Ok, so I may be looking at an 03 STR with 35000 miles on it. I am aware of the following common problem areas to look for:

1. headlamps pointing at the ground (bad auto leveler)
2. cracking coolant tank
3. slow to shift into gear

what else should I pay special attention to?

I always make a thourough inspection of and make sure everything works as advertised, just trying to make sure there isn't something I could miss that could bite me in the tail lights later.

 

Make sure the brakes are in good shape too. They are expensive to replace.

 

Hi Pal,

With the gear shift it is more of a harsh (hard shift) from first to second....this seems to be the most common variant of the dreaded "lurch" anyway!!

I would also look at (if it has Brembos) warped disks.......hard braking from highspeed and check for any shakes/steering wobbles.

The steering wheel noise "sounds like a dove cooing" when slowly turning the wheel side to side........this can be fixed however with an additive from Jag for a few pounds/dollars.

Aside form that the engine is very strong, so as you have said just check the normal electric toys work and have fun ripping up some tarmac!!!!

 

Your not looking for a broken auto-leveler, you should be looking for a broken headlight assembly. You can grab the high beam an wiggle it up and down and side to side to see if it broken. If it has no play then its fine, but if while fondling it you can re-aim the headlights then its broken. Don't not buy the car, just use it to negotiate.. You can fix the headlights with two $0.05 screws from the hardware store.

The cracked coolant tank isn't a very common issue, but I would definitely look for an sprayed out around the engine. Also check the brake rotors to make sure they down have a lip on the inside or outside of the disc and that there are no deep grooves in them..

The transmission will have issues %90 of the time, so don't be too surprised. The ZFs have a hard downshift from 2nd to 1st, but if your a true driving enthusiast this won't dissuade you from buying it. Its not really as bad as everyone makes it sound like, it just lets you know its happening..

The main thing that would concern me with the car your talking about is that its an 03' with 35k miles? That's very low.. I would get the VIN and call the dealership and see if it was serviced there and what kind of miles the previous owner brought it in with.

Also play with both front seats, try ALL of the controls. The front seat modules have a tendency to malfunction. Also check to make sure there's no water residue in the trunk because sometimes these leak.

If all checks out, buy it. Then have fun melting the tires because I did just that on the way to work this morning and fogged out an entire 4 lane road and it was exhilarating!!! haha people down get to see someone make a U-turn in place very often.. Eric

 

well considering that is low mileage, i bought mine in January with 25 oh the clock. So far....had to replace the themostat. 14 dollars from Pep Boys, 60ish from the dealer. Did it myself in about 40 minutes, shop wanted 410 dollars labor. Passenger door regulator is n/w at this time. But i havent had time to take the door panel off yet to investigate. I am very good with electrical systems and automotive repair is ok with me. HOWEVER, i would buy a code scanner (OBD CAN2 one i got from ebay for like 62 dollars). It will be your best friend.

I had this lean code popping up daily. Restricted Performance would show up in the cluster. I kept resetting it and i drove it like i stole it for a few days. Seemd to work the bugs out. The guy who owned the car drove it about 4700 miles a year so little things needed to be worked out. Next on my list is brake pads, rotors, and looking for a deal on tires because mine are so loud its driving me to a point where i want to throw a system in the car to overcome the roadnoise. Have any other questions feel free to ask.

Also, as a side note. I dont know if i would stash 2500 in an account somewhere, or buy the warranty aftermarket. I did buy it, but now im second guessing that decision. Just something to think about.

 

Want good tire deal, Z rated with excellent wear, Nexen N3000 - complete set for less than $450 - seriously, I have them on my STR and my X-Type Sportwagon - look great, work great, wear great and f**kin' dead cheap...


http://www.discount-tires-2go.com/Di..._Tires_2Go.cfm

 

I had a set of those on my car about 6 months ago. They're pretty good in the rain and alright in the dry. The thing I love the most about Nexen tires though is they smoke like $2 hookers.. I have a video on youtube of me destroying my last set. My friend lost the best video though, i smoked out a parking garage so bad you couldn't even see to drive out..

 

Nexen N3000s are good tires, had em on my TA and they are worth the money. Alot of BMW guys run em. Another thing to check on the car is under the hood take off the pretty plastic cover that says supercharged on it, just comes off. And see what the status is under there. If there is oil or a bunch of crap under there then there is a leak in the air seals and can be fun to fix. Don't forget to check the oil too and all electronic features like the nav (if it has it) and the A/C/heat controls.

 

a quick check you can do to see if there is a lot of blow-by is to pop of the driver's side breather hose on the valve/cam cover. Stick you finger in the hose and see if any oil is in there. I wouldn't think there would be any with that low of mileage, but you never know. My 03 w/ 46k is bone dry, but the '98 xjr i had was horrible... the entire air intake tube was covered in oil.