Great to see a busy forum!

I'm giving back my BMW lease and want to buy a used X Type as always been fond of Jags and they are not so common on the British road as German cars

So I definitely want a 3.0 V6 (btw are they all 4 wheel drive?) in the range due to the acceleration and power.

However I'm stuck as whether to go for a Manual or an Auto gearbox. I value speed, acceleration, power and engine noise(!) over practicality although living in London, UK an automatic would make sense 'cause of the congestion, traffic lights etc. Also like knocking down a gear on bends!

Also MPG between the Auto and Manual - is there any difference? I do 12,000 miles per year on average

I want to know which would be the better option for me and which transmission 3.0 V6 drivers (past or present) prefer and why!

Fire away!

Cheers

Splashback (Newbie from across the Pond)

 

Hey Welcome.

It's a question of personal choice I guess, there is also a sport and non sport option. Sport gives a bit lower stance, adds bolstered seats and lower profile wheels and tires. It's important to remember one thing about an X type, great cornering with the AWD, but not a point to point launcher. The weak link is the transfer case, you dump the clutch a few times at 3500 RPM and it will grenade all over the road. I prefer the automatic, it has lots of snot but isn't a 1/4 miler at the best of times, but I've taken it through the twisties and mine has the sport package but it grips the road and is tons of fun on windy roads.

 

welcome aboard splashback...the essex boys are in town eh?

Do your research in the X type quick FAQ links......loads of info there. Most will tell you there's little difference mpg wise between the 2.5 and 3.0 V6 ( Both will be AWD btw whether they are manual / Auto )
Get the T/C fluids sorted ( sealed for life is boll***s )
Few minor isue with the early ones so look at an 04 or later if possible at least....you'll pick them up very cheap so look for a good one!
I'd go for the Sport over the SE setup too unless you like lots n lots of chrome?

Good luck...

 

I'll take a minute to grandstand a little about my previous 2002 x-type: While it was primarily utilized for auto-cross and road-racing, I did run her through the quarter-mile and clocked a 13.8 ... Not anything like my modded SLK55 that ran high 11's, but not bad for an X-Type!
Please take into account my X-Type was gutted from the backseat to the trunk and had a lightweight racing battery transferred to the trunk, empty reservoir tank, less than a quarter-tank of gas, a Mazda6 ECU upgrade with a custom-built true cold air intake, full stainless catback exhaust with custom Y-pipe from the headers, valve-body upgrade(for quicker,harder shifts) lightweight wheels and a full KW Variant coilover system and a lightweight 150lbs driver.... a VERY fun car to road race!

BUT, I should add: purchase from 2004+.... My 2002 Had an enormous amount of stupid little problems and BIG problems. My 2006 has been flawless.

 

I ave a 2005 3.0 Sport with the manual transmission and it's been great in the 2+ years/40K miles I have put on it so far. I drove both an auto and a manual when I was looking and I really am glad I got the stick. To me it really transforms the car. If you look for a 3.0 manual they are pretty hard to find as the years went on. 2005 wa sthe last year for them too.

 

Thanks for all your input guys

Wonder why there are so many problems pre 2004? Unfortunately my budget only presently allows me to stretch to a 2002/2003

I will go for a manual though

 

Definitely go for the manual as the auto trans is what puts the X-Type down IMO.

 

Seen a black 3.0 V6 Manual with loads of added mod cons...... BUT the engine is knocking. However not sure if it just needs a (big!) repair OR full replacement?! The seller says it is a repair job but I'm not so sure. The car is priced very cheap (£1,000) BUT I'm not sure what the cost of the work would be and if in the long run the problem could persist.

Also how easy is it to find a Sat Nav disc as the one on this is missing?

Thoughts?

 

Btw it does start and drive but can't be driven far while the problem remains...... hmmm

 

Don't know about the knock, a bottom end knock is a spun bearing and that's not going to be cheap. Top end could be almost anything since it's OHC so....

The NAV disk is really cheap if you want an older one. You can find torrents of the newer ones but it's hit or miss whether they will work in the drive, some people have no issues and others there is no way. EBay has the disk for anywhere from 20.00 for an old one to 200.00 for the new one.

Like I said I like the auto, but then I'm not a kid and drive in heavy traffic too much so wouldn't want another standard. I also tend to think with a heavily or even moderately modified X with a manual tranny I would assume the guy was HP hunting, which leads me to believe he might have been a little less than gentle on the car, but that's just me. I won't buy a car with a broken cigarette lighter, doesn't matter that I would never use it, it's the fact that if a 2.00 item is not fixed what are the chances the guy would fix a 1000.00 problem.

 

That's definitely given me food for thought.....thanks Sidewalkman

I'm prepared to spend the money on it as long as it puts an end to the problem but that's never a guarantee obviously. How much is the replacement and labour likely to set me back by an approved specialist?

Btw what is HP Hunting? The first thing I said to him was that he's definitely driven it extra hard...... but it turns out he's the dealer. Financially wouldn't be better for him to get the work done and sell it with a margin or is there no margin on it after a job like that?

 

HP = horse power, I looked for more almost immediately but other than lightening the car and adding a cold air intake there isn't a whole lot to be done, they don't make a chip or anything and like I said the transfer case is not bullet-proof so that further limits you. Spun bearing could be caused by something as simple as moisure in the oil getting under the bearing, and the knock is unmistakable. If you have to get any europian car serviced it's not cheap, so that's why the dealer isn't doing it. No doubt he's checked and found out it's a bottom end rebuild and would be over 2K in repairs.

 

hi mine is a 2001 3.0 auto with 50k love it love it love it have driven in London and give me auto every time all the stirring the stick clutch pressing and if you are worried about fuel get a gewiz also autos are kinder to the engine

 

This sounds like something you would want to run away from. You know nothing about the history other than you can tell it's been driven "extra hard". If you have major engine work done by someone I'm sure it would be a few thousand dollars (pounds?) easily. But after the engine is fixed maybe something else could reveal itself. You could be in for a lot of costly headaches. It sounds like you want to buy this car because it looks affordable. From your brief desciption I would guess it would be anything but that. Better to look around and find something that is in better shape than this one. Or at least oen you could at least take out on a proper test drive.

Curious, what kind of "mods" does it have?

 

keep looking on autotrader for the right one to come along i saw a couple of dogs before finding mine they are about so try and be patient mine is v low milage and the guy who had it before me had it serviced at guy soloman in oxford main dealer every year without fail.

 

Grateful for all your input

Yeah the cost of work was ridiculous over £2k just for a recon engine with 75k miles!

Think the guy will just have to sell as parts as makes no sense business wise to purchase that and have the added headache of having repairs done.

Tis a shame as the car has obviously had a fair bit of money spent on it and looks the part

I do want SE due to the few added luxuries and steering controls. Not sure about the chrome on the bumpers though. I would get it lowered and get xenons installed too. Guess I want to have my cake and eat it lol

Not in any rush to buy, just been making a few low-ish offers and leaving them out there. So many with high mileages (80k plus) and no service history so biding my time.

Seen one not far from where I live in the colour I want (Indigo) and good mileage (my friend did HPI check for me and it isn't clocked!). Full SH. Only issues are seller hasn't renewed tax this year (?!) mot runs out this month and most of all scratches on driving door and slight crack on the boot. Hopefully shouldn't be too costly to fixHe has accepted an offer (subject to conditions of paintwork) 19% below advertised price so I will go to inspect it tomorrow. Also will take it to a local garage for some tests and an mot before I part with the cash

Wish me luck

 

Oh and maybe a new sports grill.... f'in sexy