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Jaguar has improved a lot recently, but that general era you are looking at and the X-type in general are considered the low point for Jaguar. There is a reason that the car's price is so low, most avoid them like the plague. You'll hear the occasional story of someone who loves theirs and has had no issues, but on the whole they are an ownership nightmare.
Reliability is poor and repairs/parts are expensive. The cars are so bad and have such a poor reputation that some independent Jag shops flat out refuse to work on them. You'd be much better spending your money on a more traditional and reliable college mobile.
NJGOAT is 100% correct. Jag is the poster-child for shoddy workmanship and poor reliability. Most Jags are 'low-mileage' simply because they spend much more time on the mechanic's lift than on the road.
There is a healthy secondary market/business in retrofitting American V8s (Chevy 350s, etc) into older Jags so that they can operate reliably.
Jags have gotten better in the last few years, but a 2004 model doesn't fit that category IMO.
Most ppl can't give them away used. I would treat a used Jag like an offer of anthrax.
Jaguar's original reputation for poor quality was earned well before 2000. It was before Ford acquired the company. Ford managed to improve many things, but still couldn't improve Jaguar to "average" levels of quality.
I owned a 2000 S-type, and I liked the car very much. It shared a platform with the Lincoln LS and the T-bird. It was not by any means a disaster. It was not like my Hondas, but I enjoyed the Jag alot. I would consider another.
But I do not think a 2004 x-type is a good choice as for someone who doesn't have some spare cash for unanticipated repairs. The x-type has a poor reputation for quality and repairs at the dealer are very expensive. An independent Jag mechanic would be a good thing to have. Might be good to ask one for advice before purchasing an x-type. The x-type shared a platform with another Ford - I think the european Mondeo. I don't know if parts are hard to find - but that is already a 7 year old car and has been discontinued for some time.
My grandmother's neighbor who is a British car mechanic once told me, "Jaguars are for people who can afford to have their car in the shop more than they drive it."
Jags are actually a lot more reliable than people who have never owned them give them credit for. X Types are basically Ford Mondeo/Contours under the skin and overall have a pretty good record of reliability, at least according to owners. Most everyone I've ever known with one has been happy with it.
But, even though it shares Ford parts, it wil cost like a Jag if it does need dealer servicing (and it sounds like you would be the kind of person that would need to have a car dealer serviced).
As was mentioned before, Jags reliability problems were from before the mid '90s before they got bought by Ford. The '70s through the early '90s were problem years (I say that even though my own late '80s Jag was quite good). I'd have no problem recommending an X Type, S Type, or XK8 to a relatively knowldgeable car enthsuiast. But like my BMW, if you don't have the ability to maintain one of them properly yourself, it WILL cost you at a dealer to maintain and repair.
For someone in college? Yikes no! Not unless your family had a bottomless pit of money to throw at you when it needs repairs.
I know some mechanics who make a good living doing nothing but inventing fixes to all the little things that were badly designed and cheaply made that throw these things on to the shop lift on a regular basis. They pull next to nothing at used vehicle auctions and have almost zero collector status. Once an honest car salesman, well, honest to me, told me that since I was his friend he wouldn't give me the car for free. But he said he'd have no problem fetching an excellent price from the unsuspecting.
Hello Cd, I am planning to buy a new car in a couple of weeks. I have been looking at a 2004 jaguar x type.
The car has pretty low miles, cheap (priced very very very reasonable) and looks excellent from the outside. It evens has a car-fax report on it.
But I have heard there are a lot of problems with the jag brand though.
So my question is buying this car feasible especially with someone who is in college.
Is the upkept expensive and the insurance cost and so
thanks
No.
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