I had a ride in the 2.2 when it first came out, I was hugely impressed by the refinement and comfort. I can only imagine the 3.0 is even better.

I would keep what you've got for now. You've clearly maintained it well, the cambelt has been done that would have been quite costly. Regarding ULEZ, unless you intend driving into those zones a lot then I would just pay the fee. You can have a lost of ULEZ fees for the cost of changing. JLR products seem to vary quite a bit in reliability, if you've got a good one then keep it well maintained and hang on to it.

A friend in a similar situation to you, about to retire, bought a Hyundai Tucson about a year ago. He has the plug in hybrid version, which he manages to run entirely on electric for local driving. On long distances, he reports it being very comfortable, but it is difficult to match the MPG of his land rover sport, which I think had the 3 litre diesel that your Jag has.

The plug in hybrid version has more go than the normal hybrid, and a lot more than the pure petrol. He test drove all 3 versions. Might be worth a look.

Cheapest Tucson PHEV on Autotrader is just under £34k!

In fact as the OP doesn't want German, (on a £15k budget) better drop the whole plug in hybrid idea full stop, at least for the moment. With that budget, looking for a PHEV with at least 150bhp, your choice of makes on Autotrader are Audi, BMW, Mercedes, VW, and Mitsubishi. So the sole non-German £15k option is the Outlander PHEV.

TBH, unless you think its ULEZ status will cause problems you can't get round, I'd suggest just sticking with the Jag, seeing as it is proving reliable and you love it.

Yes, I was thinking Mondeo Vignale, Mazda 6 or Kia Optima but all will be a step down in perceived quality from a Jag, so may as well stick with the XF until it dies.

I think retirement planning depends somewhat on the size of pension pot, lump sum and annuity. When my dad retired 20 years ago he had enough of a lump sum to buy a Ferrari 360 and sell it back to the dealer for the same amount four months later. He has since adopted a policy of having one day-to-day fairly ordinary car and one 'special' car used for longer trips.

Interestingly, he has just swapped his Hyundai i10 for a Kia e-Niro. That's partly about having a new toy but also, as suggested above, having practically zero running costs.

>>That's partly about having a new toy but also, as suggested above, having practically zero running costs.

The biggest cost of running a car is depreciation!

A well looked after 7 year old petrol car is still worth £££s

A well looked after 7 year old EV on the point of needing a new battery????

I suppose everyone that's watched petrol prices and used car values shoot up over the last couple of years would disagree but, in usual circumstances, I get that. There is still something very satisfying in not paying VED and not visiting petrol stations and, of course, depreciation only matters if you're trying to sell.

I do think we need to get away from perpetuating the idea that EV batteries totally cease to work after about 7 years. Current evidence suggests that they are good for 100,000-200,000 miles (time is not the factor) before their charging capacity decreases significantly. The average lifespan of an ICE car is around 130,000 miles (I don't know who's scrapping them at ridiculously low mileage either), so the lifespan of your typical EV and typical ICE are pretty much the same.

Thanks all. I must say the A8 W12 looks pretty cool and might well be a sensible choice. I've had only one Audi in the past (an LS100 Coupe from the 1970s, owned in New Zealand in the early 1990s - it's clearly the inspiration for the A5) and could perhaps be persuaded again. I do so few miles that I probably wouldn't worry about the petrol costs.

I think the chap who recommended an EV didn't bother to read what I wrote - I don't think we are in a similar situation at all. I don't use a car much locally (under 300 miles in a typical month - a tankfull maybe at most) but do enjoy driving holidays and longer trips - which is exactly the other way round from what an EV is useful for. They might work for commuters or the golf club/shopping mall/garden centre brigade but I really don't think the technology is adequate for a non-stop blast to Lubeck, Avignon or Padua, without spending many hours kicking my heels at public charge points. I'm looking at doing a PhD in retirement which will take me around a number of historical archives across Europe and I intend to drive to most of them rather than faff around with public transport and hire cars. EV = no thanks. Maybe in a decade things might have improved sufficient to be almost as good as a proper car. Not holding my breath though, especially planning to spend only £15k - unless the a*** falls out of the EV market of course which I guess is possible if the net zero madness gets dialled back a bit under pressure from the public.

I've considered the Lexus GS450h having previously had the V8 petrol GS430 and liked it a lot (in some ways, nicer even than the XF, albeit not so tastefully done - the V8 is a gem), but before the Jag I briefly owned a hybrid Lexus RX and hated it - noisy petrol V6 with a truly dire CVT box, plus electric motor that only worked to about 25mph, gave me 30mpg (less than the Jag diesel) and drove like a boiled egg.

I could be tempted into a hybrid GS but I'd need to be convinced it wasn't similarly poor to drive .. though at least it wouldn't have the dynamics of an RX which being an SUV of sorts was unnecessarily bloated and unweildy .. a bit footpumped-up and uncool. This would also rule out the Tucson and just about any other SUV, 'compact' or larger. Give me a large saloon any day. I only kept the RX six months and lost money selling it and switching to the XF but it was a daft move on my part in the first place, being persuaded by the wife who liked the idea of being high up and of having a hybrid. Pretty shallow reasoning in retrospect. Thinking about it though I should really have a try at the GS to see if it doesn't have the CVT issue these days.

Though all in all the advice to just hang on for a bit is the thing that resonates - I can see myself getting another 2-3 years out of the XF, major mechanical dramas permitting - might well be the way forward for now.

Though there are a few W12s on Autotrader .... hmmm ....

EDIT: Kia Optima looks interesting, it's no Jag and the only PHEV on Autotrader is a 2018 for £21k, but it has potential,

Edited by Montesquieu on 30/07/2022 at 22:54

I still think keeping the XF is the best solution. Unless other issues are coming into play (wife's views), emotion (just fancy a change etc.). It's clearly been well maintained and should last plenty more years yet. I would consider a gearbox service, on the xf forums some owners recommend the ATF and filter is changed at 100,000 miles.

Let’s hope the Government heeds the warning from Toyota that if hybrids are banned they will cease production in the UK, otherwise this won’t be an option for the OP if he wants to support British industry.

A big employer in Derby and Wrexham but the biggest accolade is that they are producing world class quality cars here in Britain not just wrapping other manufacturers underpinning s in different bodies like Nissan.