Hi Everyone,

I’m looking to buy a second hand car and was looking at the Ford Mondeo until I noticed how cheap the S types are.

I’ve seen a few 3.0 petrol autos at around £1000-1500.

Something like this:
Jaguar S-Type 3.0 V6 SE 4dr

I know the S types don’t have a great reliability reputation so my question is: am I wasting my money or should I expect to get a reasonable runner for this price?

Thanks in advance for any help/knowledge you can share

 

If you cannot handle the vast majority of maintenance and repairs yourself, this is not the car for you. As these S-Types continue to age, they become more costly to maintain (particularly if the multiple well-known issues that can plague these cars have not already been addressed and corrected). The S-Type can be an excellent vehicle for the long term but it takes a dedicated owner able to fix 95% of the issues that can and do arise himself....

Spend some time reading the "sticky" threads at the top of the S-Type section here on the forum and decide for yourself if a well-maintained example may fit your needs. Good luck whatever you decide....

 

+1 As above Post.

It is 15 years, old, If you can DIY they are a bargain.

If you are going to pop down to the independent Jag repair man every 5 mins to change a light bulb it will be expensive.

Your cheap and cheerful, MOT places, will take you to the cleaners on.
Split, or damaged bushes, corroded brake pipes etc, etc.

Check the previous MOT, on line and see what work has been recommended ( advisory?) wise so you know what has likely been done already.

Allow for new battery. Shock lower bushes, and a transmission oil and filter change, if not already done.
Think you still have the ford transmission box.

I have one as a summer car, very happy with it.

If you want clean hands free, reliable motoring then get a Honda.

On the other hand, if you can do some DIY, then a luxury bargain.

Parts are cheap and most items can be found at the local breaker yard.

The rear sub frame, rusting internally and requiring renewal has been coming up recently, hopefully, this one was only use on Sundays and garages.

If it comes with a 1 year MOT. Why not.

 

Expect to spend money on the car before you drive it as it will need some maintenance such as changing the gearbox oil budget around 300 for materials.

Check the battery as a low voltage will give you false readings.

as for the reliability try to find one that is post the first face lift 5.2002 as most of the problems are sorted by then. It would cost a bit more but it is worth it as they have a better gearbox, suspension which means they are better to drive.



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Those of us who actually own one know the opposite is true. Jag's poor reputation dates back to the evil British Leyland and Joseph Lucas days of 40+ years but it will take probably another 40+ years from now for people to finally forget the distant past.

Having said that, any high end car- MB, BMW, Jag, etc. will cost twice as much to repair as a Mondeo and may require repairs more often due to the sophistication and complexity of the vehicles.

If you're not prepared for this, best stick to main stream cars.

 

Thank you so much everyone for helping me

So realistically how long should I expect to get trouble free motoring? Am I deluded to think I could get 6-12 months before something goes? Or am I wasting me time?

Thanks again guys!

 

If I could answer that question for you I would be a billionaire because ii would win the lottery ever week

looking at the car you are showing on the first post you can buy 12 months warranty, so that should reduce any worries.

 

Dunno. How long is a piece of string?

Looking at the advertised price, any major repair would cost you more than that of the entire car.

 

I know it's difficult to answer, I'm just looking for your guys experience with an s type of this age. Average case scenario over 6-12 months?

Is it rate for these cars to be that age and running trouble free?

 

Not sure where your confusion is. Nobody here knows what condition the car is in now. How then could anyone predict what might fail next and when?

At the advertised price, I'd assume the car already needs quite a bit of work.

 

A mechanical check out by a Jag dealer/expert will tell you a lot. The car looks great, but it more like will have dry rubber, and some of those dastardly plastic parts that Ford stuck in there. Many break in your hand because they are so poorly made to cut costs and bring home extra profit. You'll see some suspension dryrot. All filters should be changed and that includes fuel which is behind the fender liner on your passenger side (I think). All fluids including brake fluid and antifreeze. Just part of owning one of these. Get it checked out and you'll know. If the tires are over 8 years old, get new ones. Good luck.

 

If you can't DIY then do not buy any car at all - jag or not - that is so old.

 

I had a 2 litre Mondeo Ghia X automatic with just about every extra fitted to it. That was the zetec engine. The car did everything I wanted it to do but it just did it very averagely. Its not good or great in any area of driving.
There was no feel or driver feedback with it like the Fords I knew years ago.
Driving it was a pretty disconnected feeling. The handling was below average and the parts for it were becoming an issue. It was a crossover year and a whole mish mash of parts were fitted to it, so identification of correct parts got to be too much stress.
In some respects it was the same old Ford I knew from years ago when it comes to rust around the rear wheel arches. Those rear arches go in no time.
Same old naff design as the 1960s/70s.
But it is the longest I have ever kept a car (circumstances dictate) and although it was reliable to start with, once it crossed the 80k miles mark it was downhill fast and an endless replacement and repair program.
It was not DIY friendly and very labour intensive for simple repairs. ie: to remove the windshield washer bottle and pump was a major surgical operation involving removing the inner wing and the whole front bumper and it was generally badly designed. Almost an aftwerthought? A car technician told me that many of the engine ancilliary parts were fitted before the engine went in on the production line with little or no thought as to how you could replace those parts later on in the cars life. That made sense to me because what should have been simple parts to remove became major logistical problems.
The Mondeo was good in its average way for a while, but the longevity of the cars lifespan is not there. At 15 years old it was a scrapper.
There was little or no quality of ride, it just banged you a round and felt clunky and Ford Cortina ish. I guess it is a 1970s throwback.

Before that I'd have a fair few BMW automatics and some big GM V6 autos with 12 and 24valve.....All very robust and rapid cars. I am 57 years old and been driving cars since I was 18.

But the Jaguar is my first of that brand and its not in the same league as anything else I've driven. Its in its own league.
The way the car is set up is to respond exactly to what any given situation needs. I have never been in the wrong gear at any time on the road. The gearbox seems intuitive and almost senses when I want to change gear and does it. The semi-sports leather seats are superbly comfortable and have good lateral support so they hold you well with sideways G forces.
The drivers immediate space is very compact, something you don't realise until you climb in. But I like that because you feel cocooned in there but there is loads of space around your upper body where you need it.
The driving position is suprisingly low if you want that. So at 6 foot 2" tall there is loads of headroom. The car is very comfortable and that's also about the design of the steering and suspension. It rides very well on the road and it doesn't track or get unsettled by uneven surfaces.
The VVT V6 engine is no old donkey, its a fairly modern and very responsive unit. I like V6 engines anyway and had a Ford Cosworth V6 24V years ago with similar power output.
The Jaguar cruises well and I don't feel the need to rush or push it very often. The go-fast is there if you need it or want to get a shift on and be somewhere.

The car gets a lot of looks and people come up to me and ask about it. Crazy to think they were made just down the road from me and yet people still want to know. Coventry UK still has the highest percentage of Jaguars in the UK.

It is a very charismatic car and it just cruises like nothing else. Deceptive on the speed you are carrying. I am very taken with the car, but the great news is that my little lady who is just about 5 feet tall on a good day loves it too. Its become an issue for the first time ever as to who is going to drive ! The seats have a very good range of settings for height and reach and same with the steering wheel.

Servicing and repairs are not a dealer option for me.
For me its a DIY or a mobile mechanic who is very good and he is cheap. A smart young guy who has cornered a lot of work by charging low prices and doing a great job. Now there's a revolutionary idea in the modern world !
Parts prices are much the same as the Ford. Parts availability is much better because the Jaguar is an enthusiasts car there is much more choice.

Fuel consumption:
Mondeo 2 litre 16v 4 speed plus overdrive automatic : 23.4 mpg average.
Jaguar 2.5 litre V6 6 speed auto : 29.5 mpg average.
If you use the "sports mode" on the gearbox and kick it, the consumption drops alarmingly. But thats to be expected. The pick up in performance in the normal gearbox mode is sufficient for 90% of situations.
Watch the low ground clearance, the car is low.

The Jaguar S type is very highly rated by me.

 

You really should try the STR

 

I find that the v6 is more than enough. I think if I had bought a STR then I would need the seats to be dark brown.

now being serious, the s type was my dream car and I never thought that I would own one but I managed it in the end. you just don't let your heart take over from your head. I took 3 friends with me to check the car out before I bought it. we drove from Berlin to Gratz Austria. stayed in a hotel for one night, checked the car out and then drove home with two drivers per car.

I had to spend about a 1000 Euros sorting it out but I love to drive this car, it is most beautiful cars ever built in my opinion.

my mother who does not like jaguars since my father had to work on the development of the incar entertainment system for Clarion radios back in the 80's before ford took over. he was forever driving to Coventry to try and satisfy jaguar. she really enjoyed being driven around when she came to visit.

you just have to respect the car and not flog the a4se of it and they will hopefully be reliable. I am really glad that I bought one and I have not been disappointed it is far beyond my expectations.

 

I'll buy in, coz Jeff, the advice you are getting here is from some of the really knowledgeable and experienced techs and enthusiastic owners of the S-Type breed . . . in all it's models and variants.

My comments . . . ? Your observation how CHEAP some of these cars are, can be a clue as to why they are changing hands. I am sensing a tight budget and if so, spending it all on an exotic performance Jaguar while leaving little for upkeep, would be a recipe for disaster . . . and one seen often here.

For example, should it need a new auto-trans, you might figure on spending 2x to 4x the car's purchase price! The advice to walk on unless you can DIY at least ALL the maintenance and much of the wear points . . . is both honest and well founded.

But, I would add this advice . . . step straight past "el cheapo" and target the best you can afford. Of necessity, this will escalate you up significantly in the price scale but . . . you will benefit from having a known history, a well maintained vehicle, and a prestige experience rather than a constant source of worry.

Cheers,

Ken