Fun question: What's the most reliable car Jaguar ever made?

Klayfish said:

dean1484 said:

Jags are no worse than any other car especially post 2004.

Dude, put down the crack pipe...it's messing with your mind, brah.... 

It is just a ford made in Europe 

I'm tempted to say the 2003+ S-type R. Once they got the ZF automatic transmission they were fantastic.

I’m tempted to say it’s a trick question.  

Its a handsome design

If you can get past the looks, the S type with the ford v6 are easy to work on. Basically a Lincoln LS V6. They even come with real manual transmissions.

I went to ford dealerships to buy parts for my XJR. Jags aren't anymore unreliable than an e46 or e39, probably more reliable. They're easy to work on though. 

The mid 2000's X type came with manuals too and are way better looking lol

yupididit said:

If you can get past the looks, the S type with the ford v6 are easy to work on. Basically a Lincoln LS V6. They even come with real manual transmissions.

I went to ford dealerships to buy parts for my XJR. Jags aren't anymore unreliable than an e46 or e39, probably more reliable. They're easy to work on though. 

The mid 2000's X type came with manuals too and are way better looking lol

 

Thanks for your input!  I actually really like the looks of the S-type, but the wifey hates it.  If you're married, you know how that's likely to go.

Even so, if my son really likes it, that may sway her. 

In reply to 1988RedT2 :

Nah, my wife only cares about the car she personally drives. Why not v8 Jags? They aren't very fast.

In reply to yupididit :

Fuel cost, mainly.  I do really like the classic XJ look.

Dad never had much trouble with either one of his XKEs.  He always said the series 2 was a better balanced car than the V-12

I would never put an STR in to the hands of a kid. That is going to end badly. I loved mine but it is a car that will kill you if it is not respected. Things happen really fast in that car. It is loads of fun but my daughter was banned from driving that one unless I was with her. 

In reply to dean1484 :

No, the S-type R is definitely not on the table.  I'm not one of those guys who puts a (insert high-powered sporty cool car here) into the hands of a teenage driver.  Plus, I think it's well over our budget.

Toebra said:

Dad never had much trouble with either one of his XKEs.  He always said the series 2 was a better balanced car than the V-12

Good to know, but alas!  I fear a nice example would cost somewhat in excess of our meager budget.

I keep trying to convince the wife she needs a Jag, but shes not buying into it.  I have found several that fit the bill perfectly, but she wants another SUV.  She keeps looking at Range Rovers and Jeep Liberty. I just passed on a nice 02 XK8 coupe for 3650 OBO with fresh timing chains.   I see now that a dealer in RI has it for sale for 5500.  There was an S Type R model for $5 or 6K not long ago.  That thing would have been a blast.  Lots of V8 Jags for under $5K. Lots or R models for under $10K.  I'm real tempted to sell off one of the seven TR8s I have and buy a Jag for myself.  Only way I think its going to happen.

But Toebra said:

Dad never had much trouble with either one of his XKEs.  He always said the series 2 was a better balanced car than the V-12

Well the cast Iron block engine 4.2 of the XKE Series 11 weighed 40 pounds more than the All aluminum V12  but the solid rotor brakes or the series 11 were 12 pounds lighter than the vented Rotor brakes of the V12 . Plus the V12 had power steering that the series 2 didn’t have so it’s pretty close to a wash as far as weight goes. 

In reply to tr8todd :

Didn't the RR come with the jaguar 4.2 v8 starting in like 2007? Then the jag 5.0 in 2010? They're seriously catching my eye.

Yes they did and still do.  The RR she had was a 2000 with a 4.6L Rover V8.  She loved that vehicle right up until I jumped the guard rail and went all Duke's of Hazard with the thing.  It's 4.6L engine sits just inside my garage door awaiting installation into a proper british sports car.  Eventually it might find its way into one of the TR8s that doesn't already have a 4.6.  Problem with the newer Rovers is their expense.  My wife works for a supermarket. Whatever she drives to work, promptly gets beaten on by shopping carts and drivers that can't back up without hitting something.  Her car budget has always been in the sub $5K category, but it has to double as a reliable family hauler.

frenchyd said:Well the cast Iron block engine 4.2 of the XKE Series 11 weighed 40 pounds more than the All aluminum V12  but the solid rotor brakes or the series 11 were 12 pounds lighter than the vented Rotor brakes of the V12 . Plus the V12 had power steering that the series 2 didn’t have so it’s pretty close to a wash as far as weight goes. 

The V-12 cars were at least a few hundred pounds heavier.

In reply to Toebra :

How dare you?

Cut it out, guys!  I just know you're going to get my innocent little "what Jaguar" thread locked, I just know it!

Toebra said:

frenchyd said:Well the cast Iron block engine 4.2 of the XKE Series 11 weighed 40 pounds more than the All aluminum V12  but the solid rotor brakes or the series 11 were 12 pounds lighter than the vented Rotor brakes of the V12 . Plus the V12 had power steering that the series 2 didn’t have so it’s pretty close to a wash as far as weight goes. 

The V-12 cars were at least a few hundred pounds heavier.

Depends on what year.  Once the big bumpers were required yes it got heavier. But the early years 72-73 weighed about the same. 

No, they weigh about 300 pounds more.  The heavier bumpers also added a bit more weight for 1974 and 1975

In my research looking for one, it seems like the XJs in the 02-08 range (or thereabouts) are the gems.  Enough Ford to be cheap to repair and unlikely to have major failures.  They're also "real" jags.

X308 and X350.  Look to the R version.  The supercharger will need some seals and hoses, but it gets the beefy MB trans which has proven much more reliable.

In reply to Curtis :

The Jaguar always has had the heaviest duty automatic transmission available. Until Ford bought the company it was GM trans either the Turbo 400 or the overdrive version of the turbo 400. Not the passenger car version but the HD one found in ambulances and tow trucks. Well from about 1953 the old cast Iron six had the Borg Warner designed for full sized Buick’s, Oldsmobile’s, Packards, and Studebaker’s of the 50’s  beloved by drag racers for its rugged reliability and ease of modification.  (Neck snapping shifts was a simple matter)That same transmission continued right up to the end of the Iron engine.  It was also briefly used in V12 Jaguars from 1971- to mid 1977. 

With the advent of the All aluminum 6 Jaguar switched to  ZF transmissions  which was a mixed blessing.  While it shifted sportier, it wouldn’t take the abuse the GM transmissions did and it was massively more expensive to overhaul.  

In the late 90s to mid 2000s Jaguar was actually leading the JD Power initial quality survey and dependability surveys. 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jaguar-tops-in-car-quality/

https://www.motor1.com/news/14527/jaguar-and-buick-are-tops-in-reliability-survey/

They started having issues again when they started adding touchscreens to control HVAC and stuff.

As Curtis mentioned, a lot of the V8 XJs get parked because the ZF transmission craps out, so look for a supercharged V8 to get the Mercedes transmission.  That transmission handles the 730lb-ft Mercedes twin turbo V12s for hundreds of thousands of miles without a problem (aside from a widely documented and easily fixed oil drip from an o-ring).

i-Pace?

/ducks