what should i look for guys?
sticker price seems fishy at 5995 when they typically go for 8900 in my area

im shopping for my first jag
and am either going to go x or s type havent decided yet

thanks for any help offered and advice

 

high mileage or wrecked maybe cant always trust car fax either. look at it really good 02 and 03 are that price range around here sometimes though just depends on the over all shape its in

 

Heck of a deal if it's a good car but sounds to good to be true and you know what they say about that. I would definitely run a carfax report even though they aren't perfect.

 

phineas, take the car for a drive. what you want to look for is a vibration at about 55 mph (centering bearing on the rear driveshaft starting to go). Also, as you are accelerating, listen for a metallic clanking sound or possible something like loud gear teeth meshing sounds. If that is the case, the transfer case is starting to go. Also, pull the dipstick and see where the oil level is along with looking under the front bumper a little bit to the passenger side of the car. You will probably see a little bit of oil. But, do you see a lot of oil? If you see a lot, say that you will buy the car if they put a new oil pan gasket on (most cars this is easy and a lot of dealerships will say sure, so get it in writing, but it is a royal PITA for this car and costs about $1500 to have done).

Beyond that, most of what you are going to be interested in is the obvious stuff: does the A/C work, is the steering fairly tight, does the car have decent power, etc. Also, do the idiot check and see if all the lights light on the dash (should have the ABS, check engine at a minimum) when you rotate the key to the RUN position (engine not running). This will verify that someone is not pulling a fast one on your by pulling out the light bulb to prevent a warning light from coming on. Then you can start the car and see of those lights go out. After about a 10 mile drive, if the lights are not in, then odds are you have nothing that will pop up shortly.