After careful consideration and a lot of due diligence, I decided on the '01 4.0 SType. For the money, it had the best history and was the in the finest condition. Under 75k and runs perfectly. Though many of you suggested the '03 and newer, the pickins were slim and those I found priced in my wheelhouse were beat up pretty bad. Thanks for all the suggestions as I will continue to reference this forum.

 

Congrats and good luck with your new S type!

 

"decided" meaning you haven't actually bought it yet? Just curious, have you actually test driven an 03+? I strongly recommend you do test drive a 03+ before buying a pre-03...Find one near you even if it's priced high just for the test drive...

 

Ditto to Bacardi, buy if you mustz>>>

 

I drove two different 4.2l, an '03 and an '04. But both were in pretty rough condition. The worse looking of the two ran great, really loved how it drove. But the 01 is only slightly less powerful and the interior and exterior is in supreme condition, where as the others were not.

Hey, it's a city driver and my first experience with these vehicles. It is absolutely beautiful and a blast to drive. Though I agree the second generation drive better, I couldn't find one that measured up to my qualifications. So, for the money spent, I feel I made the right choice.

 

Good for you. You could dither around trying to make a square peg fit a round hole, or instead have the best you can afford.

Happy motoring!

 

Right, one big usual deciding factor is the 3 extra MPG of a 6spd Trans. Also, the tiny bit of extra torque. The interior design as well. The 4.0 is a great engine, though. It is rev-happy in comparison, and the redline is at 6800 rather than 6250. I love it in my car. Also, the keys to your body style S-Type aren't like those stupid, cheap flip keys on the 2003+.

 

Enjoy her, Jack! First thing is to make sure the plastic timing tensions have been updated...

The interior is the largest factor for me...Also the pre-03 trans is notoriously problematic...A non flip key can be bought and programmed for about $100...

 

Busy wondering what's allegedly wrong with the flip keys?
I have 2, both working fine, car 7.5 yrs old.

 

Nothing is wrong with them, except that they're sourced from a Ford Mondeo, and they look cheap, that's the complaint not that they're bad.

 

The later 6 speed trans has its cons as well.

 

I don't know if they ARE sourced from there - for sure they're not the same as my mate's who actually has a Mondeo - but I don't agree that they look cheap. Just a matter of opinion and yours is the opposite of mine.

I was expecting from your original post that you had a factual reason for saying what you did.

BTW, the Mondeo's a fantastically good car. Sets the standard for that kind of car.

 

I agree, the Mondeo is a handsome car, and a good one. In the US, though, we just had the Countour and the Focus. Idk, when I test drive a 2003 S-Type 4.2, I hated ham-handedly cranking that large key in the dash of the car, I just never liked the flip key thing. It was sort of a passing trend. I love the skeleton keys, though, like on the 1997-2006 XK, 1995-2003 XJ, and so on. And the new electronic keys seem nice.

Sorry about that, yes they're a good unit, just not, in my opinion, all that attractive.

 

It sure does.

 

Good point, but the cons are not apples to apples...Odds are when the 4.0's automatic 5R55N trans fails, your Jag sits inoperable in the driveway...Odds are when the 4.2's ZF's trans fails, it just makes some funny noises and shutters from 55mph-70mph...

 

The flips actually have two practical weaknesses.

The shaft can break away from the remote if handled too roughly.

The remote is tied to the key, and thus cannot be carried separately in the pocket. If the key gets locked in the car, so does the remote.

 

Good car but watch for it's weak points. 2 big ones.

The Ford 5 Speed automatic transmission. Good thing it's now a common transmission on the Ford side and cheaper than the later ZF 6 speed to rebuild or repair. No goofy high dollar ZF fluid either!

Any engine noise especially on cold start up. Like was said above you will have some timing chain/tensioner issues and 75K is a very common mileage for it to start. The design is such that the plastic will wear. With an interference engine you are courting disaster!
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Thanks everybody for your great advice. I have a date with my mechanic later this week. I'll make sure to address the plastic timing tensioners. It is November in Chicago, so it will begin to get cold very soon.

 

That's the most critical one to check, none of the rest matters if the engine self destructs.