Misconception 11: British cars are as reliable as cars from any other country.
Jaguars have had a reputation for questionable reliability, especially their electrical systems. This was due to their Lucas wiring system-also used in other British vehicles of the era. After Ford purchased Jaguar in 1988 they worked hard to change this reputation, doing away with the Lucas electrical systems and vastly improving reliability and build quality. Even though Ford sold Jaguar in 2008 to Tata motors, they succeed in improving the reliability. So much in fact, that Jaguar won best manufacturer for initial new car reliability from the distinguished JD Powers and Associates. It took a while for Ford to completely revamp Jaguar’s electrical system and improve engineering to the point of reliability. Any 1997 and new Jaguar can be purchased with confidence in reliability-excluding the X-Type, which is a re-badged and unreliable Ford Mondeo. Look for V-8 models, as they tend to have the best reliability overall.