Out of curiosity, I looked up some used s-types in my area and found there were plenty under 15k.
So I just have some general buyer's questions -
Reliability?
Any particular "good years?"
Any particular issues I'll need to be aware of?
Overall "consumer satisfaction?"
Since I plan to keep the car for a long time, I'm not actually worried about
resale value, but how bad would the depreciation be?

-Alright, thanks a bunch. (:

Also, I've had my eye on a particular "ad"
2003, V8, 41,000 miles, pretty much every option unrelated to performance that I can think of,
owned by a man in a very pleasant area, and it's right under 12k,
seems sort of too good to be true. I'm considering calling him or sending him an e-mail.
Any comments, thoughts, advice?

 

my 2003 has been pretty good......other than the torque converter needing replaced (thank god for the warranty) and the thermostat (15 dollars and an hour worth of my own time)other than that i have been satisfied with mine. However, if i were doing it again, i would look at the 2005 and up. They seem to be the least problematic. texas cars direct has an STR for roughly 15k i just saw the pics of it there, seems nice. ANyway you didnt specify your area either.

 

Well, I'm not really looking for deals, just for general advice.
And wow, a R? Too bad I live in California.

 

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=31744

 

My extensive research in December 2008 also pointed to going with a 2005 model or newer. So we bought a 2005 3-litre V6 that was a 3-year corporate lease car in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It did only 18,000 miles during its 3-year lease, and I contacted Jaguar Corporate to obtain all the service and recall records prior to making my decision to make an offer to buy the car from our local Jaguar dealer. In the 13 months we've owned this S-Type, the odometer now shows 41,100 miles. It is my wife's primary vehicle and she has thoroughly enjoyed it....

Heavy depreciation in the first couple of years really helps you buy these cars for what I call "Honda money". Maintenance can be pricey if you don't do it yourself. Most of us here on this forum do most of our own routine maintenance....

 

18 hour drive from southern california. Also they have a pretty good following around here. I forget who it is, but someone here has bought from them a few times and just drove it home.

 

Could be worth a search on here for Texas Cars Direct (or 2 of the words may be joined?). I've no experience myself but have only seen good things said about them.

 

I purchased my 2005 S Type R from Texas Cars Direct about 1 year ago. Great prices and no haggling. Take the price or not they don't care! I walked around and finally had to ask for a salesman! I flew into Dallas, they picked me up at the airport for free and then I drove my new-used car home. Right now they have a sweet 2005 R type for $15K. No warranty and I wanted a least some factory warranty to get the car up to my standards. I have been without warranty since October 2009.

http://www.texascarsdirect.com/PublicWeb/UI/WebForms2/InventoryDetail.aspx?id=3554B

So count me as a happy customer. I had a screw up leaving the parking lot. I grabbed the inside rear view mirror to adjust it and the whole thing came off in my hand!!! Turned right around and went back to Texas Cars Direct. They apologized all over themselves and then re-glued the mirror. No problems with the mirror since!!
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Thank you all very much!

And Jon, I'll take your advice into heavy consideration.
The only problem is that I'm a student who is still living with
his parents. ):
I have a rather well-paying job and I save a lot of money living
with my parents.

A 2005 is just a reach out of my price range.
I'm attempting to find something I can afford relatively comfortably.
Although, I don't have any immediate need for a car
since I can get to my classes by bus, but I have a a strange
desire for a Jaguar.

How much would a 2005 depreciate in a couple of years?
Perhaps I can wait.

-Thanks a lot. (:

 

Texas Cars Direct also has a nice 2006 "R". Can you see where the headliner has separated behind the moon roof? I had mine do this too and Jaguar fixed it under warranty.

http://www.texascarsdirect.com/PublicWeb/UI/WebForms2/InventoryDetail.aspx?id=5794
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If a student... I'd guess insurance will be very high but also is it really the right car - like have you driven others a lot?

 

If you are in Southern California let me know if you are still interested in buying a Jag. I have a 2003 S-Type R that I've been thinking about selling but just haven't had time to run ads etc. If you are looking at a standard V8 for $12k, mine wouldn't be much more than that for an R.
I don’t think maintenance or repairs are any higher for an R versus a standard V8 and the car will holds it's value better. I just recently bought the car from the orig owner with 70k miles and it's always been dealer maintained. Let me know if you have any interest.

My only advice is to not spend all your money on the car. Mine has been reliable but basic maintenance such as oil changes, tires, brakes, etc, tend to add up quickly on these cars.

 

Shop around. I looked for 8 months, got a 2003 stype, 4.2 8cyl. I LOVE it. Stay 2003 or above. an '03 - '05 you can easily get for under 15000. may never drive another car again, nothing like it

 

If your a student I would definitely get a 2003, nothing higher nothing lower.

2003 interior all thru 2008 all look the same, the exterior is pretty much the same except the chrome strip at the back of the cars on the trunk. The 2003's are good in reliability, its the 00,01,02 that had many problems.

Remember, insurance for a car like this is going to be through the roof, so you'd better call some insurance companies before even purchasing the car, or put it under one of your parents name's. Another thing, your buying a jaguar, not a honda or toyota, the parts are very expensive, so you need to take this into consideration as well.

You should search ebay and all over the net to get a part that you need before buying from the dealership. Another thing, anyone you ask 'how much do you think that jag cost', even if its a 2000 s type with 200k on it, they will still say 'over 100grand', so, with a car like this your also buying the symbol, and this may work against you as it may peel the eyes of the gov't officials back if your getting tuition loans.