Sorry for the emergency thread but we're headed out to Miami in the morning to have a quick 1 hour exam of that 07 S with 9800 miles.

What can I look for specific to the S? It has a clean carfax, 3y.o. michelins, new brakes, belt, brake fluid and regular service by the over eager garage so I'm guessing it's over-maintained(if a Jag can be). No reported accidents and a 92y.o. wealthy owner so I'm hoping they took her to the cleaners for my sake.

Any input will be helpful. I'm fairly clued in, had mcy mechanic training as a youth but hung up my sockets early on. Thanks!

 

And I read through some of the threads which were daunting and maybe not applicable to a lo miler(yet). Looking forward to participating in the forum as an owner(finally). I may be the oldest member never to have owned a jag...!

 

I have an 03 STR and I love it. I am a mechanical engineer and the engineering that went into this impresses me everytime I have get under it. I have recently started dealing with a few "common" items on these cars. One thing to check is underneath the trunk carpet floor. The tail light lenses are known leaks and can cause rust/electrical issues. If this was stored indoors it might not be an issue though.

 

It's an 8-year old car, with 9800 miles and 3-year-old Michelins? Did he NEED new tires after 5000 miles at 90 years of age?

Anyway, sounds like fun. Nice if the car also had a new battery.

 

Probably still had the **** on the tires but they do dry out here in FL fast. I don't ride bikes on tires>5y.o. here. And I just had a battery die in 39 months last week, a 3 yr free replacement of course.

 

The most important item is the vehicle service history. If you have the service history, you can be confident the vehicle has been cared for.

Bear in mind that the vehicle is over nine years old and can have issues not related to the number of kilometres/miles driven. If you have one, use a code reader to determine if there are any DTCs present in the system. If there are, post them here.

 

With only 9800 miles there probably won't be too much recorded service work. If they were diligent they took the car to a Jaguar dealer for all scheduled maintenance and that will give you some insight on the overall upkeep. Good luck!

 

The car sounds excellent, I hope all goes to plan and you make the purchase.

 

If the battery is original replace it. If it is not the original battery, replace it. Buy a trickle charger and use it. Money well spent.

 

CAn;t imagine the battery's OEM but will stick in a fresh one anyway. And trickle charge even though a daily driver?

Haven't seen books/records but the carfax was fairly revealing.

My biggest qualm is that this is a wholesale dealer in S FL who only just showed me the title. He's eager to sell and will help me at the DMV to get registered. I imagine the worst case Craigslist scenario of paying in full and not being able to register, 'Oh, there's that stolen car!' The online car ad shows a bit more legitimacy than just CL though.

 

Call the Jaguar dealerships in the Miami area to obtain the appropriate service records. Alpine Jaguar in Fort Lauderdale is a major dealership and I wouldn't be surprised if they originally sold the car. My 2005 S-Type came from there....

 

Not a 'trickle charger', a 'battery tender'. Use it if the car will sit for more than a few weeks or month. The computers on high end modern cars still run in the background. All marques are affected by this. It's money well spent.

 

Have them lift the car up so you can stand under it and inspect all aspects of the running gear and suspension. This vehicle is a difficult DIYer without a hoist, small hands and lots of patience. When I bought mine (64km) from the dealer I did not take the time to do this and regretted it because the previous owner had removed the belly pan which cost me $250.00 through my brothers Collision Repair Shop. And the rear suspension bushings and links will soon need to be replaced because the lubricant retaining boots are deteriorated. If possible take along an ODBII reader and read the codes or have them show the results of the system being scanned.

 

So I pulled the trigger today in spite of: sagging headliner, 1 out of round tire, crazed headlights, 'gas door' warning code, airbag amber light on lower right gauge and general finish weathering from sitting outside in FL weather. I did notice what sounded like a fuel pump noise after the car sat for a bit after a 10 mile run and maybe even a slight gas smell. I looked at the pan/cover underneath and am wondering if the mechanic left a loose connection after cleaning than/filter etc thus the 'check fuel door' light.

The owners were 92y.o. and the car sat for 2+ years. The dealer cleaned the tank and injectors and did a buffing and that was it.

I was a bit crestfallen when I saw 3 small door dings, 2 curb rashes, 3-4 bird poop burnthroughs, weak paint on the rear bumper cover. And tonight, I find the low beams DO NOT raise back up like they did for me this afternoon. The high beams seem just about correct for low beam lighting.

She does run like a new car otherwise. The main reason I went for it was that you can restore cosmetics and even mechanicals but you can't (legally) turn back mileage and she is just at 9909 tonight.

Any suggestions? I DID see those headlight projectors dip and return during the bright FL afternoon sun...!

 

sounds like a bit of work to do , but you bagged the best posable one out there to do it to !
there is a resin upgrade for the head light adjusters that are 5 times stronger than stock with steel ball joints instead of junk plastic on ebay its a kit with all parts needed!

Jaguar s Type s Type Headlamp Headlight Repair Kit Adjuster 2 Sets Gears | eBay

i done both mine , you will need to remove the head lights and heat them around the seam with a hair dryer to soften the adhesive glue that holds the lens on . then the lens just pulls off to gain access to all the broken stuff.
wile the lens is off you can have them re clear coated as i did , or there is the drooping headlight screw short cut trick to hold the light up , here is the youtube vid for that,


but its the back yard way id say .

 

Mega-thanks for encouragement as I awoke with mega-remorse. I imagine once the small bits are sorted, I'll have a newish S not to worry about major things happening for a while.

Time to fall in love with it today and not just fall in like...! I new tire coming up-maybe a Michelin warranty? And this car has the 17" rims as seen, no sport package I guess?

 

Didn't know that the later cars had a 'check gas door' warning. Wonder what year that started?

 

Yesterday, for me...

 

Mine has a check gas light.

 

As does mine which indicates low fuel level. No warning about the fuel door being ajar though. I was surprised to learn that some newer models (F-type?) can flash an advisory on the display stating 'check fuel cap' or similar.

I thought at the time that this might be confusing as the car has no way of knowing whether a small leak in the EVAP system is actually a loose fuel cap or a leak somewhere else. As it turned out on the poster's car, the leak was somewhere else.