The vehicle is a 2003 str with 89k on the dash. The owner hasnt driven the vehicle in over a year, and turned it on yesterday to confirm that it drives. He told me that there was a check engine light on that wasnt there when he originally stored the vehicle. Hes the single owner, and i only spoken to him on the phone because hes 700 miles away from me. I was planning on buying the car, flying out there and driving it back.... After i take it to a shop to change the serpentine belt and change the oil. Is this a risky move?
hes asking for 3700 for the vehicle.
what should i service before i drive.
thanks

 

Ask if he would drive vehicle to any big box auto parts store get the codes read for free. Post exact code(S) back here.

Inquire if he had the under supercharger hose replaced, if not you are on narrowed time. Very expensive fix if you cannot DIY.

 

Echoing what Rick said above: If you cannot DIY the majority of maintenance and repairs to this car yourself, walk away right now. Having to pay a dealership or even most indie shops will drain your wallet in a hurry....

 

Of course it is, but buying any 15 year old car has risks. Doing it sight unseen increases those risks. Buying one with known but unidentified defects almost defies belief.

What sort of inspection did you plan on doing before making a decision?

 

I can do repairs on my own. Im a pretty handy individual
I was honestly just goin to check the fluids, change the battery and belts. Then drive it back 700 miles to ny with a dealer plate. I just find it odd that hes selling the car cheap and hasnt turned it on in a year.
I will ask him for the codes.
A plane ticket is 124$
Maybe i can find a more reliable str on this forum?
I just thought that 3700 is a great price for a jag with low miles.

 

>I just thought that 3700 is a great price for a jag with low miles.

Tru dat, but just be prepared, these are rare, very complex, and expensive cars with little or no aftermarket support.

Before you do anything (!!), locate a non-dealer repair shop that has experience working on these cars. Because, unless you have a trust-fund you will not be able to afford to have the necessary repairs and servicing done by a dealer.

Plus, be very ready for surprises.

Example: an STR most certainly will have HID headlamps. They fail because the mechanical beam aiming bits become brittle with age and then collapse and the car will not pass inspection. They cost ~$1300/each to replace (although there are some "fixes" around, but this is just an example of suddenly needing a repair that you might not expect to be this costly).

The other example posted earlier is the coolant line that runs down the valley under the supercharger. They end up leaking coolant and needing to be replaced. That can only be done by entirely removing the supercharger, $75 dollar part but probably $1000 labor charge to do it.

Compared to other cars in this class S-Types are really reliable (thanks Ford!). But when they need work, watch out...

We're not trying to discourage you, just providing friendly info so that you can fully "weigh the cost".

I found my S-Type in 2013 at a dealer in NJ. It had 9 months left on the COP warranty. I bought it knowing about these cars and their costs but because I figured that having 9 months left on the warranty would guarantee that I anything that failed would get fixed and that at the end I would be left with a car that had no maintenance surprises.

However, while the car was still covered one of my headlamps failed (in the way I mentioned above), not covered...

Also, after my warranty ran out my radio stopped working. The amplifier in the trunk failed and there were no aftermarket replacements. $3500 later (thanks to the $2700 discounted price for a replacement amp) I had my radio, CD, blutooth phone, and NAV unit working again.
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You dreamed of a big star -
He played a mean guitar -
He loved to drive his Jaguar...

So welcome to the machine

 

Welcome to the forum, Rex!
But beware the old adage: "The most expensive Jaguar you'll ever own is the "free" one."

2003/89k? Here's a quick list of stuff I will almost guarantee you'll have to do if you plan to keep it for any amount of time at all, if it hasn't been done recently:
Renew under-supercharger hose
Renew heater control valve
Renew front tie-rod ends
Renew rear tie-rod ends
Renew front upper control arms
Renew suspension bushes front, or rear, or both.
Renew transmission fluid (yeah, normal maint. item...but complicated by lack of drain/dipstick)
Renew Spark Plugs
Fix or repair headlights as Pab mentioned - Psst...it won't matter if they are HID or Halogens, they'll all break. But you can mend that for naught with a screw and a cordless, if slightly broke, or $50 in eBay parts while the wife's away so you can use the kitchen oven uncontested, if its "bad-broke."

A quick search of the forum here will reveal most all of the above have one or more how-to's with pics so you can get a flavor of what awaits you.

 

It's a big risk as the 2003 was the first year of the STR. I would ask and look around this forum as we have some very well maintained STR's and they are not worth much money.

My 2005 STR has 125K miles and has no problems. The trade in was only $3K. I kept it.

Be sure you can DIY and remember this list has info on every repair needed. BUT you must DIY it to make it work.

My car has been great and I have had it for 6+ years and over 100K of driving pleasure so far. But I would NOT have kept it this long without the help of this forum and all the repair info here.
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The most expensive Jaguar you'll ever own is the "free" one."

Truer words have never been spoken!

I'll have my car ( a '03 3.0) three years this July and I'm almost at $6,000 US in expenses, and most of that was DIY, and I have quite a few more things to be done.

You have to really like these cars and stick with all the issues, and see them through. Many times I wanted to get rid of my car, but stuck with it. Great car when its running right, but always ready ( and expecting) something to go wrong...

Its truly a love/hate relationship!

A great idea is to always have a reserve of cash handy, say 1 to 2k for repairs/maintenance. You will use it!

Good luck in your decision!

 

Im waiting for him to send me the codes. Knowing the amount of money and time i might have to put into this car.. im still in love with it.
SAJEA03V431M68131 this is the vin. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks guys

 

I agree with aholbro1. All the items he listed are things I have been through. Personally, I find 3700$ a steal for such a low mileage car. There is a local used car dealership asking 10k for an 05 STR with similar mileage.
I also agree maintanence is everything. I currently own 2. One I paid a lot for, the other was 800$. The 800$ car ended up being a huge pain in the butt because it wasnt well maintained on top of the split coolant hose under the charger (the reason it was so cheap).
That being said, if its located near Illinois and you aren't buying it, I think I would be really interested in taking a look at it since it has 89000 miles on it.

 

If you bear in mind you are buying and driving a $60,000 car for $3000 and are willing to figure its worth $200 a month to drive it, You will be OK. $200 a month/$2400 a year SHOULD cover your repairs on average. The options are a Ford Focus for $200 a month or $800 a month for a new Jag. They aren't cheap but they sure are nice!

 

Im very handy, i have a few connects from local part stores. And i have tools. Soo im not concerned maybe i can change the supercharger hose. Can i make it 700 miles with out changing anything other than belts and fluids?

 

To paraphrase Clint Eastwood, do you feel lucky?

 

Yea.. ill check out the hoses for crimping and cracks.
So 2003 is the worst year Mechanically to buy a str?

 

No one here has seen the car or knows anything about it's history or present condition. How could they possibly make a statement about it being roadworthy??

 

Soo true

 

I can't believe I left "Renew Coolant expansion tank" off that list!

As Mikey said, no one here knows anything about the car. But seemingly wilder ideas have been acted upon:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...8/#post1602180

However, having said that....I wouldn't execute a similar feat on an 03 STR in general, and in particular one that hasn't been driven in a year!

 

Im flying down to look at the car in person. Im definitely going to bring it to a shop for proper inspection before I purchase it. Worst case scenario ill be down a few hundred bucks if the car isnt worth it.

 

I did the same with my car. Mine was at a dealers where it had stood for a year too. Yes I had to invest a 1000 euros in the car to get through the inspection but I have not regretted my decision to buy it and since I bought it I have found out that only 391 were made of my variant. I don't use it a Daily car as it is too expensive for that and I have a old Renault which is used for short journeys.

Here in Germany it is now getting difficult to buy an S type and their prices are beginning to go up and now Jaguar Heritage has taken over the spare parts delivery, they have stated that will try to ensure that all the spare parts will be available. Try that with a Mercedes or a BMW.

Don't forget that if the battery has stood for this long and not been maintained then change it before you drive home as this may give you a lot of problems with false codes and may even make it run in restricted mode.

If you do buy the car and drive it home be careful because they accelerate like hot ShiŁ off a shovel and you don't want to get a speeding ticket like I did. It is very difficult to judge the speed that you travelling at when you first get the car. I found that I was travelling 20 mph than what I thought on the open roads.