Hello,

I am considering buying a Jaguar. However, I have just moved to US from Russia with my wife. And do not really know anybody who could give me an advice concerning purchasing a car. And i am not a mechanic at all. I have no idea about cars. I was driving Renault Logan for few years in Russia, and thats all. My wife is a good driver, but like me dont know anything about cars. That’s why I would be really grateful, if somebody could help me with my decision. I am planning to use the car while living in the Santa Clarita area of Los Angeles. I will mostly use it to move top the city and take little trips outside it from time to time. My budget is around 7000$. Firstly I was considering Volvo S60, Toyota Camry/corolla, but when we were searching ebay/carfax listings - my wife said she really likes Jaguars, and was always dreaming to have one. When I was searching I encountered several options:

2003 Jaguar X-Type Base Sedan 4-Door | eBay
(only 48k miles)

2006 Jaguar XJ8 L Sedan 4-Door
(much more mileage, but higher class)

We are now moving from NYC to LA, so I was searching in both areas.

So, my main question - is it good idea to buy Jaguar when you have only 7000$? Is it a guarantee of few years of peaceful driving, if mileage is only 48k?
What can you tell from the offers I found? Are they looking good? Can you trust the mileage suggested? What if one of the cars only has few service history records throughout 14 years? Would you recommend any other tips on choosing a good healthy car?

Thank you so much for your help and time!

 

Alexey, I think this question is a little deeper than you might think. Lets first see what your driving skills/desires are like first. The XJ is going to be a much wider car and some may find it difficult to drive because it is a "big car". This is where the X-Type is going to have an advantage over the XJ.

HOw much performance are you wanting/going to use. This is where the scales are going to tip back and forth a bit. The XJ is going to be a more sporty car pretty much any way you look at it other than possibly in the cornering department (AWD does have its avantages). Where a big negative may exist is if you are planning to drive the car likes a sports car, the X-TYpe is going to be an expensive car to own potentially. The weakness of the X-Type is the transfer case. They were known for being weak when the car was new and do not like a lot of torque applied to them (ie, what the car sees coming off of a stop light/sign). Once at speed, you can use them to their full use without much worry. Both cars are going to cruise the highways very nicely with the XJ having a slight edge over the X-Type. Both are going to have sufficient power for most people.

A "problem with the XJ is going to be the motor. IT is going to need a timing chain replacement every 60K miles. To have a shop do it for you is going to run you around $1000 (3-4 hours of labor and roughly $500 or so in parts). So, that is something you may want to ask about with the XJ. The X-TYpe is known for having vacuum leaks. Very easy to figure out through the help of this site. So, do not let this prevent you from getting the X-Type.

Both are going to be potentially expensive cars to own if you can't do atleast some minor maintenance on your own (oil changes, brake work, minor engine issues). This is where finding a quality mechanic that you can get a good working relationship with is going to pay dividends. Unfortunately, there are shops that see the leaper on the hood and think you have unlimited funds and will find every possible problem and make them sound like you have to fix them all because the car is going to fall apart for a "measely $5000". Talk to us first. We can normally step you through a lot of things and atleast tell you what you have to get fixed and what they may be pulling your leg on.

Big things to check for with the XJ is a rock solid idle RPM. If the timing chain starts to go, the idle will start to bounce around some. With the X-Type, the check engine light is going to tell you a lot, a quick drive around the block and not hearing what sounds like rocks in the front of car (ie, bad transfer case), and having an e-brake lever that is not easy to pull to the top and still not be able to hold the car on a slight incline (rear brake caliper issues).

 

Thermo is very good on these two cars, I like to add my 2cents about the sites to looking for a car online: CarGurus, AutoTrader, CarFax, they virtually have any cars you looking for, they post many pictures for each car inside and out, tell you how far the dealer located from you, dealer rating etc. You can compare them right on the site before make decision to actual go to see the real car. Second, By the way you state in your post, I suggest that you get a real basic car to get around and learn to fix it yourself, until you can do some basic car repair, own some tools, then you can think about buy a Jaguar, it's can costly to own one. People here can help you a lots, expectantly Thermo, Paul and many more, but you must be able to DIY.

 

not if that is all you are planning to spend. You mention you do not know much about cars,
and I am assuming you do not work on them too much. Even low mileage examples have suspension issues. Main issues with these cars is transfercase and transmission durability. The X type is a pretty high maintenance car. Even within the context of Jaguar ownership.

not really. Issues will come up. These cars are pretty needy. Owner involvement is key.
you won't be able to just forget it and go. The XJ has its own eccentricities, but as far as I know it's not as demanding as the X types

QUOTE=Alexey Kurbatov;1743108]What can you tell from the offers I found? Are they looking good? Can you trust the mileage suggested? What if one of the cars only has few service history records throughout 14 years? Would you recommend any other tips on choosing a good healthy car?

Thank you so much for your help and time![/QUOTE]

These cars depreciate but are not cheap to run. If you think you are going to spend 7K on the car and forget about it for a while, then I don't think either may be a good fit. Specially not an X.

 

Not applicable to the 4.2L engine in the car he's considering. These engines are pretty bullet proof.

I don't think buying a 10+ year old high end car from any OEM on a limited budget, no $ allowance for repairs and no DIY capability is a good recipe for happiness.

 

Thank you all guys for answers.
You can congratulate me, i bought XJ8 2004 with 77000 miles. It was third car i checked, the best from theese three.
I have checked car with mechanic, and it seems pretty good.

The only two things which bothers me - sometimes (it is hard to explain) but when i am going slow, may be braking slowly, i think transmission doesn not go lower (from 3 to 2 speed i suppose) when it is time to do it, so i heard engine louder than i expected.

and second thing - when i am going faster than 70mph - it is a lot of sounds outside of the car, like car has a lot of prominent parts everywhere - and wind creates a lot of noise becasue of them.