I am considering a small lift for our garage with only an 8 foot ceiling so the lift would not go higher than 2 feet which is certainly enough to get under the car and handle most tasks. Would one of the models that pushes up aginst the undercarriage damage our Jaguars or should I opt for the model that has drive on ramps.
The second choice does make it more of a challenge to remove the wheels.
Something like this but on a smaller scale:
Gerard
Have you thought about a pit ?, you can put a RSJ across and jack the car up , stand upright , just a thought !
The small scissor lifts aren’t bad for getting the wheels off the ground, but most of them don’t give much lift, have steel tubes connecting the two sides of the lift. This means that you still need a creeper to get under the car, but that the tubes are in the way. If I were going to install that type of lift I would set it in a recess in the floor and make a wood filler to give a flat run for creepers etc.
Two posts are pretty versatile, but they’re a bit more expensive, especially if you opt for a wheel fork/bridge to avoid having the suspension hanging on the resilient mounts, and the floor needs to be engineered for them.
If you haven’t seen them, have a look at https://raceramps.com/ I use their “Portable Pit Stop”. They are easy to adjust for different wheelbases, 14" of lift is more than enough for most underfloor tasks, and just enough to save your back when polishing/detailing. Removing the bridges means you can get under the entire car easily with a creeper. With a bit of ingenuity you can jack a corner up, place an axle stand, and take a wheel off, but this is a bit of a bother. After 5 years of near daily use they’re still clean and undamaged. They’re easy to transport, and stow out of the way decently when not in use.
If I had to choose between a small scissor lift and the race ramps I’d take the race ramps.
My brother has a 2 post lift with swing out arms something like the BendPak XPR10S.
He uses it for his Porsches and I sometimes put my modern S-Type on it.
We have to be very careful about placement of the car beforehand, and lift the car up to get the arms underneath, then place the arms at good strong structural points, not the footwells.
He also has to be careful about balance, lifting something that’s heavier in the front like a pickup.
If it was me I would have bought one with drive on ramps. If I wanted to work on wheels-off jobs I would get some tall jack stands under there.
You can get a two post lift for €2,000 inc tax @23% in Ireland - but much cheaper in the US. Very versatile and you don’t have to use the full height. Just check you have the right depth of concrete on the floor. Also - get them to install it. They are heavy - really heavy and you want it set up right.
I bought a Redmount - very happy.
Dave
If you have some level space, I have always thought those display ramps that you sometimes see at auto dealer lots could be used for service work. You would simply drive up on them, they are usually about 3 foot high. No moving parts but you might need nerves of steel to drive your car up onto one. They are probably not expensive and available from car dealer supply vendors.
23% Tax WOW! I complain when I have to pay 8% on purchases in some of Colorado’s bigger cities. The ski resorts charge 12% plus other fees which still don’t chime in at your rate.
But you have some of the best alcoho9lic drinks in the world!
Gerard
A yes… but those drinks are also subject to 23% purchase / VAT tax + excise duty… That is why the Irish have such a strong reputation for sobriety 
Let me fly over a case of your favorite and it will probably end up cheaper even with the airfare.
Gerard
Colorado with one of the highest densities of micro breweries in the USA