Hi everyone, I’m new to this Forum, and I just needed some mayor help since I’m trying to buy an 3.0 S type 2004, and so far all my research has let me to think these cars have mayor issues with their transmissions, brakes and other rather common electrical failures.
The car I’m looking to buy has a auto tranny, and the 3.0 six cyl engine.

My question is, are there any mayor things to look for when testing this car?
What tranny is in the 2004 3.0 cars?
Any other real problems (RED FLAGS) I should know about??
Thanks,
JG

 

Welcome... Hate to do it, but I'm going to approach your question with one of my own.

Why are you considering a Jaguar S Type.. Is it the allure of impressing those around you with a car that you couldn't buy new? Before you get offended, I can not afford a Jaguar new either... Not even close. If I were to buy a new car, it would be in the sub 20k range. That said, if you are looking to buy a "I'm successful" piece of jewelry you will only end up regretting what you've bought. It is not a Jaguar thing.. the same rule applies to BMW, Mercedes, and Audi.

I bought mine for three reasons. In order: The performance of a rear wheel drive European sedan. The beautiful Jaguar interior trim with real wood and leather. The fact that only a relative handful of these cars are built and sold each year.

I'll leave with this.. Search on this forum and decide what you really want.

 

Expensive, semi-exotic cars tend to cost more when they break, doesn't matter who made them.

S-types are no better, no worse than their competitors.

 

I would suggest an 05 or if you find the face lift version in 04 that'll be the way to go.
We've had no issues AT ALL, with our 05 S-type and all these people that joke about how unrealiable our s-type must be just don't know what they are talking about. Just check the JD Power surveys.
As for running costs, our S-type cost less than our Ford Explorer. Not just because of the 27mpg but also the service intervals are twice as far apart.

Also consider this:
If your financing and you find a Jaguar at a Jaguar dealership, Jaguar are doing 1.9% APR for 60 months on S-type. Then you get the Jaguar Certified Pre owned warranty which is OUTSTANDING!!!!

Alpine Jaguar in Ft Lauderdale are good, but Palm Beach Jaguar have much better prices.

 

The one part above ALL you should test out very carefully with ANY car with a ZF autobox is precisely that -- the autobox. When the temp. guage on your car under test is at normal, test the autobox by accelerating hard in each gear, looking for signs of shudder or "judder". This has been called the "cattle-grid" effect. Look for evidence of hard-shifting at all times, and listen for the the slight 'grunting' noise from the torque converter's lockup clutch -- this should be almost impossible to hear. If you have a steep hill handy, do a start-from-rest up it a few times, again checking for any sign of shudder. When you come to a stop at the lights, the car should move away smoothly at green without jolts, bangs and jerks.
I shall be publishing much more information on this website after I've finished testing "Lucas" additive in my car with the 6HP26 autobox.
Leedsman.

 

100% agree with Jeff's post.
I will also add.. The older these s types get the cheaper they become to purchase. On the other hand the parts and service remain expensive and only go up in price.

 

I'll ditto much of what has already been said. Inexpensive to purchase, but relatively expensive to maintain. If you are not a do-it-yourself type when it comes to maintenance, these cars can empty your wallet in relatively short order....

The S-Types are beautiful, but they do have some very well-known and much-discussed issues that will eventually need to be resolved. Further searching and reading on this forum will help you understand what those issues are and allow you to make an informed decision on whether or not you still want to purchase one....

 

I have owned my 2006 s type 3.0 sport for almost a year...89 000 km...purchased with 74 000....I got the 140 000 3 year easy total care war to go with it....
This car has been 100% issue free. Best car I have owned.....drives like a dream...
All I have done is change the oil every 4000km, and follow the book for other service details...(i know 4000 is short...but 16000km or 1 year seems to long for me!)
This form is fantastic....
Have a great long safe weekend

 

get that R