Used Cars: REPAIR COSTS, jaguar xj series, 2007 cadillac sts

Question
I WILL BE BUYING A USED CAR IN JUNE AND I HAVE NARROWED MY CHOICES TO FOUR CARS. A LINCOLN LS / CADILLAC STS OR CTS / JAGUAR XJ8. ALL AROUND ''04-''05 YEAR. I LOVE THE JAG, BUT HAVE HEARD HORROR STORIES ON REPAIR COSTS.IS THIS TRUE EVEN AFTER FORD TOOK OVER. AND HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO THE OTHER CARS REPAIRS,QUALITY,AND PERFORMANCE. HOW WOULD YOU RANK THEM? THANKS DOUG

Answer
I have heard bad things about the Lincoln - and It has a poor resale history.. so I rate it last... The Jag will be very costly to own and repair.. the Caddy won't be too far behind though.. I have heard good things about the Cadillac though, I can't see the reliabilty being worse than either of the others. Plus the GM engines are pretty good, you just have to be careful and inspect the build quality of the interior.. Some of them have pretty poor workmanship. I would look at the Caddys first.. and then the Jag.. I would stay away from the LS just because of the poor reliability history and the resale values are horrible...

According to ConsumerGuide the Average repair costs for the Caddy and Jag are about equal -although this information may be off-

http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2004-to-2007-jaguar-xj-series-2.htm
http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2005-to-2007-cadillac-sts-2.htm

The CTS is very similar to the STS.. but the CTS is generally rated higher and has gotten the best reviews.

The jag seems to have lower resale than the Caddy also.

Based on this... I wouldn't exclude the Jag just because of repair costs.. if something about it (like the fact that its more rare) strikes your fancy... don't be too worried about it.. go with what makes you happy... but know the cadillac is considered a better buy.