Considering buying an 04 X Type for sons first car-What to look for?
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 24
Likes: 4
From: Charlotte NC
04 Sport: I was in your identical situation as a manager at an import dealership. We traded a very nice '03 X Type with 81k that I bought for my son with the intention to let my wife drive it until he turned 16 (15 months). My wife ended up really liking it and my son didn't so she kept it. To Thermo's point, I was worried about a teenage boy with poor impulse control driving it with the notoriously fragile transfer case so I am fine with my new arrangement. I replaced a leaking AC compressor and have put a new battery and battery cables on it in the course of a year and that's it as far as repairs. I have also had the transfer case fluid, trans fluid, and rear diff fluid replaced for preventative maintenance. I'm still amazed at what a nice car it is for such little $.
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 290
Likes: 9
From: Texas USA
New to the forum and I already can see myself spending countless hours here. I have come across what I feel is a smokin deal on a 1 owner 2004 X Type and want to make sure I am taking everything into consideration before making the purchase. This will be a gift to my hard working son for his first car and it is the following - 2004 X Type 3.0 in Salsa exterior and charcoal interior. One previous owner and clean Carfax. No paintwork , garage kept and is like new inside and out. Literally spotless everywhere. The original window sticker shows the Sport Package $2750, Navigation $2300, heated seats $500. and X1 power/conv plus pack $1150 for a total new of $40030. I still do not know what is in the X1 plus pack but am certain with some research I can figure it out. My main questions are of course wanting to make sure I am not getting myself or him into a death trap, an unreliable first car or a money pit. I would rather just get him something else. This car is so eye catching I cannot help but consider it. Are there any areas of concern I should be mindful of or specifically have inspected before purchase? Is this model year a reliable year? What should I expect to do immediately regarding maintenance? Are there any known issues that I should be aware of? Would any of you hesitate to purchase the above vehicle for your sons first car and why? I am not concerned about insurance rates as that is handled. Can a reputable mechanic work on this car or is it a dealer only type of thing? I do not live close to a Jag dealer if that helps. Thanks in advance for your input!
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 300
Likes: 37
From: Issaquah, Wa
A few questions, how many miles? Is it a manual or automatic? When was it last serviced? Any reputable mechanic that deals in German or European cars should know what to do. They’re not terribly hard to work on.
Veteran Member
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 3,918
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From: Victoria, Canada
And here is important advice: have both the transfer case fluid changed (75W140 synthetic) and the transmission fluid changed (if it is an automatic - that unit is a JATCO 506E unit used also in Mazda, VW, Land Rover and others). There is no difficult in servicing these very reliable and highly UNDERrated cars - they are wonderful highway cruisers! Tell your hard-working son that this is not an oriental stoplight jack-rabbit - he should resist the urge to practice full acceleration starts from a stop - this is very hard on the AWD transfer case. Treated properly, these cars are good for 250,000 miles.
My wife is now in year 15 with her 2002 manual-shift X-Type which is used daily and sits outside 24/7. In these 15 years it has had TWO (2) mechanical repairs: replacement of an oxygen sensor(quite common), and replacement of the water pump - nothing else.
It receives no special treatment, just an oil/filter change once a year (and the transfer case fluid has been changed once). But it is treated with the respect that a Jaguar deserves - the result is that it looks excellent and drives as it did when new (and we have had two other X-Types, same story).
My wife is now in year 15 with her 2002 manual-shift X-Type which is used daily and sits outside 24/7. In these 15 years it has had TWO (2) mechanical repairs: replacement of an oxygen sensor(quite common), and replacement of the water pump - nothing else.
It receives no special treatment, just an oil/filter change once a year (and the transfer case fluid has been changed once). But it is treated with the respect that a Jaguar deserves - the result is that it looks excellent and drives as it did when new (and we have had two other X-Types, same story).
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Beardy
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Sep 18, 2015 10:00 AM
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