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This is the first msg I have ever posted to any chat board. I was hoping to get some info from others who have experience with or who own an Xtype, as I know noone who owns one.
I am considering a used '03 C320 4matic or a new '04 X-type. I'm kind of drawn to the X-type because I can prob get a new one for less than the used C comparably equipped. I like the styling of the X and the features as well. However, I have been a bit leary bec of Jag's past reputation re: mechanical issues. I have been a Benz owner for many years (mult diff classes), and have always had a good experience re: reliability. I know the C will be solid mechanically. I plan to own this next car -- either C or X -- for 5 years, so I really want to get a car that's fun to drive, equipped nicely (the 320W Alpine in the X sounds amazing!), and solid mechanically.
What do others feel about the X, esp the new model ones if you have experience?
Thanks.
Why don't you read through some of the past messages here? I think you'll find lots of good information. Also you can use the Search This Discussion feature on the page bar to look for posts with any specific keywords.
Good luck!
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As the clock strikes six and my long, stressful day comes to an end, I look forward to my half hour commute in my shiny Platinum X-Type Sport. I could not say the same for today's commute though. To my surprise, I was graced with another engine overheat during my commute home. In case you're wondering when was the first time; the night I purchased the vehicle, I learned that a red light DOES flash when the vehicle overheats. On that same night, I had the opportunity to experience the prompt service of roadside assistance as well. Of course this is information that I would have been happy to do without as a new Jaguar owner. I did not expect it to happen again. The madness doesn't stop there. Allow me to summarize all the issues I've experienced in 18,000 miles of ownership:
6/28/02 - First hours of ownership; Engine Overheat & no A/C; Stranded with passengers (very embarrassing); vehicle towed to Dealer; replaced fan regulator.
3/28/03 - Bouncy ride; Shocks were leaking; Shocks ordered.
4/16/03 - Drove over 2 weeks with faulty shocks until they arrived. Got to experience the bouncy ride of my old 4Runner; Shocks replaced.
6/16/03 - Recalls R935, S937, S934; Handbrake housing cracked & loose; Brake cable making noise, Dash vents popping out,
10/21/03 - Dash vents popping out; Check engine light on due to fouled spark plugs.
2/10/04 - Engine overheat; Stranded with passengers again (very embarrassing again) reason TBD. (turned out to be a faulty thermostat). Loose driver seat and Dash vents STILL popping out.
My ownership experience has been very unpleasant thus far. There seems to be quite a few quality control issues with my vehicle which is leading me to believe it was a Friday 5:00PM car. Just for clarification, my issue is not with the dealership. I do not want their efforts to go unnoticed. They have been very helpful and cordial. My issue is with my vehicle. Its reached the point where being stranded a third time always crosses my mind. This is unacceptable for a vehicle of this stature.
Sour as a Lemon............
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It took almost a week to get this response from JagNA:
Dear Sir,
Thank you for contacting Jaguar Cars.
I was sorry to learn of the problems you experienced with your Jaguar. Please contact our Customer Relationship Center at 1-800-452-4827,option 9, so that one of our representatives can look into your concerns further.
============================
Puleeze.. At least have the courtesy to forward my email to the "Customer Relationship Center" youself. Wait a second; I thought jaguarowner@jaguar.com WAS the "Customer Relationship Center". Whatever..
On top of all this, I still like my car. I guess it is emotional after all.....
Would I go Jag again.....Not sure. We'll see how the rest of my lease goes....
These are no doubt quality control problems with Jaguars, and it is known that the Jaguar operations in North America is a disaster, and that dealers are very frustrated with the company. I guess I can consider myself lucky that my problems are not resurfacing as you have experienced. Hey, at least you've leased yours.
Just curious why the general disdain for the X-type. I don't own one, but I've spent a little time in one. I just don't get the hatred of it. Really size, luxury and peformance wise it is very similar to the old Mk I and Mk II Jag sedans of the 50's and 60's. Good car and true to Jag history if you ask me except for the AWD part. I would prefer the more traditional RWD. I actually don't mind the platform sharing (just something that we're going to have to accept in today's market) but the car seems well composed and for those that knock the interior, it seemed much nicer that the c-class and 3-series that it competes against.
The only big thing I can think of is that people have come to think of Jaguar as only being the XJ8 and anything other than that they reflexively don't like as a "cheap" Jaguar. I'll have to try to look it up, but I wonder what my '67 Jag Mark II cost in relation to the rest of the market? Probably was a "cheap" Jag then too.
********
I think part of the problem is that you could ask 10 people what a Jaguar "should be" and you'll get 10 different answers. Anything from "sports cars" from people that think of the old XK's, E-types and the XK8.....to sporty cars (the previous and the light, fast sedans of the 60's) to "Luxury" the old Mk V through X's and the XJ6, XJ8 and XJ12's. I'm guessing that's at the root of the issue.
Actual and imagined reliability problems, poor resale value and a very scattered dealer network make it less attractive than a BMW or Lexus.
Unless you happen to live and or work very near one of the few Jaguar dealerships, it could be very inconvenient to drop the car off for maintenance and warranty repairs due to the small dealer network.
Seriously, I went back-to back-to back from the Jag and Mercedes dealer onto the BMW dealer on the same day with 30 minutes of each other (the Mercedes dealer in town is co-located with the Jaguar dealership). The X had a nicer interior than the C or the 3 series. At least to me it did. Maybe there's something I'm missing, but it was nicer.
*as far as the reliabilty thing goes, I remember Edmunds making a huge ordeal out of its early *production* X-type and how it just was a pile of junk and how they couldn't understand how Jag could have dropped the ball like this.........only later did they sheepishly admit that it was a pre-production model. Probably just a simple miscommunication between Edmunds and Jag, but that definetly got the car off on the wrong foot as far as public opinion on the Townhall was concerned.
That alone is not enough to cross it off my list. I don't care about those small pieces "that much."
The resale value is very bad and the limited dealer network for servicing is too small. There are two Lexus dealers and 2 BMW dealers in my area and only one Jaguar dealership. The Jaguar dealership is located where it would add an hour to my commute in traffic if I needed to drop the car off for service before work and and pick it up after work.
The possibility of receiving a "free" loaner car does not solve this problem.
Maybe Ford should consider training their Ford dealership techs to do warranty work on Jags.
In terms of the interior, yes, the X-Type has plastic in it. But the original point is that the competition has as much or more. The 3-Series and C-Class are filled with cheap feeling plastic parts. Far more than the X-Type, but yet, the X-Type gets abused for it, and the others don't. The fact that the 3-series comes with plastic seats not leather standard is outrageous, and yet nobody says a word. The point is that there is a double standard, because I agree with the poster above, the X-Type is compared to the XJ (or other Jaguars) rather than the competition.
That still leaves resale issues. The poor residual value leads to bad trade-in value and unattractive lease costs.
I suppose very heavily subsidized manufacturer-sponsored lease deals could overcome that problem if they chose to do so.
It would be too much hassle to drive that far out of my way if it needed any warranty repairs, so it's off my list again.
a) The clutch is too abrupt, and hard to make smooth changes - is this normal ? a clunk is also starting to be heard and felt from the transmission.
b) Is there a global open/close on the windows ?
c) Speedo is about 3% fast, is this normal? and can it be reprogrammed for 17" tires which would fix the problem (mine has 16").
d) Can a cell phone be easily wired into the audio system ?
e) I changed the radio to the European setting for the improved FM, but have to cycle through LW & MW, can this be avoided ?
f) Oil is still looking like "honey", though am wondering if waiting till 10K miles is too long for the first change.
Appreciate any advice.
I am considering buying an '04 3.0 X-type. My other possibility is a used '03 C320 4matic(or possibly new '04 if I can afford it). I think the BMW is way overpriced for what you get (new or used), and am not a huge fan of Audi.
What are people's thoughts on the X 3.0 vs C320 4M? Both would be automatics. How is the reliability of the X in reality. This is the one issue that I'm truly concerned about. Resale is also another issue, but it's cheaper up front as well so almost a wash in the end.
I own and ML so I've driven the C extensively as a loaner. It's very nice, but not particularly inspiring. It also gets pricey very quickly. It has a lot of nice little features and feels very solid, but not a particularly good sound system and the Nav (if you get it) is still CD based. People seem to complain a lot about the X interior, but it seems pretty ok to me. The BMW has FAR more plastic.
Thoughts from others are welcomed!
thanks
I know they added more standard equipment and lowered prices on the 3.0, but what have they really done to improve quality?
Mercedes claims the 2005 C-Class will have improved quality.
http://www.daimlerchrysler.com/Projects/c2c/cda/c2c_DCComPrint/1,- - ,0-5-7145-1-165309-1-0-0-0-0-0-13-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0,00.html?PrintLa- - yout=243
Has Jaguar made any similar claims?
I agree that MB saying it's going to do one thing and then actually pulling it off are two completely different issues. They said that they would make the ML better as well, and I've yet to see that truly happen.
The C is out for me. It's down to X or A4 3.0Q. I drove the X today and was a bit surprised that it was a little sluggish on pick up, moreso than I'd expected. Other than that, though, it was a joy to drive. The J gate is actually kind of fun, I thought. It certainly felt solid. The salesman told me that Jag changed vendors for a lot of parts after 2002 when they had a lot of problems. Since then the 03 and 04's are apparently much better.
The A4 is very quick and agile. A used 03 with low miles is for sale near me for $32K which sounds pretty good. The interior of the A4 is very very nice w/ dual AC zones, etc etc. But it feels more cramped than the X.
Thoughts on the A4 vs X?
Thanks for info. I didn't realize the X had an adaptive transmission. Maybe it will open up more over time. I was told the A4 did by my friend who owns one and loves his. He actually has lent me his car for the w/e to "try it out" and decide which I like better.
The A4 is nice, but for all the raving that reviewers do about the A4 interior being the best in this class, I've got to say the changes they made mid-way through the year on the new X's are much nicer! The only perk in the A4 is dual climate control settings.
Zoo -- interesting you bring up the Audi dealership experience. I'm in Massachusetts and a colleague of mine said the exact same thing. He said that they completely ignored him the whole time he was in the showroom, then treated him poorly. He was so put off he left and bought a Saab!
The more I drive various cars and talk to people (like you guys) the more I lean to the X. Any thoughts on the service networks? I've read that getting parts can be a pain sometimes...
But, I took delivery of new 2004 X-Type 3.0 automatic in December 2003.
Mileage is now approaching 8500 and I have had zero problems with car.
Had oil and filter changed at 5000 miles (my expense)and Jaguar will pay for 10,000 mile service coming up. Very pleased with my treatment at dealership - Patrick Jaguar in Naperville, IL (Chicago suburb) - dropped off car, picked up loaner for the day and picked up my car at end of my workday.
Car handles great in snow.
I love the car. It is fun to drive and nice looking. Mine is British Racing Green with tan interior.
My previous car was a Lexus GS400 2000 year model.
In my opinion for the price you pay and the features you get, Jaguar X-Type is the best value for the money.
Hope that this helps in your decision.
Best wishes.
Jerry
The time the car went in for the overheating incident due to the faulty thermostat, I got the car back in one day. So not bad.
Oh yeah like bigguyjer says, the car is very good in the snow. It handles the icy and snowy road better than my Nissan Murano.
And yes I'd say it's good value for the money because I did get a good deal on my car. We thought the car may have been out of the price range we were looking at, but we were pleasantly surprised that after the negotiation the price was very reasonable.
The only thing I'd change in the X-Type is the engine. It can be a smoother V6 engine.
I bought the 2004 3.0 X type w/ sport & premium pkgs today! They have to ship the car from elsewhere bec none in stock at my dealer so it'll be a week or so before I get it, but I can't wait!
I'll check in again after I pick it up and have driven it for a couple weeks....
vk
I have seen some numbers broadly covering Jaguar as a whole, but not broken down by model.
You can try this link:
http://forums1.roadfly.org/jaguar/forums/xtype/5041082-1.html
Incidentally, I posted a ? on another board, but didn't get any responses. Maybe you guys have some thoughts --
What do you think about the clear protective films for the hood that are out there? There are several brands - Xpel, Stongard, and some 3M product. I've read mixed reviews about all of them in terms of wearability long term and issues of bubbling, discoloration, etc. I'm thinking about getting one for my new car bec I hate paint chips, but don't want to spend $500-$1000 just to see it do more harm to the car than good.
Apparently older drivers don't complain about small problems and may not notice rattles and other relatively minor problems younger drivers would have had fixed under warranty.
saab v Jag x
(s+) softer more comfortable seats seats
(s+) bigger interior feel (though tech specs say I only have 1 more inch of headroom and everything else is the same... this is weird. I guess it's the positioning in the saab which is more comfortable and upright than the jag which is kinda low and tight)
(s-) front wheel drive feels slippery...what will this be like in the rain & snow (jag did amazing in big puddles - couldn't feel or hear them)
(s-) no nav
(s+) little road feedback... i can't stand bumpy cars
(s-) handling is airy and not heavy...not as in control as the jag
(s+) automatic gear shifting not noticeable at all - like the whole car is in 1 gear
(s+) seat back heats up too - not just butt like jag
(s-) blah interior with bad cupholders
(s+) can use ipod. no chance w/ jag.
(s+) probably wont be mugged in a saab but may be killed in a jag (live in a gentrifying part of the city)... (despite the small 2k price difference, jag screams "im loaded"... saabs are more nondescript to most)
(s+) better stereo than jag
210 hp 4L turbo vs. 227 hp 3.0 L V6
Besides the AWD, the specs alone blow away both the 9-3 and the X-Type.
(btw, my current car is an X-Type)
I can think of several why the 9-2 is not on my shopping list and the TL is. Can you provide a few (other than lack of AWD leading to torque steer) why the TL shouldn't be?