Good morning all

If this is the second time this is posted, Im sorry. I am living in a mountain town in Eastern Oregon. I am looking to get my first F type in the next year. I currently have a Kia Stinger GTS that I love, but I miss that roar of a V8 too much (previous car was a 2019 challenger RT). I loved my challenger for how it looked classic but also had the modern features and whatnot. When I switched over to the Kia, I loved the modern look, styling, and comfort, but I just can't live without a V8 sending that thrill through my ears and down my spine, forcing a smile on my face. We do get a fair amount of snow out this way, so I am looking at getting an F type R with AWD. I was hoping that this thread would help me find a used model out there somewhere that someone was looking to part ways with, to get some advice on what to look for in a used model, things to watch out for, and hear some stories from F Type owners about their experiences. The salesman at the dealerships are great for telling me the positives and making it out to be the best car ever, but I want both sides. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Thank you all for your time

 

If you want the thrill through your ears the V6 F-Types also offer it. They do offer less power than the V8 obviously, but they can be modded to add more power of you wish. The definitive V6 F-Type review is below so you can hear it for yourself.

I apologize to the forum for posting this review for the umpteenth time but it seemed apropo.

 

Executive summary: nothing ugly and not much bad.

Look for MY16 or later for AWD, hood vents give them away - the RWD cars have the vents close together near the windshield, the AWD vents are further apart and more toward the front of the hood.

 

Counterpoint - Look for MY '15 for the RWD goodness and slidey fun times! They have vents close together which look way better

And Im not just saying that cuz Im selling mine soon!

 

cpq100, I have watched that 1000 or more times. I think that episode is kind of what got me into the F Type in the first place. Follow that up with video games like need for speed, and I became in instant fan. Then, a few months ago, I finally got to sit behind the wheel of a brand new 2023 at the semi-local dealership. From then on, I was sold. I have watched hundreds of reviews, tips, tricks, long-term ownership videos, all of that. I just can't hardly wait to get my Kia paid down a little bit more so I can make that jump up to the Jag.

I agree SCM. Nothing ugly. I thought for me personally, I would like a MY17 AWD in black or white. I also don't mind the color that much though.

Thanks for the quick replies guys.

 

I plan to drive mine year round, so RWD is just not a realistic option for me.

 

The AWD R is a great choice ....and an absolute BLAST to drive. I would definitely recommend you find one with the blind spot monitoring and parking monitors as the car has limited visibilty from the cockpit. I have parking assist on mine, but haven't had the need to ever use it.

 

I appreciate it man. Thats the kind of tip I was hoping to get. Something youd only get as an owner.

 

As I have commented a few times before, the blind spot monitoring is fairly meh and can be annoying (you don't need it all if your external rear view mirrors are properly adjusted and you use them!) but the really really really essential thing is the reverse cross traffic monitoring which has saved my bacon many times. I believe you get both with the Vision Pack and maybe that is/was the only way to get the reverse cross traffic anyway.

 

I appreciate it man. Another very good tip

 

If the car you find has Pirelli P-Zero tires on it, ditch those as soon as you can, even if they still have decent tread life --- they are absolute ****. I installed the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires and it completely transformed the ride in every way.

 

Counterpoint—if you have the convertible (and especially if you’re tall), the blind spot left and right with the roof up is significant. So the blind spot monitoring is a must-have and IMHO it works very well—including cross-traffic. Properly adjusted mirrors definitely make the difference in most cars, but because I sit so far back when I look to my left in my driving position I’m staring at nothing but roof. Of course, the real solution is to just keep the roof down all the time and then the problem completely goes away, but rain and snow here in New England make that an impossibility.

 

Big +1!

 

He wants to drive it all year, including through snow so he’s going to need good all-season tires to replace the Pirelli P-Zeros, even with AWD. I, and several others here, can highly recommend the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus ultra-high performance all-season tires.

 

I actually got into a race this morning going to work with a Kia Stinger GTS. How ironical. I recently purchased my R about a month ago, AWD, V8, and I love it. It has some issues- for me it is very cramped and I have a terrible foot position because of my size 13-14 feet, so it would preclude me from long trips or a race track, but I love driving it. I absolutely destroyed the KIA- a bloody slaughter in fact. The funniest race I've had so far is with a Dodge Ram TRex. It has a 700hp hellcat engine in it, and costs twice what I paid for my '16 R. I blew his doors off by about 5 truck lengths. He actually flagged me down to see if I modded my car. I have not. The AWD is just ridiculous. You blast off the line and get three car lengths on your foe from the start. It's not fair. But, the RWD is probably a bit more fun if you like to slide the rear end around. I test drove both, and the RWD was more fun for me, but I couldn't say no to the "peal your face off" acceleration of the R off the line. I have an M3 as well, and there is no way a BMW can keep up at the stoplight. I wouldn't be afraid of a Ferrari streetlight to streetlight. The only thing so far that's been able to keep up with me has been a Tesla. P100 blew me away.

 

If you are looking for better Tech, I believe you will need to find a 2019 or newer car. I have a 2018 R AWD and the infotainment system is the old screen and tech. I drive mine daily spring through fall and enjoy it, but I don't think I would drive this car through the winter more due to ground clearance issues. I am sure with a good set of tires the car would do fine other than a deep snow. There are a few people on here that do drive the car through winter and hopefully they will chime in.
I have a coupe and for my use it has enough room for the everyday choirs such as getting groceries, but I also have a pickup truck for the larger items. With any sports car you will have the issue with headlights at night being at eye level due to most other vehicle being suvs or trucks that are a lot taller than an F type. I find the visibility out of the car to be sufficient other than the rearview mirror gets in the way while looking out of the windshield. I got use to looking around it.
The fuel economy is good for this type of vehicle, and I do not find the maintenance to be extreme, but of course this is a performance vehicle, and these costs are not as low as the car you own now or the Challenger you did own so be prepared for this. For example, I was quoted $480.00 for an oil change at JLR, I did it myself, but it still was almost $180.00 for the oil and filter. I just replaced the rear tires and had a 4-wheel alignment done and it cost $1200.00. Generally, I replace two sets of rear tires to one set of front tires, and I usually get 10,000 miles out of a set of tires. I had the panoramic roof replaced due to a crack in it and it cost $4000.00. I replaced one front headlight for $3500.00 plus my labor. Being this is going to be a daily driver this cost can add up quickly depending on the number of miles and you're driving habits.

 

the continentals are what I have on my current awd car. Only 370 hp, but the tires made a huge difference last year when I replaced them.

 

That is pretty ironic. I love my Kia, stomps boot-holes in regular 392 challengers and chargers from a dig, but from a roll, those big V8s are a handfull for my little twin turbo 3.3. I can't wait to finally get my hands on a jag, whenever that time may come. I am also impressed that you found a GTS out in the wild. There are only 800 in the world. Good find my man.

 

Really appreciate that info. I knew the cost of ownership would be higher, but didn't fully grasp it would be that high. Part of driving a luxury vehicle I guess.

 

For balance, I've had a few things done under warranty (diff seals, cargo cover, headlamp washer adjustment) but apart from that all I've paid out for is routine annual maintenance with a trustworthy independent, fuel and tyres. IME it's a reliable, inexpensive car to run (fuel and tyres notwithstanding!). Of course, if/when it needs parts .....