Hi guys, o i'm thinking about buying X-Type or S-Type, but what i want to know, which model is The most efficient and reliable (engine / year / diesel-gas-lpg / gas usage / etc. )

Please give me your opinions about what's wrong with and what's good with these car models

 

nezinokle, I am going to attempt to cover the gambit here with what you are seeking to know. Granted, part of it is going to be based around what you want the car to do as some of the changes over the years had pros and cons with them. I will only be talking about the X-Type as the S-Type is a different beast all in itself and you should probably get the information from those that deal with the cars all the time.

Lets start with the big decider here. Do you need AWD or can you get away with 2WD. If you live in a snowy climate, having AWD is going to be helpful, but at the same time, it also introduces a potential weakness. If you are planning on "racing" from light to light to get the most performance out of the car, then going with a 2WD car is going to be almost a necessity as the transfer case does not handle repeated high RPM shifts really well. If you want something to get out on the motorway to cruise at 120 KM/HR, then this really doesn't matter. But, keep in mind that the transfer case will also cost you about 2 mpg (3.5 KPG) due to the extra drag on the drive train.

If you are looking at an AWD vehicle, then you need to be aware of something else with the transfer cases. The early production cars (01-early 04) had a viscous coupling in the transfer case to help relieve stresses that would build up in the drivetrain and ensure you had atleast 1 wheel in front and 1 wheel in the rear turning at all times. The later year cars had this coupling removed to eliminate what appeared to be a weak point. But, the result of this was if you didn't get the car properly equipped, you essentially had a 1 wheel drive car. So, if you get a newer X-Type (ie, manufactured after March 2004), make sure that it has the "DSC" button on the center console. This will ensure you get maximum traction in adverse weather. The earlier cars, the DSC function wasn't really needed.

Now, for the type of engine that you are going to desire. To the best of my knowledge, the LPG cars are an aftermarket thing. So, that is something that you have to do your own research on as the kit that gets installed is not something I can cover every possible aspect about here. As for the diesel and petrol variants, you have a few options here and you need to decide what you are after. The diesel engine will get the best mileage, but then, a lot of people know that and they are going to be asking a higher price for them. Also, the diesel variant is less likely to come as an AWD. If mileage is a big concern, then your next option is the 2.0/2.1L motor. But, again, if you are looking for AWD, you are going to have some issues finding it equipped this way. As for the 2.5L and 3.0L motors, both are going to get about the same mileage believe it or not. The 2.5L motor needs to be rev'ed up to get any decent power out of it and the 3.0L motor doesn't as it has lots of low end torque and therefore doesn't need to be rev'ed as much. They both use a lot of the same parts, so, reliability isn't really a question. From our experience, any of the motors you select are going to last out to 500,000 KM easy with proper maintenance. The 2.5L and 3.0L motors do have a tendency to develop a vacuum leak, but with minimal knowledge, you can fix the issues yourself for fairly cheap.

When it comes to options, like I mentioned, if you are getting an AWD car that is of the newer generation, the DSC function is almost a necessity. The rest of the options are more a personal preference. The Nav is nice, but at the same time, if the Nav goes out, you tend to loose a lot of functionality inside the car as the radio controls the A/C-Heat too. You get the basic radio, then the controls are separate and you can do what you want with the radio.

With all that I have said, I will tell you about my car. I have an 03 3.0L with most of the interior options. I have 155,000 miles (225,000 KM) on the ODO and I am still running on the factory transfer case. Do I baby the car? I don't blast off of lights routinely, but then, I am also not afraid to push the car either. Most of the problems that I have had (O2 sensor, thermostat, shocks, tires, rear trailing arms) are common to almost any vehicle that you would buy based on the mileage. I tend to average around 25 mpg when cruising the highway at 70 mph (110 KPH) with some city driving in there. If I do only highway driving, then I can get upwards of 30 MPG.

In summary, the X-Type is the entry level Jag. Some don't even call it a Jag as it uses a lot of Ford parts (off of the Mondeo). This is nice in that you can go to your local auto parts store and if you know what crosses over, you can get a lot of what you need without going to the dealership. But, at the same time, are you going to get a true "Jaguar ride"? Some would say not. The ride is nice. So, is that really a problem? I will let you decide.

The transfer case is going to be your most likely weak spot. You be hard on the transfer case, it will be hard on your wallet. You drive sensibly, it will outlast the car.

The other issues with the car are fairly common to other vehicles and if you get one, we have all the fixes here.

The S-Type is a nicer car, but if you need AWD, then the S-Type is out of the question as it never came with AWD. The S-Type also has the option for a larger engine. So, if the need to get up to speed is there, the S-Type is going to be your better choice. But, at the same time, that is also going to be reflected in the lower mileage you will get.

 

there are should be 2 categories of Jaguar owners:
auto mechanics
people who have extra $2-3k for repairs (rich people )
Which category are you in?
X-type is about size of Honda Accord and Accord is more reliable and cheaper to repair, probably 40% less gas, premium vs. regular.
You asked to save you, that is what I am trying to do.

 

Do they really need that much of repairing?

 

I want to know that too, who had X-type for a few years?

 

Here are my repair expenses thus far (had this car a bit over 2 years now):
2012-03-26 Transfer case propshaft seal leak fixed & oil changed - $295
2012-05-25 MAF-sensor, vacuum intake hose and external temperature sensor replaced - $324
2013-03-13 Right rear brake caliper replaced due to a leak - $465
2013-10-03 Polyurethane bushes fitted to rear control arms as old ones had play in them - $202
2013-10-28 Intake manifold IMT (tuning valves) O-rings replaced - $105
2014-03-06 Clogged transfer case breather vent opened, leaky propshaft seal replaced & oil changed - $315
Aaand tomorrow; left rear brake caliper will be replaced due to a broken handbrake mechanism.

I've been told numerous times that my car is in an extremely good condition and that I've had very little issues with it, but your mileage may vary since each car this old is a unique case.

 

Transfer Case, Leaky Reservoir Tank, O Rings & Vacuum leaks are just some of the things you should Familiarize yourself with when buying an Xtype... Get some of those common things done & then they are great cars!

 

You got ripped off every time. Seal cost $10 and it is 30 min job. Brake caliper was probably made of gold. Did you call auto parts store to find out price?

 

I have owned my car for 6 years now. Over that time, I have made the following repairs:

-2 sets of tires
-new pads/rotors
-repaired the rear calipers 3 times each side due to sticking e-brake lever, one time on each side I replaced the caliper.
-new IMT o-rings
-new PCV valve and hose
-new air filter (upgraded to a K&N filter)
-replace lower forward and upper control arms for the rear of the car
-did a good cleaning of the purge valve to get rid of a P0455 code in my car.
-new battery
-new blend door actuator due to not controlling temp properly
-new water pump
-new thermostat

For 6 years of owning the car, I don't think that is really all that bad except for the e-brake levers. Now, I do need to do some front end work (ie, new tie rod ends, struts, lower ball joints), but that is typical wear items for any vehicle.

I don't see this car being any more or less reliable than the other vehicles that I have owned.

 

Compared to what each would cost in what country?

Here, a Jaguar-specialized garage charges $130/h and it's not even the dealer ($180/h). An OEM rear brake caliper is somewhere north of $700, so I had a non-original spare fitted. A wood & leather X-Type steering wheel, for example, is $1600 from dealer compared to the US price of under $500, so I sourced a 2nd hand one from UK.

I've checked the prices every time, I have JEPC so it's a simple task with the part codes, and the prices have been in line. I haven't really found an "auto parts store" here which would stock any of the items needed in the repairs I listed, they have spark plugs and air filters, not brake calipers nor Jaguar OEM sealant kits.

 

Get a low mile cheap one. It is Ford based with AWD. I would say do not pay more than 7 grand, under 100K miles and you will be fine. Great alternative to a Subaru. Never take it to a Jaguar dealer

 

'05 3.0 auto; owned from 9/08 to 5/13, traded with 85K miles of which I put on 50k.

Repairs: both front wheel bearings, transfer case, rear propeller shaft, rear control arms with bushings, head lamp (due to plastic mount failure), driver's side door lock, hood release cable and latches, rotors/pads, one wheel.

That's all I can remember right now
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Jaguar: Grace, Pace, and Space - Sir William Lyons

 

IF you don't turn your own wrenches and don't have 2K a year reserved in shop funds, buy the s-type. I personally like the x-type better but the s-type is my eye's is more reliable. I owned an s-type for eh about a year, not one dime outside of oil and gas. Still kick my self for getting rid of it.

Starter Motor
Vac Line
Clutch ($450ish for the parts and two full weekends of hard work)
Constant watch over the t-case and fuilds
Brakes

I suppose that wouldn't have been that bad if I didn't blow the clutch.

 

one more thing, is it REALLY BAD, to put in LPG in the X-Type? I know that most of you will tell YES, but i want some reasoning :P

 

Maybe I am wrong. I don't know price of caliper. Seals here are $3-15 usually. Maybe Jaguar has some special seals and they are hard to install.
If you have snow in Finland all the time (Santa Claus lives there , right?), nobody wants to repair cars on drive way.

 

car5car, the seals on the calipers are super easy to install. I can rebuild a caliper in about 30 minutes. Nothing difficult about it. The hardest part is probably sliding the piston back in and even that normally doesn't give a lot of trouble.

 

I have had my 2002 x-type for 2 weeks and its been on jack stands since day 2 and I just ordered $500 worth of parts....

If your not into turning wrenches, honestly it's not the car for you, I would say even with extra money for shop repairs, it's just not worth it! Unless you are buying a much newer year car from a dealer with warrenties etc... (even then, maybe another model?)

I pretty much knew this was going to be the case with my car and I know I have more issues to fix, but for me it works. I barely need a car, my wifes car is the good reliable 'family car', and I can take the train to work if I want.

For years I have been keeping $500-1000 car's running by fixing them because that was my only option, (aside from a car note) Now its time to have a $3-5k car that looks nice to keep running! I'm moving up in the world!

While there is some sticker shock on the price of parts, (compared to GM) you can find good deals. Mind you, these are parts bought online and then installed myself! If I had to go to a shop, forget it, I would have bought a $3,000 honda. But, instead its spring time, I have mostly free weekends, and a nice garage and lots of tools to use right now. So I am happy to have a nice car to work on, that I will likely have less then $5,000 into with 80k miles. Once its running well, I will know this car like the back of my hand. It should last me 4-5 years, who knows maybe more, which is my goal.

Good luck in your choice!