I might be in a position to buy a car in the near future. For years, I've had my heart set on a Porsche. But they're sooo expensive. Even used ones are well over $100k (for a relatively new 4S, S, or GTS).

With that said, I was driving around the other day and a car passed me. Not gonna lie, it might have been the best looking car I've ever seen (I can't believe I'm saying that considering I love porsches so much). I caught up to it at a stop light. It was a Jaguar F-TYPE R. It must have had a V8 and supercharged. It sounded amazing just idling.

Any ways, with all of that said, I have a few questions:

• I'm 6'3" Will I fit in this car? I'm worried that it's made for shorter people.
• Does a supercharger reduce the life of an engine? I've never owned a supercharged car.
• How fun is the car to drive? How does it compare to a Porsche?
• I've never really considered a Jaguar before because all I've heard is that they're very unreliable. Is that true?

Thousands for any information you might have.

 

I always considered myself a 911 guy [and have owned a couple of really nice examples] but I enjoy my F Type MUCH more than I did either Porsche. I am 6'2" and have no trouble in the least fitting, so that should not be an issue. Not being a motor-head, what little I have picked up along the way suggests that a naturally aspirated engine is going to last the longest. Much of this depends on your driving habits and maintenance rigor. The car is great fun and is much more enjoyable than a 911 [unless you are comparing with a gt2/gt3]. Even still, the design of the car itself [inside and out] is light-years ahead of the German feeling you get when function is deemed supreme motivator. This is a really gorgeous car. I was lucky enough to have a 98 C2S which looked exactly like a European Turbo S [sans turbo engine] and I would spend hours in my garage admiring everything about it, but it just does not hold a candle to my lowly v6 F-Type that might be the most beautiful car design...ever.

I'll let the experts here speak to reliability but from what I can gather, it's really good. I only have 11K miles on mine and so far so good. No issues.

 

You will fit in. I am 6'2".
While the supercharger is just another component that can wear out and need work, the peak pressures are limited to safe levels.
I have owned 5 Jags over my lifetime (last 20 years). The Jag V8 is a great design. Never had a problem. The whole "they are unreliable" thing is something you just have to get over.

My wife now swears by them. I can't get her to give up her car for a newer one.

 

Having never driven a Porsche, I can’t speak to a comparison. I know the F-type has the highest smiles-per-gallon of any car I’ve ever driven. I have a V6S, just over 50k miles. Grand total of $0.00 in failure related maintenance. I think the Jaguars are unreliable trope dates from the era of UK labor unrest. You will not regret buying an F-Type-likely the most beautiful car ever made, apart from the Ferrari 250 Testarossa. However those are now in the $25M range😀

 

All of the above. The F-Type is just about the most beautiful thing on the road (especially the coupe), is supremely comfortable, beautifully equipped (although, as with Porsches, there can be some “base” models without all the options), thrilling to drive, and in either V6 or V8 form, has a mesmerizing exhaust sound (who needs a stereo?).
As you have been told, the myth about Jaguars being unreliable is just that, a myth…and I say that as one who has owned many Jaguars over the years. If you are concerned about relative reliability, check the German auto forums - you will find there all the same, the very same “issues” that you will find on the Jaguar forums.
Just be prepared that if you do buy one you (or rather, your Jaguar) will get a lot of favourable attention. Oh…and be prepared also for your behaviour to change: you will not be able to park it without looking back at it, besotted by its beauty. Every Jaguar owner (no matter the model of the Jaguar) does this. You can’t help it.

 

Two types of people that should be ignored.

1) Everybody has a wealthy uncle or boss who had a Jaguar in the 70s or 80s that was always in the shop. Ford bought Jaguar in the late 80s and pretty much had their quality issues worked out by the mid-90s. My 2000 XJ8 was an absolute rock for the first 15 years (100K). Yes, certain years and models had issues, just like the Porsche IMS bearing, but if you actively read this forum, someone will have already had every issue, we will have discussed it here, worked it out and posted exactly what preventative maintenance everyone else should do to avoid it.

2) Jaguars were very expensive when new, remain timelessly beautiful, eventually collectable and thus people keep them going well past their planned obsolescence point. Yes my XJ8 became hypotensive, arthritic, amnesic, seborrheic and incontinent by the age of 17 but only a vocal minority of gearheads like me have attachment issues (it's become like a beloved pet that's outlived its life expectancy, needs $20K worth of surgery, but I just can't bring myself to let it go).

Don't listen to your uncle's stories about Jaguar quality because that's ancient history and don't listen to those of us with older Jags whine about how much we spend on them because, well, we're irrational. No, seriously, people are far less likely to give a good review than a bad review because they expected the product to be good to begin with. Its only when things go wrong that you hear about. The vast majority of Jaguar owners drive them two to five years without incident and move on without ever posting or saying anything. Most likely you won't ever have anything to complain about either, that is unless you become one of us in Group 2 above.

 

^^^ THIS ^^^

 

I have recently joined this forum because I too am looking for an f type. I am looking for a v6 convertible in particular. I have the same concerns about reliability and I hope this thread can help answer some of these reliability concerns. Does it matter what model year you get? Like how much more reliable is the 2020 vs 2014 for example.

I can provide you with some insights on how they compare to porsches though in terms of driving dynamics, as I have test drove some v6 f types (coupes and convertibles) and own a 981 porsche cayman s with pdk, sport chrono package, and running x73 passive sport suspension. In terms of daily driving the porsche is boring while the f type is a little more fun, probably because of the supercharger giving you power at low engine speeds. The porsche really does feel like a normal car when daily driving, an uncomfortable daily driver which is the reason why it is solely a weekend car for me. For the porsche to come alive you have to push the car above 5k rpms and your essentially gana be stuck in 2nd gear due to the long gearing unless you plan on going to jail. When it comes to spirited driving on curvy roads, The cayman is a much better and feels nimble. It really does inspire confidence on turns that the f type just cannot deliver. This is primarily the reason why I am avoiding awd versions of the f type, it just too heavy and the weight really shows on the turns. In terms of auto transmissions, the porsche is better. The PDK shifts are just crazy fast especially in sport plus where the shifts get more aggressive. With all that being said, in terms of fun I would say they are roughly the same. In terms of performance oriented driving, I would have to say porsche is better. In terms of GT cruising the f type is better. In terms of the f type v6 vs 981 cayman s flat 6 exhaust sound, I would say they are roughly the same. You really can't go wrong with either one to be honest, unless you are looking for a serious performance car with good handling characteristic.

I don't think the v6 f type is good enough to want me to trade my porsche cayman in for it but it is different enough for me to have as a 3rd car.

 

To misquote Mark Twain: "Rumors of unreliability are greatly exaggerated". People, most of whom haven't ever owned a jag, have memories of the bad old British Leryland days - things changed much for the better under Ford's ownership and have improved since then. I'm on my 4th Jag and none of them has let me down.

And of course they're fun to drive - your grin muscles will get a real workout!

 

[QUOTE=third_age_knight;2618413]I have recently joined this forum because I too am looking for an f type. I am looking for a v6 convertible in particular. I have the same concerns about reliability and I hope this thread can help answer some of these reliability concerns. Does it matter what model year you get? Like how much more reliable is the 2020 vs 2014 for example.


No, the year does not matter in terms of reliability. The engines are reliable. The transmission (8 speed ZF) is reliable (and it shifts instantly so I do not understand how it could be faster - and if a shift were faster, what difference would a nano-second make?); the F-Type is a comfortable car even for everyday use; heavy handling?????? that only refers to the V8 RWD - the V6 and V6S are SWEET, and they can get you into trouble in an instant - they have performance that cannot be legally used in the free world.
Now, one thing, and this is not a "Jaguar" thing. It is common to every modern luxury make: these cars are stuffed with electronics and the modules need full battery voltage all the time. When they do not get full voltage odd symptoms can crop up - and it can be anything: warning lights about various systems, touch screen freezing, convertible roof issues...anything. So Jaguar, in common with all the other makes that need full battery voltage for exactly the same reason, market the CTEK battery MAINTAINER (see photos). When the CTEK unit carries the car manufacturer's logo it costs 3x as much (!) but it is the same unit, very often, the basic CTEK unit:



Audi:






this can go on for a very long time....


I love this: the CTEK unit is "genuine Ferrari" part:



And finally (for this note, but there are other examples):


OK...enough. you get the picture.

By far the largest number of complaints refer to symptoms caused by low battery voltage - very commonly symptoms which on the surface seem to be entirely unrelated to battery voltage...yet they are.
Overall quality of Jaguars? about the same as every other luxury make (I am a recovering BMW/Mercedes owner...it is a long journey). But far, far more beautiful.

 

One more suggestion. If you have not already done so, watch the Jeremy Clarkson review of the F-Type in the link below.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I6KFA7p7_aQ

 

Test drive one and all of your concerns will melt away rapidly.

 

A little known fact that Jaguars don't really emphasise much is the cars, (except the E-Pace), are made of aluminium, and assembled just like an aeroplane fuselage using rivets and aerospace bonding glue. I watched the F-type build process in early 2020, before Covid shut the world down ! The robot assembly in the factory is awesome; there are very few assembly staff around, the robots do most of the work. I can't afford an F-type, so run an XE. You should not hesitate in buying an F-type, you'll love it.

 

I have owned a Porsche, but it was a 928 S4 and all the air cooled guys hated it, which made me love it more.

I have a 2017 SVR, one of my best friends has a 2020 C4S. There are many areas where the Porsche is better and many where the Jag is better.

First, the C4S is way more practice. The front trunk is actually a decent size and the rear seats and shelfs can hold more, too. The Jag has ZERO room behind the seats, and you are going to have the seats all the way back. There's a trick to getting more legroom in the Jag, you have to move the seats forward a little, then down and then you get a couple extra inches. I can't explain why, it just works. This allowed my 6'7" friend to drive my car.

The C4S has WAY more technology and a better sound system. It's not even close. You can improve the infotainment system (Car Play wasn't even an option until 2018 and didn't really get good until 2020). I added an aftermarket Android Auto integration to mine and it works better than I would have hoped. Completely wireless and I installed it myself in a couple of hours. IF I were to install another one, I would have it done in probably 20 minutes as I now know all the tricks.

The F-Type has one of the best sounding exhausts on the market. I know that is subjective, by the only cars that come close, imo, are the Maserati GranTurismo (sounds better than a Ferrari even though it is a Ferrari engine). Don't underestimate the power of the exhaust. It makes me happy every day.

Styling you already covered. I think the Aston Martin Vantage looks a little better, but it's close.

F-Types are much rarer than 911s. This is good an bad. I'll see 911s every day. I'll see another F-Type maybe once a month, if that. I like that.

Power delivery goes to the F-Type, but not by much. The F-Type feels more raw and on demand. The Porsche's twin turbos spool up quickly and it's impressive. I trust a supercharger a lot more than I trust two turnbos.

Handling: They are both very good. The 911 a little better, but I think that's due to the computer control.

It's been my experience that the 911 crowd looks down their noses at the F-Type. They still see Jaguar as your father's or grandfather's car and talk about reliability problems from the age of Lucas electronics. Oddly enough, I get the same general feel from the Corvette crowd. In either case, if you don't have the same car as them, you are a step down.

If you get the F-Type, you will have people question your decision and tell you you could have had a <insert other car here> for the same money. Mind you, most of these people have never driven an F-Type. You will also frequently have people ask you about it at gas stations, parking lots and red lights. I de-badged my first one and barely anyone knew what it was. I actually showed up to an Aston-Martin event and the parking guy directed me to park with the Aston Martins. I like the F-Type enough that I bought two ( I switched up to a convertible now that I work from home). I did this eyes wide open, knowing that pretty much every competitor to it is a 'better' car. I shopped the Maserati, the AMG GT, the BMW M850, the RS5, the AM Vantage and even the Camaro ZR1. In the end, the Jag just does it for me. I can't fault anyone for buying any of the other cars. If I were driving I-5 everyday, I probably would have gotten then M850 or the AMG GT. The AMG GT was the closest to the feel of the F-Type in my book and was very enticing.

Anyway, let us know which way you go. If you go with the 911, be sure to say hi when you come across an F-Type owner. We love talking honestly about our cars and are intrigued by others.

 

I think that's really because they're jealous that you dare to be different and make your own decisions rather thsn follow the crowd .... And the fact that your car is far more beautiful doesn't help, of course.

 

You have to decide your own 'wants'. Do you want to be 'another one of the many Porsche, Corvette, Mercedes owners' seen driving on every block, or do you want a car that is not so common.
I had a '17 coup, decided to replace it with the new C8 Corvette. Waited 6 months to place order(deposit down). Decided every city block sported a couple of Vettes. Got my deposit back and bought a '20 F-type convertible. Now I pass all the Vettes, Porsches, and Mercedes on each block, and most turn to look at my F-Type.

If you want to be part of the "herd", don't by an F-Type.

 

Shortly after I retired and before the market crash when I had some money to spend without worrying I decided to reward myself for a lifetime of hard work and financial responsibility by buying an expensive car as a toy. I considered a 911 but by the time I added the options that I wanted I was well above $150k. And at that point the pucker factor was large. But I had also always admired Jaguars and after some research decided that the reliability issues were unsubstantiated. So I ordered a fairly well optioned F Type R Coupe.

Sure, there are cars that will outperform the F Type but not by much and since I don't track the car it's pretty much academic. I view the F Type as the embodiment of a true Gran Turismo. That is different from a pure sports car. But it's also more practical. After almost two years of ownership I still get compliments each time I am out driving it. Jaguars have an exclusivity factor. I see it as more of a "gentleman's sports car".
At almost 68 years of age I hope I fit in that category. I have owned pretty much nothing but sports cars and sports coupes all of my life and still am a bit of a motorhead. And the F Type scratches that itch quite well.

 

I had my heart set on another Porsche myself. I had a 996 twin turbo with only 10k on it and a manual. The Porsche community hated the headlights on that car and shortly after I sold mine (2016) the values went crazy because they realized the motor in that car is about bullet proof. I sold mine for $50k (bought it for $45k) and after I kicked out my ex (she wanted me to sell it) it was worth about $80k with that mileage at the time-only 15k. I then picked up a 997.2 S model and loved it as well. This go around I ended up with the F Type and love the car dearly, but it is just a much different car than a 911. To me they are apples to oranges. I think if you drive one you will see what I mean.

 

Best way to know what an F is like is to go drive one. Some folks have longer legs than others, even being the same height. Also check out your peripheral vision, either the coupe or convertible, your preference.

I always liked E types, back when they first came out. I always heard you had to walk around with a timing light in your pocket. In 1989, I got my 69 Series 2 E type coupe and have not regretted it. Yes, there were tough times.. like when the dizzy failed (because PO glued some primary wire instead of replacing it) then had a hole in the Stromberg carb diaphragm, but not the car's fault. I had several vintage British cars along with the E and always told them they would get the best gas and parts, but no leaving me stranded somewhere. Any idiocies that occurred happened in my garage (brake booster failed), clutch slave failed (at shop where pre-drive checkover was being conducted).. etc. That car has been amazing! I nicknamed him Mr. Reliable! The E is now 50+ years old and now shares the garage with the 2017 Coupe.
Do find the car you prefer and check the CarFax. Also be aware that Certified Pre-Owned is also dependent on what the selling dealer thinks of the car. From what I understand there is no real standard brand-wide for CPO. I was fortunate to have 18 months of Factory warranty left and had several small (IMO) issues covered... new battery, torn door weatherstrip, and then a major one... replacing the flanged heater pipes. The heater pipe saga is well-documented in this forum. It's a 6-speed and how I ever missed the bad clutch thread, I don't know, but the selling dealer had already replaced it with the correct, current version.
As for expensive upkeep? Well, only you can decide what's too much. I just had the upper engine clean done by the dealer and all in it was over $400, the oil change was $225. I may get up the courage to do the engine clean myself at some point, but I am definitely going to work on doing my own oil change. This forum is THE BEST for having other owners who have done procedures and posting the steps and photos for others. And don't overlook YouTube F videos, there are many very informative ones, and you'll have to sort those out from the hacks.

 

For me the F is the most beautiful modern car by far, a work of art. Callum's Aston designs are a close second.

An S has all the performance any sane person can use on the street, and even on track unless you are using a stop watch and tracking 10ths. And you can find an S with a manual transmission.

It is comfortable to travel long distance in, and the coupes have decent luggage space. I second the gentleman's GT idea.