Let me make this clear for you, it was a Lexus vs jaguar decision, one is dead on reliable and one is quirky as heck, there are a million Lexus on the road they last forever but look boring, then there is the jag, full off attitude full of personality, but they are very quirky, the brand us very shaky very few dealers and who knows if the company will still be around when I need service, well I bought the Jag and I am in love with my Lunokhood2
I hear you loud and clear. That said, it's soooo ironic that since India's Tata family bought 100% of Jaguar, that the Jag's quality and reliability has gotten much better. So has now India owned LandRover. IMHO, the F type roadster in particular, is an incredibly well done, very sexy car, one that gives the Italian 'exotics' a run for their money, is more reliable and almost as good performance wise--(they're a bit sloppy on rear end handling at speed in the wet)--for a lot less money too. Formidable combination and I'm reckless--I almost prefer a sloppy rear end that I can 'drift. But be it a Jaguar roadster or for me on a long trip in a Jaguar sedan, if I were setting out for NY to LA by auto, I'd much rather take my Lexus LS. I am all but positive that I'd get there w/o any malfunctions and rather sure that I'd be in more comfort along the way. Oh--my LS at zero to 60 in 5.4 seconds (thank you, Michelin Pilots) whups pretty much all Jaguar 'S'--sedans, save for the Jaguar S 'R' class, which rides like a fast slab of steel being pulled down a gravel road.
Tooling around town, the newish F Roadster Jaguar still is perfect for certain occasions, (college homecoming events, etc) but hey, if all things sports car were equal except for performance, I'd still rather tool around town in a Porsche Turbo S or GT3. Took me a lot of cars, a lot of drive time, but like they say: "There is no substitute".
Wonder how China, which owns 100% of Volvo, is doing on the Volvos that are manufactured in China nowadays? If they're half as good as my Hong Kong made Obris Morgan watches, or my wife's China made iPhone 6plus, I'd probably buy one! But heck, most people don't even know that some Fords and Chevrolets (including Mustangs and Vettes) have Chinese made transmissions. How many 'Swiss' watches have just a percentage of actual 'genuine' Swiss' parts and even at that, were assembled elsewhere?
It's just like you sometimes don't know where all the components and manufacturing of a watch orginate, so goes the 'content' of many different products. The best selling vehicle in the USA PERIOD, for 38 straight years in a row, has been the big Ford F150 truck. (what gas shortage?) It has less USA domestic content than does a Toyota Tundra. The Toyota Corolla has sold the most units worldwide of any vehicle in history--and it's harder to pin down, but Timex probably the most timepieces. Asia calling.....
But most of the Jaguars are 'lookers' for sure. I once had perhaps the most beautiful automobile of all time (Aside from perhaps the proudly USA made 'J' Series Duesenbergs-the 'Patek Philippe' equivalent of cars)--the E class roadster. Hard to imagine it's styling "DNA" goes back to the early 1950's 'D' class and is still evident in today's Jaguars.
But driving mine, I always hoped a tow truck was following behind me and with it's infamous Lucas Electronics system (Lucas-the 'Prince of Darkness'), I was afraid to drive it at night. And as sexy looking cars go, that Jag was the ultimate 'babe magnet'--so depending on how you look at it, maybe it breaking down on dark nights with a hot date wasn't so bad after all! Damn if I still don't miss that car more than my ex-wife. Could've been worse--at least it wasn't a Fiat. It was better looking too, even just sitting in it. I should've set up a turbo box fan in front of it, worn a silk scarf and just had pictures of me taken sitting in that temperamental 'cat' car, all done up proper in 'British racing green' at that.
But just like with cars, we're all too often swayed by appearances with watches too. A lot of people would choose any Omega or Tag over a more expensive Grand Seiko based on look alone, although some of the Omega and Tag movements are known to be far less accurate, less reliable and cost more for maintenance than do the GS's.
But hey--fashion has been trumping function for a long time now. Do you think if those short, chubby Italian fashion designers actually had to WEAR the six inch stiletto heels, push up bras and lingerie they design for those 'fashionista' ladies, that maybe they'd be designed little differently?
Enough off topic rambling---I must have forgotten this isn't a car forum, but--FWIW, I'm actually seriously looking at picking up the right, non Euro Vostok--they're not all bad quality, some look funky--almost cool, w/o screaming 'wannabe' and hell--if Bill Murray wears one, that's good enough for me! It won't break the bank and besides, if it ever up and quits on me, it'll look just swell placed on top of a box of Jujubes Candy....
