Hi everyone, I'm new here and have a question regarding a 2003 jaguar Xtype 3.0. I will be meeting with a seller later today and possibly buy the car for 2500. It has 100k miles no mechanical issues, has had a new paint job, and is in good shape. The problem I'm having is as soon as I told my family about the decision I was met with heavy criticism on the car, so I want to be at ease and make a judgment call myself wether or not it's worth it. For all you Xtype owners for all years and specifically 2003, how reliable is this car? Idk where they got the interpretation that it's a terrible car. I have done some research online and mostly the car is well recieved. Are there any potential risks I should be aware of considering it's high milage?

 

Those who have never owned a Jaguar, never driven a Jaguar , or even sat in a Jaguar are the most opinionated, and quickest to state that Jaguars are unreliable. Those who have owned modern Jaguars tend to have a very different opinion.

Let me give two real life examples regarding a 2002 X-Type manual shift 2.5, and a 2005 automatic 3.0 Sportwagon.

The 2002, owned for 18 years and driven daily by my wife: it sits outside 24/7/365. It has never failed to start, never broken down on the road and in fact has had only the following repairs: an 02 sensor, a water pump, a + battery cable and replacement of a nylon gear in the driver's seat up/down motor. In 18 years. It is a delight to own and drive.

Example #2: the 2005 Sportwagon: used as daily transport for 10 years, mostly garaged when not being driven. Repairs: NONE, nothing apart from normal servicing.

These cars are so unreliable that they can be compared to Toyotas - except that they are beautiful and more luxurious and make especially satisfying road cars. And they are Jaguars (no, they are not remodelled Fords).
But when looking at any used car, the service history and overall condition must be assessed. Further, if a car has gone 100,000 miles it is perfectly normal to expect that some parts (water pump, alternator, some plastic bits under the hood, suspension bushings..) may be nearing the end of their service life. That does not mean that the car is unreliable or that is in any way worse than any other make.

 

wow... thank you that was exactly the kind of peace of mind I need. Understandably, I know it's gonna need serviced more carefully. It will be my first jaguar and car with high milage but I'm excited as well, I've been researching all day how to keep up with it by yourself and that's my biggest thing, knowing there are tons of informative videos and forums to help any owner to ensure its maximum life span. I got lucky being the first to message him as he stated last night he had 100+ messages regarding the car especially on FB marketplace. I'll post an update if I was able to buy it off his hands. Thank you sir for your reply

 

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...bility-204798/

Heed Thermo's advice on "older" transfer cases (pre 2004.5 models).

 

appreciate the link boss I'll definitely be doing alot of reading here in a bit.

 

As one member's signature line reads =

A Jaguar is, after all, a cat. No matter how well behaved generally, one must expect occasional hissing and hairballs!

 

Exactly Dell!

We bought our '08 in Nov 2018 w/ approx 94k miles on it, my guess is that the car was a repo/auction car, it had no records other than what I was able to find via carfax and etc. Everything that one could/should check on private party/parking lot purchase checked out and the test drive went fine. The asking price was close to $3500.00 and my wife negotiated it down to to $3000.00. From the place of purchase to our home was maybe 50-miles and by the time we made it home the engine had developed a slight knock. We had the engine replaced with a used one for $1300.00 (parts, labor, and a 90-day warranty).

That experience did not deter me from buying a '07 for myself 3-mos later, as I enjoyed driving the '08 so much.

 

Thanks to everyone who commented on my post regarding my questions of jaguars. After a week of going back and forth I did have to decline my first meet up car was gorgeous and well kept at 150k miles. However, it did end up having 4 error codes p1385 p1388 p1572 and p0430. I did what I could on research on how much it would cost but I couldn't find any estimate without maybe going to a mechanic shop that does jaguars. Last night though.... I saw on Fb marketplace a 2001 Jaguar S type for 7000 and it only has 56k miles on it. I met up with the seller and car is in impeccable state it's absolutely well taken care of and could not pass up the opportunity to get a jag let alone under 100k miles. I just drove around for the night and will be taking her home.

 

Mines on 216,000, same engine ,trans fer case, just change lubricants ,and winter tires for the winter so you don't put any strain on the drivetrain