So I currently have a 2001 4.0 S-Type that I'm working on getting fixed. The transmission went belly up at 120,000 miles, and I'm smack in the middle of my first ever automatic transmission rebuild. If I fail at this venture, I'm taking my income tax refund and buying a professionally rebuilt gearbox for it.


This is my second Jaguar. My first was a 2003 3.0 X-Type that lost a transmission at 130,000 miles. I love Jaguars, but I am tired of this.


I've owned several Ford & Mercury products with the 4.6L SOHC V8 backed by a 4R70W transmission, and 200,000-300,000 miles on those engines and gearboxes are quite common.


So when I get my S-Type fixed, I have two options-stay with it, update the timing chain tensioners (if it hasn't been done) and see how long the black cat will last, or trade it in once I get it running, and find another one.


My all-time favorite Jaguar sedan would be the original XJ6s, and plenty of Series IIIs are out there for decent money. On the other hand, these are getting really old. I see nice examples offered for sale for $8000 or less all the time, but is a 30 year old car an ideal candidate for a daily driver you want to see 200,000 miles or more out of? On the other hand, this is the car my heart really, really wants me to buy, and I might be more forgiving based on that alone. Plus, unlike the newer cars, they are not very complex vehicles, and good for a DIY-mechanic to wrench on.


(Actually, to be honest, my heart really really wants an XK-120 FHC, but the Series III is the car my heart and my pocketbook agree on)


Another option would be a 2004-2009 XJ8/Vanden Plas. Supposedly, the 4.2L version of the AJV8 engine is dang near bulletproof, and it has a ZF 6HP transmission, so that ought to be reliable. The Air suspension is a known major weakness, but frankly I can stomach that repair more than gearbox issues. I'd want to find one with 60,000-80,000 miles on it, and replace the really expensive transmission fluid the moment I got it home.


The next choice is the X300. Supposedly, the non-supercharged 6 cylinders have near Honda Civic levels of reliability, but like the Series III XJ6, they are starting to get kinda long in tooth (nearly 20 years old), and I'm not sure how this fares for long term reliability. On the plus side, nice examples of an X300 seem to be cheaper than nice SIIIs, and are much, much cheaper than X350s.


I know the later XJ40s are supposed to be almost as good, but frankly, they look like 1980s Buick sedans to me. I wouldn't want one based on styling alone. Vain & superficial, I know, but if wanted another bland car, I'd just buy another 2004 Grand Marquis and call it a day.


There is, of course, the 1998-2003 XJ8s. I probably wouldn't even consider one made before 2002 unless the owner had documentation where the engine failed, and was replaced with one that had real cylinder liners. I don't care what the likelihood of failure on the survivors is-with the luck I've had with Jaguars, I'm not touching one with a nickasil motor with a ten-foot pole, except maybe as a project for a Chevy LS swap.


If I found a 4.0 XJS or a 4.2 1st gen XK8 for a reasonable price with reasonable miles, I could probably be tempted to buy one of them as well, but I much prefer 4-door cars.

 

The X300 series, 1994-97 with the straight-six AJ16 engine were renowned for high mileages, but can suffer rust, although nowhere near as bad as previous models. The X308s with the 4.0 litre V8 were notorious for the cam-chain problem you mention.

Probably the most likely to get to, (and, indeed, well beyond), 200k miles is the X350 series cars from 2003 to 2009. I think the cars were in the USA from 2004. Loads of these cars have made it beyond 200k miles. You already know about the air suspension problems, but here in the UK, the editor of the magazine of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club has his well beyond 200k, but has not mentioned air springs, (yet !!). These things seem to fail more often in the US than they do here. Of course the compressor needs regular replacement or new piston seals. You'll probably get through 3 or 4 by the time the car gets to 200k.

AFAIK the ZF gearbox will get to 200k provided it gets regular fluid and filter replacement. This is not a cheap operation, BTW, the fluid alone is very expensive, as is the filter assembly.

 

I have owned 3 Jags and X300 engine wise gave me the feeling of the most robust one than those of XJ40s'

 

I have 2 vdp's i currently drive. A 95 with 41k ive been thinking about selling since i bought a 04 vdp that i love to drive. But just dont know if i want to let loose of the 95 since its so low miles and great shape. And yeah pretty much bullet proof.

 

200K miles on a car these days is pretty much average. I'd expect any car could do it if looked after.

 

I have nearly 190k miles on my 04 vdp, and it runs like new. I've swapped out the air struts for coil overs, done the trans service, and put in new plugs and reman fuel injectors. Done water pump and thermostat housing, front rotors and pads. Other than the cat converter, no other new exhaust parts. Did outer tie rod ends on front and will need to do upper control arms in the not too distant future. I've put 45k on in two years and hope to drive it for at least another 100k. Engine shows no sign of slowing down. I'll probably need to put some new lubricant in the rear differential too come summer. All the electrical functions still work except for the park/distance alarm which wasn't working when I got it (due to non-repair after a minor collision I think). It's been a truly fun hobby and labor of love to learn about this car and do the work myself as much as possible. It's been hard holding myself back from buying another x350 just for the fun of it.

 

Thanks for the advice. Right now, I am really leaning toward a nice X350. I've seen 'em for sale in the $10-15K range, which should fit my budget nicely. (Actually, I've seen em cheaper, but I'm through with bottom-feeder cars. There's nothing quite as expensive as a cheap Jaguar!)


As soon as I get the S-Type on its feet, I think I'm gonna trade her in while she moves under her own power.


I'm not going to get in too big of a hurry, though. I've discovered the right car is better than the right now car.

 

X type hands down. You'll need to replace the intake manifold upper and lowers at 90k, all fluids (read "ALL") incl auto trans, rear diff, transfer case, power steering, coolant, etc and other than that its a FORD motor and a Jap tranny and there are tons of x types out there with 190k plus; you'll also need a computer scanner to keep up with tiny recurring problems that are easily solved. I have three of these, I paid 10k total for all three, and all run perfectly after fixing the things

 

Parked outside my house I have my trusty 2002 XJ8 which has now done 240,000 miles! The engine has never been touched except for a new throttle body. The trans is the original too (mind you just every bush, balljoint, wheelbearing and suspension arm has been replaced/rebuilt!)

You can balance a coin on the engine and it doesn't roll off, and when it creeps in Drive it catches people out from behind. Best car I ever had.

 

Just had a little laugh to myself!