New to forum and would like advice please

[Andrew P]

Hi

I’ve now made the decision to change my Audi Q5 for an F Type. Very excited but also very nervous as never owned this type of car before and would appreciate some advice please.

I do about 6,000 miles a year, mainly to the office and then holidays UK and so would be my everyday car (we would use my wife’s Beetle for the occasional need for 4 seats, bigger boot etc). Does the FType work for this everyday use?
I’ve a budget of up to £42,000, I’m over 50 and am looking for the newest, lowest mileage I can get. Also I’m looking for the least powerful model as that will be plenty fast enough!
Looking at what’s on the market I see that I potentially (price wise) straddle the 3 litre V6 or the 2.0 i (new headlamps). Would really appreciate advice on what owners think as to which way I should go please in terms of those engine choices? Also, my research is telling me the 3litre V6 is doing 25mpg versus the 2.0 coming in at 30mpg?
Is the 2.0 litre cheaper to run?
Also
1. I’ve sat in one that had the glass roof (I’m not going convertible) which felt great, although there’s not many on the market - is that because of demand or is it ok without - not too dark?
2. Any suggestions on wheel size, Im looking for as comfortable ride as possible (of course accept it’s a sports car)?
3. What sort of running costs can I expect?
4. Is there a good time of year to purchase or is it the traditional cycle of new plates being issued?
5. Be really interested to know if the sound of the V6 really trumps the 2.0?
6. Anything I should consider as a must have on the car?

Lots of questions but hopefully you get my quandary. As I’ve said I’m new to this so please do correct me where I’m sure I’ve got my facts wrong and would really appreciate your advice on buying.
Thanks

[stefan9107]

Hi

I’ve now made the decision to change my Audi Q5 for an F Type. Very excited but also very nervous as never owned this type of car before and would appreciate some advice please.

I do about 6,000 miles a year, mainly to the office and then holidays UK and so would be my everyday car (we would use my wife’s Beetle for the occasional need for 4 seats, bigger boot etc). Does the FType work for this everyday use?
I’ve a budget of up to £42,000, I’m over 50 and am looking for the newest, lowest mileage I can get. Also I’m looking for the least powerful model as that will be plenty fast enough!
Looking at what’s on the market I see that I potentially (price wise) straddle the 3 litre V6 or the 2.0 i (new headlamps). Would really appreciate advice on what owners think as to which way I should go please in terms of those engine choices? Also, my research is telling me the 3litre V6 is doing 25mpg versus the 2.0 coming in at 30mpg?
Is the 2.0 litre cheaper to run?
Also
1. I’ve sat in one that had the glass roof (I’m not going convertible) which felt great, although there’s not many on the market - is that because of demand or is it ok without - not too dark?
2. Any suggestions on wheel size, Im looking for as comfortable ride as possible (of course accept it’s a sports car)?
3. What sort of running costs can I expect?
4. Is there a good time of year to purchase or is it the traditional cycle of new plates being issued?
5. Be really interested to know if the sound of the V6 really trumps the 2.0?
6. Anything I should consider as a must have on the car?

Lots of questions but hopefully you get my quandary. As I’ve said I’m new to this so please do correct me where I’m sure I’ve got my facts wrong and would really appreciate your advice on buying.
Thanks

Welcome to the forum. Trust me, you've made the right decision

You definitely can use the F-Type as a daily and many do. The only negative I would say about it as a daily is that you are likely to be more picky about where you park it vs your Q5. Obviously it's less practical but provided you aren't doing loads of runs with big loads, the boot is plenty big enough for a full load of shopping (if you get the coupe).

It's hard to say what engine to go for in your instance simply because you say you want the least powerful. That would naturally be the 2.0. I would always highly recommend at least the V6 over the 4 pot as it has tons more character and really makes the car feel that much more special, but it depends if you are bothered by that or not? If you just want a car that looks good and drives well on the twisties, then the 2.0 is probably fine for you.

Next on the list is the economy figures. This is going to vary massively dependent on how and where you drive. If you do a lot of in town, in traffic, start/stop driving then the 2.0 is going to be better on fuel. If you are particularly light on the throttle and are one of those slow to pull away from the lights types, the 2.0 will likely be better. If however you are a bit lead footed the 3.0 and 2.0 will be a lot closer than you think because as soon as you go on boost in that 2.0 the mpg plummets (it's to do with stoichiometry). The big thing I would put to you though is does it really matter? Everyone has their own personal situation and this isn't a knock one way or the other, but I like to remind people that if you are doing 6000 miles a year, the difference between 25mpg and 30mpg is going to be about £300 a year +/- £50. Sure it adds up over time but if you are buying a £42,000 car... you see where I'm going.

1. Can't speak for no pan roof as mine has it. I know its a desirable option that a lot look out for so might make resale easier later on if you have it. Only thing I can suggest is sitting in one without it as different people will have different tolerances for the lighting.
2. Again seems obvious and unhelpful but you probably want to test drive to feel for yourself. I would suspect there isn't a lot in it between the 20's and 19's but I might be wrong. I'd focus more on the rest of the spec and worry about the wheels later. If you get some nice big 20's and find it too harsh I suspect there would be plenty out there happy to swap them for their 19's.
3. If you get a good example and you aren't particularly unlucky it's not all that bad to be honest. You'll need to watch out for the luxury car tax if you are getting a newer one but outside of that I imagine the running costs aren't massively more than your Q5. If you pick a random car off autotrader and have a look on the Jag website you can see some of the fixed cost prices for different things at your local Jag dealer. For example, on my R the 84 month service is £303 and the 96 month service is £607. New brakes discs and pads all around are £1400 if they need doing. Tyres all around are £1000ish for mine as well (20's). All gives you a rough idea of things but prices will vary depending on the car and where you get things done. Repairs for any issues are a lot more difficult to guess of course.
4. I would generally say a good time is winter normally. Not many people are motivated to shop for sports cars in deepest darkest December and January. Not sure how much it varies though and I wouldn't worry about it too much. I would say that now is probably a good time though as prices took a hit back end of last year into this year.
5. It DEFINITELY does, by a country mile.
6. Reversing camera is the main thing that pops into my mind. Maybe if you live in a snowy part of the country you might want AWD, heated seats and heated windscreen etc?

The main recommendation most people go with, as I've touched on a couple times, is try try try. There is no need to rush into anything. Take your time, do your research, figure out what matters to you and get a feel for them. Everyone is different and everyone has their own tastes and needs. If you test drive and check out each of the varying types you'll come away armed with the best amount of information you can have to make an informed choice.

Good luck and enjoy the big cat hunt!

[Andrew P]

Thank you very much for taking the time and giving such a full and very helpful response. I’m trying a V6 tomorrow.

[paddy1000111]

If it helps I daily my V6S, roughly 5000-6000 miles a year and it's perfect as a daily. The only issue really is parking, I just avoid parking in small spaces around other cars as it's wide and people are as****** and don't care for other people's things.

[scm]

Regarding the glass roof - are you sure the ones you thought didn't have it didn't just have the blind closed? I'm assuming you just looked up when sitting inside!
IME, the running costs are pretty reasonable as far as servicing goes - my main expense is on fuel and tyres! I rely on a trusted independent who doesn't rip me off and whom I know will do a good job without inventing things that need replacing.

As above, drive them all and decide which you prefer - the 4-pot isn't a bad car by any means, but the Jaaaag really needs at least 6! Try them and prove me wrong!

finally, welcome to the forum and, hopefully, our club!

[Kev]

Your budget will easily get you a MY18 (Model Year) onwards and these came with LED headlights which are a vast improvement over the projector/xenon type. Heated windscreen, reversing camera, and heated/cooled seats are musts. VED changes around that year too so you’d be paying £180 compared to £395

As you’re coming from an Audi you’ll also notice no one will be asking if you want a cup of Nescafé

[Phatbloke74]

hiya, I’ve just bought a MY19 Checkered Flag 3.0 AWD for £40K so you should be able to get something fairly recent for your budget (Although not picking up until Monday). I had been looking for a few months and moved from the MY17 mainly because I wanted the bigger infotainment unit with Apple CarPlay. I’ll be using as a daily driver too. Checkered Flag model has a lot of extra’s as standard so ticked the boxes with heated front windscreen, heated steering wheel and the heated AND cooled seats are great.

[Andrew P]

Thanks everyone this is so helpful.

[jagseven]

After the Q5 you may find parking is a pain. The coupe doors on the F-type need more space to open (I find my F-Pace much easier to live with than F-type on a daily basis). But don’t let that put you off - the looks and feel-good factor make up for any practical shortcomings.
I’d personally go for an older V6 than a newer 2.0 but that’s for you to decide after a test drive - I’ve seen plenty of reviews that say there is nothing much wrong with the 4 cylinder

[WShudds]

It's a big jump in class going from an SUV to a luxury sports car like the F-type. I daily mine (similar yearly mileage as you) and keep the family SUV for icy/cold days, weekends and trips. I upgraded from a Mk2 TT in December so I knew what to expect regarding handling, ride, comfort and practicality. What past experience do you have with sports cars? Like the TT, the F-type loves A and B roads, it's a lot more fun than anything you can compare to around town and brilliant on the motorway.

I would highly recommend the V6 340Hp R-Dynamic MY18 onwards. Pano roof would be nice. Mine didn't come with it but it has a stick to compensate . I have the dark grey & black interior and it feels really nice inside the cabin. It's helped by the aluminium trims available as standard on newer models that I personally love. My TT had a cream interior which I really enjoyed for 4 years so I am happy with the change although a manual with a ight interior and pano roof would be a dream.

I drive it hard and I am averaging 21 mpg or close to 300 miles with a tank of Vpower. The V6 sounds so sublime that I really don't mind a trip to the garage every week or so.

Services are about £300 to £500/year from main dealers. Definitely get an extended warranty. I'd budget £1000/year for upkeeping, tyres, etc.

I ride on 19 wheels. The ride is firm but not uncomfortable. It really depends on the type of road that you go on. Downgrading to 18" wheels is an option but I don't think they look good on this car. I had 17s on my TT and they worked but the F-type needs bigger wheels IMO.

I hope this helps.