Rodney Gold, I live in Cape town.

No stranger to very high performance stuff , mainly Yank muscle (I have 2 corvettes and a Camaros )

I was looking for a 2000-2003 S-class Merc - S500/600 , but they seem to have many expensive issues if they out of motorplan and until I drove one , didn't realise how monsterous they are.

Anyway to cut a long story short , I pulled the trigger on a 2003 S-type "R" with around 55 000 miles.

Still to actually get it in my name and get delivery , but these are my impressions after a long test drive.. I'm dying to take it thru it's paces for real....

The car is immaculate - the leather looks like brand new , babied by it's owner and has a FSH - he has this huge file of everything spent in the 10 years of ownership - including speeding fines (and proof of payment etc)
All that was done was 2 wheel bearing replacements and a coolant cap or bottle ..
Some years , the car had done less than 2000 miles..!!!

Called JAG agents with the vin no and they told me to jump at the car...super clean maintenance record. Seems there are no or very little issues of any sort with the model or year and the agents claim it is very very reliable.. a little pricey to fix tho - like any merc/beemer/audi of the caliber.

EVERYTHING is in pristine as new condition and EVERYTHING works , he's even fitting a brand new windscreen as the old one had a stone chip. Over 1000 quid worth of tyres were replaced in December 2013..

Got all the luxuries one expects for a car like this and more...

I took it for a very long test drive it wafts around at 60/80kmh like a limo.. superbly tractable round town , silent comfort and no rattles or squeaks ..BUT nail the throttle and it becomes a beast - acceleration like a locomotive and before you know it you travelling at "lock you up" speeds.. Off the line , without traction control it just smokes tyres .. the massive brakes and brembo calipers haul you down with frightening speed if you stomp on them...

Sticking it into sport mode tightened everything up a little , but still had an amazing ride , but the gear shift etc gets a little more sporty

However , it doesn't "roar" , well not inside the car with the windows closed , all you hear is the supercharger whine , and even that is muted.
Not sure how it sounds outside the car - its a little disappointing inside tho , I thought the engine would purr at normal and that Jag would have given it a much louder sound at WOT. But I suppose the customers who buy a car like this still want that Jag/rolls/bentley type understatement..even when going fast

THIS is the car I was looking for , comfort , bump soaking ride , 4 seats , RHD , good looking and a load of performance when I want , still with a lot of class and my wife can drive it without 2 nappies (unlike my vettes)

I had it down to 8.8l/100km at 120km/h and the owner averaged 12-13l/100km in town.. obviously if you have a lead foot - you will get a lot worse.

Best of all - 7000 quid...

Here are some pictures

 

Welcome to the forum Rodney,

Good to have you here with us at Jaguar forums. That's what I call an Intro.

The STR looks like new.

Follow this link S-Type / S type R Supercharged V8 - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the S-Type forum for help, advice and information. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for info on regular issues.

Please remember to add vehicle details to your Signature to help others to give relevant advice. Go to the User CP button on the left of the top menu bar, then Settings & Options under Your Control Panel. Select Edit Signature and enter the details.

You can also visit the 'Other Areas' Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/western-us-ak-ca-nv-ut-hi-wa-id-38/ to find other members in your part of the World.

Enjoy the forums.

Graham

 

welcome to the forum - plenty of info and support simply follow the links provided and enjoy!

 

Welcome to Jaguar Forums Rodney,

Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.

If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help

 

welcome and enjoy the board. Congrats on the purchase. I see you also own an Amarok which unfortunately is unobtanium in the US.

 

Thanks all for the warm welcome
Amarok is the previous owner of my Jag's vehicle .. closest I've ever come to a pickup is a '73 Holden HQ ute (called a Chev El camino here) with a 454 instead of the wimpy 308cui.. - 10 sec 1/4 mile monster

 

Hi and welcome aboard, its good to have you here with us here at Jaguarforums

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Fellow South African living in Florida. Enjoy the Forum and congrats on the steal of a deal, beast of amazing style!
Florence