Jon89, ditto on the x-type...an uncomfortable car that persistantly leaves one with the feeling..."What will happen next"...sorry X-Type owners.

 

Geez, you guys are absolutely a wealth of info, every morsel of which I'm eating up.

So, I was about to consider the X-Type and, in fact, had looked at several being advertised within 500 miles from here ... more manual trans, and AWD is particularly interesting given the snow we have here plus it's a bit easier to fit in the garage during the winter months being shorter not to mention lighter.

But, back to the S-Type for me, particularly model year 2003 for the "Post Update."

I'll check back in here a bit later this evening. Thanks, again, to those who've posted such useful info.

 

Oh boy ... you guys aren't gonna be happy.

I drove an '02 X-Type with a 5-spd trans and 3.0L motor with nearly 88k miles on it. I liked it. BUT, it didn't handle as well as I expected. Specifically, the body rolled a bit more than what I'm used to and what I was expecting. Very perky, though ... but the 1st syncro was shot. Guy wants $7,995 (reduced from $8,995). Had a few chips on the front/hood area, but no dings on the sides. Paint was okay, but definitely needs a clay bar treatment and waxing. Gonna see an '03 X-Type with a 2.5L 5-spd trans tomorrow morning. Nicer color (black) and only 77k miles. Carfax shows a hit on the driver's side, unfortunately. That's not a deal breaker, but have to check it out very closely.

S-Type? Just not going to find what I want close enough geographically and for the money I want to spend. Guess I'm destined for the smaller car.

 

I've owned an 03 X 2.5 automatic, an 06 X 3.0 automatic, and, now, an 06 S-Type 4.2 VDP. I enjoyed both the X-Types. The 03 2.5 model was quiet, handled bad weather/snow with no sweat, and was smooth like a gas turbine. The 06 3.0 was a bit friskier, but, always had a lot of driveline whine. Fuel economy on both, because of the AWD, suffers somewhat. My V8 powered S-Type does much better than either X Type I owned, and, is significantly quicker. The 2.5 used in the X makes about 195 HP, loves to rev, gets on the cam about 3K RPM, and is a very sweet engine. The 3.0 makes about 227HP, has more low end grunt, but, mine didn't feel as smooth or enthusiastic to me as the 2.5 did.

Regards:
Oldengineer

 

Nice comparison ... thanks! Nice to hear about your impressions of the 2.5L motor being quiet and smooth. I did like that 3.0L with the manual trans with the only negative being the toasted 1st gear syncro. Alas, I have to wait till tomorrow to check out the '03 with the 2.5 motor.

On another note, my biggest hesitation in this whole thing is I'm really used to doing my own car repairs (unless it requires a lift at which time I take it to my local shop).

What is the availability of parts for Jaguars in general? Do most auto parts stores (e.g. Auto Zone, O'Reilly's, etc) stock most common, consumable parts like brakes, shocks, bearings ... ? Please alleviate my concerns.

 

Why hesitate, if you are used to DIY'ing, after all it has a motor, trans (possibly manual), and a body?!!


There are alot of parts available through chain parts stores, but some are Jag specific.

 

I checked a couple of parts stores here locally, and depending on what it is some components aren't available or, should I say, are only available through Jaguar dealers, and they can be costly. I know, I know, I take EVERYTHING I hear/read/see with a grain of salt ... everyone has their own angle. I did learn that motor parts and some others may be compatible with the Escape or SVT Contour ... again, depending on what it is. Whatever car I end up with can't be down for an extended period in the future nor can it be prohibitively expensive to fix, either.

My job called me in today, so couldn't see any cars. Tomorrow (unless some unforeseen emergency presents itself), I'm going to check on an '03 2.5L then Saturday an '04 2.5L that I found online early this morning. I'm thinking I'm going to buy one of these three vehicles ... just want the best one (for me), that's all.

I'm getting geeked.




EDIT: Hey, mods ... should this thread get moved to the X-Type section? (Sorry.)

 

I was doing all my own maintenance on my X's. Never had any problem getting normal stuff like oil filters, air and cabin filters, brake pads, etc. at Advance Auto or Autozone. Did go to Jag to get a few things.

Regards:
Oldengineer

 

Drove the '03 today. Flat loved it! Gonna drive the '04 tomorrow.

It's now a choice between the '03 and the '04; the '02 can't hold a candle to the '03, so it's out. Both '03 and '04 are black which is fine by me.

The '03 is a "Sport" and has had one owner, but had a fender-bender in '08. Used car dealer didn't know much about it, though. Sort of one of those sawdust-in-the-tranny-type guys. Aw-w, maybe that's a bit unfair I suppose. Wow ... sure did like that car!

The '04 was on a lease first then bought by a female who traded in to an Acura dealer, so two "owners." Has fewer miles at 69.8k. They put new tires on it, too.

It's all going to come down to price.

 

Beaware you get what you pay for most times...... just friendly advise!

 

Rand, how much are they asking for those cars? Before you sign do research on the options each one has. Plus, the X-Type has always been a tough car to sell and the prices reflect that. If you do some surfing here you'll find that the '02-'03 cars seem to have a greater share of problems than later years, especiially rust. If those cars spent their whole lives in Michigan that is somethin you want to double check. There is a ton of info on that and where to look on here if you do some searching.

I'm with you on the manual transmission thing. Maybe it's generational (I'm 52). I am biased on the 3.0 liter, though, vs. the 2.5, but the 3.0 liter is a lot harder to find, especially in the later years. The stopped offering it after 2005. And as someone sugested about flying out to buy one and driving it back, I did that. My trip was only 500 miles, but it was a great way to bond with the car and a lot fun actually. Good luck with whatever you end up with and let us know how it goes.

 

Yeah, Alfadude, I saw that about the '02/'03 cars with their glitches and all. But, now I don't have to worry about that. I pulled the trigger on the '04 today.

Yup, would've loved to get the 3.0 motor but I absolutely couldn't find any within any reasonable distance from here. This one has decent paint but does have a rear driver's side rub on the door and the rear bumper was "tested" apparently at one point. (Not surprising since a woman owned it before. ) They had already put new tires on it (not ones I'd put on, but they'll do), they changed the oil, put in a new air filter, and installed a new battery. Interior was clean, no issues, and the 1st gear syncro was just fine.

Okay, now the funny part. When I first walked up to the car with the salesperson, we were dealing with a dead battery in the FOB and another guy and another salesperson came over and were hovering around the car, too. The guy pretended to then be mildly interested in the car in the next spot, but I could tell he wasn't really interested in that one. On the way back from our test drive, I see the guy sitting in his much newer Jaguar on his cell phone. Then, while we're inside closing the deal, the same guy arrives in a different car and walks right over to the car I was in the process of purchasing. Was this all coincidental? If not, I'll bet he was checking the car out for someone and was probably chagrinned that he'd missed out. Was he a plant by the dealership to press me into action? If he was, it worked.

Anyway, hopefully bring it home on Monday. It's a 62 mile trip one way, so I'll have to bond as best I can. I'll post up some pics.

That's guys!!!

 

Good for you! Hope you enjoy it and got it at a good price.