Title says it all. I pick her up in a week and I'm really excited as it is my first car.

 

Forgot to say it's a 2005!!

 

Jared, the best advice that I can tell you is to stick around here and we will keep the kitty purring. There isn't much that you are going to experience that someone here hasn't already and will tell you how to fix it.

As for what to look for, you have a few things to keep an eye out for:

1) take the car for a test drive, be specifically look for a grinding noise. Most people reference it to rocks in the transmission. This would be a sign that the transfer case is starting to go and will need to be repaired shortly. Some also have had a whirring sound.

2) look at the tires, specifically the inside edges of all 4 tires. The arms on the rear suspension are known for wearing and will cause the rear tires to either lean in on the tops and/or not be in alignment (ie, the rear tires will point towards the center of the front bumper). Both of these conditions will cause you to eat through a set of tires in the rear in about 10,000 miles. Front front tires will also loose their alignment and will cause the steering wheel to develop a shake at about 50 mph (more on this in a moment). You can do a simple check of the rear suspension by finding a long, sweeping turn (say a cloverleaf) where you will want to take it at an easy speed (say 20 mph) and then half way through the turn, step on the gas like you are going to pass a car. The car should just accelerate and go around the corner. If you feel the rear end step to the side (do not worry, it will not come around on you), then you know the rear suspension has some play and will need work.

3) look for obvious warning lights on the dash. The car is touchy to a battery that is not got a lot of life left in it. What you will see is random warning lights and error codes happening with no real reason. You may also see the ABS lights come on. This is normally caused by one of the rear wheels loosing its sensing ring (ie, the computer will not see how fast the wheel is turning) which will make the computer see a fault. The last common issue is vacuum leaks that lead to P0171/P0174 codes. Easy fixes and if you find a car with these 2 codes, easy way to get them to lower the price. The fixes are normally a few dollars and something that even an average joe can fix themselves.

4) steering wheel wobble. Like I mentioned before, this can normally indicate that the front alignment is off (just slightly) and you will feel the steering wheel shake from say 50-70 mph. Above and below that speed, the steering wheel will feel pretty good. The other possibility is that you have a bent rim (Jaguar rims are known for being easily bent by hitting a pothole).

5) driveline hum/vibration at 60 mph. Because the car is AWD, you have a carrier bearing that is mounted under the car that supports the rear driveshaft. When it gets dry/worn, it will tend to develop a hum around 60 mph. In most cases, a little bit of grease in the bearing and all is good. Another one of those points to use to talk the price down

6) e-brake lever. This is going to be one of those things that you will either have no isuses or will seem to be fighting it on a yearly basis. Apply the e-brake and then release it. Now, pull it up again. Pay special attention to how far up the e-brake goes. What you should feel is it come up part way and then build up resistance. If you can pull the lever pretty much to the top, then you have a stuck e-brake lever on a rear caliper and most likely will require the replacement of the caliper (there is a write up if you want to rebuild the caliper that I made if you are interested). You can also do this just prior to the drive and after the drive, go and check both rear wheels for excessive heat (should feel a little bit of heat after a drive, but you should not be fearful of getting your hand too close to the wheel).

Please, do not let this list scare you away from the vehicle. I am simply giving you a list of common problem with the car that just about anyone can diagnose during a routine drive. All vehicles have a list like this. It is a matter of whether you know what to look for or not.

2 other tidbits that I will pass on. The first being, since it is a 2005, do you plan on driving into snowy areas? I know you live in Florida and snow is probably one of the last things on your mind. But, for your year car, this can make a big difference. I ask this because in 2004, jaguar changed the internal make up of the transfer case. So while the car is AWD (power supplied to all 4 wheels), when a tire looses traction, it will take all the power and let the other 3 wheels idle (essentially making the car like a FWD or RWD car). If you are not worried about snow, then you have no worries. If you are worried about snow/adverse traction conditions, then you want to look on the center console for a switch labeled "DSC" (Dynamic Stability Control, will be just in front of the e-brake lever, black button with what looks like a car fish tailing). This is a system that was added to the cars (became standard in late 2005/2006 as I recall) to overcome the "1 wheel peel" effect (ie, one tire taking all the power when it slips). This will dramatically help the car maintain traction when road conditions are less than ideal.

One other tidbit. These cars are actually very reliable (contrary to what you may read). But, if you abuse the kitty, the kitty will abuse you (by taking money from your wallet). The 3.0L motor does not need to be wound up to make it make power. You will find that you will easily out accelerate most cars keeping the engine RPMs under 3,000. I say this because the reason why Jaguar went to the newer style transfer cases was due to early failures (ie, transfer cases completely failing before say 50,000 miles). Even the newer style cases still had some of the same issues (granted, not to the same extent). It appears that the commonality for most of the problems was the drivers being hard on the accelerator right off the line from a stop (ie, transfer cases seeing worst case torque being applied to them). This tended to cause them to wear excessively, leading to early failures. You drive sensibly, the transfer case will outlast the car. You race light to light, well, start saving. Most of the problem transfer cases should be off the road now, but one cannot be guaranteed of that. Am I saying that you can never drive spiritedly? NO!!!!!!!! But, the more you do it, the higher the possibility of having a major expense in your near future.

You will find that this car is a lot of fun to drive and will handle better than 99% of what is on the road. But, keep in mind that you are also a "target" now. The Jag is going to get you attention and since this is your first car, I have to assume you are fairly young too. A nice car and a young driver will always get a cop's attention. Is it unjust, I think you know the answer. But, it is what it is. Drive sensibly and all will be fine.

 

How many miles on the car? Are you buying from an individual or from used car lot? If private party, does seller have any maintenance/repair records? What's your DIY skill level, say on 1 (low) to 5 (high) scale?

If you're getting little or no maintenance records then start with some basic tasks and start making a project list. Go to local Interstate Battery store for a check of car's battery. Hopefully you're getting an owner's manual; read through that to get familiar with the car. Check condition of the engine air filter. If you don't know when last time the fuel filter was changed, replace it. Both filters are relatively inexpensive and easy to change, but you have to lift the car to access the fuel filter. Next I'd be looking at fluids - engine oil, transmission fluid, transfer case and differential lubes, engine coolant. You can find DIY tips here on forum and also YouTube videos. Not all have to be done at same time. Learn the car and make a project list so that you can prioritize tasks with time and budget.

Forum sponsor SNG Barratt has a printed parts catalog that they'll mail you free by email request. It's a really good reference to help you learn how Jaguar identifies the various systems and parts.

 

Wow! Couldn't have asked for a better reply! Thank you so much!

 

The car is in pristine condition for 12 years old. It only has 58,000 miles and was garage kept for most of its life. The only concern is the leather seats are starting to get a bit worn on the edges. We bought the car from an old lady who can't drive and lost her husband. She asked 6k, but after she figured out it was an '05 and not an '06 she had dropped the price $500. We then talked her down to $5,300 and she is using $1,200 of that to replace a strut. After that the shop is going to detail the car and then it's mine.

 

I think you're in luck then. Ask seller to give you any repair receipts when you get the car, then sort them by date. When done build a spreadsheet with columns date, mileage and task (oil change, new tires, battery etc.). Skip a line to identify your acquiring the car, then continue with whatever you do to it. Add a fourth column to keep track of what you're spending on the car, including purchase price, tax and registration. That way you have a good idea of how much you've got in the car (I don't track gasoline usage). Keeping such a record will help you plan future work on the car and will impress a prospective buyer should you decide to sell it down the road. Good luck, as it sounds like you're getting a good car.