In the market for an F-Type..... advice needed

[gc301]

Hi All,

New to the forums. I'm in the market for a new toy, especially wanting to take advantage of the current downturn of the used car market before it bounces back up. I've been car obsessed all my life, but not actually owned a car since I sold my first car (2009 Seat Ibiza 1.2 S) basically 10 years ago. I've been living and working in central London since then so it's not been easy to justify the cost and hassle of a toy in the city given it's a 100% evening and weekend fun thing only.
I'm recently 30 and am wanting to buy something again finally after 10 years not owning a car. Having spent weeks in spreadsheets and modelling various funding methods out, I've decided (for now at least) that this will be a part cash + personal loan purchase, rather than a PCP, HP or lease. I'm looking in the £30k-40k region at used cars and am pretty much decided on 2 finalists, quite different cars admittedly and one is definitely a head purchase, one is heart purchase:

- F87 BMW M2 Comp (head purchase)
- Jaguar F-Type S or R old gen pre-facelift (heart purchase)

I find myself leaning far more towards the F-Type than the M2 comp. It just feels more special, the noise, the power, the looks, even though it's a GT car compared to the more "precise" M2. I know the F-type will likely be more expensive to run and might go wrong more (correct me here if I'm incorrect), some would argue the M2 is better car objectively all around, the tech inside is newer etc - just didn't realise I could get into an F-Type at my budget with not too many miles, and there's a semi sentimental reason for the F-Type which I won't bore anyone with on here.

Wanted to ask before I narrow my search:

• V6 or V8? (I'm not interested in the 2.0L one)

• RWD or AWD

• Any huge red flags, either in annual running costs / maintenance, residuals and depreciation, insurance, theft / security (this is JLR after all), or anything else that which means I should totally avoid a certain model / year?

• Things I should look out for on the description / spec list as must-have options, both to make my ownership nicer but also to help residuals

• Things to ask the seller or dealer about maintenance wise that are known faults needing corrected, e.g. the F Type equivalent of the famous IMS bearing on the 911 996 C4S

• Anything else for me to consider, be aware of etc when making serious enquiries on some listings?

I'm wanting to snap something up before the used market ticks back up so would like to go into a purchase as armed with useful knowledge as possible.

Many Thanks!
G

[scm]

- F87 BMW M2 Comp (head purchase)
- Jaguar F-Type S or R old gen pre-facelift (head and heart purchase)

Fixed it for you.

Welcome to the forum, BTW.

[MajorTom]

Welcome! Sounds like your heart is already set on getting an F-Type then. Lots of good questions. Some thoughts and opinions...

RWD or AWD: in your case RWD would probably be best, especially if you get a V6. Apart from the advantages in dodgy driving conditions which probably won't be relevant for you, the main value of the AWD is helping the V8 cars getting the power down. Sure, it's still rear wheel biased but it does add weight and complexity.

V6 or V8: really depends on what you're looking for and what kind of character you expect from the car because they're two different beasts. The V8 has a muscle car character. Glorious V8 sound and straight line performance but clearly feeling heavier of the two, especially if it's a newer car - all newer V8s (well except the current P450) are only AWD. A bit like an M2 with an M5 engine shoehorned in and AWD. The V6 has no muscle car feel and arguably feels a bit sportier, handling and turning a bit sharper, with quite a different high pitched raspy screaming sound. It obviously has less straight line grunt but is and feels lighter, especially in RWD form. Of the two it's the one closer to the M2 and is quite close spec wise to the M2 on paper but is in reality of course much more of a GT than the M2 Comp.

If you go for a V6 go for the S or 400 sport which is a well specced S with some extra badges and a map with 20 extra horses at the top end. The S/400 cars obviously have more power but also adaptive damping, an LSD (if RWD) and usually much more equipment than the base 340 hp cars.

One must have for me was the pano roof which makes quite a difference to the feel inside the car.

To keep it simple, if possible get a facelift car from model year 18 or later. The MY18 facelift introduced quite a few tech improvements, upgraded options, even some weight savings and early niggles like sticky interior buttons were gone by then.

I don't think there's anything as bad as the Porsche IMS bearing issues to beware of. Some early V6 cars produced before mid 2014 had dodgy con rod bearings which required completely new engines (ask me how I know) but the ones affected by that should already have failed by now if driven. The main weak spot is the cooling system and its plastic pipes which crack over time so it's good to check if any such work has been done. Generally speaking these engines are solid if driven and maintained.

Apart from this, look around in the forum - there's plenty more info in other threads - and ask away.

[stefan9107]

Two very different cars indeed but both good choices.

I would choose the Jag everytime (no sh*t from someone who owns one right), simply because it feels a lot more special. The M2 is a great car but you'll never escape the fact that it's still a 2 series (even if it doesn't share much with the basic car). Speaking as someone who has had those top of their model range sports cars (Golf R, AMG C Class), it's just not the same as a car that is designed top down. Ultimately though it'll boil down to your use case and personal preference. If you are expecting to spend a lot of time on twisty country roads and need a bit more "practicality" the M2 will be the sportier of the two and more useful carrying passengers. But when it comes to long road trips or just rolling around town day to day, you'll enjoy and feel more special in the F-Type purely from the theatre of the engine and appearance.

As far as V6 vs V8... you really need to try them as everyone says different. Both sound amazing and the V6 has the sportier tone but the V8 sounds like a pure muscle car. It's by no means a "lazy" V8 though. My buddy compared my R to his Mustang GT and said it just has a more aggressive feel to it and just seems like its in attack mode vs the lazier V8 of the Mustang. As far as performance... I'll get absolutely SHOT for saying this, but I really think all the people that say the V6 handles better are just sucking on a placebo. They know it's lighter and therefore go into it looking for the feeling. In reality the weight difference is negligible as far as I'm concerned and unless you are really at 10/10th's, which on a public road you never are, I don't think there is any major difference. I even seem the remember that the V6 even has the same size block as the V8, just with two "blank" cylinders (not the best way to describe it but they didn't save weight properly by cutting the whole block down is what I'm getting at). Anyway... I would just say make sure you try both and if you can on the same roads. Get a good feel for them and take your time choosing between them. One big benefit of the V6 will be that you can probably get into a post 2018 facelift model for your budget. Either way, both are amazing cars and no one ever regrets getting either.

RWD vs AWD... I'd say for the V6 RWD and the V8 AWD. Again there are lots of arguments one way or the other, but as you haven't driven for 10 years and are coming from a 1.2 Ibiza, jumping into a 550HP RWD might be a bit too much too soon. The RWD R isn't as bad as some media publications would have you believe, but you can't just mash the pedal and if you get a bit over-excited it WILL bite you. I didn't trust myself to not do that as I'd been driving AWD for 7 years prior to getting the F-Type.

I don't think there are really any MAJOR red flags. A few things to look out for are water in the boot, corrosion on the cross bracing underneath, and the vent placement on the hood.
For water in the boot lift out the rear section where there is a little cubby underneath. Then pull that up and take a look around the battery area for corrosion or any signs of watermarks. No clips or anything, it all just pulls straight up so is something you can check easily at a showroom.
Take a torch and have a look underneath at the back. Not a lot of room but if you get your phone in there and use the flash you can get some decent photos of the cross bracing. Corrosion is very normal and normally its just surface, but some examples can be bad.
As far as vent placement on the hood - earlier cars had an issue with stuck injectors caused by corrosion from water coming through the hood vents. AWD cars don't have this problem and models after... I forget which year? had the vents moved/rubber drip mats placed on the engine. A search on here should show you which are which - viewtopic.php?t=4921

Each to their own with options but at the very least make sure you get the V6 S. You'll want the extra power and LSD and other goodies over the base model. Panoramic roof is one a lot of people like, myself included. Rear camera is a MUST. You can get these retrofitted but I'd save yourself the hassle.

No major mechanical issues to ask about but make sure the service history is full and correct. Spark plug changes, ,belt changes, diff oil etc at the right intervals. if you find one you like DEFINITELY make a post on here asking for a background check with the plate and preferably VIN number. A couple of helpful guys on here can look up details on the car and find if there are any oddities in the service history/ownership. Also make sure you do a car vertical check of some sort. Another tell tale sign of how much love and affection the previous owner has shown it is the tyres. Apologies if I'm teaching you to suck eggs on this one, but if it has budget tyres on it, it suggests someone has been trying to save money and potentially not looking after it.

[elugelab]

Would agree with the poster above re V6 vs V8 - the lightweight thing isn't actually a thing if you look at the weights of the engines - and what weight it saves is actually at the back of the engine so negligible in difference to handling. I prefer to the way the tail looks with the four exhausts for the V8. The V6 maybe sounds better though, there's more of them to choose from etc.

AWD Vs RWD, definitely personal preference. With the V8 I wanted proper muscle car feel, which comes from a lack of traction - I'm not actually that interested in driving really fast on the road, instead I want it to be fun at 15 mph coming out of a junction, which the V8 RWD certainly is. But others prefer something more sure footed, and I can understand that.

[Kev]

I’d say the M2 would be more expensive to run because of the ‘M’ which automatically puts a premium on prices, very much like the marine and equine worlds. The M2 will attract the yoof and petrolheads, the F-Type attracts admiring glances from all who have an appreciation of timeless design plus you have more chance of being let out into traffic. I’ve found BMW’s need to be revved highly to get the best from them and you always seem to be on a knife-edge, whereas the F-Type (and previous XF-R I owned) can potter around at all (legal) speeds without issue; not as sharp as some cars but never far behind, and unless you own a race track or spend your days chauffeuring people around the Nürburgring then I’d avoid the M2

One final thing, owning an F-Type is remarkably cheap to run. Doing the weekly shop, going out for dinner, filling up with fuel, or staying away in a posh hotel have all become negligible expenses as I tend to have left my wallet in the Jaaaaag…

[gasgas]

gc301, why don't you read all post on this web site as all you questions are answered.

[MajorTom]

Very good points about how the F-Type makes you feel and that it gets so much positive attention from others. It always feels special and to me has a soul and character very few other cars have. I did some Nürburgring laps with a mate in his track modded M2 Comp and it's an utter weapon in such an environment compared to my F-Type but it's somehow still a low end ubiquitous mainstream car at its core.

About the weight and driving feel differences. Maybe we shouldn't dwell too deep into that in this thread, but there's more to it than the two cylinder difference. I don't think there's been that much talk about that on this forum but it has been debated at length in other places and tests. I can't speak from experience because I've never driven a V8 F-Type but from what I've seen and read, everyone who has compared V6 and V8 cars have concluded on a marked difference in the felt weight, balance and overall handling also in public road conditions way below 10/10ths driving. That also applies when comparing a V6 RWD to a V8 RWD. The V6 block is indeed based on the V8 one and spontaneously you might think it's just the weight difference of two cylinders but there's somehow much more to it. Different bore and stroke, everything else related to running two more cylinders, not to mention all the drivetrain gubbins on top of that if you're comparing a RWD to an AWD.

V8 or V6 mainly boils down to what kind of character you want the car to have and I agree that you should go for AWD if V8 or RWD if V6.

[M2Nel]

Ive had 2 M2s OG in DCT and a Comp Manual , both cars didnt seem that quick as standard so i spent a fortune modding them plus carbon bits , exhaust, suspension bits ect, they ended up being OK but never felt that special. My Ftype R AWD on the other hand is in a different League . The Ftype was designed and built to compete with the 911 out the box , not a family car ... Pound for pound the Ftype is one of the best cars on the planet !!

[scm]

The F-Type is fitted with working indicators, too.