Hey all,
I'm a new Jaguar owner (2013 XKR, bought in Feb) and am toying around with the idea of picking up another supercharged Jag, S-Type or XJ. A guy near me has an S-Type R posted for sale:

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used...ting=273095108

A little more background. He previously had it posted on CraigsList for $6950 and his posting there stated it needed tires in order to pass Maryland state inspection. It was posted out there for at least a month and didn't sell. Now he posted on CarGurus for a slightly lower price ($6500). I messaged him saying that Kelly Blue Book has the private party value for the car at $2,283 - $4,242 and asked if he would negotiate on price. He responded and said he wasn't interested.

So, my question to the forum...what should a fair price for an '05 S-Type R with 116K miles be? What he's asking seems high to me. I'm not really that set on the car because I certainly don't need it so I'm don't feel it's necessary to pay a premium price...it would be a nice to have. Thanks.

Pat

 

Jaguars are addictive. So watch out. In my experience KBB is very hit or miss and usually misses on rare /collector cars. I feel the range for these (2003-2006?) year cars is probably $3,500- $6,500. So, I think his list price was in the ballpark to start. But, the add doesn't give details on what repairs and maintenance was put into it. For reference, I purchased my 2003 STR about 5 years ago for $7,200. I felt at the time that I overpaid and that it was worth $6k.

I then proceeded to put another $7-8k in the car over the last few years for maintenance, repairs, etc. Some big items were a headlight assembly ($1200!) , spare key ($800!) . I also replaced all 4 Brembo rotors, brakes, E-Brake Assembly (notorious problem area), front and rear control arms, tires, etc. And then smaller things like relays, coil packs, fuel pumps, fuel filter.

I believe my car has a new minor issue, another coil pack, perhaps. I have to check the codes. That's the thing with these cars; they are great but will require maintenance.

The S Type R is relatively rare and undervalued, in my opinion. When I was shopping for one, I looked all over the east coast and prices were as high as $15k (crazy). I ended up finding my car only a couple hours drive from me. If you have your heart set on an STR and would consider a Silver /Black leather 2003 with 104k miles, in Pittsburgh, I may consider selling. I am not actively selling it , don't need to sell, and its not a sellers market. However, a reasonable offer may be considered. If not, good luck in your search.

 

If you become serious about purchasing a STR, Think about finding a 2006 or newer. I like the 2003-2005s the best, but keep in mind that the 03-05 STRs have non-VVT engines. These engines are hard to find with lower mileage. (<100K miles.) Any 4.2L Jaguar supercharged engine is expensive to rebuild if needed. (Rebuilt engine will cost as much or more than the car is worth, so you really must love your STR to keep it going.)
The later STR's will VVT can accept newer engines out of the next generation Jaguars, up to when the 5.0L arrived.

As Todd951968 wrote, finding out the maintenance history of the car and getting a complete list of what has been done to maintain the car is key to determining its value. From my perspective, any STR with over 100K miles is questionable regarding its reliability. The average STR will make it to 180K miles when properly maintained and not abused. But they are such a fun car that I believe many of them have been driven hard through out their lives. If you don't know the cars history and maintenance records, above 120K, they can be a ticking time bomb.

So many expensive little things start going wrong on 15 year old Jaguars.

 

Not sure what your intent is but a Type-R price is going to be all over the place. A well taken care of (aka repaired w/love) will be over $10k easy. A survivor that doesn't need too much maybe $6K A junker probably under $5k.

IMO if your considering it as just a DD driver alternative... don't. It's like buying a used boat. A hole that you pour lots of currency into.

In my case I held out for the car I wanted.. which included a lifetime of being a garage queen so I could avoid a lot of weather related concerns.

 

Absolutely agree with this....and doing your own work is a big plus....i own 2 older boats ,so i fit the str profile perfect myself

 

Just old my '05 S Type R with 103k on it. Was asking $6,500 and and took a little less on cash deal. Paint and body were almost flawless as was interior with some driver's bolster typical wear. Had fresh gearbox rebuild, TPS and throttle body, park brake motor(all dealer repairs) plus fresh suspension uprights front and rear links, climate heater control valve/hoses, expansion tank/hoses, new coil packs and plugs in recent months. All electronics were working properly. Car was due for tires and nearing rear pads change-out. Rear headliner and roof sunshade were starting to sag (crappy British glue). As you can see from my list of repairs, a 15 year old S type R can start to get into your pocket for $3-5K quickly. I had the car for 4 /2 years and did some of the repairs myself. Fortunately, Lincoln LS and Thunderbird parts compatible, holding down costs.

Check out everything before you buy. When I bought my R it had about 76k on it and at the time couldn't find an R so settled for a car needing help. Really enjoyed diving it and it still looked terrific but could have enjoyed it more with fewer outlays $$. But hey....it's an old Jag, so even with repairs, it was still a hoot to enjoy for the price of admission. Have since purchased a very pristine, low mileage '16 XF with remaining warranty and plan to extend Jaguar later. Hopefully, no wrench time required on my part for some time to come. Now back to finishing my E type.

 

Good luck!!
I sold my perfect 2005 STR with 132K miles on it for $3500 several years ago.
Lots of talkers and no money until I got serious about moving the car.

If you want to be really depressed try to trade it in! I was offered $1200 at a car lot on a 2013 XFR and that was $30K+ car!!
No body want Jaguars and especially an S Type. Mine was a great and reliable car but the market has spoken.
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I looked at the link to the ad for the STR and it appears to have been sold. Did you get the car Tygerman49? I live on the west coast and look at cars for sale once in a while and I rarely see a good S Type for sale in Northern California.