability, 0-60, worthless technology. That's pretty much what goes through your head.

You're exactly right - I don't give two ****s about how it sounds or how it looks. I'd prefer something that's got more spec, cheaper, more reliable, quicker, faster, costs less to run, and gets better fuel economy, even if it hasn't got that all-important (to you) badge on the back. I care about tangible categories because I'm logical and at one point I didn't have much money. You care about subjective categories because you're a girl, and a teenage girl at that.

Plus, I'm guarantee you that a late model Esprit V8 will annihilate a CLK55 on a drag strip, and even a Kleemann CLK55 on a tight track. But that doesn't matter at all, riiight?

A Kleemann CLK55 would easily stomp on an Esprit V8 at the strip. And a normal CLK55 would come close, which is comical since a CLK driver paid $35k less and has more features and car that's almost quicker.

But some of us, like myself, would enjoying taking those sharp turns on mountain roads, and the music to our ears is that wonderful V8 revving, not classical music.

This part of your post is just drivel. Classical music? Come on - sounds like someone's figured out which car is actually better.

 

[Dave A]

In the UK the Esprit was less then the C6 cabriolet. British sportscars tend to be oberpriced in America and American ones tend to be oberpriced in the UK. Simple as, whats a bargain here isn't over there, like the C6 isn't a great value car over here.

 

[1X83Z]

Fine - but both members of this (spirited) discussion live in the United States, so that fact is irrelevant.