Re: Sacrilege! 7-Series vs. Lexus 400, Jaguar XJ8 (archive)

I have had the pleasure of driving all three of the vehicles mentioned here. In my opinion the Jag is a prestigious looking car but I have to agree the interior is very tight. The power on the jag is up in numbers but feels very sluggish from a standing start. I also thought the suspension was floaty on tight curves, maybe I just push cars to hard. The LS400, this is a nice quiet car and the one that I test drove seem to get even more quiet when I stomped on the gas, I think the level of quiet makes these cars mundane and not exciting to driving enthusiast. I marveled at the level of quiteness when I was really running the Lexus but I think I would rather have the throaty race car sounds that my IL emits when you ask it to respond. The Lexus pulled really good but in comparison I would have to say that the 740 pulls harder or at least it seems like it does. The Lex seems like a large luxury car with a big motor, kind of like the old Lincoln's and Cadillac's, whereas the BMW seems to be more of a pure race thoroughbred. The Jag seemed the least exciting of the three, but my only objective in automobiles is Speed and Handling, maybe that can be had in the 12cylinder Jaguar, I haven't had the pleasure of driving that particular model. I own a 95iL and have had the same common problems mentioned on this board such as the radiator breaking and the thermostat housing cracking, I've also had to replace one of the oxygen sensors. These problems have really made me really angry but when it's all said and done there is nothing in my opinion like driving the long, lean 7, and I get all kinds of stares and verbal comments to prove it to me. To me the choice is obviuos from the time you sit in a 7 even if you don't drive it you can smell and feel the quality workmanship.

All in all the Jag and the Lex are nice autos but if you are going to compare they just aren't in the same league in my opinion, if you want good looks, luxury and performance they all add up to 7!

As far as why the Lexus and the Jag are priced less than the BMW, that's just it, are you in the market for a BMW, or do you want a Toyota or a Ford?
One last thing, notice from now on if you haven't already that when a new performance car comes on the seen who do the compare it to or reference in their commercials and adds. GERMAN ENGINEERING!

SIMMDAWG
95IL
87 Max
85 Supra
86 GSXR1100

Please don't flame me.

As I have posted before, I am looking soon to buy my first BMW, a 1998 or 1999 750iL. Despite my enthusiasm, and the hours of research I have put in, I have to admit that I have not yet driven the car. I don't even know for sure that I'll like it! I will get my chance this coming week when I travel down to Fort Worth, where there are several for sale.

I expect I'll love the 750iL. However, for purposes of comparison, I plan to test drive a Lexus LS400 and a Jaguar XJ8. (Sadly, they don't make the XJ12 any more.)

I would be interested to hear from anyone with DIRECT experience in comparing these cars to the 740 or 750, especially anyone who has OWNED them, though other test drivers' opinions would be welcome too. I realize that the LS400 and the XJ8 should be compared against the 740, not the 750, as they are both 8-cylinder cars.

Not to be crass, but what I don't need is a lot of opinions based only on what somebody has heard second-hand or read in a magazine. I can read myself.

The reason I bring this up is that I have found that prices on LS400 and XJ8 models in the 1998 and 1999 model years are FAR below the 7-series and usually have very low mileage. (Maybe they aren't as fun to drive, so folks don't drive them. *grin*)

Why are these cars so much cheaper? Perhaps they were cheaper to begin with, fall apart after a few years (unlikely for the Lexus), etc.

Thanks in advance.

- Swordsman
750iL Wannabe

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