Hi everyone. Im about to turn 16 and was looking at possible cars to buy. I was looking for something in the 3-6k price range and found a 2002 s-type for around $5400. I really like the styling on these cars and figured it would be a good buy because of the low price. When I told my dad he said to stay away from Jags because they break down often and parts are expensive. Would a 2002 s-type be a bad choice for a car? Also what would be an esthmate on insurance for a 16 year old? Thanks for any help.

 

Welcome to the forum.

Want to give us a link to the ad and we can maybe give some advice?

 

Cars for Sale: 2000 Jaguar S-Type 4.0 V8 in Orlando, FL 32839: Sedan Details - 285864400 - AutoTrader.com
Its actually a 2000, sorry.

 

Hey kid, she looks nice on the outside, silver's my color too. Demand a CarFax. Read it carefully with an adult who understands this document, make an offer of $4200 with a contingency that she passes a private mechanics inspection (pay the mechanic for two hours time). If the mechanic says the engine is strong and doesn't smoke (the 4.0 had issues regarding this), the trans. is strong and working properly (the Ford 5 speed auto box had issues too), the rearend isn't worn, etc...Then you'll have the coolest ride of your friends. Insurance shouldn't be too tough for this vehicle. Good luck.

 

I think its great you recognize the beauty of the S type and the add with the miles looks very enticing. When they are in great condition, you cannot find a better riding car and parked next to anything else, it stands out. I'll never forget my neighbors kid once said it perfectly, "If I can't get the girl in that car, I never will". He actually said it a little differently but going with a G rating here because you are just about 16.

That said, at 16 and your first venture into owning a car, sorry to say this but your father is right. You should go find a honda or something similar that will probably last much longer, a lot less headaches and not require the sometime deep pockets (lots of money) you will need to keep the car running. The 2000 to 2002 have a lot of possible issues, like any car today with that age, but the cost of repairs even when doing them yourself can become a little higher then the norm.

If you can find a reasonable price on a 2003 year and up, that would be the way to go, but knowing the 2000 year and what I and many others have experienced, I would probably talk my son out of it.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

Unfortuantely, I agree with others about the costs of keeping the car running. It would be easy to quickly double the price of that car once you factor in trips to the mechanic over the next year or two. That may be an extreme case, but certainly not out of the question either. At your age, I'm guessing you don't have the financial resources to keep it up. And if you do, you could do much smarter things with that money.

 

Your father is partially right- these cars do cost a lot more for parts as compared to a Honda or Toyota, but are just as reliable and durable as any other high end brand. The dark days of the 70s and 80s when Jags were not so good are long gone.

If you buy this car, realize that it's 11 years old and just like any 11 year old car, all sorts of parts will be wearing out from old age and high mileage. Unless you're going to always have another $2-3000 on hand for when things go wrong, best buy something newer that still has years and miles ahead of it.

Note also the first line in the ad:

THIS IS A MECHANIC'S SPECIAL!!!!!!


That should tell you something.

 

Mikey, so right to point out that first line. Why even state this when selling a car? I am guessing when and if it does become a money pit, the seller can state I told you so.

And one more thing tscw96, if you were say 35 years old and a banker or wall street guy (they seem to have all the money now) or someone in that position with some money to spend, I am sure everyone on the site might be stating a different tune. With your age and possibilities of what might happen, thus some of the responses. Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

Thanks for the answers everyone. Another question, around how much money would I be puting into the car monthly for repairs and maintenence. I would do the easy stuff like oil changes and replacing oil filters.

 

Amadauss, you mentioned to look for a 2003 or up and i found one for not much more than the 2000. Would it be worth the extra thousand for a 2003 because of saved money on repairs?Cars for Sale: 2003 Jaguar S-Type 4.2 V8 in Hollywood, FL 33023: Sedan Details - 304005826 - AutoTrader.com

 

It seems like you have your mind set on a Jag and I can't blame you. Only thing that scars me on that car is the miles. With that many miles I would want to see all the service records on the car if possible. The reason I mention a 2003 or newer is they definitely made a few changes to the car to correct some issues had by the 2000 to 2002. There are people on the site much better versed to give their opinions on this year of car and I would wait until they all chime in. As far as costs, if the transmission goes on either year, its going to cost a bunch to repair it. A great deal of people on this site do most of their own repairs when possible. Saves money. What I can say is if you get a Jag and end up doing a lot of your own service, as time goes on, you could learn a great deal about these cars and end up being a first class mechanic. It really is a role of the dice on what could happen or not. Only reason I tried to steer you away from the 2000 is because that year seemed to have more issues then other years so basically playing the odds here going with a 2003 that it hopefully will hold up better then a 2000.

 

To be blunt, 'low purchase price', 'old', 'high mileage','low operating cost' and 'reliable' never all go together in the same sentence, at least in a positive sense, when talking about cars.

There's a reason that this 2003 is so cheap and I suspect that high mileage is just the start of it. A car in that range has reached the end of it's normal first life for many if not most components. To keep a car like that on the road, you could expect to face unexpected high repair bills of 2-3K with unknown repeat frequency.

That car has 2-3 times more miles than most S-types that are up for sale. Beware!

 

Thanks for the advice. The mileage did seem high. How many miles should I look for in a used s-type and how many miles can you expect them to run for?

 

I'd even be very leery of that '06 they have with 109,000 miles on it. That's double what I have on mine.

 

142K miles is quite a lot. People have done a lot more but you can expect to start needing to replace major items.

109K for an 06 would br great but only if there are lots of servicing receipts (I mean real proof, not just some ink stamps in a booklet) because those have to be highway miles - which are good for a car.

 

Price and mileage are almost inversely proportional. A young, low mileage car will most likely be out of your price range and if that doesn't kill the deal, the insurance cost will.

 

This vehicle is B E A T !!!!

Observe the pictures, body lines way off, missing front undertray(s), etc.... I wouldn't touch this car!!!

 

Something about the 2000 is striking me as odd as well, I cannot put my finger on it yet, but I will.

Are you mechanically inclined? Changing the oil on one of these can be labor intensive to some.


As far as insurance goes, drop a dime to your agent. He (she) may have good news or maybe some bad news to your wallet!