Well, after a couple weeks to contemplate - I decided to pull the trigger on a black '04 S-type with 90,500 mi. It looks good from a distance, but has its flaws. Drives very nice, but needs tires sometime soon.
I know nothing about these cars other than the couple hours of reading I've done the past few days. I know they have a duratec 3.0 and ZF 6 speed.
Following my wife home I noticed something hanging from the bottom of the car. The belly pan (is that what we call it?). Also a couple tires looked low.
Stopped by the local gas station with the automatic and free tire inflator -- Left two tires were 8-10 lb low, right two were about 5 lb high. Weird.
Got it home and immediately on ramps.
Left rear corner of the pan was fastened with a cable tie -- that can't be a good sign. Upon removing the pan I found it ridiculous how dainty the rear "brackets" are that hold the belly pan in place. I think 2 of the 4 (??) on back were still functional, surprisingly.
It appears I will have tons of fun figuring out a reliable way to secure that thing.
I checked the two bolts on the shifter linkage.
Right front fender lining is all beat up. Probably going to have to replace that.
Right side headlight is "milky" on the inside. Not sure what I can do about that.
Trans pan appears to be leaking. At 90k and less than thorough maintenance records I figured I'd need to plan for a fluid and filter/pan change anyway.

Old used cars -- always so much fun!

 

I challenge you to find someone who bought a used Jag and didn't have a list of things to do. Going through the list on my wife's new (to her) '01 S-type currently.

A new light for your car is $350 shipped. You might drop $20 on a kit from any local auto parts store and see how pretty you can get your light first though. Might save you some money.

Her car is the same. Drivers milky, passenger like new.

They're fun cars. Put in the work, enjoy the car. It's worth it.

 

The base models does, there's an optional 4.2L V8 and a supercharged version of that.

Congrats on your purchase!

 

Yes, and I would have really enjoyed the chance to test drive an STR. Unfortunately, the closest one I could find was 6hrs away. Was one n/a v8 in the area but it was '00.

 

Lots of posts here and also in the detailing section on brightening up all y'alls headlights.
(note the proper pluralization of the possessive)
If it's due to failure of the UV protection layer on the outside, that's a pretty easy and straightforward fix with the 3M kit (about $15) or similar. If due to condensation internally, you may try blowing lo-pressure compressed air through the vent port to see if that dries it out.
They may also be droopy, in which case you should search out the Brutal fix or, if really busted up inside, you may need to buy the kit of headlight gubbings found on eBay ($50 for enough to do both, I think) and separate the lens from body and replace all the anchor bits. This will give you ample opportunity to clean the inside of the lenses if necessary.

Congrats on the purchase and be sure to post pics as you progress in returning it to form.

 

Congrats. Between this forum ...and this device: Vgate MINI OBD Scan Bluetooth Vgate Scan OBD2 / OBDII V2.1 Code Scanner https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U7DQ6Y4..._TyNgwbR4FCJ49

...and Torque Pro App on Android phone, (for a total of about $14) and you'll be well on your way.

The OBD2 data on fuel trims is absolutely essential to understand how engine is running. If you haven't studied up on fuel trims, check out Schrodinger's Cat videos on youtube.

They have saved me untold time and money. Enjoy!

 

Belly pan (engine undershield) is probably similar to mine: front (3 bolts, 2 screws), middle (2 nuts w/ washers), rear (2 bolts).

 

2 of 3 bolts in front are good. One is badly worn on the pan - not much material for the bolt to hold.
The two screw inserts were damaged, neither screw was in place. Bought some nylon inserts that seem to fit well. Need to find screws that will fit.
One of two nuts is in place -- the other one has no bracket. I think I will be able to bend and drill a little strip of scrap metal that will work.
One of the rear bolts is there. Again, I'll have to rig something up for the other.

More importantly - I need to figure out how much the trans is leaking and whether it's a now kind of thing, or a soon kind of thing.

 

Make sure you can get the fill plug loose before you drop the pan, though if you're leaking I reckon you are "on the clock" anyway, as it were.

 

These boxes don't like low levels, so any significant leak needs fixing.
You'll find plenty of info on the forum don't forget the electrical sleeve when you do it, and you may need some thought on the fluid choice, unless you decide to use ZF fluid.

 

The above-mentioned ZF sleeve is the probable source of your ATF leak. The factory sleeves tend to fail at some point. The replacement sleeves are an improvement and I cannot recall a replacement sleeve failing yet....

 

WRT the tranny, do two things:

1) Find an independent shop that do the work, and
2) go here and buy the correct kit:

Oil change kit for 6HP26/28/32

You won't be able to service the transmission yourself so you need to find a shop that can.

Just do it, it's time

Oh, you really can't do it yourself because there no way to pour in new fluid. It must be pumped in from below the car. Also the amount must be measure exactly and that requires the car to be running and warm and the exhaust pipe is just inches away from the fill hole on the side of the tranny... =:-0

But is it a VERY common transmission so there should be many shops around where you live that can probably do the job.

Welcome, and good luck
================================================
Jaguar - it's not an automobile, it's a Motorcar
Current: '08 S-Type 4.2 "Satin Edition" (250.06 hp / 259.67 torque)
Past: '05 X-Type 3.0/auto Jaguar Racing Green

 

Some on here have DIYed. But it's a pain...

 

o ye of little faith

 

So was my lincoln. The drain/fill plug was on the bottom of the pan. Had to have a fitting to connect the pump. It was a real pain and a mess. Didn't have the cat to work around though. Looks like a 90 degree fitting into the fill hole would be a big plus.

 

Do a search here and you will find plenty of DIY threads to help you.
Check the "How To" sticky also.

 

Also looks like I need to figure out the drooping headlight fix.
Saw the wife off to work this morning. Sun wasn't quite up yet.
Looks like about 30' in front of the car sees light. Previous owner said they had a headlight recently replaced at $1200.

 

>o ye of little faith

Ya, I know, some have done it, but...

I kind of think, like sanding wooden floors, it's something that I would prefer to leave for others.
================================================== =
You dreamed of a big star
he played a mean guitar
He loved to drive his Jaguar...

So welcome to the machine

 

I appreciate the advice.
But I would not have bought a car like this (high maintenance cost) w/o expecting to do as much of the work as possible on my own.
For me it's all DIY until I figure out for myself I simply can't do it. Plus, it gives me an excuse to regularly improve my tool collection