That's just it, it was $7,400 so I felt the downside risk was low. Also, it's going to be primarily driven by my wife, who only drives about 4-5,000 miles per year.

 

Some of the feeback for the dealer isn't very encouraging either.

 

Trust me the car I think is worth fixing, If I hadn't found mine on ebay as well yours would be in my driveway as I type this. The only reason I bought the one I did was it was the color I really wanted.
The one I ended up getting had alot of little problem and I have put about 100-1200 in it to get it straighted out but still think I got a awesome deal!

Seriously check the oil for water or foam in it... also do a radiator pressure test. I really doubt it's a head gasket.

 

FWIW, I recently had the same light with a "random misfire" diagnosis. A fuel system clean out fixed the problem... nothing major.

 

Hang on... random misfires ...and the reported issue .... maybe a plugged cat.
Again, needs proper diagnosis

 

Yeah, I'm definitely hoping it's something that simple. The maintenance history I received doesn't show any spark plug changes in the vehicle, so I think my first order of action is going to be changing those, along with changing all of the fluids. I guess I should change the fuel filter & add a system cleaner with the next tank of fuel too.

On a good note, I drove the car to work today and there were ZERO signs of any coolant in the exhaust smoke. No white smoke, nothing. Needless to say I'm very relieved and hope that the issue when I received the car was an anomaly. If there really was a HG leak, it wouldn't be sporadic like that, right?

 

Buying a car, sight unseen from a secondhand car dealer? Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
There's another posting on this website from a guy who seems determined to buy a 2000m/y S-type for Ł2000, but ACTUALLY with a gearbox warning light on it... Words fail me.
Leedsman.

 

It's a franchised Mercedes Benz dealership, not a secondhand car dealer.

 

Leeds the last 3 out of 4 vehicles we had purchased I bought through ebay. Sight unseen. If I can offer any advise its this, if the price is "low enough" expect some problems. As long as you can DIY parts are never that much in the BIG scheme.

We have gotten some great deals as our S Type (42k on clock). It supposedly under went a 118 point inspection. Well they must not have included looking at oil pan leak, valve cover leak, IMT dripping oil, front wheel hub and some misc... small items. We paid $12,400.00 (including ebay dealer "prep") with less than $500.00 in parts. Airfare 1 way to Tampa $120.00. So back 2 years ago when '05s were selling from $17k up to 22k, G R E A T deal!!! I expected problems.

In conculsion I will purchase more ebay vehicles in the future!!!

 

Sorry JimGo about me going adrift there.

Do you have a scanner, if not $40.00 will pay for itself. Glad to read that it did not look like a choo choo train on your way to work.

 

There's nothing that makes buying on eBay inherently bad or good, aside from some level of protection from scams. It's the sight unseen part that bothers me. My other car hobby involves older Corvettes and we see dozens of newbs every year that get a real shock when their dream car turns out to be a nightmare. Obviously the older a car is the likelihood of time related deterioration, neglect and abuse becomes a real concern vs. something that's almost new- but this present transaction shows how even a newer car can be misrepresented and using a high end new car dealership is no assurance of quality or honesty.

If airfare was only $120. I'd hop on a plane and go see it. Either drive home in the car or drop another $120 to fly back home if it's a no-go. For those that don't have the time or skill to do an inspection, pay someone independent to do it.

The OP should at this point, take the car to an authorized dealer for a complete analysis of what's really wrong (if anything) and proceed accordingly. Making random guesses at root cause is starting off on the wrong foot.

 

Wow,...

 

George.. I need to correct you on that one.... the correct statement is...

DO NOT PUT THIS CRAP IN ANY CARS MOTOR UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

I hope you accept my correction..

 

That was my thinking when I bought the car. IMO $7400 for a 2005 4.2 in near perfect cosmetic condition (and coming from an established dealership) is far enough under market value for one in good condition that I was willing to take the risk. Even if the worst case scenario came about and I needed a new engine or transmission, it would still be less expensive than buying a comparable one in good condition locally.

Another thing, the sales guy at MB of Nashville explained to me that when they take trades they won't put high mileage cars like this on their lot, but the owner has mandated that they put them on ebay at what they gave for the trade rather than sending off to auction. They do a general safety inspection, but don't do any reconditioning of these ones. He thought it was dumb that they don't do any diagnostics of "check engine" lights (that's likely what scared everyone off on eBay), but that's what the boss mandates. They only did the check for me because I told them I wanted the car, but wouldn't buy it if I didn't know what the fault code was. Beyond that, they were upfront that it needs new brakes on both axles along with a new battery.

Basically I got the car for what the dealership paid for it...and I'm quite happy even if I do end up putting a couple grand into initial maintenance.

 

Ooops.. you quoted me after I changed my mind on posting that...

But... I'm with you on what you did.. Honestly..$7,400 isn't bad. That's about auction value..but how many people actually have the ability to buy at dealer auctions (unless your George... LOL). So, with it being that clean I think your on the right path. I would get real familiar with this forum and start by downloading everything you can!
Do you plan on working on your car or send it to someone?
I would "make friends" with a local Jaguar Dealer. They can be very helpful if you find the right one. I would ask for a paid inspection. It may be helpful in putting together the "punch list" of things to do...

Something in the service history stood out to me... Did it ever have the DCCV replaced? I saw that they fixed a climate control issue by replacing the control module..yet most of those issues are caused by a faulty DCCV..

The 4.2 is a real nice car..It is what I really should have gotten instead of the 3.0 that I had..

 

Why did you edit it Jeff, your statements are true!

 

Oh boy LOL.

Hey, I'll buy anyone that wants a car something at the auction. Normally I charge $500, but I'll hook you guys up. Just let me know. I'm actually probably going to be getting my own wholesaler license in the next couple months.

EDIT: And that car green light, at the auction would bring around 6800 in "average" condition.

Take care,

George

 

Yup- usually looks like this:

 

Ha...Sorry about that! I couldn't figure out why none of that text was being inserted into my quote block, so I went back & did a manual cut/past. I'll be happy to remove it if you still want it gone though.

Thanks for the advice. I plan to do as much as I can myself, but it'll probably be limited to typical DIY stuff for now. On the complex things I'm always afraid of turning a $500 job into a $2k job with my fixes. I'm definitely planning on the paid inspection soon. It'll hopefully ease my mind if nothing else.

Regarding DCCV, I don't recall anything like that in the service history but I'll check again. Honestly I don't even know what that is though Could it be called by another name too?

 

Yes, could be water valve or heater valve or DCFV.

Mikey - love it!!