I stole our 2005 S-Type 3.0 eight years ago today during the depths of the 2008/2009 depression here in the U.S. It was a Florida corporate-lease vehicle with 18,000 miles. I'll never forget how my wife and I were the only customers at the local Jaguar dealership for the three hours we were there in the showroom. When she announced she wanted to leave for lunch, the dealership personnel panicked and offered to bring lunch in for us. I've never had another vehicle acquisition situation from a dealership where I was so much in control, and the state of the economy combined with the time of year were the primary factors. I still chuckle with pleasure when I think back to that day....

2016 has been a relatively easy year for my S-Type. One new rear wheel speed sensor (from SNG Barratt Group) in February and a new hood release cable assembly (from ebay) in September have been all it has required other than the typical routine maintenance. So my custom cost/benefit analysis algorithm remains fully in the green at this time....

I still enjoy this car for what it does best - a comfortable rear-wheel-drive highway cruiser sedan that gets outstanding gas mileage. The odometer will turn 98,000 miles this week, and I expect to have to replace both front upper control arms at some point in 2017. Our driving needs are now spread across four different vehicles (all with very different purposes) so my S-Type only does about 6,000 miles per year (compared to the 20,000 miles per year it was doing up until we acquired my wife's 2006 XK8 in February 2012)....

I had the opportunity to sell my S-Type back in August to a lady that really loved its physical appearance. But when she told me that her husband has zero DIY capability, I talked her out of it. If the right buyer turns up in 2017, I may decide to let the car go while I can still get at least a few thousand dollars for it. We'll see....

 

Great story, Jon. Sounds like your S Type has served you well!

Good luck in the future in whatever you decide to do with it.

As for DIY and being knowledgeable, are we ( the forum members ) the only ones worried about our cars? It seems to me most people driving these cars couldn't care less, or are in the ignorance is bliss world. Like my father in law said, " How do you have so many issues with that car, I had it four years and never had one problem!" He was the former owner and only put 87 octane gas in it! I'm too "finnicky" I guess, lol.

Well your car sounded like it gave you a minimum off issues, which is great, mine has been through the wringer! And yes, I'm on the list to do front upper control arms too, as well as a host of other things, however my wallet and patience are getting thin...

 

Ah Jon, dear oh dear . . . and replace it with WHAT exactly? No cheating now! Be fair . . . have you found something, anything, to compete with the S-Type Jaguar package?

After much of my life with the Series1 Jag E-Type FHC that proved incredibly stupid for a 70yo to get into or out of (but nearly 40 years ago, such an unbelievable drive) . . . and now, the XJ-S which is not much better, if more refined and V12 smooth . . . and the sexy XK8 Coupe which is far superior but still a long way down to bend into . . . I find it a pleasure to nestle back into the XJ6 . . . and sheer, unadulterated, prestige pleasure to sink into the embrace of the S-Type.

Adding to the litter keeps me poor (and my adult kids exchanging worried looks) . . . but short of finding an extraordinary XJR, of which I have just about given up . . . my MY07 S-Type has to be the best quality motoring I have ever experienced. Bar none!

Cheers,

Ken

 

Jimmy,

Given the age of our S-Types now, they aren't worth much and I think the vast majority of owners treat them that way. And as they quickly learn, paying someone else (dealership or indie) to resolve all the issues becomes unaffordable in very rapid order. So the folks who buy them on a whim without doing their research don't stay owners for very long....


Ken,

I still love both the lines and the ride, but at 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds with size 15 feet the S-Type is not the ideal vehicle for me. We originally purchased it as a highway cruiser for my wife to drive back and forth to Florida to visit her elderly mother. Once we acquired her 2006 XK8 she did not want to drive anything else so I took over the S-Type. I'm actually most comfortable in my 1999 Dodge Ram pickup with nearly unlimited legroom and headroom and I love the power of its 5.9-litre V8. But I don't love the 15 mpg average and drive it only when I need to do truck things (hauling lumber, bricks, tile, lawn equipment, etc.). It is also a superior highway cruiser but as I said, its mpg numbers now prevent it from being a daily driver. I also love this truck's durability even at age 18. It rarely breaks and when it does, it's always due to a $25 or $30 part. I sure cannot say that for either of our Jaguars....

 

Fair call . . . so, except for the XJR, forget the other Jaguars I spoke of, especially the sports or GTs . . . I am only 6' 1" these days, but compared to me, you are certainly not going to be comfortable in any of those models.

As for the rest of my comments, I bow to local market knowledge when you observe that S-Types are ultra cheap and moving into the hands of many who do not maintain them. Our market is generally the opposite. While some, especially the early ones can be very modest, even rough examples, the top quality S-Types here command high prices . . . and many are still in the hands of original or second owners. Aussie enthusiasts tend to hang onto their exotic toys far longer . . . and spend big money keeping them in pristine condition. This is not a boast . . . it just tends to be a long observed trend here.

Cheers,

Ken

 

My story is similar to Jons. We purchased Joyces Jag in Feb. 2009 during the depression. Although our 2005 S Type was not quite as pristine as Jon and his wifes, it still was/is a beautiful vehicle. Ours had sat on Ebay from a Florida car dealer as well for over 3 months, not a single bid. I called dealer basically asked him how much he was going to pay me for getting this vehicle off his lot. IIRC we stole ours at $8,000.00 under Jons purchase price.

As mentioned a few things needed attention but all were corrected by myself in my garage, many times just wearing my bathrobe. Coming up on our 8 years of ownership, I cannot pry this Jaguar away from my wife. I have tried many times but she refuses a new vehicle, she loves her Jag!

Did I just hijack this thread Jon??? Might be like old days my friend, when our friendship blossomed. A couple others still here know what I mean (JagV8, Mikey, Tbird (Clubraith), Zane (aholbro1) and Bob (Staatsof).

 

Glad to hear both Jon and Rick are still holding on to the S-Types. Guess I got my 03 about the time Jon became a Jag owner and the 05 a bit later in 09 than Rick. I doubt either of ours look as good nor clean up as well as yours do....but as you well know, neither of my girls have ever hit anything and all that (expletive deleted) must've happened "while I was parked at the mall."


Seems they've both been rather "needy" this year, but we soldier on. It's been tough, lately, since my daughter's school commitments have kept her (and her Jag) away from home for longer and longer periods of time, I'm having to guess farther and farther out as to what will likely fail before the next visit. No plans on the horizon to give either one of 'em up for a newer, perkier model, however!

 

No worries about thread hijacks, guys. I'm just glad that a few of us S-Type old-timers are still hanging around on the forum to help each other when the various issues arise. Who knows, we may wind up keeping these cars for years to come. But as I've said a number of times, sooner or later the failing plastics and electronics will turn my cost/benefit algorithm chart from green to red and at that point it will be past time to put my S-Type out to pasture. I hope to sell it before that happens, though. Time will tell....

 

I'm still around too! I got mine in 2007 a little before you guys so didn't manage to steal it but it still had the factory warranty which paid for the IMT O rings, oil pan gasket, torque convertor (along with fluid change) and a new AC evaporator so I don't feel so bad.
It's still a daily driver for the memsahib but as Jon says most of the things annoying me are at the moment are broken plastic parts.

 

Me, too. It's an '08 4.2 that I found at a New Jersey dealer in April '13. Had 48K miles with a year left on the CPO.

It's needed a drooped headlight replaced ($$, not covered by warranty) and the radio amplifier replaced ($$$, happened after the warranty had expired). Other than that just oil changes and a pretty complete service at 60K (included trans drain/fill). It now has ~69K miles.

I wouldn't have gotten it without some time left on the CPO warranty. That allowed me to know that everything was ship-shape, and since the cars are very reliable, I've been willing to "self-warranty" since.

Cheers
================================================
Jaguar - it's not an automobile, it's a Motorcar
2015 JCNA National Slalom Champion Class M
Current: '08 S-Type 4.2 "Satin Edition" (250.06 whp / 259.67 torque)
Past: '05 X-Type 3.0/auto Jaguar Racing Green

 

Jon - congrats.

I'm still a few months away from 8 years of ownership. (I also got mine cheap after the financial meltdown.) Cost of ownership rather more than yours I suspect (tyres, brakes, etc not to mention fuel, all cost more and don't last well...).

 

>Me, too. It's an '08 4.2...

Oh, I also put a set of '10 XF wheels and tires on it. The original Vulcans had been chromed but they did a lousy job, it was flaking off, and I lost 1st place in a JCNA concours because Jaguar never used chrome wheels (other than spokes, possibly) so the rules deducted points for non-originality.

After that, nobody caught that the wheels were from a different year than the car... ;-)
================================================== =
You dreamed of a big star -
He played a mean guitar -
He loved to drive his Jaguar...

So welcome to the machine

 

Jaguar did indeed use chrome wheels. My wife's 2006 XK8 Victory Edition convertible rolled off the factory floor in May 2005 with a set of Atlas chrome wheels. I hate them - I call them the drug-dealer wheels. Good thing my wife likes them because before we purchased the car, I told her we were not spending exorbitant money on this car by replacing the wheels....

 

>Jaguar did indeed use chrome wheels.

That may be, but an S-Type never came from the factory with chromed wheels, so I lost...
=================================
My karma just ran over your dogma
Current Hers: '13 Lexus ES350
Current Mine: '08 Jaguar S-Type 4.2 "Satin Edition" (250.06 whp / 259.67 torque)