Nearly new buying guide: Jaguar F-Type
Early cars were rear-drive; all-wheel drive arrived on the 2016 SVR
The F-Type is a desirable, if pricey, sporting coupé or convertible
In 2013 when the F-Type convertible launched, you needed from £60,000 or so to get one. Today, a six-year-old entry-level 3.0 with 35,000 miles is a shade under £25,000.
That’s more like it. As a new car, the F-Type has always looked expensive next to the competition, but used ones make a lot more sense.
There are hundreds to choose from at prices ranging from the aforementioned £25,000 all the way to £140,000 for a 2016-reg limited-run Project 7 convertible. In between are clusters of achingly desirable examples at multiple price points.
*Click here to buy your next used F-Type from Autocar*
Jaguar approved used cars start at around £30,000 for a 2014/64-reg 3.0 coupé with 45,000 miles, backed by an impressive two-year unlimited-mileage warranty.
Meanwhile, legions of specialists are selling F-Types, albeit with less comprehensive warranties, as well as private sellers whose prices can be optimistic. A hard economics lesson and threats to look elsewhere usually softens their resolve.
The original 335bhp 3.0 supercharged V6 is handy enough and good value, but the more powerful, 375bhp S version is the one you’ll wish you’d bought. It costs around £3000 more but supplements the standard car’s sports suspension, partial leather trim and steering wheel paddles with a sports exhaust, adaptive suspension and a mechanical limited-slip diff.
You want an electronic diff? You need the 488bhp 5.0 V8 S convertible. The cheapest we found was a 2013/13-reg with 27,000 miles and full Jaguar service history for £35,000. The coupé version was called the R and had 542bhp. Pay from around £39,000 for an early 2013/13 with 40,000 miles. This engine is what it’s all about and why you’ve been saving all these years.
The all-wheel-drive SVR, with an uprated chassis and lots of aero features, arrived in 2016. Today, prices start around £65,000, a reflection more of their low mileages than anything else. In fact, low mileage is a feature of used F-Types. Perhaps owners have something more practical in the garage…
In 2017, the F-Type got its first facelift and a couple of new versions. The 400 launch edition was based on the V6 coupé and convertible, with two- or four-wheel drive. We praised its near-perfect set-up and specification. We found a 2017/17 with 27,000 miles for £47,000.
The bigger news, though, was the arrival of the F-Type’s little brother, the 296bhp 2.0-litre. It doesn’t wake the neighbours like its beefier siblings but is lighter on its feet and great value. How about £36,950 for a 2018/67 with 10,000 miles?
From 2018, the F-Type’s badging was changed so that the 2.0-litre became the P300, the basic V6 the P340 and the V6 S the P380. The 5.0-litre engines stayed the same. Something else that remained the same was the F-Type’s sheer charisma. This side of an Aston Martin, nothing can touch it.
*BUYER BEWARE*
*Engine *The V8 can suffer noisy camchain tensioners, located at the bottom of the engine and the possible failure of the high-pressure fuel pumps signalled by a ‘restricted performance’ error message. Sticky valves in the active exhaust system can mean a new back box.
*Transmission* The rear diff can leak oil from the main seal at the front. The ZF auto is strong but ignore Jag’s ‘sealed for life’ claim and change the fluid at 70k miles.
*Chassis and suspension *Older models are beginning to suffer split rear bushes and tie-bar dust covers, both MOT failures. Some rear subframes are starting to corrode.
*Electrics *Check the battery’s health. It prioritises what it can power, and as it fails, it will cause various systems to play up.
*Body *Check panel gaps. Inspect the bonnet alignment. The nose chips easily. The rear spoilers on some 2014-15 V6s have been known not to rise. The hood can fail to close, so check its operation. Door handles can fail to retract, too. Scratches on the windows of some early cars may have been caused by grit being trapped between the glass and the seal, a problem that Jaguar remedied under warranty with the fitment of an improved seal.
*Interior* Check for warning messages and that everything, including the rising centre vent panel, works. Check the condition of the driver’s seat bolsters and that the V8’s inflatable bolsters function; also, that the electrically powered air vents don't stick in position. On the test drive, satisfy yourself you can live with the sundry creaks and rattles.
*Need to know*
S and R versions of the F-Type have Jaguar’s Adaptive Dynamics system that actively controls vertical body movement, roll and pitch. Check that it all works on the test drive.
The F-Type was facelifted in 2017 (new bumpers, LED headlights, Touch Pro infotainment) while R-Dynamic replaced S and the 400 Sport arrived. In 2018, it got torque vectoring, a bigger infotainment screen and new badging.
What Car? voted Jaguar’s approved used scheme the best of its kind in 2018 and 2019. It includes a two-year unlimited mileage warranty with no limit to the number of claims. Two-year breakdown assistance is also included.
*Our pick*
*Jaguar F-Type 5.0 V8 550 R AWD Coupé:* All the looks with the power to match: that’s the F-Type R. We favour the tin-top but the convertible adds another dimension with little trade-off. The SVR is more powerful but £20,000 dearer.
*Jaguar F-Type 2.0 I4 Coupé Auto:* The least powerful F-Type is actually one of the better versions to drive. That it looks like a full-fat F is a bonus, the cherry on the cake being that a 2018-reg with 10,000 miles is just £36,950.
*Ones we found*
2014 F-Type 3.0 V6 coupé, 68,000 miles, £26,985
2017 F-Type 2.0 i4 coupé, 15,000 miles, £39,950
2015 F-Type 5.0 V8 R, 32,000 miles, £47,750
2018 F-Type 3.0 R-Dynamic, 2000 miles, £62,975
*Read more*
*Jaguar F-Type 2.0 review*
*Used car buying guide: Jaguar F-Type*
*Electric Jaguar F-Type could arrive by 2021*