Hi Guys!!!

Been a while since my XJ12 days! Sadly I don't have her anymore as she became a casualty to age.

HOWEVER, I am thinking of becoming a Jag owner once again. I always liked the style and looks of the 2002 X type 3.0L AWD.

Well, I need some advice here. I have found one in mint condition and I mean MINT! Yes...it was one of those that was pampered and if anything has been "over maintained" if that is all possible. Always been covered and not a nick, dent, or scrape and runs like a champ. I have also seen the CarFax and it is outstanding. Here is the best part....only 15k miles on her! It is an unbelievable looking and running car.

Ok...so as most of you know, the blue book on an excellent condition car of this year is about maxed at 5k, if even that. However Kelly blue book does not take into consideration of the low 15k miles and the fact it is near, if not in showroom condition. Anyhow, the owner wants 11k for her. I personally think that is still kind of high and I offered 9.5k and was told no way.

I do understand the condition is immaculate BUT I have other concerns with gaskets and seals that are 14 years old as well as other parts that do deteriorate with age even if the car has only been driven 15k miles.

I would like some of your opinions. Do you think it is a good buy at 11k based on what I have told you or do you think this guy is asking way too much for a 14 year old car. Looking for a little guidance or some tips even. I am not really much of a car guru...I just like to drive them ;-)

Thanks folks!!!

peace out,
daddylogan

 

Hi daddy.
You are better off posting this directly in the X Type forum.
Good luck.

 

Hi...I apologize as i thought that might be for repairs only. Do I need to move it or will a mod move it? Thanks

peace out,
daddylogan

 

dadylogan,

I've moved your question from Off Topic to X-Type forum. Members here will be able to help.

Graham

 

Definitely seems high to me despite the condition. Cars that old in that condition with that mileage are always difficult to determine the value. Should certainly be a premium, but figuring out what that should be is the tricky part. These are just used cars right now and in my opinion, probably not going to be considered any kind of classic or collectible anytime soon, if ever. So, that leaves whatever the market will give him. If he gets someone to give him $11K good for him, but I think that will be tough to do. Maybe let him know you are seriously interested and if anything changes to contact you again. There are plenty of X-Types out there and you could find a newer one for much less, granted with more miles. Let's say you pay $4K (or less) for one that is in great condition with a good service history. That leaves you with $7K to deal with maintenance and wear issues as they come up. That's a nice chunk of change to keep in the bank for a rainy day. On the other hand, if you really value having a car with that few miles and feel it is worth it, go for it as chances are you won't find another one like it. Onky you can decide that.

Good luck and let us know how you come out.

 

A 14 year old car that has 15K on it has sat around a lot. That's just a little over 1,000 miles a year. Most of these cars had a few bugs in them that were taken care of under warranty in the first 40 -50,000 miles. Most pieces of mechanical equipment need to be used regularly to an extent to continue to operate efficiently. You mentioned gaskets and seals that are affected by age. A lot of other things could be as well. Sitting virtually idle for 14 years could take its toll on transmissions, transfer cases, electrical connections, hydraulic systems, fuel delivery systems, air conditioning, etc. As was mentioned, there are a lot of nice clean X-types out there for sale. I would personally prefer one that had been driven 5-10,000 miles a year and well maintained, with service records. (for a lot less money) Mine is an 03, that I bought about a year ago, with a little over 100,000 miles on it. It too was virtually mint. Most people thought it was new. It has been super reliable and a pleasure to own -aside from a/c problems and a few vacuum leaks. It has around 120,000 on it now. Yes I would prefer it had less miles on it, but I only paid a little over $4000.00, which I could probably get back for it now. For $11,000.00 you should be able tp find 2 nice X-types, with a spare in case one breaks.

 

Your offer puts you only $1500 apart from seller's asking price. You might ask seller "What do you have to have out of this car?" You may find that his bottom and your top are very close. If it's an exceptional car you should be able to come to agreement methinks. At his ask it'd better be a Unicorn IMO.

 

To answer your question about gaskets and seals, I don't think replacement of same is an issue, especially if you've got reasonable DIY skills. I bought an '04 3.0L AWD (105k miles though) two months ago, and have done several projects such as suspension pieces, rear shocks, front brakes, spark plugs and ATF change. All were pretty straightforward; toughest part was removing the factory fasteners on the suspension links and rear shocks. Those were really on there - and mine is a Texas car so corrosion was minimal. There's good DIY advice here and on YouTube, especially a channel from Autodoc.

 

Hi guys and thanks for all the input. Some of you mentioned some of the same concerns and ideas that I had been juggling.

The owner of the car bought this in Jan. of this year but apparently he has a major real estate deal going down and needs to sell of 2-3 of his car collection including the 02 X-type. It is my understanding that he over paid for it when he got it and claims at 11k he is taking a huge hit. In all reality though...that is not my problem he over paid.

I agree with most. 11k for a car that has only been driven an average of 1k mile per year almost seems like more stuff will start going wrong then a well maintained car that has 50-70k on it which I could easily score for around 4-5k and then have a few thousand to bring it up to snuff if needed.

The only hard part is finding that rare one that you absolutely don't have to repair cosmetically which is half the magic of owning the Jag ;-) - Where as this one is mint. Not a single place where I would have to even "touch up" anything, buy new floor mats...nothing. That is the appeal.

This one did have the transmission recall done under warranty in 2004 so it has the better transmission in it (don't know if it was a new or rebuilt one but people say the rebuilt one is the better of the two). Besides that only a couple minor things have ever needed to be done to the car according to the CarFax. BUT...that worries me. I definitely don't want to get 11k in and then break the bank fixing it. Granted, I am not one for putting huge miles on a car. Most cars last me years for I only drive about 5k miles a year at Max so that might play better into my favor?

My Dad was a S type owner and like I said I owned an XJ but not very educated on the X-type even though I have been doing a ton of research over the last few weeks.

I am still on the fence but I am enjoying reading your input and might even use some of your comments as a bargaining tool!

Thank you all again...keep the comments coming as well as your experience with your X-type

peace out,
daddylogan

 

You are correct; what seller paid for this car is irrelevant. What's relevant is that seller is offering a very low mileage car in excellent condition for a very high price.

From my limited (two months) Jaguar X-Type ownership experience I think these cars are reasonably easy to work on. I've serviced the driveline fluids, replaced front brakes, rear shocks, suspension links and spark plugs. I've owned 30+ cars in my lifetime and consider myself an above average DIYer, about 3 or 4 on scale of 5. There's a ton of help on forums like this and YouTube, as well as multiple parts sources. Parts prices are reasonable for common items, can be quite dear for Jaguar OE if that's what you want. Do you maintain your own rides, and where would you put yourself?

Back to this car then. Are you able to write a $10K check? If so, and if you really wanted this car I'd say write this check and present it to seller. If he still says no, tear check in half and write your first name and cell number on back of the right half. Give that to seller saying, "Thanks for showing your beautiful car to me. If you'd like the other half of this in the next two weeks please call me."

IMO he'll call you back. He may even accept on the spot, as he's got a 14 year old car he needs to sell that's he priced way high. While he may have an exceptional car, he's also looking for (and needs) an exceptional buyer. Mr. Market always has his way. Good luck.

 

Hey swingwing! Thanks for all the input. I am going to do just that...will offer him 10k cash and leave it at that.

I am not much of a mechanic anymore (at one time I was pretty good at working on my old Honda Accord/Preludes) and prefer to not get under the hood anymore, but I do have an excellent mechanic who does fantastic work and for cheap since he is my friend.

This car is basically a Ford under the hood, right? Anyhow, will keep you all posted and if I do get her I will post some pictures ;-)

Cheers!

peace out,
daddylogan

 

Yes, the 3.0L V6 is a Ford design, called the Duratec I believe. Transmission made by JATCO and is used by other manufacturers as well. So far I've used Amazon, Rock Auto and (forum sponsor) SNG Barratt for parts. Barratt has a downloadable .pdf parts catalog from this site, and also a free printed catalog that they'll mail you by email request. Good luck with your hunt!

 

Well, my offer was accepted so I got the car for 10k and I pick it up tomorrow!!! Very excited and it also passed it's emissions test today. Here are a few teaser pics and I will take more up close and personal ones when I get her home.

You guys like???

peace out,
daddylogan

 

Nice buy! It's a beaut - my 2004 is same color. My wife loves driving "Bridget," says it's really easy to drive and very peppy. You'll love it.

 

Yes that seems high. I purchased a 04 with 80k and like the one you talk about is in supper condition and only paid $4,300 for it, oh and it is an Estate wagon as well with most of the maintance history as well.

 

Got the car today and it was put to the test right away! I bought it in the Bay area in California and for those of you who live there, you know what traffic is like. Basically a normal 1 hour and 30 minutes trip to get home took me nearly 3 hours. Didn't help there was a major accident and a helicopter had to land on the highway stopping traffic for miles! Oh...did I mention it was 107 degrees today in beautiful California also? IT WAS!!!!

So...this would be a great test for the car and it ran like a champ. I stayed a nice cool 70 inside the cab, the temperature gauge never went above half way and it ran like new.

The ONLY thing that did concern me was when I got home and parked in the garage and turned off the car, the hood was pretty darn hot....almost to where I couldn't touch it...but not "cause a burn" hot. So my question is, do these cars run hot like that normally? Yes...it was a super hot day and I ran the AC the whole 3 hours home and like I said no issues, no lights coming on...do I just have the "new car worries" or something to be concerned about already?

Thanks ;-)

peace out,
daddylogan

 

Sounds normal to me. You'd see it on dash if anything was awry.

 

Don't worry, as long as the temp gauge not move up you're fine, you drove the car three hrs in over 100 degree with AC on, it's normal to get that hot under hood.

 

VERY nice looking cat

One thing I did notice from your photos is that the two small 3/8" spring clamps on the plastic radiator tank are facing up. Many times the tabs will hit the hood and crack the plastic tank. All you need to do is pinch the clamps and spin them so that the tabs are not facing up.

I would also be interested in see two photos, left and right, by the hood hinges and the windshield.

As rain water comes down the windshield it goes into the big black plastic channel, then sent left and right. At the end of the channel buy the fender it looks like there may be a rubber part to direct the water. My car does not have them.

Photos from your mint car may help me.

 

Hope this helps Larry_Cleveland!

peace out,
daddylogan