Hi!
I bought an XK8 earlier this year and am now a Jag addict. As luck would have it an X-type is good cosmetic condition has appeared for sale in my Midwestern small town. Potentially an ideal runabout - especially for winter, while "the Queen" is asleep. 2002, 126K miles, New alternator, fuel injector seals, plenum gasket, 1 year old battery, new engine cooling fan module, 10,000 miles on tires, new automatic trans radiator. It is described as "leaking coolant".

Hopefully, that just means hoses or the plastic connectors or the reservoir. See photos. Only visible coolant residue top side is around the reservoir. I can probably get this for $1500 and fix stuff like this myself. Only other visible thing is a missing rear side indicator lens and some peeled fake chrome off the rear trim. Interior is in fabulous condition. Blingy after-market head unit is fairly hideous

Am I completely insane, or should I go test drive it and buy it if the tranny is smooth?

 

I would be more worried about the transfer case. If the X-Type has a weak link, it is the transfer case. A drive will tell you whether you have a "box of rocks" (ie, broken transfer case) or something that is worthwhile. The other weakness that I have noticed is the rear brakes tend to not release and over time, what you will find is the e-brake lever will become extremely easy to pull to the top limit. The tip of the handle should only come up say 4 inches and you should feel an increasing resistance. If you feel like you are pulling the e-brake lever to the ceiling and there is no resistance, then the e-brake is failed on atleast 1 side. Easy fix (I have a write up on what needs to be done). Not a budget killer, but something that is good to know and could be used to talk down the price.

I tend to see the X-TYpe as more of a touring car than a sports car. The car is going to love you for driving it at 75 MPH. IT cruises wonderfully. You sling it from light to light, it will do it, but you may find that transfer case is going to poke up its head. The kitty is no slouch, but it can get a bit finicky. You will find that most of the problems that this car is going to suffer from are vacuum leaks. You are able to fix those, the car will be a cheap runner for you..

 

Great information. Thank you!

 

XK8Fan, based on where you live, you will probably want to also look at the bottom side of the rear doors. If the X-TYpe is going to rust somewhere, it will be in the sills of the rear doors. Any significant rust here is a deal BUSTER!!!!!!!! The cost to repair this (as it is a structural part of the car) is extreme and if you are just looking for something to drive and have fun with would kill your pocket book in no time flat. I would guestimate that new sills installed in the car would probably run you $4k easy. Kinda like I mention the transfer case. That would be like a $3k repair. You do the repairs yourself, sure, it can drop the price significantly. BUt, I don't know many people that have the jigs for the X-TYpe to allow replacement of the door sills and keep the body within the Jaguar specifications.

 

Thank you


! I looked closely at the pictures and zoomed in on the sills even before going any further! You can see here they look okay from a distance. I am going to give it a good look at though. As you can see the rear side marker lens is missing (only thing that is). But there appears to be a small bump in the fender above the fuel cap and the paint color shifts at the rear door. Could be a trick of the light or worse...

 

Xj8fan, you want to reach in behind that decorative trim piece that runs along the bottom of the body between the wheels. That is going to be the tell tail. Opening up the doors may expose part of the issue, but reaching under will be most telling.

Looking, you also seem to be missing hte leaper on the front of the bonnet/hood. I am sure that is a deal breaker there. He he he he he he he.

The body looks like it has been taken care of, so, you can only hope that the rest of the car got the same treatment.

 

Thank you again. Leaper is there in other photos. Biggest problem now is the seller - dropped off the planet in terms of comms!

 

Great advice from Thermo, to which I would add . . .

Mine is a later model, but first thing I did re coolant leaks was to replace all pipes and hoses. Yours are 4 years older. Half are rubber; half plastic; and new replacements include thermostat and fixings. No big DIY issues . . . my job took little more than 2 days but benefited from purchasing extra long pliers! A few extra inches between engine and radiator would have been so helpful. Budget about AU$200 (US$130). There are dozens of potential leakage points buried in here and all are more likely to fail than the reservoir/filler tank I still have the brand new replacement tank that I bought but have not yet used. One to watch is removal of air cleaner box . . . good advice is to clean box and replace filter once you have wrestled it out of vehicle. Don't need to go there twice!

As to general condition, I'm impressed with condition of wheels. For some reason, these wheels are often seen with kerb damage, although I suspect this speaks more to Braille dependent drivers rather than a Jaguar design flaw! By comparison, the dent above fuel filler is a badge of honour for a daily driver. OTOH, treat the fuel filler flap with great respect. Break this off and it it will cost for both the part and the painting to match!

Overall, and subject to Chris' (Thermo) advice re transfer case issues, the 2.5L or 3.0L X-Type makes a fine and reliable daily runabout, yet always ready to lope through a 400Km high speed country drive. Perhaps it was greeted with ambivalence at first, its longer term reputation has firmed at the hands of those who have owned them for years. I agree that it is no sportscar . . . certainly not a brilliant XK8 . . . but, measured against the uber-dull big brand offerings, the Jaguar X-Type offers a lot of comfort and performance for the money, and with the benefit that it lends itself to competent DIY. My preference would always opt for the latest available, especially for so little extra asking price, but that is a personal view. I think that anyone who embarks on such careful research (as you are) will be richly rewarded.

Best wishes,
Ken

 

Thank you Ken. That seller never responded! I am now on the trail of another. Should be seeing it this afternoon, an '04 but another poor communicating seller... I shall use the wisdom from this thread! Here's the target. Asking $2500 for a 135,000 mile car. Speedo does not work and left rear door will not open. They seem like fixable issues unless the speedo is dashboard related, but my guess is ring sensors. Will offer $1,900 and see what happens. Am I mad? I am after a nice winter car while the salt-free XK8 sleeps.

 

I was after an X-type years ago when I sold my manual Volvo V-70R. I found the S-Type more to my liking after driving one and never regretted buying mine. But, like you and yours, I do not use my S-Type on less than perfect days unless the need is great. So hunt goes on.

While styling is subjective. I find as Jaguars begin to look more and more Asian in design, the X-Type and S-Type look more and more Jaguar. The quality of materials used on the X-Type seems to hold up much better than most of the vehicles of a similar age. My advice is consider the 2005 and newer as a base starting point.

A good read: https://classicsworld.co.uk/guides/j...-buyers-guide/

Good luck.

 

Could not agree more. I would really like an XJ*. They look like "proper" Jags. The newer ones look like Audis. But alas they are beyond my budget for a third car for me and especially for winter. (My wife would explode.) The X-type would be a perfect runabout, while my two topless 24-year-old beauties (XK8 and S2000) take naps. Parts are cheap and lots of Ford interchangeability from the UK Ford Mondeo.

 

Hello, we meet again,
I have an 05 X type VDP I bought as a winter driver 20,000 miles and 2½ years ago with 160,000 miles on it. It drives nice on slippery roads but it's not for deep snow. The seats are more comfortable than my S type, but ride is much better in the S. If my S was all wheel drive I think it would be better in snow, due to its heavier weight and better road clearance. The very low front clearance of the X cost me an AC condensor, oil cooler and radiator when I pulled off to the shoulder to turn around.

Soon after I bought it, I had to replace a front wheel bearing and found that one spring was cracked and the shocks were shot. They're not sold loaded as a strut, so it's a touchy job—not for the faint-hearted, and of course, along with the bearings, should be replaced in pairs. I have read that the rear suspension is also a trouble spot.

Current issues are a failed lock actuator which means leaning over the seat to lock and unlock the passenger door, an upstream 0² sensor—it would be the one by the firewall—and a wiring issue with a wheel speed sensor(I've replaced the sensor, but haven't found the reason for no continuity in the ground because my XK is occupying my pit access right now).

A couple of common interior issues: Those pesky vanity mirrors, and what is it about Jaguar headliners? Every saloon I've owned has had headliner fatigue, and this one is starting. Another touchy job, but not as dangerous as playing with springs.

Wishing you the best of luck with this and your XK project. Rick

 

Thank you. Every X-type I have looked at is rotten underneath. Like burnt Ritz crackers.
I am currently looking at a Frankenstein XJR. Not really winter-friendly (other than being aluminum), but it's gorgeous, well rebuilt (from at least two cars!!) and super-cheap as a result.

 

Looked at many princesses but only found frogs. Latest is a low milage 2005. It is badged front and aft as "Type R". (Nothing on sides). Was that a real model, or is that just art? Brakes and wheels are nice looking. Only seen pictures so far. What do you think?

 

Hello, I have never seen one, so I did a search and found a thread on Jaguarforum.com that had lots of discussion and links. Apparently there was a concept car that never went into production, and some x type owners put Type R badges from Hondas on their grilles. Sorry I don't Know much more. Best, Rick.

 

Makes perfect sense. It's a Honda badge for sure! Only engine mod appears to be tossing one of the covers, painting a manifold red and adding a K/N filter. Cute. In a way.

 

The concept car was a car than should have been. There was a quite nice black wagon briefly on the market a number of years ago with a few understated modifications including Jaguar R-badges stuck on but not looking bad. Your find is neither.