Looking at buying a used X type. I do a lot of car research before I buy something but I have to say I have looked at least 10 of these cars, that last one was an 03 with 90K miles. Looked brand new as the lady who owns it keeps it spotless and in the garage, it is a weekend car. Took it for a drive, ABS light, Engine Light, car would hardly run when it was cold, power seat would not go up or down. Oil leaking under the engine. Several of the cars I have looked at had lights on the dash. Should I give up, seems like they are plagued with issues and I need to have something I can drive sometime longer distances without issues. What are your thoughts?

 

I've had my '04 for about six months, bought with 103k miles, now near 109k. I've put a fair amount of work into it to bring it up to my standards. I think it's a fine car; very easy to drive, very comfortable, sharp looking. Wife loves to drive "Bridget" as we have named her. That said, I think you'd be pleased with one of these - but as with all cars it's just a machine that needs to be fixed if it's been neglected. Most of the issues you've seen can be repaired, but investing in a Pre-purchase Inspection is money well spent, IMO. In your area do you know of any independent repair shops that have Jaguar experience?

 

Lynnpt! The car was 15 years old, honesty we all love the X-Type here, doesn't matter what issues we get with it, we all try to fix it, every body would help to solve the problems, that's nice thing about this Forum, once it run, it is a beautiful luxury classic, comfortable, good handling in snow or dry road, like the beautiful woman, you have to take good care of her to enjoy the ownership of her, you don't want to let some body else take care of you woman, don't you? Now Seriously, the way you description, I see the lady own the car only know how to keep the car look nice, and of course not many lady know how to take care of the the engine and drive train, if you think you can give it the labor of love to bring it up to the perfect, then go ahead buy it if the price is right, but if you have to depend on the garage to fix it, then forget about it, go buy a Toyota.

 

I know several people who have X Types and their cars do not have any dash lights on. At that sort of age, much depends upon how the car was looked after (or not, as the case may be!).

There was a lot of revisions in the 05 and later cars, I myself would prefer a later car over the 02-04 models. There was a lot of updates in the transmission in particular.

Be patient and a good car will turn up! Is there a local JCNA affiliated car club you could join, and perhaps the members could let you know if there is a good car being sold?

 

Could just be a failing battery. You'd have to test it.

 

Lynnpt2001, I see that you are in Pa. Make sure you buy one that has DSC. They are much better in the snow.

 

lynnpt2001, all those lights can simply be cause of a failed wheel speed sensor. This is where knowing what codes that the car is seeing would make this question much easier to answer. Most of the problems that people see with the X-Type are fairly easy to fix (most even by a non-experienced mechanic). This is where this site is such a blessing.

I owned an X-Type for 7 years. Never had a major issue that a little bit of time with the car didn't fix. Most were very cheap fixes (under $50).

Now, something to bring up that others have talked about. In early 2004 (build date is written in the driver's door jam), Jaguar made a change to the X-Type and this resulted in a different wiring harness and a different transfer case (those were the major upgrades). The big thing is the newer transfer case didn't transfer power to the wheels as effectively as the older transfer case. This is where having DSC (dynamic stability control) is vital if you plan on driving it in the snow. If you need more info, let me know.

 

Thanks so much for you replies. The car I was looking at has the DSC button, regarding the build date and the updates, what date should I be looking for? Which cars have the updates?


The car I was looking at also had 3K of things done to it in the last 2 years, intake gaskets, ABS Sensor, IMT rings, Valve Cover gaskets, and more.


I also didn't see any ideas why the car would barely run when started cold? That was a major concern for me.



Also I understand the oil leak may be an oil pan gasket which means pulling the motor to fix?

 

There could be a number of reasons why the car would barely run when cold. Could be something as simple as an old fuel filter or simple vacuum leak to a failing fuel pump. Hard to speculate. Best way to at least have a good idea what you might be up against would be to get a code reader and check the codes. If you could, erase the codes and see what comes back as there could be some very old ones that have been addressed.

If $3K worth of things have been done to it in the not too distant past I would think that is a good indication the previous owner kept up on maintenance. Like someone else mentioned, you are looking at a car that is 10-15 years old. No matter how well someone takes car of their car, after that period of time things start to wear out. If the car overall seems well taken care of with a documented history of maintenance, chances are good that the check engine like you see now isn't something too serious.

To change the oil pan gasket requires either the dropping of the transfer case or drilling a hole to better access a somewhat hidden bolt. Do a search on here about that. Certainly not the most elegant design, but many members ignored it as it was only a couple drops (like me), but it can be an expensive undertaking if done by a dealer.

Good luck with your search. These can be great and reliable cars if you do your homework ahead of time like you mentioned. Best thing would be to continue to surf this site. If it happened to an X, someone here has figured out a fix.

 

Model year 2005 and newer, so a build date of 09/04 or newer. I would look to get the newest car you can, as they made running changes throughout it's life.

The cold running could be a simple as a coolant temperature sensor failing. Hard to say without more diagnosis. Ideally, I'd want to plug in an OBDII reader with a live datastream and see what temperature the ECU is seeing and see if that corresponds to the actual temperature of the coolant. That would be my starting point and go from there. Hard to say any more without actually seeing the car.

 

I am still hunting. Found an 06 VDP edition. 98K miles. Car looks like brand new. No oil leaks. Runs fine. But! Engine light is on. Dealer says it is an 02 sensor. Needs new rear rotors and pads, I can install them no problem. What do you think? Other issue, 3 previous owners, something I am finding very common with these cars. Makes me feel like they gave up on the car and traded it in. Does have the DSC option also.


I also found a white 05, 93K miles, no lights, ran good. Still worry about the major issues, transmission, etc. I know an older car comes with risk but it seems like the odds are against me.

 

Found a 2006 VDP edition 98K miles, with DSC, Car looks like new, not kidding. Engine light is on, otherwise drives fine, Needs new rear rotors and pads, I can do that, dealer says light is 02 Sensor based on the OBDII. Problem with this car? Carfax doesn't show history from about 57K miles to current. Should that be a concern?




Also found 2005, 93K miles, no lights, car runs fine, needs new tires soon. No DSC.


Any opinions would be appreciated?

 

Since you're in PA, others have mentioned that having DSC is better for the snow. Think I'd hone in on that one. O2 sensor replacement is fairly straightforward, though I've not done one on an X-Type. Would think you could have one done at shop for $200, less if you want to DIY. Don't think gap in Carfax history is too important; I'd ask to see the service invoices for reviewing. If seller has services arranged in order that will tell you a lot.

 

lynnpt2001, the first thing that I would do with the 2006 is have the dealership plug in their code reader (bring one with you if you have one) and plug in the reader to the OBD port (under the steering wheel on the right side, near the center console). From there, you can read the codes for yourself. Depending on the code reader, it may even tell you something about the code from there. If it says that it sees an error with the O2 sensors, then it may very well need them (not that difficult of a job). some of the better code readers will even let you look at real time data and that would confirm a bad O2 sensor (they normally read like 1.0 VDC as I recall and a bad one will read 0.0 VDC).

That will also give you an idea if there are any other hidden treasures out there. Probably want to also read the codes after say a 10 mile drive. That way, if they have cleared the codes, after the drive, they will be back.

As for the Carfax, that is a questionable document in the way of being updated anyways. So, I would not worry about it too much. I would give the body panels a once over to make sure that all the paint appears to have been painted at the same time and also look in all the door jams and under the hood/trunk for signs where there was masking done and a new layer of paint was applied. You should see the same sort of spray pattern in the various areas (ie, under the hood, in the door jams, and a third pattern around the trunk opening).

After that, if you can do the work, low ball them and get the car for a steal. You will find that a lot of cars will have the check engine light on for a vacuum leak (ie, P0171/P0174). This is a common problem with the X-Type and it is easy to solve too if you know where the common problems are located.

 

If I was buying a car from a dealer, I would expect them to have it in good running order before I purchased it. Sounds like they know what the problems are anyway.

 

Question, what is the best way to find out what options are on a car? Does the vin assist in any way?

 

Yes, VIN tells all of that...

VIN Decoder - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum

 

Also try FordEtis home page

 

I wouldn't be looking at any 10+ year old car, never mind one that costs twice as much to fix as a Honda or Toyota. Lack of knowledgeable mechanics along a route (unless you can DIY) make it even less of a good choice.

 

Now thats a little odd mikey as in 2013 you made the following post.

"Hi guys, I'm visiting from the S-type world thinking about adding an XK8 or XKR to the fleet. This car :

2000 Jaguar XKR Convertible - Ottawa Cars For Sale - Kijiji Ottawa Canada."

That would have been a 13 year old Jaguar, has the last 4 years really made you that jaded about a 10+ yr old car? ;@)

I love my old jag and wouldnt want anything else, and i would NEVER trust anyone other than me to work on it.
Best cheap beater i ever raced