2005 X-type sedan, 155K miles

 

 

Sorry, i had to get out and actually register as a member before it would post and this got lost? I am going to look at a 2005 x-type 6AT with about 146K miles. Wanted to know exactly what to look at/for. BTW, he says that the only problem it has is a thrown serpentine belt. So it runs to drive up onto my trailer and check for engine noises but not an actual drive (maybe very short one). Only previous British car was a Lotus Europa which I loved except for the shifter linkage and electrical gremlins. Have always admired Jags but was more into the older E-types which I can no longer afford .

 

It is over 120 miles away and tonight i would have to look at it and pay cash if i wanted it. Because my pickup is currently being repaired (by me ), i would not be able to actually go down with my trailer to pick it up till this week end. so that is two round trips of almost 250 miles, plus trailering it home the second trip. but the price seems right at $1400...

 

BTW, I have a 1000 sq ft garage and do my own wrenching. Have a pretty extensive set of tools for everything from racing motorcycles to my track Miata to my current project 1999 Ford F250 with 7.3L turbo diesel!! I would actually rather be building/upgrading computers or even racing bicycles but I also like British cars (not so much my heavy/dirty F250)...

 

Check the condition of the sills; rot here can spread and be terminal.
Transfer boxes are a weak point but at the mileage it has probably been changed already.
Rear suspension bushes are prone to failure which can lead to very accelerated tyre wear.
Coolant leaks on some engines are a problem.
Good luck with it!

 

Thanks
Will check for rust especially door sills (Indiana salts their roads ). No way to check if the transfer case has been replaced/rebuilt so how much for a rebuilt (or new) one. Is checking for rear tire wear a good indication of bushings? I will look for any fluid leaks that are visible; coolant or lubricant (of any kind).

 

I don't suppose Jaguar makes it easy to check for cylinder compression (I much prefer the old straight sixes). usually at least one bank is very difficult, but could bring my gauge and at least check three cylinders for cold values and cylinder variation.

 

To get to the rear spark plugs the inlet manifold has to come off.
If the engine is running ok then I would be tempted to leave it alone apart from normal servicing.
A favourite is the coil packs starting to play up once you have disturbed them changing the plugs (or doing a compression test!).
I don't know about prices for transfer boxes over there but there are plenty on Ebay.
The only way to tell if it is shagged is to drive the car and listen for noises.
The box only holds about 3/4 of a pint of fluid so it is under a lot of stress; it is a fiddly job but well worth the effort to change the oil.

 

 

Red Sonja, If you are looking for a sports car, this can get potentially expensive. If you are wanting a good touring car with a nice ride, then you are in luck. Out of curiosity, does it have the 2.5L motor or the 3.0L motor? Why do I ask? Simple, the 2.5L motor loves to be wound up and to get any "Jaguar performance" out of it, you wil need to keep the RPMs up above about 3,000 RPM. It will cruise the highways at about 2,200 RPMs at 65ish MPH. So, passing will be a downshift and away you go. Where the 3.0L engine has lots of low end torque. So, acceleration is nothing more than easing into the gas and around you go, keeping the same gear. Both are going to get about the same mileage.

Sill rust is going to be a big thing for that year car, especially based on where it has probably lived most of its life. After that, you can't really check most of the common problems with the rear suspension. Granted, look at the inside edge of both the front and rear tires. If you see excessive wear (or if the tires are brand new), you can probably plan on another few hundred dollars in some suspension work. The rear suspension components are known for letting the rear tires either lean in on the top or may even point towards the center of the front bumper.

As for the transfer case, if when you load the car it sounds like there is a box of rocks loose i nthe engine bay, plan on a new transfer case (about a $3000 job to get a rebuilt case and have a shop install it). Depending on how long the car sat, you may also find that the car will be prone to P0171/P0174 (vacuum leak) codes. these are easy fixes if you look here.

One last thing I would say to check. Park the car facing a wall and turn on the headlights. Check to make sure all the lights come on. This year car I have seen a few with taillight issues resulting from a bad ground pin on the taillights. You will also want to see where the headlights point. They should both be about 2 feet off of the ground when parked back about 20 feet from a wall. If you see one down on the ground or pointing high up on the wall, you have a headlight internal with broken supports and it will need fixed. $20 repair bill through e-bay and about 2 hours of your time. If you just get new headlight assemblies, this can get upwards of $1600 a side (HID version).

Don't let what I say scare you. You want a list of problems, these are most of them. We have fixes for most of these and if you are mechanically inclined, most of these are fairly cheap to fix.