MartyB

For those of you who don't know, I am on the verge of taking delivery of my C2S coupe and I can't wait. Before ordering my car, I drove the BMW 650, and while it felt powerful, smooth and it certainly trumped the 997 in the gadget department, it just didn't give me the same driving pleasure. While driving past the Jag dealer today, I got a wild hair and pulled in. They had as many '07 XKs on the ground as they did '08s, which wasn't many. They had discount pricing written in big letters on the windshield of a few. I drove the base XK coupe and the XKR coupe. With 300 hp, the XK felt a little anemic, given the car's weight. The XKR was noticeably more fun to drive and at 400hp, it had adequate power and a nice V8 rumble, but the fun factor still wasn't there for me. I have liked the Callum redesign of the XK since it came out, but the interior was very uninspiring to me in each car. I also took a gander at a few new XF sedans, and the very modern interior was not to my liking. The sales rep admitted that is was a design people would really like . . . or not. It does not seem to me that the XF interior was designed to appeal to the masses. The exterior styling did appeal to me, for a sedan of its size. Anyway, I don't recall anyone discussing the XK as a possible alternative to the 997 before, and a search revealed that the term "XK" is nowhere to be found on Rennlist, which surprised me. Have any of you considered this car? They certainly line up similarly price wise with a 997. If so, what were your impressions? Personally, I remain confident in my decision and can't wait to drive my new Porsche.

As an aside, not long after leaving the Jag dealer, I pulled into the Maserati and Aston dealer and had no trouble at all finding dreamy interior spaces. Gorgeous exteriors go without saying. Both brands are very special for a number of reasons. I saw a dude taking delivery of one of these sexy SOBs while I was there. Clearly, I didn't get much work done today.

Deanski

Not too fond of that front nose... Looks like a fish-face to me.

Deanski

sclemmons

C2S all the way. No way I would touch any of the others. Might be tempted by the Maserati or Aston, if only for the novelty, but not in lieu of the CS2. Not for the money.

Jaguar too unreliable, no matter what they say, no matter how much they have improved them. Just say no. My mechanic won't even work on them anymore. Just can't make his customer happy. That is a strong statement against a car, if I have ever heard one.

sharmat

A lot of us complain about P-car resale value. I hear the Maserati resale is worse.
+1 on the fish face.

Edgy01

I've been tempted by the beautiful looks of those cars (Aston, Maser, Jag) but always come back to the reliability factor. I hear the trannys in the Masers are a nightmare.

Chris from Cali

The above points are spot-on. The Maserati drops like a rock. A new Quattroporte sells for $120-140K depending on options. Give it 6-9 months and that bad boy is sub-$100K.

As for the Aston, when I was debating between my 997S and a Vantage V8, my buddy Neil (tester for Motor Trend at the time) told me to stick to the Porsche - faster, less expensive, and more reliable. I am still VERY attracted to the Aston, but I wouldn't buy one unless I lived in San Diego (where it would work as a DD). I think my next one is a 997 (or 998) Turbo. You can leave Porsche, but you'll always come back...

eljeffo64

I considered a Mazer but cost of ownership was silly (residuals and servicing) as for the Jag; nice GT but for old men (and I'm a patriotic Englishman !). I don't believe any of the above are direct substitutes for a 997, but as a supplementary vehicle........ hmmm?

roberga

Ford confirmed today that they sold Jag and Land Rover. Ford did a lot to get the cars reliable... Who knows what will happen now.

Deanski

All sing together now:

"Fish heads fish heads, rolly-polly fish heads, fish heads fish heads eat them up..yum".

I'd stay with the Porsche. Run away from the others at this time.

Deanski

pbarch1

I test drove a beautiful XKR triple black convertable before buying my 997. I really was a magnificant looking car. Truely the most striking car in person. But at the end of the day, too me, it still drove like a Ford.

eljeffo64

You wont get the leather option anymore (unless it's steerhide or kangaroo)!!

mal28

regarding all jags: no manual, no sale

triode

The new Maser coupe is gorgeous, but clocks in at 4,100 pounds - can you say "oink"! To me, the Aston V8 Vantage is the best-looking car made, but overpriced at $110K & underpowered at 380 HP for 3,800 pounds. And mal28 nailed it, Jags are strictly AARP fodder IMO.

The C2S is a far better performance choice, for much less coin than the Maser/Aston to boot.

kennygoodboy

Funny you should say that. When I started researching cars 18 months ago, i called up the Jag dealer and asked about the XKR and if it would eventually come in a stick (my dad has a 69 xke so there is a little sentimental factor). His reply was that "most 50's and 60's something have bad knees so auto makes more sense". I told him I was 32 and bought the 911.

Crazy Canuck

Porsche depreciation is NOTHING compared to Maserati, Jag and Land Rover depreciation.

Porsche is going to be more fun and more robust as well.