Hi!!
I'm going to test drive a really sharp 2002 Jaguar X-Type 3.0, Automatic, today.
It has 129,000 miles on it, is selling for $5577 and the only real concern I have is.....
At 129,000 miles, what should be done to it BEFORE problems occur?
Like, Should I go ahead and have the timing chain replaced if there hasnt been one replaced on it?
Are there major problems at this amount of miles? Or will I get 200,000 miles out of it?
I'm looking at this, because I really like the car, need AWD or 4WD to get up my driveway in snow, not to mention to get into work as I live way out of town, and because I am going to sell my Nitro and get out of tons of debt on new vehicles.

Any suggestions about what I should ask on this vehicle before buying?

Thank you so much in advance!!
Gin

 

I have had my 03 for a couple of months. The first thing I did, for peace of mind if nothing else, was drain and fill the transmission ( manual in my case ), transfer case, and differential. Under $100 and less than an hours time. Now I know for sure everything has the correct quality and quantity of lubricants.

 

First thing I'd do is ask for service records/receipts. You can search this forum for the service schedules for our cars (I think they're in the FAQ section), those will tell you what should have been done by this point. For instance, the spark plugs should have been changed fairly recently. Your questions are difficult to answer because it's all about how the car has been cared for, you know? There really shouldn't be an issue with 129K on the clock if it was cared for.

Also check for leaks from the oil pan. The achilles heel for our cars is the transfer case, and I believe so more in the earlier models. Check tire tread, fluids, etc. If you can't check these, then certainly take it to a shop familiar with our cars for diagnostic. Sorry if this is basic stuff you're going to do, it wasn't clear in your post what actions you'd take before purchasing. Some of this is just personal preference too. Lots of people buy cars by just taking them for a short test drive without really getting into the details. Good luck to you!

 

The car came out of Marietta, GA. He bought it at auction but checked it over well before hand and drove it for a week or two after he got it before putting it on his lot. The tires on it were worn when he got it, and he had replaced the 2 back tires before I saw the car. The front ones were worn more on the outter sides of the tires than the inner, but, both front tires were worn equally so it wasn't one sided.

It has all new hoses, and the carfax shows regular maintenance, but it doesnt give the phone number of where the maintenance was done...as I looked over the carfax. The timing chain looked good.

I drove it interstate, and the engine light came on. Which I told him as soon as I got back and said "I did read, that this could be intake air" and he knew it and said it had come on one other time, and then went off, so he would put smoke through all the hoses to find the leak and let me know once he found it.
The only other thing was, the up and down on the drivers seat didnt work. You could hear the motor but the seat wasnt going anywhere, so while driving it, I checked the heat and that didnt work on the drivers side either. When I got back he had already resesarched this and said they are connected some how and he would find the problem and fix that also.
The car shows a minor ding to the front on carfax but it was insignificant in the money to fix it.
There was a tiny chip from a rock on the windsheild which he said he would have resined for me.
It is an awesome ride. Nothing out of line, no pulling no shaking nothing.

I can get pictures from his site and will post. I'm thinking at $5500 if he takes care of the few things I mentioned, I'm okay with it.

 

I was finally able to upload photos of the car to my profile and above when you click on "photos" it appears as a post also.

 

Vacuum leaks are common on our cars. The three likely suspects are the brake booster, PCV valve and hose, and the imt o-rings. There are a lot of threads on this forum with regard to those faults. A quick search will bring you up to date in no time.

None of those are terribly expensive to fix/replace. The PCV hose should be ribbed, that's how you know it's the updated hose. The old ones are smooth. Also the imt o-rings should be green in color. The old ones are yellow. Typically, you could only get o-rings at Jag dealer for about $6/piece. Recently someone on here found them online for like $3. Do a search, should come up.

Also, it's possible the MAF sensor is bad. This will be more expensive to fix. There are two ways of dealing with that, replace it or get MAF cleaner. I'd recommend replacing since you don't know that car's history, but that's me.

 

the thing about the 02-03 is that your getting a luxury awd car for less than nothing..mine is an 02 ive had no problems with it ,its the way you take care of it and how you drive,
if you change your transfer case fluid once a year ,and your transmission fluid every 2 years youll be fine ...its not a drag car it will break ..l launched in my wifes bmw awd that broke instantly 3000 dollars later, most cars if you take care it it take care of you




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Thank you, both of you. I'll shoot this info to the dealer. He is a super nice person and is fixing anything that I find wrong before I buy.

Can't beat that.
Gin

 

If you check the going prices on Edmunds.com you'll find that car should retail at around $4700. Maybe you can use that to get a better price.