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I'm moving from TX to CO. I have an approximate budget of $8000 give or take.
I want a reliable car that will run for a good number of years, hopefully something that is pleasant to look at, good mileage a plus.
I'm not sure if I want a car or SUV, but am leaning towards a car.
I am moving to lakewood, CO - so it is a hilly and snowy area in winter I think.
From what I read about AWD vs snow tires, snow tires on a FWD sound like a better choice than an AWD without snow tires. Both is the best I guess.
One car that interests me is the Jaguar X type. Here is one from what seems to be a good year for the car 2004 Jaguar X-Type - Beige - AWD (http://denver.craigslist.org/ctd/2153289522.html - broken link)
Now it seems like it was a bad car before ford took it over, and that its reputation has held it down even today. It seems like perhaps people just never trusted it, which kept its resale value low, and the low resale value kept the resale value low still, and made people avoid it.
But from what I hear perhaps it isn't a bad car? How reliable is it really, especially into the 100ks?
It is decent mileage at 93k (my current car ix a lexus in TX with 140000 miles, but lexus holds well into these miles it seems), and is AWD, and looks pleasant. I will probably have to drive it till it dies because of the resale issue...what kind of mileage is it good up till?
Also, is the repair costs grossly overstated (no different from any other car really), only slightly overstated, or not overstated (very expensive)?
I think if this is a reliable car, I could slap snow tires on this in winter and have a great car for winter or summer.
Any other suggestions on what I should buy?
I have never skiied but I feel I might enjoy it and like going up on weekends into the mountains for some skiing. I need something that can handle that as well, and a 4wd with snow tires sounds very good.
The interiors and luxuriousness seem really good too.
I would avoid the Jaguar X-type. Different people have had different results, but overall they are a nightmare in the reliability department. I would personally be looking for a Subaru Impreza, Legacy, Outback or Forester. All are AWD and you should be able to find an older model in your price range. They are extremely reliable and are very popular in CO do to their AWD systems and the good performance of the turbo motors at high altitude.
Your list should start and end at Subaru. We've driven them many years in Vermont. Very reliable, very good in snow. They last a long time. Get a good one and you can't go wrong.
I would avoid the Jaguar X-type. Different people have had different results, but overall they are a nightmare in the reliability department. I would personally be looking for a Subaru Impreza, Legacy, Outback or Forester. All are AWD and you should be able to find an older model in your price range. They are extremely reliable and are very popular in CO do to their AWD systems and the good performance of the turbo motors at high altitude.
From most of the reviews and forum discussions I have been seeing though, the X type jaguar after and including 2003 has been really good. It was the 2002 and the v-12 models that were the nightmares. Theres a thread here that talks about Jag tying with Buick for most reliable car in some recent year. How much of all this is just general consensus based on Jag's pre-ford bad reputation, and the 2002 and v-12 engines adding to that, and how much is really an educated response on this particular car and year?
Subaru seems to be a popular option, though I don't care too much for how it looks, but it seems like I will look into it because of its popularity in this weather.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jackmccullough
Your list should start and end at Subaru. We've driven them many years in Vermont. Very reliable, very good in snow. They last a long time. Get a good one and you can't go wrong.
These kind of answers don't help much. subaru seems like something to look at, but 1 line biased answers are not what I am looking for at the moment.
thanks
Edit: one more thing is that I don't really want a car that gets too many comments and such. I don't want to keep pulling up at parking lots and getting 'nice car' comments. Would this car call for too much of that?
thanks
edit: Also, I am used to more luxurious leather interiors, such as the lexus rx300 that I have been driving so far. I don't want to step down too much if possible.
Last edited by nijabhaava; 01-10-2011 at 01:51 PM..
From most of the reviews and forum discussions I have been seeing though, the X type jaguar after and including 2003 has been really good. It was the 2002 and the v-12 models that were the nightmares. Theres a thread here that talks about Jag tying with Buick for most reliable car in some recent year. How much of all this is just general consensus based on Jag's pre-ford bad reputation, and the 2002 and v-12 engines adding to that, and how much is really an educated response on this particular car and year?
Subaru seems to be a popular option, though I don't care too much for how it looks, but it seems like I will look into it because of its popularity in this weather.
These kind of answers don't help much. subaru seems like something to look at, but 1 line biased answers are not what I am looking for at the moment.
thanks
Edit: one more thing is that I don't really want a car that gets too many comments and such. I don't want to keep pulling up at parking lots and getting 'nice car' comments. Would this car call for too much of that?
thanks
edit: Also, I am used to more luxurious leather interiors, such as the lexus rx300 that I have been driving so far. I don't want to step down too much if possible.
All X-types were produced under the Ford stewardship of Jaguar. In fact, the X-type rides on a modified version of the Ford Mondeo platform. Overall, the only thing "Jaguar" about the X-type is the hood ornament as the vast majority of the car was designed and engineered in Detroit by Ford. With all that said, the 2004+ models were definitely better than the earlier cars, but they were still saddled with issues. Ford pumped billions into Jag over the years and the cars steadily improved, but they have not become somewhat reliable or even competitive until recently.
Mechanical reliability aside, the general consesnus is that these cars never had the same level of interior quality and materials that any other vehicle in their class possessed. In fact the Nissan Maxima and Subaru Legacy are often cited as two vehicles with an interior that is better than comparable X-types.
Overall, I think buying a X-type is a crapshoot. Yours may be good, or it may not. Being a 2004+ you are on the 60/40 side of good/bad, compared to the 10/90 of the earlier models. Either way, the other issue is one of repair expense. Jaguars (and the X-type is no different despite its Ford lineage) are incredibly expensive cars to maintain and repair.
If we borrow the old law of three, you can have luxury, reliability or low cost, pick which two you want. In this case you are getting luxury and cheap, so reliability is out the window. Unless you have a war chest that can handle dropping $5k on the car if needed, I wouldn't recommend it.
Subaru's on the other hand, while not being particularly luxurious are well known for their reliability and AWD capability. They are incredibly popular in CO for a reason. Outside of some late 90's and early 00's that had head gasket issues on certain motors, they are rock solid. Also, the Legacy sedan, particularly the 2005 and up models are very well appointed.
Looking at some others now. how about 2003 BMW 3 Series 325XI AWD (http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/2158674407.html - broken link) or 2002 4Motion(AWD) Passat With Lots Of Power And Winter Package (http://denver.craigslist.org/ctd/2158504771.html - broken link)
IMO it would all come down to the repair budget you have. Of the two, as long as the BMW was properly maintained and received regular service, it would hands down be the better of these two cars.
Older VW's are almost as bad as older Jaguars. While the cars tended to be mechanically sound, they were generally accessory/electrical nightmares. I would personally avoid an older VW like that unless you simply love VW's and working on them. Also, that model is a really rare find. The W8's were produced only for a limited time and in limited number, which consequently means that very few VW shops and even dealers have ever worked on them. I would also be concerned about how much abuse it took, though being an automatic it is better in that regard than a manual. The biggest headache for that car is the timing chain. While more reliable than a timing belt and rated to 150k miles, if you do need to service it or have a tensioner replaced it is a MAJOR operation requiring removing the entire engine and trans from the car. Most people dump these as they approach 100k just to avoid any issue with the timing chains as the cost to replace them can be almost as much as the car is worth.
If this were my choice, I would still most likely default to the Subaru as you can get a newer/lower mileage Subaru for the same money. Heck, I have seen '08 base model Impreza's for as little as $10k. However, the BMW is a very nice option and at least appears to have been well taken care of. If everything on the BMW checks out and you want a more luxury oriented car, that wouldn't be a bad choice. Just know that if something does go wrong, it will be quite pricey to fix.
How about an awd G35x. The interior isn't Lexus, MB or Jaguar nice, but it's competitive with VW's Jetta or Passat. If you were in Cali, you could easily find a '04 or '05 for $10~11k, but Infiniti's may not be that popular in Colorado.
I could do with luxury interiors...my mum has a beemer and I love how it drives. Granted its probably a newer model than the one in the link.
so VW is out. I don't mind paying a little more for repairs..but just a little. Is it a gross amount more? Which one tends to require less repairs between the beemer and subaru?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJGOAT
IMO it would all come down to the repair budget you have. Of the two, as long as the BMW was properly maintained and received regular service, it would hands down be the better of these two cars.
Older VW's are almost as bad as older Jaguars. While the cars tended to be mechanically sound, they were generally accessory/electrical nightmares. I would personally avoid an older VW like that unless you simply love VW's and working on them. Also, that model is a really rare find. The W8's were produced only for a limited time and in limited number, which consequently means that very few VW shops and even dealers have ever worked on them. I would also be concerned about how much abuse it took, though being an automatic it is better in that regard than a manual. The biggest headache for that car is the timing chain. While more reliable than a timing belt and rated to 150k miles, if you do need to service it or have a tensioner replaced it is a MAJOR operation requiring removing the entire engine and trans from the car. Most people dump these as they approach 100k just to avoid any issue with the timing chains as the cost to replace them can be almost as much as the car is worth.
If this were my choice, I would still most likely default to the Subaru as you can get a newer/lower mileage Subaru for the same money. Heck, I have seen '08 base model Impreza's for as little as $10k. However, the BMW is a very nice option and at least appears to have been well taken care of. If everything on the BMW checks out and you want a more luxury oriented car, that wouldn't be a bad choice. Just know that if something does go wrong, it will be quite pricey to fix.
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