I used to deliver cars to auction for a living. X-type Jags are wonderful to drive but I quickly learnt to put two or three times as much fuel in them as I would for a normal saloon car doing the same journey. Don't buy one unless you can afford to feed the fuel-hungry beast!
Unless you wait until you find one and then ask again stating a few facts like mileage, whether it has a full (dealer or part dealer) service history, whether it has passed an inspection (eg RAC or AA), its a bit of a lottery. They came 73rd out if the top 100. In the mean time google 'X type problems' and be very careful.
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/jaguar/x-type/reliability
Thanks guys - current car only does 26mpg so on a par with 3.0l auto - like the idea of AWD. As with all cars at this age, it's a bit of a lottery - owners reviews are usually polarised into 10/10 "Best car ever" and 1/10 "Worst car ever" Can get an 02 Reg 2.5 V6 with FSH for around £1500 so not a big capital outlay - maybe worth the risk. Will re-post if I get one. Cheers
mine was bought new in 2000 & still reliable. Due to devaluation the insurance is less than a Nissan Micra (son threatens me with). Jag is 4w drive & left most saloons stuck in heavy snows 2y ago. Surround sound & woofer can run its own festival. I dont have regular service tho renewed gears 3y ago. So long as it works I wouldn't swap.
Just have the suspension arms at the rear checked out as these tend to need replacing on older models,Replacing them makes a big difference in the handling,If it has a current MOT they should have been checked,
Thanks again - another thing - how much is Car Tax? Autotrader ads say 2.5/3.0l Jags are Group L tax - DVLA website says Group L is £460 per year!! Don't think this can be right.