Hi,

I am brand new to this site. I tried to search for other people asking the questions I'm about to ask but cannot find. I am a 28 year old single male. Recently divorced. Wife cheated and signed over the kids. I ended up with around $30,000 after the deal. Since I can't seem to find happiness in a women, I'd like to find it in a car. I have to first admit I currently drive a 2001 Hyundai Elantra, yes Hyundai. It has 118,000 miles on it and I've owned it since new. I've only had to put on an $11 set of disc pads and one set of tires, that's it. Still runs like new. It's just so plain.

So, I'd like to spend around 10-$15,000 on a nice luxury car. I like the looks of the BMW 330's and the Jaguar X-Types.

My questions: Is the X-Type better with the 2.5 or the 3.0 engine? Is there a manual tranny or just automatic and which one is better? I've heard some people have had nightmare issues with the transmission. I can handle oil changes, etc... but I can't handle spending over $5000 for a worthless transmission on a car that costs much more than a conventional car like a Hyundai. If I'm going to pay more, I want a reliable car. So, is the Jaguar is car for me? I'm also looking at the BMW 3 series. It seems the BMW for the same price range would be a couple years older and a lot more miles. But if one is junk and the other is great, then I want the one that doesn't have a ton of issues.

Anything to stay away from? Like I heard not to get a 2002 x type because of bad trannys. Others have said 2002-2006 all have bad trannys,some needing to be replaced at 30,000-45,000 miles. I can't go for that.

Please help me in making a decision. Thanks in advance! Ted

 

Hey ted, welcome to the forums.....sorry to hear about your ex-wife, if shes gonna act like that youre much better off without her, i hope she still is a good mom to your kids though...as far as the car goes i believe if you want an X type the years to go for is 03 or newer and obv the 3.0 is the better choice....the bmws for under 15k are def going to have a lot more miles, but they can still be as dependable....as with any car it depends how well its maintained...you can get an auto or a manual x type, to me i think both are not-so-great units (althought i havent driven a manual, ive heard the are very weak)....heres what id do if i was in your car situation:

1) your hyundai is prob worth a lot more to you then it is anyone else and it sounds like its a good car as long as youre ok driving it and it looks decent cosmetically.....keep it and drive it most of the time, and keep it looking good until it decides to die

2) instead of an x type id get an 03 or newer s type, besides obv being bigger and offering more over an X, they have a totally diff transmission from the X...and you can get a nice example (some still under extended warranty!) for your budget....this would be my its a great day out, im taking the kids somewhere nice, date car etc....it will def help you out when you meet the right lady just make sure to keep it in mint shape, make sure your kids dont make a mess in it etc

i did an autotrader search for you within 100 miles of the zip code you have listed on 03 or newer s types with a max price of $20k (room to negotiate) and you def have some good choices, some even have the V8 motor, great cars hands down!

if you find a specific one let us know and well see wha twe can tell you! def have a mechanic check over the car who has exp. with them before you buy, esp if it does not have a warranty!

 

Welcome to the forums
I'd go for the 3.0 liter one w/ auto tranny . Jaguars always make you feel special regardless of its models

 

heres some great deals around your budget if you dont mind driving a little ( you def shouldnt! ) in nashville prob about 6 hours each way

2005 s type 4.2 V8 35k miles, still under factory warranty too! + you could extend it
http://www.***-motorcars.com/news.ez?viewStory=611

2004 XJ8 53k miles, extended avail. they also have a black one for $15k
http://www.***-motorcars.com/news.ez?viewStory=607

Texas cars direct.com also has some of the best deals in the country and great quality, i can personally attest to that. they currently have a few s types well within your budget that include the select edition pre owned warranty

 

Wow, thanks for all the help so far. This has really opened up more options, and more questions. For one I thought the S-TYPE was out of my price range when it appears that used they don't cost any more than an X-TYPE. Now I've heard people on here say the rear end of the x-type looks disappointingly like a Hyundai. Being thatI actually sadly am a Hyundai/KIA fan I definitely agree. And I'm blaming hyundai and kia for it. Seems they copied off Jaguar. The 2004-2005 Sonata rear end is basically identical to the X-Type. But, I really like the X-TYPE front end look. Now for the S-TYPE, the car completely looks almost identical to a KIA AMANTI. Sad thing is the Amanti used costs more to buy than the S-TYPE. Something wrong there!

But I'm not opposed to the S-TYPE if it has a good transmission compared to a bad transmission with the x-type. So, my questions, what are all the differences between the S-TYPE and X-TYPE? According to autos.msn.com the S-TYPE is basically $10,000 more new but only $1000 more on the used price of a 2004. The 3.0L V6 is just fine. I did see the XJ8 and it seems nice too but with the gas prices right now, I think I'll stay with the V6. Also, does anyone know what octane is needed for the 3.0V6? Someone said it only runs on premium fuel? Is that true? According to msn the S-Type 3.0 has a bit more horsepower and has a 6 speed tranny compared to a 5 speed with the x-type. This all sounds good. Also says the S-Type is NOT an AWD. So is it rear wheel drive? Does it have traction control? Any other notable differences between the two?

Thanks in advance!!

Ted

btw, ex wife is not a good mom. basically i got everything as long as i took the kids which i did with no problem. she seems them a few hours a week and is a current pain in the as*. Right now I live in Indiana but filed with the court to relocate to Naples, Florida. So if Florida is granted then RWD is fine, but otherwise AWD might be preferred in Indiana. If I stayed in Indiana this would be a secondary car though so I'm still leaning toward the S-Type now.

 

Ted, the 3.0L engines are premium fuel only. I have a 2003 3.0L X-Type and I think it is a wonderful vehicle. The thing to keep in mind is that the 3.0L engine has a lot of low end power. So, rev'ing up the engine is not needed. If anything, I think the engine falls a bit flat when you get it above 5,500 RPM. In my car, I am pulling 26-27 mpg on the highway (cruising at 70-75 mph) and in town it gets about 17 mpg.

Like was mentioned, if you can find an S-Type in your price range, you will want to go with that. There's a lot of differences between the S-Type and X-Type and the S-Type is definitely a lot nicer (granted, I like the X-Type for the traditional Jaguar look). Why you are seeing the prices "so low" is the perceived quality issues. From what I can tell, the newer Jags don't have any more quality issues than any other car. What you are facing is the backlash from the older Jags (70's and whatnot) where there were major electrical issues. You sound a lot like me in the fact that you tend to keep vehicles for an extended period of time. So, spend a little bit extra and get yourself something nice.

As for a weak link in the X-Type, from what I have seen, it is the transfer case that is weak. But, as long as you stick with a stock motor, you should be fine. Just don't be racing the car and you should be fine. There's a lot of members here with X-types that are well over 100K miles with no issues. So, find a car that you like and buy it. You won't be sorry.

Chris "Thermo" Coleman

 

tedh, sorry to hear of your troubles. [&:]

I would recommend the Jaguar anytime, but then again I am bias. Whatever you decide to get I hope you enjoy it as you deserve it.

Good luck with your new purchase.

 

Make sure you drive them both, that may help. I have an X but really like both cars.

 

Hi ted.......welcome to the forum.
2 great cars to choose from............All I can say is, drive both, do your research fully on both then follow your heart. Its your car and you have to love it and live with it.

Good luck in your choice and please let us know.....either way

Jim

 

Hi welcome to the forum! I have a 04' S-Type V8 and I love it! She is rear wheel drive so it is not as good in the snow as the X (AWD) but even with the snow in my neck of the woods (Northern IL) I still manage ok.I think the S is more roomier when it comes to having kids especially if you have any that are still in car seats. When I bought both my Jags, I went to a Jaguar dealership and bought a select edition which is a pre-certified car that usually has a warranty up to 100k miles. I would definitely recommend purchasing a select edition. It will cover all the major stuff and save you $$ in the end. As Jim said... drive them both and decide which is best for you and your family! Good Luck!

 

Uptown is right stop messing about and get an S Type 2003 or newer. Put on a set of good mud & snows and you will have no prob.
Happy motoring.

 

Hi Ted and welcome! You gotta ask whether to buy a Jag or BMW ! I'm a first time Jag owner (05 S-type V8) & I love this car! I live near Memphis TN and drove all the way to Dallas Texas to pickup my car because we got sucha great deal. Try checking out this site....

www.texascarsdirect.com

They have over 100 preowned Jags for sale. And, the nice thing is that the sales people (no pushysalesmen in plaid pants and orange jacks) don't follow you around. You go in, start wandering though all the cars, tell them which ones you'd like to drive, they hand you the keys and off you go! Alone!!! All of the cars are under roof, are exceptionally clean and are unlocked so you can take your time looking them over.The prices are unreal! Wechecked our local Memphis Jag dealer and this place beat their priceby $5,000!!We did about a months worth ofresearch on the net before making a purchase and texas cars direct seemed to have the largest selection and best prices that we found.

Sorry to hear about your marital woes....but don't give up we (females) are not all bad [&:]. I've been married (to the same man) for36 years so it can be done! Trick is finding the right person which can be hard but then things worth having are not usually easily acquired. And besides....have you not heard Jags are chick magnets!

 

Thanks for the link Treasures. Those prices are awesome and worth a trip to Dallas for sure!

 

Hi Jack Rabbit....yes their prices are unreal. I've told so many people about Texas Cars Direct, am seriously thinking of asking them what their policy is on "finders fees"

 

Hi,

Well thank you for all the people giving me advice. I need it!! Ok, I've definitely decided to go with an S-TYPE. I am just fine with a rear wheel drive and don't really need the AWD. I like the front of the X-TYPE better but like everything else about the S-TYPE better.

So, here are my latest questions: I've been looking at a lot of S-TYPES online and the dash instrument panels on some of them have aluminum looking round rings around all the gauges and some do not. Is this an option or a year thing?

Next, according to MSN the 3.0L V6 gets 18/26 city/hwy MPG and the 4.2 gets 18/28. This is based on the 2004 model, but each year the engine's MPG varies. Also, some years show a 4.0 and some years show a 4.2 V8. Basically are these numbers true?

I was told the V6 requires PREMIUM ONLY gasoline. What about the V8 engine, does it only run on PREMIUM fuel?

Basically if the V8 doesn't require it and gets almost the same gas mileage as the V6, wouldn't I be better off with the V8? If it also requires the premium fuel then I think I'll stick with the V6.

What are the PROS and CONS of the V6 vs V8?

I am seeing these S-TYPES 2001-2002 with around 70-90K for $8-9000. 2003's with 60,000 miles for $10-11K. 2004-2005 with 30K for $12-16,000.

I have up to $16K to spend with no problem, just don't want to if I don't need to. Thanks in advance for everyone's help here. I can't sleep at night thinking about this car. I've been bit by the Jag! I'd really like a black one but otherwise a silver or royal blue color would be alright.

 

glad to hear you decided on the s type ted. When i get a little time sooner or later tonight ill try to send you a few more links of cars i think would work well for you and your budget of $16k. In response to your questions.....

The aluminum rings are a year thing. in 2005 the front had a minor cosmetc change, rear was a bigger cosmetic change, and instrument panel was updated. there were no mechanical updates (im 99% sure)

The diff between the 4.0 and 4.2 is also model year. 4.2 is the updated engine and still in use today, 2003 and up use the update, as well as updated trans. ( the zf unit) The gas mileage of the 4.2 v8 and the 3.0 are very close. maybe the 6 might get a 1 or 2 mpg better in each area depending on how hard you push the 8 cyl. both get great gas mileage, my R even pushes 27-28 on the highway. those numbers you have seem pretty true overall.

The V6 and V8 both use premium fuel ONLY. if you multiply the usual diff. of $.20 a gallon vs regular times the capacity of roughly 19 gallons you end up with less then $4 more for a whole tank of gas... def not going to break the bank

pros and cons of the v6 and v8...both are great motors and stay very reliable when maintained correctly....of course the v8 has much more power(although the 6 is no slouch either and this is coming from an R owner), the v8 will also be much more exclusive prob 1 v8 for every 4 v6's, and it will help you sell the car most likely...plus you can get a v8 for pretty much the same price as the v6 on the pre owned side.

No matter what you do get a 2003 or newer for reliabilty, performance etc.! pre-2003 had sig. diff mechanicals and interior cosmetics.!

 

ok ted as promised here are some listing i def think you should look at...all are from texas cars direct ( also bought mine from there about 18 months ago ) if you are interested in any of them i strongly encourage you to put a deposit on it, some of the cars im gonna put links for are not yet in stock but many have deposits on them long before they arrive....they will gladly send you carfax reports, answer questions honestly and throughly, they even picked me up in a Range Rover and took my brother and I to lunch when i went to pick mine up.

This first one i think should def be a winner for you...its a 2005 (last major cosmetic update), only 23,000 miles....not only do you get the factory warranty remainder...it already has the select edition 6yr 100,000 mile warranty (this alone saves you about $3,000!) best of all it has the 18" upgraded triton wheels that really look sharp! best of all its in your budget already...dont wait on it though!

http://texascarsdirect.com/PublicWeb...l.aspx?id=2312

the rest are all either under extended warranty (although experation dates can very wildly depending on when the car was actually sold) or original factory warranty with the option to extend.

http://texascarsdirect.com/PublicWeb...l.aspx?id=2340

http://texascarsdirect.com/PublicWeb....aspx?id=2693A

http://texascarsdirect.com/PublicWeb....aspx?id=5086A

http://texascarsdirect.com/PublicWeb....aspx?id=6338A

http://texascarsdirect.com/PublicWeb...l.aspx?id=4998

http://texascarsdirect.com/PublicWeb...l.aspx?id=6288

http://texascarsdirect.com/PublicWeb....aspx?id=5871B

http://texascarsdirect.com/PublicWeb....aspx?id=8438B

 

Hi Ted, I can't tell you anything about the inner workings of cars (I'm a blonde .) But my 05 Stype is a V8 and the manual does say premium gas. I asked forum members (in the Stype forum) about using regular gas vs high test or alternating between the two. All of the answers came back that high test gives you better milage and keeps "gunk" down in engine! After checking milage running several tanks of regular I checked milage using high test and they were right, my gas milage was up! So now, I just avert my eyes from the price while I pump high test [], its easier that way! Then when I check the average mpg I'm getting I !

BMC745's is right about TexasCarsDirect. We bought our Stype a month ago from them and youcan't beat this place in price or selection!I also agree regarding putting a deposit down to hold the car as they sell a whole lot of cars on a weekly basis! We put a deposit down on a V6 with only 15,000 miles but decided upon a V8 with the Vanden Plas package (it also only had 15,000 miles on it) when we got there. So if you put a deposit down, don't worry you can change your mind as to which car you want.

Good luck and let us know what you end up with!!

 

Their prices are really cheap! How are they able to sell them at such low prices? I mean some of even the 05' S-Types seem way too cheap even for a 3.0. I know some of you have purchased through them but is their anybody who has bought from them and had their car for awhile? Just curious how their cars are in the long run... reliable, sound etc. They seem to good to be true but if they are all that I would consider giving them a shot in the future.

 

I think the resale value is low due to there are not that many Jags out there like say, BMW or Lexus, As such there are fewer used parts out there to repair your car with. Also some reliability issues on the early cars carried over to the newer ones.And its what the market will bear.