|
|
|
|
IntelliChoice Value Rating
The chart above shows the purchase price versus ownership cost for each car from a specific vehicle class. The cars with better than average ownership cost/purchase price correlations are the best values, and these best value cars are represented by the dots below the curve. (i.e. the cars that have a lower ownership cost compared to its purchase price.) Those cars, which are worse than average or poor values, appear above the curve.
One way to view the graph is to draw a vertical line through any purchase price. You may see several dots that fall on this line - each of which is a car with a similar purchase price. However, notice the difference in ownership costs of each car represented by the vertical position of the dot. Two cars with the same purchase price can have thousands of dollars difference in ownership costs. This is what separates "good value" cars from "poor value" cars.
What is a good car value?
A "good car value" is one whose cost to own and operate is less than expected. The lower the cost to own and operate a car compared to what is expected, the better the value of that car.
But how do we know a car's "expected cost"?
For each car in the class, IntelliChoice plots the car's purchase price against the total five-year cost to own and operate it as determined by IntelliChoice research. Each dot on the above chart represents a specific car. Generally, we find that as the purchase price of the car increases, the cost to own and operate that car increases. This is why the dots on the graph tend to rise upward and to the right. This phenomenon also makes intuitive sense - as the purchase price rises, financing costs tend to rise, as do insurance, depreciation, taxes, and most other car ownership costs.
This is an important concept. It's normal for car ownership costs to rise as purchase price rises. Therefore, we can't just establish one "average" ownership cost number for each class, since cars in the class have different purchase prices. (This is why the "Relative" shown on each chart is different for cars in the same car class.)
Using statistical techniques, IntelliChoice "connects the dots" to form a curve that defines, for this car class, the relationship between the car's purchase price and car's ownership costs. This curve is our "expected cost" curve. The curve defines, for any car in the class, the five-year ownership cost that we would expect to see at each possible purchase price. If every car in the class were an average value, then all the dots would fall exactly on the curve. However, it's rare that any dot is exactly on the curve. Some dots are a little higher or lower, and some are a lot higher or lower. The dots that are a little lower are better than average car values, while the dots that are a lot lower are excellent car values (A dot that is a lot lower than the curve has ownership costs much lower than expected for a car of its purchase price). Conversely, a dot a little higher than the curve is a poorer than average car value, while a dot that is much higher than the curve is a poor car value.
Value is a relative term, not an absolute term. It is performing better than the logical expectation.
So is a Mercedes-Benz E320 expensive to own and operate? Certainly in an absolute sense. Most other cars cost less. But, when its cost to own and operate is plotted against cars with comparable invoice prices, the E320 costs less. So the E320 is not expensive to own and operate - it is a good car value. The Mercedes does not have low ownership costs, but it has low ownership costs for its invoice price.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |

2005 | Jaguar XK-Series XK8 Santa Monica, California | Convertibles | $34,995 | Grey | 26,191 | 866-409-2028 | 68.3 mi |

2006 | Jaguar XK-Series XK8 Torrance, California | Convertibles | $39,991 | Blue | 6,858 | Dealer | 61.5 mi |
![2002 Jaguar XK-Series]()
2002 | Jaguar XK-Series XK8 Torrance, California | Convertibles | $22,991 | Platinum | 43,227 | Dealer | 61.5 mi |

2001 | Jaguar XK-Series XK8 Riverside, California | Convertibles | N/A | Gold | 63,487 | Dealer | 0.5 mi |

2000 | Jaguar XK-Series XK8 Riverside, California | Coupes | N/A | Silver | 108,088 | Dealer | 0.5 mi |
|
PROFESSIONAL REVIEW
The outgoing Jaguar sports car, the XK8, is 10 years old, and in its later years, had become a patchwork as new technologies like satellite radio, navigation and airbags had to be adapted to it. Its V8 horsepower number began with a 2 instead of a 3, putting it way behind the competition. There were new safety and emissions goals to be met. So they threw out the XK8 and replaced it with a brand new car from the ground up, the first aluminum-chassis sports car in Jaguar's six decades of production. They've changed the name, too, in the process, from XK-8 to XK 4.2. The all-new 2007 Jaguar XK 4.2 is the successor to every XK dating back to the first one in 1948 and, as such, it is Jaguar's franchise player. The XK's main competitors are the Mercedes-Benz SL, the BMW 650, and the Cadillac XLR. The new XK is a tasty combination of Jaguar style, traditional British luxury car touches like wood, leather, and quietness, with every system in and under the car updated and improved to meet that very serious competition. It's design, while very, very pretty, is derivative of all previous generations since the XK-E, with some Aston Martin and Ford design cues thrown in (Jaguar's Scottish chief designer Ian Callum designed both the Aston Martin DB-7 and DB-9 sports cars).
Coming soon...
There are currently no blogs for Jaguar XK-Series, please check back again later.
|
|
Top 10 Cars
What are your top 10 cars? My current list of favorites, in no particular order, are: Audi S4 Mercedes-Benz CLK430 ...
05/28/2005 | 01:05 AM
|
|
Fleet Update: 2007 Jaguar XK Coupe
No, it's not a typo; the mileage for our 2007 Jaguar XK Coupe has actually decreased since our last update. The reason is simple, the car we had was an early production unit that had to go back home o...
more
|
|
Fleet Update: 2007 Jaguar XK
On a 100-mile buzz down to Irvine and back, online editor Mike Floyd notes of the 2007 Jaguar XK, "The XK's suspension is nice and comfortable, and the seat is comfy, too.
more
|
|
First Look: 2007 Jaguar XK
Mirror Image: Maybe you've seen this look before--but don't tell. Jaguar design chief Ian Callum is a touch peeved by suggestions the 2007 Jaguar XK coupe looks--ahem--somewhat like an Aston Martin.
more
|
|
Fleet Update: 2007 Jaguar XK
On a 100-mile buzz down to Irvine and back, online editor Mike Floyd notes of the 2007 Jaguar XK, "The XK's suspension is nice and comfortable, and the seat is comfy, too.
more
|
|
August 2006
Sneak Preview 2008, Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Aston Martin Rapide, Audi RS4, Ethanol, BMW Z4 M Coupe, Audi TT, Hyundai Santa Fe, Pontiac Solstice GXP, Mercedes-Benz S600, Subaru Legacy Spec ...
more
|
Coming Soon...
There are no similar vehicles found for Jaguar XK-Series, please check back again later.
|
|
|
|
|