y wife and I are looking at getting an X-Type for a family car when our child is born early next year. I'd prefer a Sport Wagon but am fine with the regular Sedan. A couple questions: Are these all AWD or is that an option? AWD is a must here in Boise for the wintertime as my wife refuses to drive in snow (she wrecked a Mustang on the freeway once in the snow). And also, what kind of mileage is too high? I know it would depend on how many owners and the maintenance history and such, but is there a limit I should steer away from? I don't mind higher miles if it runs. Any help would be great! Thanks!

 

I have a 07 X-Type sedan here in SLC, Utah. They are AWD (40/60 I believe). As for mileage, maintenance history is a key factor. Many of our members have well over 100K on their X Types. Get the newest model year you can.

 

Model year doesnt really rate that high when you're talking mileage. Really depends on what type of mileage (highway, city, if the previous owner(s) ran the car hard, etc.)

Most modern cars (when I say modern, i'm talking late 80's and up), can run for however long depending on a ton of factors. Most importantly is maintenance. Second most important imo is how the car was driven. Find a jag that was mainly driven by an elderly person. Preferably one that hasn't seen too many winters. If the person you buy it from has the maintenance records, then the stock for that particular car should skyrocket. Usually people who keep maintenance records actually "maintain" their cars.

And as for a limit, there is none. Most jags that i've come across haven't even eclipsed the 100k mark yet. Its reasonably easy to find one under 100k, but even if it is over 100k, that shouldn't be a deal breaker.

And i believe all x-types are AWD, but don't quote me on that. As for a family car, I wouldn't necessarily recommend an x-type. If you are a taller gentleman, your seat will need to be quite far back to be comfortable and this may severely interfere with a car-seat. I know from personal experience. However, I have a manual and definitely need a few more inches for leg room when it comes to the clutch pedal. And I'm 6'1". Just something to mull around the 'ol noggin.

 

I just picked up my x type about a month ago. Here's a couple of my first impressions. We bought it to be our family car. We have a 2 year old and our jeep grand Cherokee was our daily driver bit gas prices were killing us. The back seat is quite small once you get a car seat in it, but it will fit. The other issue we have is the ac is some what weak and the back seat gets very hot. She is sweating back there. Also I would make sure to get it inspected before you buy one.

 

Awesome, thanks for all the input guys (and maybe gals). We actually have a 2004 Ram 4-door but like Rabbit, the gas prices are a killer. 12mpg when I drive hurts. I'd love to just use the 73 XJ6 but my wife doesn't feel comfortable as, like most of those, it doesn't idle smoothly. The thing about Jags around here is more often than not they are driven by older people so I may be able to luck out on a good, well maintained car. I know this is the X-type forum, but any other models that may offer a little more back seat room? Our other alternatives are non-jags, and are: Dodge Charger, Subaru Outback (wrx), newer Audi. I like those all but love Jags more.

 

You aren't gonna find ANY standard WB Jag models with sufficient back seat room for a car seat. When it comes to Jags, the LWB models are king (or should I say queen since this is an English-made vehicle?)

Try to find a long wheelbase model. This is all assuming you aren't trying to buy a fairly new Jag (as in the latest generation) from a Jaguar dealer because the latest XJ's all come standard with a LWB.

 

Civicalized, when it comes to X-Types in the USA, 100% of them are going to be AWD. The only 2WD X-Types are going to be those outside of the US. So, no need to worry about that.

As for room, I think you will find it on par with most other mid-sized cars. Sure, you can get more back seat room with say a LWB XJ, but then you are loosing the AWD feature which seems to be a very important thing for you. I know what your winters are like as I have family in Boise and up in Cascade. The X-Type will do you good. Of note though, you may find the driving characteristics of an 02-03 X-Type a little different than the 04+ ones. The earlier ones have viscous coupling which some members say makes a big difference (as you tend to keep more of the front pulling/rear pushing vice the later ones relying more on the stability control to perform that function). On dry asphalt you are not going to notice any difference between the two.

The big thing to keep in mind with the X-Type is that if you hear gear whine, walk away from the car. The transfer cases are the weak link with this car. So, if you drive sensibly, the transfer case will outlast the car. If you like to drive spirited, it can be an expensive car.

As for mileage, you can plan on about 16/17 MPG in town and 25-27 MPG on the highway. You will notice that the car will get less mileage in the winter (I tend to loose about 2-3 MPG on average during the winter) due to the programming for the motor. This motor gets run rich for quite a while which leads to the lower mileage. So, multiple short trips allowing the motor to cool between each run can cause the mileage to drop significantly.

If you have any additional questions, ask away. The pros to the X-Type is that you get styling that is very unique and you can get the car normally for fairly cheap (relatively speaking), especially if you are looking at one of the earlier ones. The downside to it is that if you are having to rely on a dealership for all of your work, it can get expensive. Also, while the cars you mentioned do have AWD options, you may find them harder to come by and most of them have only started offering it in the last few years. So, those prices are going to be fairly significant.

 

Thanks again for the responses. As far as those other makes I listed, to get one I am comfortable with I feel like I would have to spend a lot of money. The later 2000s Chargers are really nice, but for AWD (as Thermo was saying) it would cost me. I have looked at prices for the X-Types and they will be within my range. I would like to spend less than 10k, but a little more would be fine. KBB has 2005s for slightly higher than I want to spend, but I would have greater peace of mind since it seems those early models may not be ideal.

Thermo: Thanks for the heads up on the transfer case. Thats the type of stuff I worry about and would want to make sure everything is running properly when I buy it. My Ram had an assembly clip break in the rear diff. and it often destroys them on those models, so I am dreading the day I have to replace something like that. The gas mileage sounds great! I can get up to high-teens in the Ram on the highway, but it takes cruise control and not speeding. My '73 XJ6 gets about 16/17 highway, so those numbers on the X-Type are rather exciting. As far as working on it goes, I am fairly mechanically inclined and as long as it is nothing computer related or complicated, I can handle it myself.

Thank you everyone for being so helpful! I knew the forum was the right place to come for advice on this stuff. Anything else that comes to mind would be great (things like the transfer case). Too bad we are having a kid... There is, or was the other day, a NICE '67 E-Type convertible on craigslist here in Boise. It was 40k though...

 

I bought my x type with 104k miles on it for $5700 and there have been no issues with it. It currently has about 116k and I have done all the work myself and put in about $500. I bought the car running but with no known service history which was a gamble, but now I have everything in great shape and can guarantee this car to run another 60k just as is. If you buy a car that has been maintained, you will be safe. Jag's are finicky and do not like being abused in the maintenance department which is why you see many people having multiple issues with their cars at the same time. Also, if you end up buying an automatic which I steered clear of, make sure that you put new tranny fluid in there because that WILL kill your transmission because jaguar says they are "sealed for life" which is BS.