All,

I am considering purchasing a 2005 x-type with 92,000 miles, and wondered if anyone had any advice for me... Please let me know if you have any advice - here are the finer details:


2005 Jaguar X-Type 3.0 AWD (92,000 miles)
Transmission: 5 speed automatic
Engine: 3.0L V6 with 227 Horsepower
VIN: SAJWA51C05WE24624
Clean title, no accidents

Drivetrain & other mechanical parts: The front passenger side differential has been replaced about 2 and a half months ago. If you do some research, you'll notice that Jaguar X-Type has some problem with the differentials when it goes over 70,000 ~ 80,000 miles. The great thing is, I already fixed it.

Electronic parts: Part of the wiring system has worn off, and the electronic system that unlocks the trunk is not working; the Jaguar X-Type purely uses electrical system to open the trunk. I checked with the auto-shops, and it will cost between $150 ~ 300 to fix it, depending on which shop you take it in to.

Thanks in advance!

 

Michigan, the big thing that I would be looking for in that car is whether it has the "DSC" (Dynamic Stability Control) button on the center console just below the gear shifter. If it doesn't, you may find the car is not as great as it should be for an AWD car. The reason being, Jaguar put a different style transfer case into the car starting in mid 2004. The new transfer case is stronger and shouldn't give you any problems (especially with the mileage on it since it was a preload problem from the factory), but the new case went to an open differential design. What does this mean to you? Without the DSC, you are essentially running around in a car that shifts between being a FWD and RWD vehicle based on which wheel is spinning faster. With snow and adverse weather conditions, what this means to you is once any wheel looses traction, all the motors power is going to go to that wheel unless you: 1) have the DSC which will use the braking system to slow the fastest wheel and transfer power to the other wheels, or 2) know how to use the brakes to make your own DSC system.

After that, look at the under side of the rear doors to make sure that those are not rusting out (common issue due to blocked drain holes) and at the base of the windshield, you don't see the paint bubbling from rust forming there (the cost to fix this is more than what the car is worth since it is a structural fix).

Most of the other problems that you are going to run into are easy fixes that if you can do some of the work yourself will make for a cheap vehicle to have.

Oh, by the way: GO BUCKS!!!!!! Sorry, had to do it. I grew up in Toledo and still root for the Buckeyes any chance I can get. Just welcoming you to the group.

 

Thermo -

Thank you for the great advice! I'll have to inspect the vehicle for all of the issues that you pointed out (DSC & blocked drain holes), and take it around for a spin first. Since the price is pretty good (around 2.5K cash), I'm inclined to buy it as a second vehicle for fun on a nice summer day. I just need to run the numbers on insurance, and pull the carfax report - I am seriously considering purchasing it!

If you have any other thoughts, I'd be grateful for the input! And...

Go blue!!

 

"Oh, by the way: GO BUCKS!!!!!! Sorry, had to do it. I grew up in Toledo and still root for the Buckeyes any chance I can get. Just welcoming you to the group."

Go "Bucks"? For a second I thought you meant Milwaukee Bucks. Isn't Ohio State the "Bucs"? You haven't been gone THAT long from Ohio, have you, Thermo?

 

Alfa, I have been in/out of Ohio for a minimum of 6 years now. It all depends on how you see it. I physically left Ohio in 1989 (26 years ago). But, I was a resident of the state until 2009 (6 years ago). So, how you want to interpret it is up to you. Gotta love active duty military status.

As for whether it is Bucs or Bucks, it is my understanding that it is always BUCKS. I see other people writing Bucs, but the school as I recall says it is the Bucks. Bucs would imply the Buccaneers. But, I may be wrong.

 

Bucks? Bucs? Doesn't matter as log as you didn't say Go Browns.

 

Alfa, growing up, who could I root for? You had the Browns, the Lions, and the Bengals. Hence why I root for the Bucks.

 

Hey, if things look good on the car and he gets it, I'd also suggest that he do the T-Case drain/fill just to make sure that a big problem doesn't come as a surprise shortly down the road.
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Jaguar: Grace, Pace, and Space - Sir William Lyons
'08 Jaguar S-Type 4.2 "Satin Edition"

 

Take the rear licence plate off. There are a couple of holes in the trunk lid behind there. Use a 10 inch cable tie around the release part of the boot lock. Push the end of the cable tie through the hole exploding bit outside the trunk lid. You could tape it down with a bit of gaffer type if you like. Replace the licence plate. You now have an emergency trunk release hidden behind the licence plate.