If you've spent enough time on forums like this one, you've learned the following points:

1. The 2005-and-newer 3.0 and 4.2 S-Types are normally the most reliable.

2. The key to keeping your maintenance costs to a minimum is to be willing to tackle the routine maintenance yourself. It isn't rocket science, and anyone with a decent array of tools, plenty of patience, a copy of the Jaguar JTIS maintenance CD, and the willingness to learn can become relatively proficient over time.

3. You have forums like this one to ask for help when you need it. These forums will literally save you thousands of dollars over the years. But you must also be willing to give in order to receive. In other words, share your knowledge and lessons learned as frequently as you ask for help with your own car's problems.

4. With the Jaguar dealership being 300 miles away from you, it will be in your best interest to locate and get to know an independent Jaguar service garage for the times you have to involve the experts. A 2006 S-Type will most likely still be under factory warranty, so any trips to the dealership 300 miles away will need to be carefully planned since they will cost you substantially in time and gas money. If a local garage can somehow work out handling your warranty claims, you'll be way ahead of the game. I don't know what Jaguar's approach to this would be, however. You should call Jaguar Corporate and talk with them about it (800-4-JAGUAR).


These S-Type cars really do deliver the best bang-for-the-buck in terms of a luxury highway cruiser as long as you buy two to three models years behind.

At 39,000 miles, I think your offer of $17,000 is squarely in the ballpark. I bought our 2005 S-Type 3.0 with 18,000 miles on the odometer back in December with my low-ball, one-time offer of $17,500 when they wanted nearly $22,000 for it. I refused to play the back-and-forth game with the sales manager and within 15 minutes, the dealership called me to accept my offer.

Good luck to you....

 

I would expect an Indy or indeed a properly competent garage could deal with mechanical issues etc but in a case requiring electronic diagnosis I'd want to be sure the Indy had jag-specific OBD equipment and could use it fully. (And wouldn't just assume an error code was a diagnosis - these things are usually best considered hints as to what may be wrong.) Er, even a dealer may not be any good at this, sadly. (And this is true of other makes, not just jags.)

 

dinkeye, I bet you will find that if you start looking up any brand/model of car, you will find people that will swear it is the worst vehicle they have ever owned. The people that have no problems with their cars seem not to write. If you do your research, you will find that the S-Types are just as reliable as any other vehicle on the roads. I look at it this way, when was the last time you saw one on the side of the road? How many other cars have you seen on the side of the road? But, when buying used vehicles, the quality of what you are getting is directly related to how the person before you took care of the car and how they drove it. So, could be a sweet deal, could be a night mare. Ask the dealership for any maintenance records they may have on the vehicle. If they are unwilling to give you them, that should be a sign to walk away.

I bet if you can walk into the showroom, lay the $17K in cash on the counter, I bet you will have their attention and you will get the car for the price you are asking. Money has a way of talking. A bit more work on your part, but can save you money in the long run too. Just for reference, there is also a Jaguar dealer down in Fife/Tacoma region that you can go to also. That might be helpful for you as it might be closer. If not, it is only like 20 more miles up the road and can give you some leverage. If you are coming from the north, then take a look in Everett. IT seems to me there was a Jag dealership up there. I used to live in the Seattle area a few years ago.

 

Hi dinkeye,

I take it you walked out of the dealership. I would wait a couple of days to see if the sales manager calls you about a counter offer. I would have to say $17K is reasonable. As a frame of reference, I got my 2005 S-Type for $14K. It had 49,000 miles on it and it included the Certified Warranty. I'm covered until 2011.

Good luck,

Mike

 

Yep, just sit back and wait. If the car doesn't sell for a week or so, you'll be getting a phone call....

 

Just a little side note. These cars are selling for higher transaction prices then they used to. This is true on all used vehicles. With the shrinking new car market comes stronger used car sales. Slow economy or not, the used market is growing. This comes from both auto media outlets and some of the local dealers I talk with. Here in Ohio, year over year, any make, the average transaction price is up 5 to 10 percent. Sometimes more on certified cars, what is what that is given it's warranty til 2012. Find out what their bottom line price is. Also, another thing to remember. These aren't Toyotas or Hondas. They will carry much higher maintenance costs. This is a point that is lost by some who jump into ownership based on the low price. Don't set yourself up for dissapointment or failure.

 

I had two 3.0 S-Types (04 and 07) and they were both very reliable. The 04 was a better car as far as build quality. The 07 had some "cost cutting" design changes that I was not a fan of. But both cars were equally reliable.

The $17K price is maybe a little low for a Jag certified car. $18K would probably seal the deal. I do agree that prices are rising on these cars. The sweet spot seems to have been last December 08 - March 09.

Also, Jag changes their financing rates on a quarterly basis so ask about upcoming rate changes. They should know what they are going to be for the next quarter and when they will change. In my case the rate actually went down from 5.9 to 4.9 just a few days after I bought my XJ last Feb.

Get the carfax from them (it comes with certified cars) and look at the history of the car. Was it a local or out of state car originally? Did your dealer buy it at auction or was it a trade in? How long has your dealer had it in inventory? Knowing these things will help you to understand how low the dealer is willing to go to unload the car.

Another thing that I would suggest is to go back and really look over the car being as picky as you can. Make a list of the stuff that needs to be replaced under warranty in order to make the car as new.

I looked for and found stuff like this:
1. Rubber door/hood/trunk moldings loose or cut/cracked. They can replace them. I got two door moldings and the trunk molding replaced due to very small tears in them.
2. Floor mat backings cracked. If one is cracked they can replace the set. I go my set replaced because the driver's mat backing was cracked. A new set of mats really makes the car seem new again too.
3. Seat leather color worn off or faded. They can have them re-dyed or replaced. My 07 had both front seat bases wear through after 18 months.
4. Seat belts that don't retract fully or seem loose and floppy. They can replace them. I got my drivers side belt replaced.
5. Cracked or scuffed wood trim. They can have it repaired. I got a trim piece repaired due to a hairline crack in the clear coat.
6. Wheel center caps paint faded or worn. They can replace them. I got a couple of these replaced.
7. Driver seat track is smooth and quiet. They can replace it. My 07 started getting noisy (compared to my 04) and I got it replaced.


The above is the kind of stuff that the certified warranty will not cover but the original warranty will. And it is all stuff that you can find before you buy. Make them committ to fixing your list of items prior to buying the car.

Hope this helps. Good luck with it.

 

i had a simlar story with my jag, they wanted 16 000 grand for it, we told them 12 000 and started walking away, in the next hour we got a call and convinced them 12 000 flat with all the gst and other crap in it. I remerb aftert he car broke down and they fixed the guy handing me the keys said " we made no money from this car"

 

I'm glad I'm not the dealer! (Good points, though.)

 

The prices on all cars tends to rise in the summer and fall in the winter. Coupled with extra cold and rainy weather this spring, I bought my 2003 3.0.

I have casually followed Jaguar pricing and find the best prices come in Dec-Feb as a previous poster stated. The prices for these cars will settle lower towards the end of the year. If the economy improves drasticallly, the prices may rise next year. Watch for: Cash for Clunkers. I have seen a few videos of nice, late model cars with sand being poured down the engine to destroy the vehicle. If I ever saw this happen to a Jag, I would be white hot.