New to the Jaguar family!

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toofas - 19 Nov 2005 23:33 GMT

Hello all,

I have just purchased my first Jaguar. She is a 2002 X-Type Sport 2.5
British Green with Tan interior. Absolutely a wonderful machine. I
must admit I was a little ify at first. I have come from driving a
BMW and a Saab to this. Actually, she is for my wife, but I am
definitly a lot more fond of the car than I thought I would be.

When I got her she had just under 48,000 miles and for good. After a
few days driving her around I made a list of about 15 "issues" that
needed attention. All were minor things like one of the seat
adjustments wouldn't work (gears were stripped), but I did have a
small oil leak. Turns out, a seal was blown and was repair/replaced
under the warranty. I was told that this would normally have cost
$2-3K to repair had it not been under warranty.

As I have said, I come from BMW and Saab so I am "used" to paying
somewhat more for service and/or repairs, but I must admit, I was a
little shocked at that price tag. That brings me to what I wanted to
ask about...

I have until 49,000 miles to purchase an extended warranty through
Easy Care (owned by Ford). The terms are negotiable as far as
time/mileage and whatnot and the price tag would be set accordingly.
Given the example above of what that seal would have cost to replace,
I am inclined to seriously consider purchasing this warranty where in
the past I have alwasy just paid the bill myself.

My question directly is: does anyone have one of these warranties
(Easy Care specifically)? If so, what is or has been your experience
with it/them? I am interesed in the Total Care package since it would
cover damn near anything wrong with the vehicle as long as I wasn't
negligent in mainenance.

Just for good measure, I drive my vehicles for length. When I sold my
BMW, she had over 185,000 miles. My Saab currently is just over
190,000. So I do plan on owning this vehicle to duration, if that
makes any difference on the input provided.

Thanks for any information you can offer...

David

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Sills - 20 Nov 2005 18:05 GMT

I don't nor have ever owned a Jaguar, but one is on my short list of
possible replacements for my VW within 3 years (after my wife's SUV is
paid off). However, when I hear about a $3000 oil leak at 48,000 miles,
this scares me, and makes me wonder what the same problem would cost on a
Taurus. What would a warranty to 100,000 cost from Ford on an X-Type,
anyway? It sounds like a sensible investment for potential Jag owners.
Still, the fact that you like the Jaguar despite this is encouraging. VW
loyalists are quite similar. We are forgiving for a few flaws.

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denniscuster-news - 21 Nov 2005 08:29 GMT

Well, here is the real poop on Jaguars, IMHO....Being a mechanic it's very
nice to work on and enjoy a Jaguar (Pre Ford late 1988). There are very few
American cars, and most imports to the US than can compare to it...I have 3
now..1986 XJ6, 1985 XJ6 and a 1988 XJ40 (pre Ford buy-out)...You WILL pay
for maintenance on a new or older jag, and probably far more than the car
itself is worth. If you have some working ability, there is NOTHING more
rewarding than driving a $3000 Jag and having people think it is worth far
more..NOTHING...You will also find there is NOT a better riding and handling
car you can buy for the money..The trade off is keeping it in a reliable
fashion which requires MUCH preventive maintenance..I will guarantee you,
there is nothing more rewarding in any fashion...PERIOD and I encourage ALL
to disagree with me...
With this group and www.jag-lovers.org all things can be overcome and
again, you will not find a better ride, or more enjoyable auto to drive...I
may be jaded, but I have been in and around all high performance and luxury
cars all my life and I am now 47....I also live near Detroit where there are
many who will disagree but have nothing to offer in the way of
contradiction...I am also a foreign car specialist. The only car better in
my opinion would be a Bentley....but they don't have the gitty up and go
like a Jag...

tribal..

>I don't nor have ever owned a Jaguar, but one is on my short list of
> possible replacements for my VW within 3 years (after my wife's SUV is
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> Still, the fact that you like the Jaguar despite this is encouraging. VW
> loyalists are quite similar. We are forgiving for a few flaws.

Reply to this Message

webserve - 21 Nov 2005 11:42 GMT

"Tribal"
I agree with most of what you say. The XJ40 was the last design by Sir
Lyons, introduced in 1987 in the UK and Canada LONG before Ford signed the
papers in 1990. This is one of the reasons you see so many mid-model
changes between the 1989 and the 1990 XJ40. The instrument cluster, the
Girling to Teves braking system, the AJ6 to AJ16 engine, the different ABS
system and on and on. It wasn't until the 1995 model year that Ford made
the wholesale major changes to the marque.

As for "Sills": ANY car is only as good as the owner and the mechanic
that maintains the car. I have 5 vehicles that are daily drivers and 1 in
restoration. I do most of the maintenance on my vehicles myself. Other than
$1000 for a complete go through on the '88 XJ40 when I first got it (rotors,
pads, all wheel bearings, differential hub bearings, accumulator, steering
rack, windscreen glass and a few other items) I have had very little cost on
any of these cars. The largest repair was I had to have done on any of the
vehicles as a $1000 for the replacement of the oil pump on the Dodge van.
The pump was only $80. The remainder was the labor because I had to have a
mechanic remove the front of the van and lift the engine out to get to the
oil pan. I did not have the equipment to do this.

Like "Tribal" says, if you learn these cars and do most of the minor
work yourself, they will be a JOY to drive. If you have a dealership doing
the repairs, you will soon be out of money and out of patience. It just cost
a friend of mine $182 on his XJ8 to have them simply tell him the 6 year old
battery was gone. They then wanted $289 for a new battery -- which he
bought for $80 from the auto parts store -- same brand same model.

Webserve

> Well, here is the real poop on Jaguars, IMHO....Being a mechanic it's very
> nice to work on and enjoy a Jaguar (Pre Ford late 1988). There are very few
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>
> "Sills" <wpsills@hotmail.com> wrote in

messagnews:1281220f84b4fbf0dd91acc56a09d422@localhost.talkaboutautos.com...

> >I don't nor have ever owned a Jaguar, but one is on my short list of
> > possible replacements for my VW within 3 years (after my wife's SUV is
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> > Still, the fact that you like the Jaguar despite this is encouraging. VW
> > loyalists are quite similar. We are forgiving for a few flaws.

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toofas - 21 Nov 2005 16:37 GMT

thanks all for the replies. i am capable of doing basic work on the
vehicles. in fact, for the BMW and Saab both I do as much of the
scheduled maintenance that I can so there is less time and cost
involved for the tech to do. usually that is changing/flushing
fluids, plugs, filters, etc. i don't know anything about brakes so i
don't go there... lol.

i used to live in Tulsa and was rather spoiled by a tech i had
servicing the Saab. he is Griffin certified and mainly works on
higher end vehicles. it was his own private shop with a partner and
were half the labor of a dealership. they also didn't mind me
bringing in parts for them to install if i could get them cheaper than
they could. i know a chunk of their revenue is from parts, so i
didn't do that too often... ;-) i would leave their place literally
able to feel the renewed strength of the car. i miss them a lot.

i am now in colorado springs and i haven't found anyone independantly
yet... :-( i am going to talk to the rep at the dealer and see what
we're looking at cost wise for the warranty, but i have a feeling i
will be as shocked as i was at the seal repair.... wish me luck!

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