Hi everyone, thinking of changing my car and came back to the xj8. I'm thinking of looking at 2003+ models. Are these better years? are they reliable? will they leave me stranded? what should i ask or be looking out for?
I spoke to a mechanic that worked at jag and said to stay away..lots of electrical problems and expensive to fix. I had volvo before and they weren't all that cheap either.
I also thought of the x-type as it has AWD and we have snowy winters. are these good as well? Will the xj8 (with good snow tires) do okay?
any info would be great. thanks
fab

 

You could start here https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...d-know-112913/

And regarding the snow, have a look here https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...xj-snow-89752/

I also had an X-Type in the past, was good in the snow, but you MUST get one with the DSC, which was not always fitted as standard.

A 10 year old XJ is as reliable as you'd expect from a 10 year old car. Yes things do go wrong. Show me any 10 year old euro that doesn't have it's quirks.

Electrical issues? Not really, and the things that do happen are well known & easy enough to fix.

 

05 here. Reliability isn't an issue but I'm a telecommuter and put about 2K miles per year on my cars. I will let brighter minds speak to the electrical gremlins as I am unfamiliar. Agree with Cambo on problems with 10 year old Euro cars but say the same thing about any 10 year old car, regardless of where it was built. Miles and time will wear down every man and machine. If it was well cared for, it will last longer 99% of the time.
Winter:
I park mine in the winter as we also have an all wheel drive car. Having said that, two thoughts on winter driving. I had a RWD Mercedes S Class (very comparable to the LWB XJ) and drove here in Minnesota 8 winters. I'm old enough to own cars before FWD and AWD were ever available so a set of Blizzaks and some common sense, no issue driving one if I needed to, but again, Minnesota = 7 months of winter:-). You must have snow tires to drive them in the snow. All season won't cut it here. My neighbor owned an AWD X Type and said it handled great in the winter.

 

I have an 11-year old X-Type and a 10-year old XJR, and I love them both for different reasons. When its wet or white out I use the X - it doesn't just have AWD, I think she's got claws too - it just sticks. The X is also small and nimble, and in a lot of ways, more fun to toss around. The R is bigger and boatier and more "formal" - but it is INCREDIBLY powerful and a blast to drive.

I've had the X for 5-1/2 years, and its been very reliable. Its up to 78,000 miles, and its my daily driver. One water pump, one control arm, and the usual consumables (brakes, rotors, tires). I've only had the R for 6 months, and it only has 37,000 mi on it - so I haven't had to do anything yet. I service both at the dealer, and that could be expensive, but I think its worth it to have a mechanic trained on and familiar with the car (I also bought an extended warranty for the R that covers everything for 6 years.)

Jags aren't cheap - but what is these days? (Have you bought a cappuccino at Tarbugs or a steak at the supermarket lately?)

I bought the X because I couldn't bring myself to plunk down $25k or $30k or more for yet another basic Toyota. And I certainly had my share of hefty repair bills for Toyotas and Mazdas over the years.

If you're thinking of buying a Jag, look for one with low mileage, and buy it because you love it, or buy it because it's a piece of Art on wheels. And take good care of it so that when you hand it off to it's next owner, they can love it too.

 

Hi guys, well there seems to be a 2007 x-type coming for sale soon. I think the one thing i like about it is the AWD. I think in terms of size/room/comfort, the XJ8 wins in this section. I also did some recon on basic maintenance on the x-type and seems that, with that tight engine bay, it's not so simple to manoeuvre in there..spark plug change looks intense!
How is the xj8 in terms of working on the engine? good room to work with? is spark plug change that difficult?
should i rule-out the x-type?
thanks
fab

 

Spark plugs are scheduled every 100'000 miles in the V8 and 70'000 miles in the V6...yes it's a job, but not one you need to do often!

You have to take in the intake manifold off the V6, the V8 needs some fiddling with the scuttle to get access, I would not let either put me off ownership.

I have owned both, and I would not hesitate to own an X-Type again, but it would have to be a good one (low miles, good spec, good condition, full service history).

The back seat in the X-Type is pretty cramped, that's the only real negative from my point of view.

 

Cambo..agreed that the plugs are not all the time, you're right about that. I've changed plugs on quite a few car...the best being my current saab and the toughest was actually my '96 caprice!
I'm glad that you think the x-type should be taken into consideration.
As for the rear seats, it's a little snug with 2 car seats in the back of our saabs, i think the xtype will be the same? For kids it's one thing, but if it's really cramped for adults, that's another story. Will it be uncomfortable on a 2 hour drive lets say?
The last thing with the x-type is that it probably won't have the history available but it is low milage.
whatcha think?
thanks
fab