X308 or W220?

As many of you know, I've been searching for an X308 Jag in either XJR or SuperV8 trim for three years now.  The first problem is that I'm picky.  The second problem is I don't want to spend big money.  The short version is, I love those cars, and the Ford years were pretty good to Jag in terms of parts cost and availability.

In my searches it keeps throwing in a random other car, like an A8, W220 S-class, or BMW 7.  The S-class is intriguing.  I've started to read up on them and it's suggested to get one after 2003 but I haven't figured out why.

Goal here is luxo road-trip cruiser and something that gets at least slightly better MPG than my 16mpg van.

I know you're all going to say "why not X350, or why not Volvo?"  The answer is.... I don't want them.  At all.  Ever.  I've been hyper-focused on a specific Jag for three years, so just be impressed that I'm considering one other car.

Will I hate buying parts for the Merc?  Will it be a constant nightmare?  I'm basically asking for a buyer's guide that compares a Supercharged X308 to a W220.

For comparison, here are some I'm looking at:

Jag XJR ... but this guy is asking $12,500.  I'd gladly give him $8000
Super V8 but it sold before I could haggle
VDP, not supercharged, but it's low enough mileage that I have 60k miles before the transmission loses its mind

Then stuff like this pops up and makes me wonder:

Pretty sweet W220
 

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

Few insights on the 220.  I own a '00, ironically same color combo as the one in your link. Bought it months prior to pandemic.  I like it, they're mechanically stout and fairly easy to work on (mechanically).  The '03-06 'facelift' are the ones to get for a few reasons but #1 would be due to the earlier ones suffering rust issues around the rear wheel arches and bottoms of doors. Seems to stem from MB and they're poor metal/paint QC at the time?  I had my car addressed so far it's held up mind you it only had 80k mi when I bought it too. Visually 03+ gets you 17" wheels standard vs 16, bi-xenon headlamps w clearer housings, revised tail lights, updated head unit(Comand) and available 4-Matic awd if that's what you prefer. They did also update the trans from 5speed to 7speed I think. The 5 speed is supposedly more robust.  Parts wise avoid the dealer, you can purchase anything online if you shop around.  Some components of the airmatic suspension are known for issues with age/mileage but everything is well documented and very DIY.  There's plenty more info on these via forums etc.  Pricing seems a bit high for that one but then again I still can't wrap my head around current used car market pricing.

I have no firsthand knowledge on the x308 but I'm also a fan of them.  

good luck 

You will NOT get good mileage from the XJR.   You'll get about the same as your van.  Ask me how I know.

If you're going w220 get 03+ the newer the better. And your first purchase should be a Chinese copy Mercedes SDS. 

Your XJR will have a hard time getting over 16mph unless you're cruising at like 55 or less lol. Any moderate acceleration will move the needle lol. 

I'd pick a w220 s500/s600 over a an XJR. An E38 is also a good option. 

Also, do you want to buy my bland silver on black XJR? I'm bringing it up from Texas to DC in a few weeks. 

You will enjoy driving the Merc like no other.  They are solid.  When things go wrong, it gets expensive.  They like to do a lot of complicated things with unique parts that aren't available I've the aftermarket.  But a copy of WIS will but be terribly expensive from eBay and it does a pretty good job of explaining everything.

I hate mine but can't wait to drive it again.

In reply to Stanger2000 :

I was thinking if I waved $8000 in front of that W220 they might counter with $9000.  I don't prefer the silver but I could deal with it.  I think they look super sweet in that off-white color they did for a while.

In reply to yupididit :

I'd be stupid if I didn't ask for more info.  You had a big thread on it yes?

In reply to wae :

I swear only people that really hate their Mercedes are the ones with diesels post-om606 lol

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

I might have a thread somewhere it isn't as clean as the one you posted here. Has like 132k miles I think. I really forgotten so much about the car cause I've barely driven it after 2018. It'll have a lot of recent work done and probably new tires. I'll be putting it on Car&Bids in June.

This is not helpful, but man those links... the Jags look so good compared to the S class. The Merc is just so boring.

But maybe that's a good thing here?

I worked at a MB dealer in the early 2000s as a car porter. We got the contract or whatever to sell Jags after I had been there a few years and those Jag-u-ah (they literally trained us to say it that way) sedans started rolling in and it was so clear that the Jag was more of luxury car. Just felt so much more special compared to the S-Class. Not sure which I'd rather own though, but you know what you're getting into I'm sure.

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Stanger2000 :

I was thinking if I waved $8000 in front of that W220 they might counter with $9000.  I don't prefer the silver but I could deal with it.  I think they look super sweet in that off-white color they did for a while.

That price does also get you into the successor w221 territory albeit with some miles on them.  They also seem to be solid and get a large power bump, 80ish hp I believe.  

The S500 is rated at 18.3mpg combined and EPA ratings seem to be a bit low of actual. The M113 is a real sweet engine. Very smooth and linear. Quite robust as well.

buzzboy said:

The S500 is rated at 18.3mpg combined and EPA ratings seem to be a bit low of actual. The M113 is a real sweet engine. Very smooth and linear. Quite robust as well.

When I daily mine I see 19ish per tank which is mostly highway w some around town.  I've hit 24 without effort on longer highway drives but as low as 15-17 dead of winter in short trips. MPG is not their game but swallowing up miles of interstate is. The air suspension is something else and they have active dampers that make them handle much better than they look.  

What about an LS 430 or Q45?  LS 430 seems like the no-brainer save possibly for buy-in costs, Q45 seems like the budget wild card option.  I've owned neither and have no first-hand knowledge so treat this question with usual grains of salt and such.

p.s. the Jag does check a whole lot of boxes for me, some not entirely rational, so I get that.  W220 I don't get.

In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :

I've driven them and I can't get around the fact that they just feel like Japanese economy cars in a tuxedo.  I appreciate the idea, but I don't want a practical, sensible Japanese luxury car.  I want a mid-life-crisis, Euro luxo barge that screams "That guy must either have big money or a tiny hootus."

Mercedes, Jag, and other luxury marques tend to tank in resale value and there is a reason for it... parts are usually expensive, they break all the time, and they're complex.  The secret is, some of them are gems that don't have those reliability issues - cars like W140s, W210s, X308s.  They suffer the same depreciation fate as their cousins without being money pits.

I think it was just before the pandemic that I saw an S63 AMG with less than 100k miles for $14k.  That's a $160k car for less than 1/10th the money.  Unfortunately, that particular model was not one of the gems, so I passed.

yupididit said:

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

I might have a thread somewhere it isn't as clean as the one you posted here. Has like 132k miles I think. I really forgotten so much about the car cause I've barely driven it after 2018. It'll have a lot of recent work done and probably new tires. I'll be putting it on Car&Bids in June.

I'm a mileage queen.  I like low miles.  Hence why I'm kinda drooling over that 38k-mile white XJR.

I should take another swipe at it.  He has it listed for a BHPH dealer for $6000 down and finance $9000.  I asked him what he would take cash and he said "gotta get $12,500."  But it's been on FBM for 2.5 years.  Maybe just show up with cash and see what I can negotiate

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

I prefer maintenance history over low miles in luxury cars lol. 

If you can live with lower power, look at the non-supercharged X308s, the BMW E38s, etc.  As far as mileage, I typically turn in 17 - 18 mpg on a typical tank with my V8 E38.  Straight highway driving turns in 23 - 24 mpg at 75 with the sport package gearing (standard gearing will get 25 - 27).  V12 cars will get similar to the sport package V8s or just a little worse on the highway, definitely a bit worse around town. 

I'll stay straight off that the BMW suspension isn't as good as the Jag stuff comfort wise, but it's still good.  And the car drives great and is an absolute cruise missile on the highway.  The trans in the V8s is the same ZF 5hp24 as the non-supercharged X308s, but for some reason, the BMW version seems to have a better reputation.  Mine is still doing fine at 183k. 

The E38s definitely fit into the "not a money pit but people assume they are" category.  They're needy in a couple of ways and every V8 will need a set of timing chain guides eventually, but as long as you monitor suspension wear and replace bushings as needed and don't let the plastic cooling system parts get too old, they're pretty solid cars.  And every bit of diagnostic info and software for them is floating around the internet too. 

If you're ever up north in NY, feel free to reach out if you want to test drive an E38 (mine is a short wheelbase / sport package combo).  Mine isn't bone stock, but it's close. 

In reply to rslifkin :

Every time I think I've finally pushed the 740i Sport out of my mind, I see a post from you about it and go straight back to trolling Marketplace for one...

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :

I've driven them and I can't get around the fact that they just feel like Japanese economy cars in a tuxedo.  I appreciate the idea, but I don't want a practical, sensible Japanese luxury car.  I want a mid-life-crisis, Euro luxo barge that screams "That guy must either have big money or a tiny hootus."

 

No 20 year old $10k car ever screamed that regardless of what some badge was.  If that's the look you are going for, a Platinum F150 with some stupid wheels would do the trick, especially toward the latter half of that statement.   

I had an X100 XKR, and 70% highway, it was probably 16-17mpg average. Not good. Check for the updated timing guides/tensioners on anything pre 03 ish, otherwise, mandatory.

yupididit said:

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

I might have a thread somewhere .......

Found it.

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

As many of you know, I've been searching for an X308 Jag in either XJR or SuperV8 trim for three years now.  The first problem is that I'm picky.  The second problem is I don't want to spend big money.  The short version is, I love those cars, and the Ford years were pretty good to Jag in terms of parts cost and availability.

In my searches it keeps throwing in a random other car, like an A8, W220 S-class, or BMW 7.  The S-class is intriguing.  I've started to read up on them and it's suggested to get one after 2003 but I haven't figured out why.

Goal here is luxo road-trip cruiser and something that gets at least slightly better MPG than my 16mpg van.

I know you're all going to say "why not X350, or why not Volvo?"  The answer is.... I don't want them.  At all.  Ever.  I've been hyper-focused on a specific Jag for three years, so just be impressed that I'm considering one other car.

Will I hate buying parts for the Merc?  Will it be a constant nightmare?  I'm basically asking for a buyer's guide that compares a Supercharged X308 to a W220.

For comparison, here are some I'm looking at:

Jag XJR ... but this guy is asking $12,500.  I'd gladly give him $8000
Super V8 but it sold before I could haggle
VDP, not supercharged, but it's low enough mileage that I have 60k miles before the transmission loses its mind

Then stuff like this pops up and makes me wonder:

Pretty sweet W220
 

I don't know if I missed something, but that first white XJR that you listed is now asking 6000$. At that price I'd jump on it.

In reply to fanfoy :

It says "$6,000 down finance $9,000".  Not sure what that's supposed to mean, but $15k sounds a little nuts...

In reply to fanfoy :

I agree.  At $6000, seems like a decent buy.  That may be post nicosil lining.  Also check for the chain guides.  If not, it's on the list of fixes.  From my own perspective, the x308 is tight, interior wise.  That's one reason I went with the x350.  Prefer the styling of the x308, just a tad.  Overall, I'm very happy with my car.  As a car, it performs very well.  I average around 20 mpg, mixed driving, with the NA V8.