Okay, you S-Type lovers, a question for you from this newbie and wannabe.

How did you chose between the 6 cylinder and one of the 8s (4.0 or 4.2, I believe)? I'm leaning towards an 8, mainly because they seem to get a tad better gas milage based on the limited research I've done to date. Besides, I want my kitty, when I get her, to go like a scalded cat.

For you experienced S folks and mechanical gurus, what should I know, be aware, watch out for when shopping for the S-Types? Someone mentioned that the 2000-2002 4.0 had/have smoking issues?

Man, I love this forum!

 

I bought our 2005 S-Type 3.0 V6 as my wife's highway cruiser because that is what was available at the time (December 2008) for me to "steal" given the horrible economy and I knew the car would be sufficient for its intended purpose in our household. Had the car been for me, I would have preferred the 4.2 V8. She's been very happy with the 3.0 and so have I....

My first question to you is this: who will do the maintenance? If you or your significant other cannot DIY, the S-Type can be quite costly to own and I generally do not recommend it. When I did extensive research on the S-Type model range prior to buying ours, my data essentially told me to stay with the 2005 model year and newer. The S-Type exhibited numerous, sometimes serious issues in the early years including engine and transmission problems. As the model years passed, refinements and improvements were made to the point where by the 2005 model year, the majority of the serious issues had been resolved. There are still quirks that must be dealt with on all S-Types, but if you can DIY, they are relatively simple to resolve. The most quirky is the well-known leaking transmission sleeve in the 6-speed ZF transmission. It is a $15 part that, when it fails, causes you to have to remove the transmission pan to replace it, meaning all new fluid, a new pan (if you do it right since the pan also serves as the filter), and a lot of very precise step-by-step effort to get it right....

I also recommend that if you decide to go with an S-Type, be sure to start and keep a maintenance fund for it of at least $1,500 to $2,000. More is better. Depending on the car and where it has lived and how well it has been cared for, you could need a new Dual Climate Control Valve (DCCV), a repaired Climate Control Module (CCM), a new oil pan gasket, certainly new IMT O-rings if you have the 3.0 V6 engine, and a few other goodies that are known to be common failure points....

I don't mean to put you off on the S-Type as a possibility for you. If you can DIY and maintain a decent maintenance fund, they are fantastic cars for very little acquisition cost (I call it "Honda money"). But doing the necessary parts replacement and keeping them serviced properly will indeed cost you well more than you care to spend if you have to pay a Jaguar dealer or even an independent shop to do it for you....

Spend some time here on the forum surfing the S-Type threads and familiarize yourself with the potential issues that all S-Types have. Then determine if you can handle the routine maintenance and most of the known flaws as DIY projects. If you can, and you understand the risks, then go for it....

Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide to do. One thing you can count on is that this forum will provide more support in caring for and repairing your S-Type than any other automotive forum I've ever discovered. It has saved me several thousand dollars in our 2 years and 7 months of S-Type ownership since I DIY the vast majority of all maintenance and repairs to all of our vehicles....

 

Thanks for the quick response, Jon.

Unfortunately, I am not a DYIer. I don't even like to get my hands dirty. And, being a single gal, there is no one else to do repairs. I will have to depend on the dealer or shop.

Definately good to know, though. Forewarned is forearmed, right?

 

Then I have to say that an S-Type is not for you. Unless you enjoy spending considerable funds on repairs. I certainly don't, and won't....

 

I don't know how anyone chooses the 6-banger. I drove one years ago and it was the biggest dog I've ever had the pleasure of driving! I'm not surprised the 4.2 gets better gas mileage. That is probably due to the fact that you have to floor the 6 to get it out of its own way. I'm not exactly thrilled with the supercharged car, so i would go crazy driving the 3.0

 

The maintenance issues is a hit-or-miss situation. I've got an 01 V6 at 80k now, and my huge list of problems isn't exactly huge. I've replaced the coils, driver and passenger window regulators, and the expansion tank. Everything else has been normal maintenance. The car is great, turns heads, rides nice, and gets great highway mileage.

The V8s, don't make much more power than the 3.0s. If you really want that scalded cat, then go for the R. Good years are available for a decent price, but take in mind that an R WILL require more costly upkeep.

Sadly, most people have maintenance issues because of ignorance. Jaguars are anything but common, which in turn intimidates most techs. They seem to view them as some sort of exotic. A good mechanic is hard to find, which is why these forums are so important to Jaguar owners.

Good luck.

 

This explains much

 

I take offense to your response. Unless I want to pull out at every light like Fast and Furious, on the highway and in traffic, the car has some muscle and have no issues passing or going fast when I want to. Must be the synthetic oil .

 

Patty,
The maintenance issue is tilted in your favor. You are only an hour's drive from Motorcarman, and if I recall from the intros, you also have a VW. His two specialties. Bob has everything you can get from the dealer at far more reasonable prices with the added bonus that he'll educate you a bit on each visit. (At least, he does me..maybe I have lots of room to learn) And besides, I'm thinking you are about that far from your nearest dealer, to boot.

Jon, I'm interested to know what fixes and improvements came about in 05? I've yet to find them. Granted, the fuel door latch was changed, and the lanyard removed, but having both cars, I'd call that one a step backwards. Otherwise, I've changed yellow for green IMT O-rings on both, Overflow hose nipple broke at the rad hose asy on the 03, other end at the exp tank on the 05. Not being argumentative, just haven't seen any real differences between the two other than cosmetic.

Patty, I drove the naturally aspirated 4.2L before buying the 3.0L and really didn't see much difference. I think you'll find 08Z06's opinion is not exactly mainstream (https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...bad-one-54710/). No question, if you wanna go all-scalded-cat...it's the "R" but realize you are biting off greatly increased costs in tires, brakes, and other maintenance items, notwithstanding poorer fuel mileage whether you use all that available power or not. I'm curious where you came by the information that the V-8's are reporting better fuel mileage than the V-6's? Haven't seen that anywhere else. We have two 3.0's (it just happened that way...was shopping for an S-type and the price/value/timing/availability criteria all happened to line up twice on 3.0's) and both of them get 19+ mpg city/stop-n-go and ~30 mpg pure highway. If you are prone to "drive on" in the face of various caution/warning lights, then the V-6 does start shutting down cylinders as it overheats, and will eventually secure itself entirely prior to catastrohpic damage, whereas the V-8 will run til it melts or sets the car alight. Even though I stumbled into the V-6's, I find them very amply powered and a joy to drive. (But still prefer my XJ!!)

In the end, drive what you find in your price range and see what suits you..meanwhile diligently search through the S-Type forum threads to see if you think you can stand the maintenance, realizing all along that most people come here because they have problems.....so it isn't as bad as it first seems...

 

So do I. Not everyone can lead a parade, some of us have to sit on the curb and watch you go by...

 

Bingo! Very correct... The perceived "better built" had more to do with age then anything else... The major changes were for 03... 05 and up updates were cosmetic..

So, lets assume you are looking at an 03 and up car. The V6 is a 240hp motor while the 4.2 naturally aspirated is 300hp. That is a pretty big jump. Just after getting my 05 3.0 it was in for service and I had a 4.2 S-Type as a loaner. It didn't get better gas mileage than the V6, but it got the same. I liked it better because based on my driving style, the car didn't have to work as hard to go like I wanted it to. I also had the pleasure of having a 5.0 equipped XF as a loaner. That motor made 385hp, and got the same mileage as well. It was much faster than the 3.0 or 4.2 equipped cars.

Service can be a bear on these. I would secure myself with that part of it first. Then it is the newest / lowest mileage car I could find in my budget. I would also test drive both cars (v6 and v8) and make your own choice since driving style will play a big part here. The 3.0 is not a slow POS car, like others will try to say. I just had to always rev the snot out of mine to get it to go like I wanted. That said, it also was very reliable, never failed me while being driven daily through four seasons. Drove great in the summer heat and also through terrible winter storms.

I don't have mine anymore because I really needed to step up to a larger car... If I could have gotten an XJ for the money I spent on the 300C, I would have.

 

X3. If I want to burn tires I can get the TR8 out.

Laurie's came from a salvage auction and turned out to be a great deal on a real cremepuff. She always talked about an S Type because of the styling. When you buy cars the way I do, you don't get as picky about colors and engine packages ect. The engine didn't really matter to her just that she was going to get her Jag. Frankly she has a bit of a lead foot so I'm just as happy it's a 3.0

Personally I feel it has plenty of pep. I certainly wouldn't say it was a dog. But we drive it like a luxury sedan. I think I've only put it to the floor a couple times. I was actually impressed given the size/weight of the car with a 3 litre engine.

Sure, an STR would be nice. But they will obviously fetch more money. I can't comment on maintenance since I don't have one. Speed costs money. How fast do you need or want to go?

 

I picked the V6 partly due to its being a fairly well developed engine. By 2005 all the bugs were worked out. I was a little leery of the V8s because of the early model problems with the nikaseal, cam chain tensioners and water pumps. However, the 4.2 V8s had these issues resolved.

The biggest reason I chose the V6 is when I was shopping for my S-Type, no V8's were available. Normally, there's a 3 to 1 difference, but in my area, it was V6s only.

Mike

 

Zane,

By the 2005 model year, Jaguar finally had the much-despised premature coil failure issue solved after going through several different suppliers and designs since the 2000 model year. The suspension was tweaked one last time making for a slightly better ride and a vehicle better able to hold its alignment during normal driving. Potholes and curbs will still play havoc, of course. This information came from a Jaguar service manager and master mechanic that I continue to trust to this day - they've never steered me wrong when it comes to gathering information and doing research, but your mileage may vary....

Whether it's "newness" or final model-run tweaking, I continue to believe that if a minimum of maintenance issues and therefore out-of-pocket maintenance costs are your goals, 2005-and-newer is the way to go with these S-Types. Time will tell as our cars continue to age and rack up the miles....

 

Interesting reading, gang. I think I need to revisit my scalded cat comment, though.

My primary vehicle for the last 10 years is my 4-cylinder Jetta TDI. It's performed wonderfully for exactly to two criteria I purchased her for: fuel economy and longevity. She's fun and zippy to drive and I've had zero maintenance issues but, she is a 4-cylinder. So driving anything bigger, especially a luxury vehicle, gives me visions of impressively roaring away from stops on occasion. I should probably rethink my delusions. If I'm really truthful, I get nervous at 80mph and have to back off. Perhaps I need to re-evaluate whether the engine would really make that big of a difference to me in regards to drivability. Now, maintenance issues would be a huge factor.

I'm really not a sports car kind of girl. Oh, I think they are cool, but I prefer something that is built for comfort, not for speed. I used to have a colleague who said that about himself. Very sweet guy and real teddy bear...but I digress.

Addressing the fuel economy ratings of the 6 vs the 8, I've bookmarked a couple sites: Jaguar S-Type Specifications | Engine Performance & Jaguar S-Type Features - Motor Trend Magazine and Used 2005 Jaguar S-Type Performance Specs - 2005 Jaguar S-Type Performance Specifications - Motor Trend Magazine
I understand that these aren't necessarily how it works in the real world but they are a place to start. Maybe I'm pickin' nits.

I'm about 30 minutes from Park Place Jaguar dealership on Plano Parkway - 40 if I stop at Starbucks on my way.

Where is this Motorman you mentioned, aholbro1?

 

The Jaguar Corporate documents that I have posted on here list the only change to the 2005 suspension as revised bushings... That may have actually been a step backwards and not an improvement.. I seem to recall a great many 05 and up cars needing bushing replacement. Wasn't yours one of them, Jon? As for the alignment statement... What exactly was changed to make that better... I'm sure many here would like to know since alignments are still brought up on the forum..

The coils were a "Ford" issue that was a running change. I actually don't know when Ford changed them, but they didn't change the specs or application. Once they got them right, they worked in previous cars as well.. I know, my Dad went through two crappy sets in his Grand Marquis before the "revised" coils went in and then all was OK..

Actually, 2006 saw mechanical changes that were more extensive than any 05 change, but those were mainly on the R, but another change occured on the other cars as well....

Trivia question for all: What was changed???

 

Based on your latest comment: I say get the 3.0. You will find a broader selection on the market. It will offer you all the drivability you could ask for. The fuel economy will be about the same.

Maintenance and repair for these are about the same as any other premium European car. Honestly, some things on these are cheaper than the equivalent Benz and BMW.. That however is up to you as a personal choice how much you want to gamble on a used Euro Luxury Car. Some can be a nightmare... Others can be almost trouble free.. When I had mine the only things replaced were the ABS Module, DCCV, Climate Control Module, one Catalytic Converter, and the IMT O-rings. The transmission lines were showing signs of seepage. Other than that, it was pretty much trouble free..

Oh, don't know if they are too old yet,, but a select edition car would be a good choice....

 

It wasn't the famous little and large cupholders was it?

 

I read through this whole thread and not one of you touched on my 2 all time favorites when choosing between these 2 good jags............

1) paper, scissors, rock (best 2 outta 3)
2) enny meeny minny moe

thats about all i gotta say about that right there

 

I think it will come down to which car has the prettiest colour in the end.