I have an opposing view for those considering a used Jaguar X-Type.

I bought my 15 year old, 40 thousand mile X-Type for 5k and have invested about 5k in suspension upgrades, preventative maintenence, and minor repairs. I have since put 15 thousand brutal miles on it and only once have I had to pull over do to any issue.

I have owned many used cars and two brand new ('02 and '08) cars. I bought this car for my son, but I can say this with certainty: the X-Type is, hands down, the sweetest driving, sweetest looking 35k (original sticker price) car I've ever driven. Consistant compliments asside, the cost of a used X-Type seems (to me) worthy of the additional investment.

I love my X-Type, so I bought my son another car and am keeping it.

 

car repair vs car payment

 

You bought 20 cars for last 30 years, that average 1.5yr/car, so you never kept one long enough to know which car is reliable, you get rid of reliable Pontiac V8 probably it rusted so bad, when you brake your foot went trough the floor. $1600 for a 13 years old car you expect nothing go broke? At least you have a nice car with solid body hard to find rust on it. here my suggestion: Instead work on it to replace this and that now and then, how about just replace every thing new at one, see how long you have to work on it again!?

 

Case closed

 

Casting another vote with Jag4 that the X-Type is NOT, as a whole, a money pit.

In my case, the first one I got was purchased just under four years ago with 99K miles. It is now at almost 155K miles. The largest expense has been the replacement clutch at around 135K miles. To me, that was early but I had made the mistake of letting someone else use the car across a period of a few months and I believe they were not exactly gentle with it.

The other X-Type (the 04.5 in my signature) was also a steal at the price I got it. My ex wound up trading it against something else.

Buying ANY used vehicle carries some modicum of risk but due diligence helps to mitigate that risk. Some of what OP describes is not expense that should have been potentially unexpected. Are there design issues that make some repairs more challenging? Sure, but this is not unique to the X-Type. And the plugs are a minor thing compared to some other vehicles (anyone ever deal with a Fiero that had the six cylinder?). But with plugs that can easily go 150K miles before they need to be replaced, it is far better than having to deal with plugs and points every 12K miles (or sooner) with cars of a bygone era...

My experience with the X-Type as well as my XK-8 (now at 175K miles) played a BIG part in why I was willing to get the F-Type. As long as someone does their due diligence, I have ZERO qualms with recommending the X-Type to someone even though it may be a 10-15 year old vehicle...

 

I wonder if owners of Mondeos have the same feelings re reliability?

 

I give mine props, under $150 in parts, a couple bloody knuckles and 6 hours under the car to make 200K miles. Bought it used for 2K with 150K miles.

Not headache free but I assume that no inexpensive used car will be.

You may make more money charging a tenner to let frustrated owners beat the **** out of it with a bat. There were a few times I .........

 

They made hundreds of thousands of X-Types and seems few have been money pits. Would be odd if there were none.

 

I’ve owned my unashamedly Grandad spec 3.0 Sovereign auto for 6 months now and it has been.... superb.
Clearly it has been looked after and I intend to do the same, that is the key. Previous owners who skimp on maintainence or ignore issues to grow into more significant ones cause the unreliablility, not the cars themselves.
This is true for all manufacturers of course.

 

I just hope the OP never buys himself a boat

 

Or, heaven forfend, a plane!

 

Would be interesting to know what happened in the end with his X-Type and what he got to replace it and if he is happy with it. Seems like his activity on here stopped a couple days from when this thread started and I can't find any reference to him on the UK forum anymore.

 

Long painful discussion here. I bot an X type 6 months ago, 10 years old with 170,000 miles on it and it is running fine. I had to buy two tires and I got someone to change the transmission fluid, and I just replaced two parking light bulbs. The car did not cost much, if it gives me too much trouble I can just walk away. Any reliable new car would have depreciated more in the first 100 miles.
P.

 

Nice lil thought there ccs, I guess most new cars do lose move value leaving the lot than most used x-types cost. Like it