Today’s price Good price or no dice Jaguar is just as suspicious as the extremely short description in the ad. Let’s see if we can make whiskers or tails out of this confusing cat.
According to Reddit, the bastion of poorly informed hot takes is the least deserving winner of the long-running CBS series Survivors was the willfully clueless Jud “Fabio” Birza from the 2010s Survivor: Nicaragua. For most of you, it was yesterday 2004 Chrysler 300M “Survivor” could compete with Fabio. In fact, it was the money that proved the downfall of the 300M. Well, that and many of you complain about it being a terrible car in general. At $8,995, “terrible” doesn’t really get much traction, and in the end, the surviving Chrysler failed to make the cut in our poll, suffering a “no dice” loss of 74 percent.
Even though it’s not Friday yet, today seems a bit lazy 2017 Jaguar F-Type Convertible. I mean, I’m not the type to lightly cast aspersions, but the price seems suspiciously low and the description is shockingly short. Let’s take a look at what there is to know about this domesticated cat.
The F-Type appears to be Jag’s last hurrah for internal combustion engine sports cars. Introduced a decade ago, the two-seater has since been available as either a closed coupe or an open roadster and over the years with three different engine sizes – with a choice of four, six or eight cylinders.
This is the Goldilocks mid-range V6 engine, which is a very strange engine in itself, being little more than the larger V8 with two cylinders cut off. It features the 90° bank angle of the V8, but with smaller bores to achieve a displacement of 3.0 liters. Despite its odd design, the supercharged engine produces a whopping 335 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque. While a manual transmission and all-wheel drive are available for the car, this one has the ZF eight-speed automatic and is exclusively rear-wheel drive.
According to the extremely short description of the ad, this is a
Very nice car in good condition, oil, filters, spark plugs changed, tires like new, drives perfect.
It doesn’t look bad either. The Jag’s sleek lines pair well with the Caldera Red top coat. The factory alloys also help and seem to remain undamaged in any curb accidents. The tight-fitting cabin features leather and Alcantara seating surfaces, as well as a cartoon bear air freshener that probably doesn’t offer much with the top down. Everything here appears to be in fair condition, with no obvious rips, gouges or tears. And yes, there are center vents. They pop out of the top of the dashboard.
When we get under the hood, things get a little unconventional. The plastic cover over the engine has two strange discolorations on either side. This could simply be due to exhaust heat – the engine compartment is even tighter than the interior – or it could be a sign of a leak. To be fair, there is nothing other than proof of previous damage, and the seller claims that the car actually drives “perfectly.”
Another problem is the lack of a cheeky cat badge in the grille. Was this removed at the whim of the owner or was it misplaced during an accident repair? Unfortunately, the car is listed on Facebook Marketplace, where providing the VIN is not required, so we cannot do a quick check to look up the vehicle’s history. Most worryingly, the ad also omits the car’s title status. Could this car be affected by a salvage title?
That would largely explain the strangely low asking price of $16,800. Of course, this can also be explained by the fact that this car is a scam designed to lure eager bargain hunters, who then later wake up in an ice water bath at a motel near the highway with a kidney missing. I’m not suggesting that either scenario is true; I’m just asking the questions.
Now it’s time for you to ask similar questions and, more importantly, vote on what you think is the deal with this Jaguar sports car and its $16,800 price tag. What do you think of this Enigma machine? Does that price at least seem like a reasonable roll of the dice to learn more about the car? Or do you think that this jaguar is a cat that can bite?
You decide!
Facebook Marketplace Leave or leave Maple Valley, Washington Here when the display disappears.
H/T to Bill Lyons for the contact!
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