I'm considering buying a S-Type but I have a few questions. I'm no stranger to Jaguars (I have an X-Type and an XKR) but I an not familiar with S-Types. First, is the V8 used in S-Types the same as is used in XKRs. Specifically, do I need to worry about the secondary chain tensioners? Also, how about the navigation system; are updates available to the maps? Anything else I need to look out for?


Mark

 

It's essentially the same V8 so you want 2003-on so you get the 4.2 without the worries.

 

Knowing the model year of the S-Type you're looking at would be helpful. The chain tensioners are, I believe, primarily an issue on the pre-2003 models and should be replaced.

General stuff I'd be watching for:

-Codes, obviously
-Vaccum leaks, PCV hose and seals
-Test drive it when cold - there a TSB for 2003 and 2004 MYs for their torque converter clutches warping. Won't throw a code and not noticeable if the transmission's warmed up -- so ask to show up one morning and take her for a spin around 40-45mph (talking from experience here...).
-headlight droop?

 

Yes, there are updates to the maps. Last time I checked it out at my local dealer, the disc was like $200. But, I do recall somewhere in one of the posts here that it's available for $50 through another vendor. Or, as always, you can check good old Ebay.

 

Actually, I don't have a specific car I'm looking at yet, just surfing eBay. I will say that I like look of the interior of the earlier models better than the later models. I'm a sucker for wood. There is a very nice 2000 MY on eBay with only 32k miles that looks great. I noticed that the 2003+ have a newer Nav display. Can the older models use the updated maps from the newer models?


Mark

 

No. Older = CD maps, newer DVD. And very different hardware. No recent updates for older one.

 

>I will say that I like look of the interior of the earlier

Oh no, the earlier ones had the same interior as the Lincoln LS. The later ones are all Jaguar with lot' O Wood and a much more integrated design.

A later ones look pretty much identical to XJs, and earlier ones, not...
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Jaguar - it's not an automobile, it's a Motorcar

 

Later ones get wood too.

 

Read the S-Type FAQ sticky threads. The newer cars had more of the inherent flaws addressed as time passed. As others have said, 2003-and-newer cars have significant improvements compared to the earlier models. Typically, the newer the better as long as proper maintenance was done. But keep in mind that just like the XK8/XKR, there are known issues with all of them that must eventually be addressed....

 

+1 to all of the above advice. Avoid anything older than 2003 as they're more or less a glorified Ford Taurus. I do prefer the seats on my '01 over my '03 but in every other way the '03 is a much better, more elegant car.

 

Well they have nothing in common with a front wheel drive Tarus so I am always confused by those statements? I had a Tarus SHO and it was nothing like the Lincoln LS/S Type. No parts swap either.

But do listen to the everyone about what year to get.

I would only consider a 2003 and up S Type. They look about the same but were much improved.
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Is it the X-Type they're confusing with a Taurus? (I've no idea what a Taurus is.) Some X-Types are FWD.

Or is it plain ignorance?

 

A Taurus is nothing like an X type either, so I'm confused by the reference too.

 

Isn't the Taurus the brother of what JagV8 knows as a Mondeo which shares it's platform (or a lot of it) with the X Type?

 

No, that was another non-descript small Ford, a name that'll haunt me all evening as it's on the tip of my tongue just now and won't come off! (And there was a Mercury version, too)


THanks to Wiki, the haunting can cease: "The name comes from Latin mundus, meaning "world".[2] The Mondeo was designed to be a "world car"; the North American models were marketed as the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique until 2000, and as the Ford Fusion from 2013 onwards"

 

I would have sworn........

Another case of North America and the ROW I got a lot of bumph from Ford when they launched the Mondeo about the global vehicle concept.

 

The Taurus comparison actually was made by my mechanic, who said the older S-Types shared so many Ford parts with the Taurus platform that they seemed to be a glorified Taurus.

IMHO he's right. The general size, shape, mediocre fit, finish and drivability of my own 2001 S-Type (except for the FWD of course) falls squarely in line with my own experience with the standard Taurus (not the fancy SHO) I owned a several years back. The ride is firm like the Taurus, not luxurious like a Jag; it has too many cheap, broken plastic components inside; door locks that sometimes don't work; headliner and sunvisor materials peeling away; broken rear view mirror, etc - all things that fell apart on my Taurus which you would not expect to fall apart on a $60K British luxury car.

So my comment was made from my personal experience and that of my mechanic. Not from ignorance.

How many others here have owned a Taurus? I wonder if they've improved over the years. Mine was pretty crappy. My '01 S-Type simply isn't much better. My '03 S-Type is like an entirely different car. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

Can't say that I've seen much discussion about quality improvements pre- and post facelift cars in the specifc areas you've mentioned. There's no doubt that there's some Ford influence in the appearance of Jags of the era. I enjoy winding up one of the locals here with an XJ when I ask him how his Crown Vic is doing.

 

I don't know what common parts the early S-Types may share with the Taurus. But I do know that when viewing an older Taurus rear end from a distance, it does indeed look similar to the rear end of an early S-Type. In low light, it's hard for me to tell the difference from 100 yards away when approaching one on the highway at 80 mph....

 

Don't think S-types had anything in common with the Taurus at all... although the earlier S-type models do have a similar looking dashboards...

The average mechanic/car buff likes to spout all sorts of ignorance regarding the modern Jag's... I guess there is some overlap and confusion between the lincoln LS, S-type, Taurus, X-type, and Contour/Mondeo...

Calling an S-type a Taurus is a great way to get under the skin of an (informed) owner, no doubt!

I too see a resemblance between the S-type tail lights/rear end and that of the Taurus... but really, a very very small one. I'm more concerned about the KIA/Hyundai look-alikes tarnishing the look of my S!