Everyone has been really great with answering questions about these cars (S-Type R) and I've been following the market for about a month. I've noticed that these cars seem to be a relatively hard sell. Almost brutal for sellers on Ebay. For Autorader & Cars.com it's harder to know if they've sold or what. Some of the very nice examples have moved but not as quicly as I'd have expected.

Is it this specific model? I haven't been following S-Types in general.

I've driven several now and I think they're very nice plus the styling is pleasant if somewhat dated though that was the intent of the original design anyway.

By current standards the electronics sophistication of "goodies" is very dated so maybe that's the issue? This is not a big deal for me except when it affects performance. The lack of a LSD or even an electronically controlled diff makes this an old design. It can't be the lack of 4WD as there are plenty of luxury high HP cars without 4wd.

Opinions? Just curious. Maybe it is just the economy?

Thanks.

Bob S.

 

I believe it is due to multiple factors. Part of it is indeed the economy. But Jaguar has long suffered from the stigma of unreliability. There is no doubt that Ford's ownership raised the quality and reliability standards dramatically and probably saved Jaguar from the scrap heap, but a queasy reputation that is many decades old is very difficult to overcome. When you pile on the increased maintenance expenses of the STR along with its cost to insure (especially for potential owners who don't possess the best of driving records), the number of true potential customers for any STR is very limited....

 

staatsoff, My STR has been very reliable; starts every time, drives like a dream and when asked...kicks ***. 320 watt Alpine stereo with 6 cd/changer works and sounds wonderful, a/c works like a charm, draws wows where ever I go, scares the s$%# out of other predators (BMW's, MB, Audi's, etc.), and in my opinion it's retro-styling remains a draw. Yea, the new stuff looks nice, but after a while we're yawning; not happening with the STR. My patients and fellow and plaza business owner renters dig my STR over anything else that pulls into the parking lot. I'll go as far in believing the STR is destined for collector status. Look at the production numbers and kick *** equipment...S/C DOHC 32 valve V8, Brembo Brakes, Zeus wheels, retro-styling, sleeper saloon, etc. STR owners may have a little nest egg on their hands.

 

Clearly a fan!

Nest egg? It's nice to dream but no. Mine will be worn out when I'm done @ 150K miles. I have several vintage cars that were at least partially purchased with the nest egg goal in mind. We're looking at making omlets with them now ...

Thanks for the opinions guys.

I'm over 50 with a good driving record so I think the insurance will be not be an issue. As far as I can see the brakes (Brembos) will be the expensive thing to maintain and possibly that stupid hose under the supercharger if it goes. I'm not sure what else on this car is more expensive to maintain than a standard S-type?

This car was never considered the hot ride to have like the M5 was. But I've always liked the whole idea so I'm glad they're not outrageously priced on the used market. What I've been hearing for quite some time now is that Jags have become reliable cars so I'm not overly concerned amd hope that turns out to be true. Fingers crossed and awaiting the PPI report.

Bob S.

 

Bob, the concept of the S-Type R may not be so far fetched. You already noticed others here are having a difficult time finding an STR. These people are members of this forum and Jag community, let's not exclude those outside the immediate jag community; vieing for a special edition (STR) Jag flagship car with low production numbers...considered in many automobile circles the bargain sleeper saloon designed to skirt its Audi, BMW, and MB counterparts. I'll step out on a limb here folks; with Jag continueing to pump out the "R" code on select models, this will keep the S-Type R on the radar for potential collector status.

 

Not to be contrary but I've not had a problem finding at least half a dozen nice medium to low mileage ones in the last month. My exact color and interior choices plus options no. That's to be expected because you're right they didn't make that many of these except for black and that's my choice. They are not plentiful but having dealt with rare Italian collector cars for 30 years believe me this is a piece of cake by comparison. It's still a lot of work. An M5 would have been a lot easier. More money too!

Bob S.

 

Finding a half dozen STR's in the past few months is about what you'll find in a calender year. People aren't readily kicking STR's out of their garages and there weren't many made. Admittedly M5's and the likes are way more popular and costly, it's the Jag enthusiasts/collectors that will have the proclivity to stock up on S-Type R's.

 

A few I saw were at local Jag dealers one of which was nice, one was not so nice with mileage in the mid 40s and one with 11K miles looked terrific but expensive. Most the cars I seriously considered were not local and not at Jag dealers. I'd say there were 8 of those that were very possible. You have to hunt but they are there.
Bob S.

 

I love your enthusiasm Bob S., but I also noticed (and believe me, it takes quite a bit of something in particular to catch my attention over here in the s-type, x-type or XJ threads) but this has to be the 4th or 5th thread you started dealing with you 'looking for an s-type R'. and that doesn't include your comparison requests with XJrs. There is no valid reason to start a new thread just to get more replies, unless there is a significantchange in thread topic. Please remember this for the future.

 

Gee I thought it was a different and interesting topic regarding about what I noticed aboutt this model while I was shopping for a car.

And how would I get the attention of XJR owners or potentially owners of both an XJR and a STR without putting in a new thread?

You prefer to have everything rolled into a single thread?

OK merge them all. It's fine with me. Dully noted.

Bob S.

 

I can answer your questions based on my insights and anecdotal evidence in the Washington DC area.

1. Given that most new cars have very attractive lease and APR offers it is actually more expensive from a cash flow perspective to buy an 06 or 07 luxury car than a new car. That is the first issue or what one can call the cash flow issue associated with buying a relatively expensive used car.

2. The most important factor that I have seen that sells a used car is mileage (and then age). These are the only 2 immutable attributes of a used car. A very low mileage recent model car will sell faster only because it is under valued based on traditional resale value models. So, an above average mileage car will sit much longer on the lot, since it is over valued. I have found that cars with 40K or close miles on an 07 or more recent model will have a hard time selling because people will go for the lower mileage cars.

3. Are Jaguars more difficult to sell than other luxury models? Actually, it looks like used BMWs and Mercedes Benz take just as long to sell as Jaguars.

4. While in terms of ranking Jaguar's resale values are lower than other luxury brands such as Lexus, Mercedes and BMW, in $ terms the depreciation levels are actually quite close. For instance, I owned both a jaguar X Type and a Mercedes C 280 4 matic. When I decided to sell one of them (I ended up selling the Mercedes C280) the difference was around $1,500. Considering that I had paid more than that difference when I bought both new, my net loss would have been very similar for both cars. In most cases, for luxury cars the net loss isn't that different, given cars in the same class.

5. The other issue often raised is the question of Jaguar's perceived quality. Well, Land Rovers should have the same issues since Jaguar and Land Rover are sister brands. The fact is that the Range Rover has the highest re sale value in it's class!

6. I would have bought an S Type R is a heat beat. But for me the AWD feature was a must have and I ended up with an x type. In the end, if you're planning on buying a used car, buy it because you believe you can enjoy it. Not because it is an investment. At least that is my attitude.

To me the S Type looks great, the interior is very classy and the door closes with a nice thump...not to mention the engine purrs and growls. To me a jaguar has soul, by comparison a BMW 3 series or Mercedes E class feel very synthetic and cold. So, it's a personal thing I guess....you'll know if you're ready for one

 

Thanks for the perspective.

I may have mislead a bit here with the title. I'm about to pull the trigger on a particular example S-Type. I've already decided I want one I'm just working on finding the right one.

Bob S.

 

I reckon most people don't really know there is an R model or what it is. Sure, the real enthusiasts do but they may not have the money or want a different style or ...

As a wise man on the .co.uk forum says, they're easy to buy but hard to sell.

The tyres (tires) will cost plenty, not just the Brembos, in fact more than them I'd think (haven't priced up either but I like top quality tyres so I know they're gonna be a lot).

I personally don't like the look of BMWs, so don't care about the performance figures.

I seriously considered the Audi RS6 but they cost even more than the STR! And eat more brakes etc. (Hey, it's 50HP more, too.)

There are lots more STRs over here (I think) but I spent months finding just the one I wanted at the price I could (just) afford.

Being able to get jtis etc was a major part because I wanted the option to DIY. I hung out on some Audi forums but preferred the jag ones, if that helps.

 

I use my 2003 S Type R as my daily driver, I now have 120K miles, i bought it used with 104K miles, the only issue I had with the car was weird electrical stuff like DSC, Restricted Performance etc etc that comes out every now and then on the instrument cluster, I do have a small auto repair shop and whats funny is I would reset the code and it would be fine for a couple of days but one thing or another error would come up again, it got worse when the weather was cold, so I decided to replace the battery to a new one even when the old battery works fine, and lo and behold all the weird electrical crap never happened again. So to this day the car runs perfect, not a single issue with it , I regularly change my oil every 3K miles, I did replace all my brake pads recently and they are so easy due to the fact that they are brembos, I am very happy with this car, there are so few cars that have 400 hp that is a four door and a reliable daily driver with a resonable price. Now what I want to do is try that Snake Bite package from Stiegemeier to refresh my supercharger and at the same time add a few more Hp to the car and I would be a happier camper. In fact I plan to offer this service for fellow Jag owners here in the Los Angeles area, I will do the removal of the supercharger then ship it out to Stiegemeier for the rebuild or refresh or Snake Bite package or whatever the customer wants then once completed install it back to the car , I am trying to come out with a package price for this soon as I am able to set something set up with the good guys at Stiegemeier.

 

Yes I was attracted to the Audi as well. Especially the 4wd part. That RS6 engine compartment is a nightmare to work in which translates into higher repair bills. It's also a waaaaay more complicated vehicle. Even more $$$$. So I got turned off by the potential repair issues once they're out of warranty. Most of my ownership is going to be outside of a warranty so that's an issue.

I'm still kind of surprised the STR isn't more popular here but I'm not complaining (yet) as it allows me to pick one up at a good price.
Yes I know that once I buy it it's mine for a very long time.