As a young enthusiast, and college student, I was disappointing when my 1983 MB 500sec Euro died on me two weeks ago at 180k(cruising at 90 and headgasket blew). Since then I have looked over my budget(multiple times), and began the search for a new car. Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and Porsche have been at the top of my list until a few days ago when I found an '04 2.5L 5speed with 46k miles on it for $10K. I was honestly quite surprised at the condition and the fact it was manual. My only gripe is the radio/center console looks way outdayed. I absolutely love the lines of the x-types, and have done a lot of reading on them.. Looks like the main problems are vacuum lines,TC,propshaft bearing. I plan on looking at the car on tuesday, and if they agree to replace the transmission and TC fluid i will probably pay the 10k. Haven't talked to them but tires are definitely brand new and according to carfax brakes were done at 35k. Just on here to say hi, and ask what do you think of this deal? Really hoping for 3years/30k miles of nothing going wrong.

 

hi and welcome.
the x type is a nice car, but being a college student beware that it is hard to find used or aftermarket parts for, and when you do find parts, they are expensive.
when things break, its at least double what other cars cost.

 

any good/common examples? there is a lot of talk of the TC but it seems many talk about how empty/abused it seems to have been yet it's still operating. I know they run $1500-3000..If i looked at that plus another thousand in parts in 5-6 years i would be happy and could do it myself. Even though i could "AFFORD" for that to happen I would obviously rather avoid spending that much, all the owners with +100k have me optimistic.

 

headlight ballasts -150-350 each plus ignighters $50 each used
transmission (auto) dealer wanted over 8 grand...got it rebuilt for just over 4 grand
all the speakers died at once...somehow the wires all lost connections at the same time.. so i tapped into them and added a new wire onto the cones..they have been workin for a year since.
a/c compressor leaked, had it warrantied
thermostat is $90 i think, waterpump isnt excessive, but went through 2 in a year..most likely because first replacement was defective.
sway bar link kits are $90 each..my truck was $10 each....(just for a comparison)
jag wanted $380 for a seatbelt buckle plus install, they refused to sell just the part... i found a x type that cought fire and got it for $50..put it in with the help of my friend.
power seat gears are stripped, goes forward and back, but not up and down.
sunroof motor keeps messing up...it seems more like a sensor issue...it will close all the way then re-open... you have to inch it closed.
power wire almost cought fire... the wire was melted and getting crispy.. a couple more days/weeks the car would have been no more if i didnt notice it. jag wanted $90 for a single wire... i went aftermarket and modified it for $15
ive been lucky with some parts but i put a lot of research and messing around with it to fix the issues.
not saying its a bad car, its fairly easy to work on and i really like how it drives... but beware, things go wrong on it more than it should, and i had a jag mechanic say please dont bring it to him for any electrical issues.....that was just 2 weeks ago..and wasnt a good sign.
im going to keep hacking at this car till there is something big i cant work around.

 

Ya English cars have always seemed like electrical nightmares..I'd like to put myself in a jag/MB/BMW as not much else is exciting unless it's a v8 with terrible mileage..really leaning on an slk230 which mom is saying impractical on all 2 door roadster, but my dad(co-signer) would like to see me get haha cant make everyone happy except myself.

 

Look into the CTS and CTS-V. The V has come down in price I saw 1 lised at $16,900 with 70ish miles on it...that's a steal.
I'm sorry I'm just a cadillac guy. LoL.

The jag is a very nice car, and drives amazing. I've been looking for 1 for miself to use as a daily to replace my truck...but I want a stupid good deal.. I'm waiting on a 03 with only 20 or 30 k on it, my dads friends wifes car...should be trading it in in about a year$

 

I have a 04 2.5 manual trans X and I have not had any major issues with the car. I bought it with 19k on it and now almost 5 yrs later I have 64k on it.

I bought it with the Jaguar select warranty and only had to replace minor items like: Intake gaskets/O-rings, bushing, battery, overflow tank and some other minor items.

Along with regular oil changes, tires, alignment, brakes, trans drain and fill, TC drain and fill and rear diff drain and fill. It has been really reliable and with all this snow in the NE it has been excellent.

IMO 10g's seems high for a 7yr old car.. Haggle with them alittle and see if you could get it for $8500-$9000.. Even though the car is nice, the 2.5 manual X is the base model X and doesnt have all the bells and whistles like the 3.0 models have.

 

those items you listed were under warrenty so i doubt you saw the prices... ebay a used overflow tank is $200... i know because ive been looking for 1...
dont know what intake gaskets will cost but i dount it was cheap.

agreed... haggle a little.
these cars are not bad... just hard to come by parts. if you like the car get it. its more practical than the other options you listed. however if you are looking at a Porsche and can afford it i would be going that direction as long as you know not to drive like a 19 yr old in it.

 

I have an automatic 2002 x-type 3.0L with 123,000 miles on it. I am a college student too, and it's expensive, but a great car. i hope to get 2-3 more years out of it. It's crazy expensive to maintain, but has saved my life multiple times (performed great when another driver crossed into my lane nearly hitting me head on). It's also great in the snow. I love the car, but hate the bills (especially the premium gas). Goodluck on your search. If I had to do it again, I would buy it again in a heartbeat!

 

Im a student too, have a 2002 2.5 manual, got 105k when I got it. Love it, newbie11 is right, its really good in the snow. I put premium gas too, or else the car will gives knocking in the engine (AKI). The parts are higher than japanese and american, and if you manage to find a good one, x-type usually won't give you alot of problem and yah, in the end of the day you got to drive a jag.

I would order the parts from this website and bring it to a mechanic I trust. Just remember dont bring your car to pepboys, firestone and etc, bring it to shop that repairs euro cars.
http://www.gaudinjaguarparts.com/par...?siteid=214626

 

I can only imagine myself as a 19 year old student. I would go for a Ford or Chev. certainly not an import, BMW, Merc or Jag are nightmares to repair, anything half way major goes wrong and it's a bank loan. There is almost nothing unless you are a decent backyard mechanic you can fix yourself and parts are serious cash. You're going to get what you're going to get but if you were my kid I would try to change your mind.

Now I'll get into the kids these days rant. my first cars were either muscle cars I got for a grand and worked on myself or junkers. I don't get either my kids or any other kid for that matter that thinks at 19 they should be driving a car none of us could afford until we were 30. And a no income student wants to drive a luxury sedan. Odd.

rant off.

 

I also am a student and I can luckily tell you repairs have not been that bad. I've had to replace my battery, and a wheel bearing. My trunk latch is also giving me trouble but I'm sure I can fix that for around $200. The lines of the car are great and it is fun to drive!

 

That looks like a good deal - I'd jump on it, but beat them down on the price (offering cash money helps if you can do that). Very nice that it's a manual, sorta makes up for being a 2.5 instead of the 3.0.

I bought mine two years ago with 35,000 mi - and I'm up to 55k now - with no real issues (and Ihaven't done the TC flush yet either). My rear-view mirror did fall off the inside of the winshield, and i had to re-glue that, and i changed my brake pads.

They are great cars - solid, reasonably powerful, and sexy as all get-out. I also love that they aren't yet another dime-a-dozen riceburner or autobahnner - you don't see too many of them on the roads.

If you're reasonably handy and not afraid to tinker, you can handle alot of repairs yourself. I find that fun and oddly rewarding. Parts are readily available on Flea-Bay, and there's some GREAT expert advice from the experts, expats, thermonuclear engineers, and fanatics on this forum.

If you do get it, I think you're going to like it - alot.

 

Work hard at school. Prepare for the future. Buy a used honda civic that will be flawless until you are done with school, pay back your loans, build some equity....THEN reward yourself with a luxury european auto.
Don't put the carriage before the horse. Take time to assess 'Risk.' Meaning, an X-type carries more 'possible' opportunities for either eating into your wallet or making you have to use your credit card. Why not own a car more reliable with less risk inherent, so you are not backwards when you get older?
This is the Obama generation.....

 

Hell, I say buy it. If it doesn't work out maybe Obama would give him a bailout.

 

Probably true, although technically, it would be our taxes that truly give that bailout, not that ridiculous, non-business-owning,communist idiot of a president....

 

I will proudly be voting for Barak Obama AGAIN in November 2012. It will make it more interesting if the Repugnicans and Teabaggers run someone other than their finest Moose shooting redneck from Alaska against him.

 

Id say get it. I got mine while i was in college and it was/is a great car. minimal issues as long as you do the regular maintenance. Plus for the price I dont think you can really find a car that has a look and feel that its worth way more

 

I'm a 19 year old college student as well with a 2002 2.5. I bought it last November with 100k and I've put about 6k on it since then. I have a bad knock sensor (possibly) and a rear wheel speed sensor out. These were there soon after I bought it and I haven't had a chance to fix them strictly due to lack of time. I think I'm gonna have to get new bushings and end links as well.

It certainly isn't a cheap car to maintain. But honestly I don't get the big deal about a student have an X-Type. Personally I think it's a stretch calling it a luxury car; it's an entry level Jag. My mom's Camry Hybrid is more refined and "luxurious" than the X-Type and my 2002 Mercedes ML was certainly more fitting of the term. You can find X-Types for as cheap as $5k these days, on par with an average Civic/Accord/Corolla/Camry of similar years/mileage.

As young students we're going to have different priorities financially. And if buying the car is a mistake then it's a mistake he'll have to learn on his own. You can only advise someone on so much, the rest they have to figure out for themselves.

 

The price is high, you can do better.

If you have money, or your parents do and don't mind parting with it for your car, maybe do it then. If you need repairs and go to the dealer, it will cost you a good bit, that's just a fact. I would have spent well over $10 grand on repairs on mine (over 5-6 years) if most of them were not under warranty.

If you don't have much cash, or don't work on cars, this may not be your best move. That's just my honest opinion. I loved my X, but I'm not going to pretend it was cheap to own.