I have an opportunity to buy a 2005 X-Type with 65,900 mi for $3950. I'm suspicious of the low price, considering the miles, but CarFax is clean with 2 owners. Would need to have it checked out mechanically. Looks to be pretty much pristine condition.


My biggest question is whether or not it's worth it. The 2005 X-Type has great user reviews on Edmunds, but they mostly spoke to the styling, handling, comfort, etc. I'm really only concerned with reliability and the cost of maintenance.


Have never looked at Jaguars before because it's not in my budget so I don't know too much about the upkeep. Do you have to go to the dealer for maintenance, or can my regular mechanic do the work? Can you get aftermarket parts? I've been reading online that Jaguars are notorious for being unreliable and needing lots of maintenance but, again, since I've never looked at them before, I don't know how accurate this is.


I suppose I'm mostly interested in hearing from folks who have been driving a 2005 or later X-Type for a while and can speak to the reliability (I understand they made some significant changes from the previous X-type models). The price of the one I'm considering seems great, but not if I have to drop $1000 every few months on mechanical issues.


Also, I'm 6'1"...will it be comfortable enough for me?


Thanks for any insight and any information you feel is pertinent!

 

Jmg, first off, welcome to the Forums. Lots of good information and very to the point into here. But, please stop by the New Member Section and give us a quick intro. We pride ourselves in being a very friendly group and as part of this, we like to get to know one another. I think you will also find that the JF people near you are fairly active and we like to get together periodically to have a day of looking over other Jags.

As for getting the car that you are looking at. Lets first start off with how you plan on driving the car. This will make a big difference believe it or not. If you are looking at something to cruise I-95 day after day, then this will be a nice car for you. if you are looking for something to go light to light and have some fun tossing it into curves and come out of them hard, then this car is going to cost you a lot. The X-Type is more of what I call a cruiser, not a sports car. It will cruise at 80 mph all day long and do it in style. You do stop light to stop light pulls, the transfer case is likely to give up on you.

As for other problems, this car is not any more or less reliable than other cars I have bought. The beauty is now that you have found us, it can save you a lot of money if you even have a little bit of mechanical ability. Most of the problems that we are experiencing with this car can be solved with an hour of time and basic hand tools (most of which seem to be vacuum issues).

As for cost of parts, if you stick with us, we can tell you what is interchangeable and what is not and this will allow you to get parts at a much lower price. There will still be the occassional part that you will have to get from Jag, but we can even help out there.

The big things that I would be looking at with the car are the following:

-Drive the car at 65 MPH and see if the steering wheel shakes (if so, most likely either a bent rim or the front alignment is in need of adjustment). Also listen for a hum that will sound like it is coming from the front of the car (possibly from under the driver's seat). If you have the hum, the centering bearing on the rear drive shaft at a minimum needs a little bit of lube applied.
-take a big sweeping turn at about 25 mph (direction doesn't matter), now, step on the gas like you are going to overtake someone. Does the rear end feel like it is going to step out on you? If yes, then you have some rear suspension work in your near future which will set you back about $200 and 2 hours of your time
-look on the center console and make sure that there is a button there labeled "DSC". It will be right next to the gear shifter. If it doesn't have it, you may find that this car that while it is AWD, will not be any better than a FWD or RWD vehicle due to how the transfer case was designed.
-when starting the car, roll the ignition switch to the RUN position (do not start the car) and make sure that the check engine light comes on (will look like a little engine block in yellow light) and then start the car and make sure the light goes out.
-Drive over some rough patches (doesn't need to be anything extreme) and see if you hear a clunking sound coming from the rear. If so, then you most likely will be replacing something in the rear suspension in the near future (most likely rear shocks).
-apply the e-brake and release before you go out for a drive and as soon as you finish the drive, do a check of the rear tires to see if one is extremely hot. Some cars seem to suffer from the e-brake levers on the rear calipers sticking in the engaged position.

I know you may be going "my god this is a lot of problems". These are just things that we have noticed a lot of people comment about. If you are worried about needing a specialized mechanic to work on the car, don't be. A lot of this car is designed around the same principles as what most Ford vehicles are. So, repairs on this car are not any more difficult than what you would find in a Ford Fusion/Focus.

As for fit, I am 6'. I sit with the seat pretty upright and while my head just misses the ceiling, I don't feel cramped in it either. You lean the seat back just slightly and I think you will have all the room you need.

I have owned my 2003 for 7 years now and only had very minor problems. Not anything that I would not have expected from any other vehicle that I had owned that long.

One that thing, you mentioned aftermarket parts. There are very few available. Pretty much you have a body kit, a minimal wing for the trunk, and an exhaust setup (2 actually). The rest of the "kits" that you are going to find are going to be things adapted from other vehicles that just happen to fit on the X-Type. If you are looking at "go fast" parts, see my comment above about the transfer case and how the X-Type is a cruiser. Some members have installed much nicer radio setups than what came stock, but keep in mind that most started with the basic radio. If you are looking at a car with the Nav built in, you will find that replacing the radio in the dash is going to be a very involved process and most likely not worth the money it will cost.

If you have more questions, let me know. I live just south of you down in California, MD.

 

Welcome to the forums! You have come to the right place. There is no better, friendlier, more helpful forum on the internet. If something can happen to an X it has been discussed, diagnosed and fixed. So, if you decide to buy you are in good hands here.

I have a 2005 and have had it for about 6 1/2 years and it has been one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned. The car now has about 145K miles. I can heartily endorse this car. The bad press concerns the early cars that had some teething problems mostly from the transfer case. Late in 2004 they changed it to a non-viscous set up. However, unless you have DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) on the 2005, it will not perform well in the snow. You will know if the car has that by an icon of sliding car where the alarm light is by the shifter. You can do a search on here for the particulars. Fan control modules on the early cars were problematic as well. Not so much on the later cars.

Other than that, vacuum leaks are common, but usually cheaply and easily fixed. Water pumps need to be replaced by about 100K and the rear lower control arms will need to be replaced by then. The car is also sensitive to a weak battery. Others can chime in on some other things, but I think those are the main ones. As long as you keep up with maintenance and change all fluids regularly chances are you will have a very reliable car.

Best advice I can give you is to have it checked out before you buy it and then read...ALOT...on here. There is nothing mysterious or exotic about these cars than any competent shop can't handle and if you are mechanically inclined you can work on this car. Hope it works out for you as if it seems as advertised that is a smoking deal. Maybe post up a link to the ad here so others can see anything unusual about it.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

Welcome JMG. Few things to add...

$4,000 is really not very much for a used car with 65,000 miles on it, and the X is a NICE car. The very reasonable price has to do with the age - but if you go shop online for used X-Types you will typically see them going for more than that one.

As for your main concern - reliability - that's another reason the price is affordable. Jaguar has never managed to live down the reputation for unreliability that they earned in the 70's and 80's - which still haunts them - and their prices. The X-type was designed and produced under Ford ownership. Its got a better tuned version of the Ford's Duratech engine, which is a solid powerplant, offered in 2.5 or 3.0 L.

I've had my 2003 X-type for 6 years, from 35,000 miles to 80,000 now - and it has been very reliable. Other than consumables like rotors and pads, I have only had to do 3 things in 6 years - the water pump, the vacuum leak, and the washer reservoir. I use the X-Type as my daily driver.

There is not much difference between years in the X-type, all that comes to mind is later models had a different steering wheel. They only made the X-Type from 2002-2009, and in the US you usually only see the 2003s - 2007s - so it wasn't a long production run.

 

By the way, I am also about 6' 1" and have never felt cramped or hit my head on the headliner. You should fit fine.

 

Wow...awesome information here. Thanks! Glad to hear the reliability doesn't really seem to be much of an issue. I definitely won't be using this as a sports car, but rather as a daily commute car. Besides maybe braking too hard at times, I don't drive a car hard so I definitely won't be pushing it to the limit.


Will need to go check the car out in person and give it a test drive.


Thanks again for the great info!

 

I've had my 2.5 Auto SE X Type from new in 2005. It has been entirely reliable. Other than consumables, in 70k miles the only defects have been one O2 sensor and a split in the coolant header tank.
The 2005 models and later are good ones to go for as there were useful improvements introduced in 2004 and 5. The main ones may not be self-evident, however, significant modifications have been made to the body shell, door and underbody.
Additional changes to the Body area include:
• A bolt-on front-end that: provides a weight reduction; improves repairability and service access.
• A new front bumper to accommodate the bolt-on front-end and front parking aid (where applicable).
• A new trunk-lid finisher with unlock button on the lower face.
• A new stack-bracket mounted to the left-hand side of the trunk to accommodate the multimedia modules.
Changes to the Chassis area include:
• A new driveshaft (AWD vehicles only) with sliding spline and sealed CV joints.
Changes to the Powertrain area include:
• The redesign of the fuel system to meet USA Federal LEV 2 emissions requirements:
– New fuel tank.
– New carbon canister (NAS markets only).
– Deletion of the fuel rail ’schraeder’ valve.
– New filler pipe assembly and cap.
Changes to the Electrical area include:
• The battery junction box, which interfaces to the wiring harness via eight connectors instead of being hard-wired.
• Optional front parking aid.
• Minor modifications to the instrument cluster.
• Refinements to the Entertainment System which, where applicable includes the introduction of a remote power amplifier and new speaker configurations.

Further changes introduced for MY2005 are
Improved rear brake calipers (To cure the sticking handbrake problems)
Updated steering wheel with thumb wheel buttons
Organ pedal throttle to replace pendant type
Improved Passenger Restraint system
Introduced Lower Air Bag above driver's legs
As ever in car manufacture some of these features may have been introduced a little earlier in any particular car, but I've tried to list them as published by Jaguar.

They're great cars IF they've been well looked after!

 

Hello & welcome . I have a 2005 2.5 Auto ( Uk spec LE " Spirit " ) Nice compact cruiser saloon ( sedan ) Something a bit different , with the added benefit of 4x4. A daily driver you can enjoy .

 

I've been driving a 2004 x-type for about 4 months now, and I love the car and the way it drives. But of course, there are always pluses and minuses. So besides what has already been said, you should also consider the following:
- Jaguar recommends premium gas; some may debate that, but let's say you choose to use premium. Around here, the cost differential between regular and premium is about 30 to 40 cents per gallon. I get around 19 mpg city/25 highway. So at 20 mpg, you might use about 600 gallons per year, and this will mean about an extra $180 to $240 per year. Also, my insurance was higher (I guess bodywork and a Jag can be expensive) by about $300 per year compared to a more "common" car. So, I pay about $500 per year premium for driving an x-type. Over a five year ownership span that's about $2500. Since I'm somewhat of a car enthusiast (compared to someone who doesn't care what they drive as long as it runs) I don't mind paying extra.
- A few minor negatives about the car: There's not lock/unlock button on the door panel; there is no trunk release button inside the car; there is no indicator on the instrument panel for gear selection. Also, mine has no ipod input. One thing I absolutely love about the car is the steering wheel. I have the combined wood/leather steering wheel and love the look and feel of it. In fact, after I pass away I've left instructions to remove the steering wheel and bury it with me.
So, get all the information you can and make an informed decision. Have it checked out thoroughly. As for me, I'm going to take the car out to the highway, point it down the road, turn off the radio so I can listen to the hum of the engine and purr of the transmission, and just .... drive....

 

Well, sadly, I was unable to get the one I was looking at as it sold over the weekend. Bummer! Just a little late to the party...first saw it online Saturday and that's the day it sold. However, now I am very intrigued by the X-Type and am still looking around at any available in my area. Not in any real rush to buy one so I can afford to wait.


However, as I understand it, I would be best off limiting myself to 2004 and later models, correct? Are these fairly reliable beyond 100,000 miles?

 

This is pretty much representative of what I'm finding in my area for 2004 or later:


2004 Jaguar X-Type (LEATHER HEATED SEATS)(REVERSE PARK CONTROL)(MEMOR AWD 116,482 miles - Stock #14835B - Internet Price: $5,794 - Retail Price: $9,999


Not sure how put off I should be by the mileage.

 

That one doesn't have DSC. I'm sure your going to want that where you live.

 

jmg, not sure how much you want to spend. But, do some looking at what an XJ would run you. For the extra little bit over the X-Type, I think you are going to find it well worth the money for the bigger car and the better ride. Granted, keep your eyes open, you might be able to get my K'Re Ann for a fairly cheap price when I get my 2011 XJL.

 

Oh, yeah, I thought I saw that in the vehicle description but I guess I imagined it. Will the button say "DSC" on it? I thought maybe the button with the "S" is what that was for.

 

The button with "S" is for sport mode. There should be another button instead of the little coin holder. That would be your DSC.

 

Also listen for a hum that will sound like it is coming from the front of the car (possibly from under the driver's seat). If you have the hum, the centering bearing on the rear drive shaft at a minimum needs a little bit of lube applied.



Can you be a bit more specific? Mine has a noticeable drone/whine above 60 mph but only with foot on the throttle, lift off and it stops.
Where is the centering bearing and how do you lube it? What else needs lubing at the same time?
We've just had mine up on the lift (it's a 2004 2.5 SE estate) and couldn't see anything obvious that could be lubed.

 

Steve, the centering bearing is located on the rear driveshaft. If you crawl under the car, you will see it in the middle of the driveshaft. Pretty hard to miss it.

As for lubing it, all you need is a grease gun (preferably loaded with Termaline) and a needle attachment. Then you can access the one side of the bearing and squirt in some grease in 3-4 spots evenly spaced around the bearing.

If you grease the bearing and you notice your noise going away, then that would confirm the issues with the bearing and give you an idea of whether you need to replace the bearing in the near future. Granted, mine did this 5 years ago and I greased it and all has been good since.

 

Thanks Thermo but I'm still not clear, maybe it is the definition of the bits that is conflopting me.
When you say rear drive shaft do you mean the rear of the prop shaft or the rear drive shafts of which there are 2 and if so which one?
I take it that there is no actual grease nipple involved?
A photo or diagram would assist greatly.

 

This thread shows the bearing. https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...earing-104146/

And this thread shows how to grease it. https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ring-faq-9853/

 

Is there to use the VIN to find out of the car is equipped with DSC? Using the VIN decoder on this forum but not seeing it listed anywhere, even for ones that I know have it. Is the "Jaguar Traction 4" the same as DSC? Some say that and some don't.