Ive owned a couple of Jags over the yrs, never really had any major problems with them. You have to consider several things though, one the term reliability is used for everything nowadays, so if a piece of trim comes of the handle that’s a reliability issue, frankly that’s not something I consider an issue worthy of print or ratings given its rarity. For me reliability means does it start and stop when you want it to and the answer for my Jaguars is a resounding YES!
Now Ive just recently bought a 2005 STR myself and my right foot is a little throttle happy(for now), im not sure the car could hold up to my current style of driving over a long period of time (years) but so far it hasn’t even flinched at the thought of my fat *** getting into it and stomping on the gas. So the R models deserve an asterisk *which should point out that if you drive them like the racing cars they are then things wont last as long.

All that said you have the warranty so you should be good to go.

 

That said, I look at it this way. You could buy a German built car, known for their ability to start with every turn of the key and do exactly what they are suppose to every time. They also have no style, no class, and are just flat out boring. It's a like a pinball machine. You can buy one with all the whistles and bells that may require a little more maintance, or you can get one with a plunger and hole that works every time. I know which one I want.

 

I dont think this has been an issue with cars for a decade or more and its not something I would be concerned about especially since you're bringing it to a warmer part of the country. If you look over the car and check the underneath you should be able to put your mind at rest really fast. I doubt you'll find anything to worry about on an 03 car.

 

Ah heck, buy a hundyi and you're set. With their 10/100 warranty who can go wrong?

 

Portmonkey, don't pass judgement too quick You'd be surprised to see how vastly Hyundai has improved and how Consumer Reports are praising the Make nearly as much as LEXUS!!!! OMG, and they come with an unbeatable warranty! If you want to see a good, affordable car, Hyundai is the way to go. BUT IT'S A HYUNDAI! My wife and I were going to get one, but it was Hyundai, so we decided to go with the used Infinity! JAJA, but it's still a great set of cars that come with a great deal!

 

Why yes they do but as BigDreams05 said, it's a Hyundai [sm=smiley36.gif]

 

Don't laugh too hard. Hyundai did show interest in buying Jaguar from Ford. I don't know how close they actually came to a sale, but the CEO of Hyundai finally came out and said they were not going to buy. They do want to enter the high-end market.

 

Phew, talk about the end of a car company!

 

I'd much rather Jaguar be owned by Hyundai than Ford. Overall, Hyundai TRUMPS Ford in nearly every category including reliability and customer service. I guarantee that the interiors on the new Jags wouldn't be as crappy as they are now, and if the contract between Hyundai and Jag were to stay the same as it is with Ford, where Jag makes it's own engines, then I think that overall Jag's value would rise!

 

Yeah, I am about to buy my car (first) and my dad is like, 'Why not a Ford Fusion?' I say, 'Yeah, dad Fusions are good cars, I guess, but guess what. It's a Ford. ' He just looks at me and shakes his head lol

 

p0rtmonkey,

It's been my experience that Jaguars are very reliable running gear wise. They get let down by the ancilliary stuff like HVAC, SAT-NAV and the like. I would tend to stay away from first-year cars since it seems as though the Brits view customers as unpaid development testers. I got a 2005 S-Type since it was rated fairly highly and it has gone through 6 years of development. You may want to read the Jan 09 issue of Jaguar World because they have a Saloon (sedan ) buyers guide for all but the most recent models.

Regarding the new Hyundai luxury car, it is the Genesis. It may give Lexus and Infiniti a run for their money.

Mike

 

I agree. I did considerable research before we decided to buy our 2005 S-Type 3.0 six weeks ago. I've always loved the look and linesof the beautiful Jaguar line-up but I was scared away by the long-timereputation of Jags being far too unreliable over the long run. My research convinced me that this 2005 S-Type would be a great buy for the money. Unfortunately for Jaguar, depreciation still nails them heavily but what an advantage that works out to be for those ofus who always acquire our vehicles when they areseveral model years old.

Any Jaguar owner who can do his own routine maintenance will be way ahead of the game. These cars arenotoriously expensive to service at the dealership, so if you can do-it-yourself or find a trusted local independent serviceprovider, you'll save significant money over its lifespan in your garage. There are a great deal of resources on-line, including this website, so do your homework before you plunge in. I've learned that my particular vehicle will go through itsbrakes much quicker than I'm accustomed to with our other vehicles, and that its manyelectronic modules areinterconnected and complex. So a good electronicsdiagnostic source maybecome veryimportant to any S-Type owner as the years pass.

Thus far we are very happy with our S-Type. It is a beautiful car, it is a pleasure to drive (especially on the highway), and most importantly to me, it is so much car for the money thatit cost me to purchase it. If I learn to take care of it properly andset aside adequate funds for itsmaintenance,Ibelieve that it will serve its purpose in our household for many years to come....

 

Wow, pretty old thread !

Rambling reply.....

As alluded to in a previous post in the thread, "reliabilty" can mean different things to different people. To me it means never having to load the car onto a flat bed in order to complete the intended journey !

I've dealt with customers who were tickled with their 10 year oldcar even though the a/c was dead, half the accesories don't work, and the trans is slipping.... but because it has gotten them to-and-from for ten years without ever letting them down, its "The most reliable car I've ever owned".

To others a buzzy radio speaker and a glitch on the nav screen makes a car an "unreliable piece of sh*t" and "the most poorlyengineered car I've ever owned. Totally unacceptable"

(As an aside I'll add that if I hear one more pushy, whining, cry-babyyuppie utter the words "That's unacceptable" I think I'll have a breakdown)

Two or threeyears ago I read an article...I can't remember every last detail....which summarized some industry research on high end luxury cars: Cad, MB, Lincoln, Jag, Lexus, etc. On average these cars made 5 visits to the dealer within the warranty period to have faults repaired on non-essential systems. In other words, the fancy gizmos are historically problematic.

Frankly it has always amazed me a bit thatsome peoplebuy such cars with the expectation that all the complexity won't cause some problems and/or add to the long term repair expense. The fact is, very often they are trouble free but we shouldn't act surprisedif they do give some trouble, IMHO. A twenty room mansion with all the luxuries will surely require more upkeep and cause more aggravation than a two bedroom, one bath apartment.

Ramble switch "off" now

Cheers
DD

 

To further Doug's thoughts....these cars are by and large cutting edge technology. That translates to "we haven't worked the bugs out yet." By the time Toyota and GM pick them up, they improve them and make them more reliable. Remember when electric windows were only in the top end vehicles? Now, you can't swing a dead cat by the tail without hitting a car with power everything. And, unlike those early high end cars, those power goodies work!

 

Hi Ken,

You're half right. I'll give you Toyota, but not GM.

Mike