How many people think jaguars are unreliable cars now and in the past?

Question

please list your qualifications if you have any?

Answer 1

If something is so hosed that Ford could improve it, you know it's a pice of junk. The good news is the British are out of it. The bad news is it has risen to the quality of a Ford meaning find something Japanese you like as well.

Answer 2

Jaguars (in the US mind you) used to be horrible cars in terms of reliability, but for different reasons.

In the early postwar years, all the way up into the early 70s, Jaguars leaked oil, as was common for many British Sports cars. The running joke was that you needed two of any British Sports car (Jaguar, MG, Triump, Austin) if you wanted to have one running at any point in time.

Once Jaguar reached the 70's they addressed their powertrain issues and developed some very impressive engines. However, much like Alfa Romeo and Fiat, they were victimized by electrical problems, all the way into the 90s. I first dealth with this marque then, helping people who had problems with them on the side of the road. Each of these people had electrical problems with their cars.

In the late 90s, Ford took control of Jaguar and made that a priority issue to address, and it has paid dividends with consistently improving quality rankings. In addition, to deal with the negative image from their past reliability issues, they offer better warranty coverage and have the top ranked certified preowned car program in the US. This surprises me since the entry level jaguar here in the US is basically a rebadged Mondeo, which was sold here as the Contour. It was a remarkably poor car, and did very poorly in all aspects, but the Jaguar based upon this chassis has sold wonderfully and is well received.

Answer 3

I don't think they are all that unreliable now. When the company got bought out and Ford's quality control people came in, Jaguar made a quantum leap into current production techniques and abilities.

As for the past, I knew a colorful Austrailian who once headed a fairly large company there. He said one of his perks was a Jaguar (heavy emphasis on the U), "Every day I'd stop by the [gas] station and add some oil and check the gas." I also knew a guy who used to build Cadillacs in the Kansas City plant but opened up a repair shop in my town when he retired, "When a jag came in I'd cringe. The wiring was almost always wrong. If I went to connect something I'd have to tell myself, 'Its a Jag, so if it goes right-to-left in an American car it has to go left-to-right in a Jag."

Still, they were and are grand and sexy cars, if you could afford one.

Answer 4

I own 2 1983 Jaguars, if you cant work on cars yourself, you shouldnt own a Jaguar, today Jaguar is owned by Ford and look like a Ford Taurus from the back, they got a award last year for reliability,

I love my Jaguars, they look cool and run great, but that is because of me, they were built with World War II technology, The British are always behind the times, cuz they drink at lunch and drink at meetings, but heck if i could do that I would :-)

Answer 5

Jaguar in the past made a "moderately" dependable car. Now you can depend on it not being dependable. Just look at the JD Powers 3 yr statistics. Jaguar is one of the worst cars ever made in Europe. It is only a status symbol and nothing more.

Answer 6

They are reliable if you maintain them. The old ones are more reliable now that the car freaks own them and they are out of the hands of the general public. I own a V-12 E-Type roadster and it's a blast to drive, but you have to spend time under the hood - nothing too technical, just spend the time keeping things in order. I am a mostly a Chevrolet guy and have to think differently when working on the Jag, but it responds well.

Answer 7

I have no qualifications personally, but a recent issue of Consumer Reports recommended against the Jag because of the bad reliability.

Answer 8

I think Jaguars are very unrealible; BMW's are much better.

This information is from Consumer Report's yearly auto issue.

Answer 9

I've heard quality has actually improved since Ford bought them in the early 90's. That's like adding insult to injury.
If you can't drive it, it's not of much value to you.

Answer 10

I never trusted any Ford product. Same goes for Volvos and down the line.