Collected my S Type R
Discussion
Excuse me if I ramble but its nice to keep a record of where I'm at car wise and how I got there
Few weeks ago we found that 4 cars between the two of us was not really viable / desirable so wanted to reduce the fleet to 3. never wanting to do things the simple way decided to sell 2 of them and acquire another
The fleet as it was:
986 Boxster S - great car in lovely condition and no desire to sell just yet
Citroen C2 Design - perfect town car and for o/hs 6 mile per day commute
Alfa GTV V6 - much time and money spent, as good as I could get it
Saab 9-5 aero - bought 12 months previously as a safe, comfortable family hack
After some deliberation the decision was taken to sell the Alfa, when that was sold the Saab would be sold and then a new family holdall would be acquired
The Alfa was a real good one with lots of history, low miles for the year, the right mods and was known in Alfa circles. Two days after being advertised it was sold for 3100 shy of the asking price to the first person to view - more quickly than I was anticipating
Time to sell the 9-5 - this was advertised and sold for full asking price to the first person to enquire less than 24 hours after being advertised - another quicker than expected sale
With two of the four cars gone it was now clearly time to search for a new family holdall, I had the urge to go down the Jaguar route, my dad ran several XJ6's and somehow felt that the time was right to follow in his footsteps.
Initially I was considering X308's, either a very late 3.2 or perhaps even an XJR, then I started to look at 3.0 V6 X350's but the only one I found had been sold
My o/h asked 'why not an S Type' - to be honest I'd never considered one and when I read about current / previous owners seemed to like them, particularly if it was the R version
doing some research I discovered that only 1,242 S Type R's were produced for the UK market so finding one was not going to be especially easy
Considering condition and history more important than mileage and age I started looking, discovering a wide variance in price and most for sale being private sales which was not really a concern
My search was always going to be limited by the fact I'd promised not to spend more than 5k but after a day one car leapt out at me - dealer sale down in Kent, good description, good quality photos, reasonable mileage and a nice colour combination. Only problem was the price was above my budget
Firing off an enquiry email stating the maximum I was prepared to pay I got a very quick and professional response stating that a deal was possible - a phonecall the following morning saw me placing a £500 deposit, refundable if on viewing the car was not as described.
I could not make the 4 train, 200 mile journey for just over a week but dealer was doing everything right, the car being marked as sold on their website within 20 minutes of me paying the deposit.
Fast forward to yesterday and I made the journey down to view and hopefully collect the car. days like that always get me nervous - will it live up to expectations, what are my options if it doesn't etc etc. Fortunately, I needn't have had any concerns, on arrival the car was waiting, a cup of tea offered, keys were offered and it was exactly as described.
I'd come prepared with gloves, torch etc but it was obvious this car was a good one, very well presented, all previous MOTs, lots of invoices, service history with both Jagaur and a well known and respected Jagaur specialist in Hertfordshire, recent brakes and OE spec Continental tyres and a Jaguar Enthusiast Club sticker in the windscreen confirmed that this was a well cared for car
Welcome bonus was the car was advertised with 89,000 miles, on starting her up odometer showed just over 70,000 and checking the old MOTs, this all tied up - all pointers were that a good deal was turning into a really very good deal indeed
Money was exchanged and I was now the proud owner of very nice Jaguar S Type R.
Journey home was uneventful, save for a miraculous average of just over 35mpg being recorded.
Today has seen a quick wash taking place and noting down of what needs to be done, pretty limited but includes new numberplates, updated sat nav disc and a few very minor stone chips to be sorted as well as a full machine polish, can't remember buying such a well sorted car
Nicely specced with optional sat nav, phone, TV tuner (analogue sadly) and electric sunroof on top of a very generous standard spec that includes immensely comfortable and every which way adjustable electric memory seats
I'll let the pictures do the talking
The washer nozzles are not a different colour, just a trick of the light
[url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/1Me8Nfmo[/url
Few weeks ago we found that 4 cars between the two of us was not really viable / desirable so wanted to reduce the fleet to 3. never wanting to do things the simple way decided to sell 2 of them and acquire another
The fleet as it was:
986 Boxster S - great car in lovely condition and no desire to sell just yet
Citroen C2 Design - perfect town car and for o/hs 6 mile per day commute
Alfa GTV V6 - much time and money spent, as good as I could get it
Saab 9-5 aero - bought 12 months previously as a safe, comfortable family hack
After some deliberation the decision was taken to sell the Alfa, when that was sold the Saab would be sold and then a new family holdall would be acquired
The Alfa was a real good one with lots of history, low miles for the year, the right mods and was known in Alfa circles. Two days after being advertised it was sold for 3100 shy of the asking price to the first person to view - more quickly than I was anticipating
Time to sell the 9-5 - this was advertised and sold for full asking price to the first person to enquire less than 24 hours after being advertised - another quicker than expected sale
With two of the four cars gone it was now clearly time to search for a new family holdall, I had the urge to go down the Jaguar route, my dad ran several XJ6's and somehow felt that the time was right to follow in his footsteps.
Initially I was considering X308's, either a very late 3.2 or perhaps even an XJR, then I started to look at 3.0 V6 X350's but the only one I found had been sold
My o/h asked 'why not an S Type' - to be honest I'd never considered one and when I read about current / previous owners seemed to like them, particularly if it was the R version
doing some research I discovered that only 1,242 S Type R's were produced for the UK market so finding one was not going to be especially easy
Considering condition and history more important than mileage and age I started looking, discovering a wide variance in price and most for sale being private sales which was not really a concern
My search was always going to be limited by the fact I'd promised not to spend more than 5k but after a day one car leapt out at me - dealer sale down in Kent, good description, good quality photos, reasonable mileage and a nice colour combination. Only problem was the price was above my budget
Firing off an enquiry email stating the maximum I was prepared to pay I got a very quick and professional response stating that a deal was possible - a phonecall the following morning saw me placing a £500 deposit, refundable if on viewing the car was not as described.
I could not make the 4 train, 200 mile journey for just over a week but dealer was doing everything right, the car being marked as sold on their website within 20 minutes of me paying the deposit.
Fast forward to yesterday and I made the journey down to view and hopefully collect the car. days like that always get me nervous - will it live up to expectations, what are my options if it doesn't etc etc. Fortunately, I needn't have had any concerns, on arrival the car was waiting, a cup of tea offered, keys were offered and it was exactly as described.
I'd come prepared with gloves, torch etc but it was obvious this car was a good one, very well presented, all previous MOTs, lots of invoices, service history with both Jagaur and a well known and respected Jagaur specialist in Hertfordshire, recent brakes and OE spec Continental tyres and a Jaguar Enthusiast Club sticker in the windscreen confirmed that this was a well cared for car
Welcome bonus was the car was advertised with 89,000 miles, on starting her up odometer showed just over 70,000 and checking the old MOTs, this all tied up - all pointers were that a good deal was turning into a really very good deal indeed
Money was exchanged and I was now the proud owner of very nice Jaguar S Type R.
Journey home was uneventful, save for a miraculous average of just over 35mpg being recorded.
Today has seen a quick wash taking place and noting down of what needs to be done, pretty limited but includes new numberplates, updated sat nav disc and a few very minor stone chips to be sorted as well as a full machine polish, can't remember buying such a well sorted car
Nicely specced with optional sat nav, phone, TV tuner (analogue sadly) and electric sunroof on top of a very generous standard spec that includes immensely comfortable and every which way adjustable electric memory seats
I'll let the pictures do the talking
The washer nozzles are not a different colour, just a trick of the light
[url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/1Me8Nfmo[/urlP700DEE said:
Great move 
although I don't think this is the car for you 
How on earth did you get an STR to give 35.5mpg did you not touch the pedals at all on your journey ! My 4.2 NA has only managed to get up to 30.5 mpg and that was a boring motorway hack with no traffic issues.
Enjoy and get that average down to 24 where it should be
I made fairy good progress - 204 miles home to Shropshire from Maidstone - just over 3 hours so not too bad an avearage speed when you take in to account the 50mph roadworks on the M1 although I don't think this is the car for you How on earth did you get an STR to give 35.5mpg did you not touch the pedals at all on your journey ! My 4.2 NA has only managed to get up to 30.5 mpg and that was a boring motorway hack with no traffic issues.
Enjoy and get that average down to 24 where it should be
I don't ever expect / want to see that mpg again, its hardly what the car is about
Now considering exhaust options. Had a good chat with local Longlife agent this morning and based on what I've had fitted before he thinks it may be worth trying replacing the rear boxes with straight pipework, only concern is possible resonance at about 1800rpm, he did suggest that it would not be difficult to fit a couple of small rear silencers if I found it a problem - very happy with the price quoted too
This is definitely a car I have bonded with - my only issue was the overly subdued exhaust note that has been remedied with a rear silencer delete completed at Longlife in Knockin (Oswestry).
Perhaps not to everyones tastes but certainly put a smile on my face
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYJJRtHs-js
Perhaps not to everyones tastes but certainly put a smile on my face
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYJJRtHs-js
Medic-one said:
Was driving behind one of these for a while today and think i'm in love.
Always have had a soft spot for Jags and V8's and these type R models all of a sudden seem like a great idea!
How are they off the line ? I've got a twin turbo V6 mitsu (4x4 drive) and a little light 182 sport who are both of the line quite quickly.
I've never been a fan of auto boxes so just wondering how these feel of the line, is there a bit of lag before the power kicks in, or is it foot down and you're away ?
Biggest problem I find off the line is traction - my tyres are coming to the end of their life but once its found grip they are quick, the rate in which cars recede in your rear view mirror without even trying is comicalAlways have had a soft spot for Jags and V8's and these type R models all of a sudden seem like a great idea!
How are they off the line ? I've got a twin turbo V6 mitsu (4x4 drive) and a little light 182 sport who are both of the line quite quickly.
I've never been a fan of auto boxes so just wondering how these feel of the line, is there a bit of lag before the power kicks in, or is it foot down and you're away ?
Medic-one said:
I quite like that. So do they just remove one bit from somewhere in the middle or something, and replace it with a straight pipe, or did you guy a new exhaust ?
I'd like to do similar to mine but need to be able to explain to a exhaust company what it is i want done exactly.
Really simple - they simply removed the rear silences (one per side) and replaced with straight piping - there is some resonance at about 1700 rpm (which I was warned about in advance) that could be cured by fitting two very small silencers but I'd lose some of the noise - its a trade off I'm happy with but may not suit othersI'd like to do similar to mine but need to be able to explain to a exhaust company what it is i want done exactly.
I found the biggest letdown with the car was its relative silence - now its not -)
If you go to Longlife ask them to phone their Oswestry branch and they'll give them all the info they need.
I went deliberately for very subtle tailpipes with an outturned lip but was offered a good range - just rather let the noise do the talking rather than the width of the pipes
Should have zero effect on emissions
I went deliberately for very subtle tailpipes with an outturned lip but was offered a good range - just rather let the noise do the talking rather than the width of the pipes
Should have zero effect on emissions
Edited by Andy665 on Monday 16th February 17:44
The one thing that let the car down when I bought it were the alloys, nothing seriously bad, all were true and unbuckled but some kerb rash definitely needed to be sorted
Whilst it would have been easier to pay to get them refurbed I decided to do it myself.
All products were GT Pro - did my research and quality is excellent, good quality spray nozzles meant no blockages or splatter, excellent service from the supplier too
Each wheel removed in turn and given a thorough clean and rub down, using a small file to remove protruding metal chips from the kerbed areas
Deflated tyres so that the tyre could be masked off more easily
Applied the filler, left to dry and sanded down using combination of 180, 400, 1200 and 2000 wet and dry, some small areas needed doing again to get the finish I wanted
Acid etch primer followed by standard grey primer gave me a good base to work from, rubbed down after the last coat of primer went on
Three coats of aluminium silver, then a light rub down and two layers of clear lacquer
Protected with Migliore Wheel Seal and back on the car
As each wheel was removed I gave each wheel arch a really good clean using Bilt Hamber de-greaser, dressed the arch liners and rubbed down painted areas with light surface rust, finally coating everything I could see with Bilt Hamber Dynax clear wax
Before
After
For the sake of £50 in materials and some time and effort I'm really pleased with the results - more satisfying a nd a lot cheaper than having them done by someone else
Whilst it would have been easier to pay to get them refurbed I decided to do it myself.
All products were GT Pro - did my research and quality is excellent, good quality spray nozzles meant no blockages or splatter, excellent service from the supplier too
Each wheel removed in turn and given a thorough clean and rub down, using a small file to remove protruding metal chips from the kerbed areas
Deflated tyres so that the tyre could be masked off more easily
Applied the filler, left to dry and sanded down using combination of 180, 400, 1200 and 2000 wet and dry, some small areas needed doing again to get the finish I wanted
Acid etch primer followed by standard grey primer gave me a good base to work from, rubbed down after the last coat of primer went on
Three coats of aluminium silver, then a light rub down and two layers of clear lacquer
Protected with Migliore Wheel Seal and back on the car
As each wheel was removed I gave each wheel arch a really good clean using Bilt Hamber de-greaser, dressed the arch liners and rubbed down painted areas with light surface rust, finally coating everything I could see with Bilt Hamber Dynax clear wax
Before
After
For the sake of £50 in materials and some time and effort I'm really pleased with the results - more satisfying a nd a lot cheaper than having them done by someone else
johnxjsc1985 said:
do you think he might come along and do ours if he has any stuff left.
As I'm getting older the patience is getting better, actually leaving the paint to harden off for 24 hours etc. Each heel took me about 2 hours to do spread over 2-3 days, the wheelarches probably a similar amount of time
MOT time today - always gets me very nervous. more so on a car like this as you just know that anything that needs doing is not going to be cheap
I was not aware of any issues but you never know what may be lurking and I always use Severn Valley Motorsport as I know they are rigorous in their testing
Passed with no advisories and with the comment that its one of the cleanest and cars they have ever seen - not bad for a 13 year old car
I was not aware of any issues but you never know what may be lurking and I always use Severn Valley Motorsport as I know they are rigorous in their testing
Passed with no advisories and with the comment that its one of the cleanest and cars they have ever seen - not bad for a 13 year old car
All prepared for the winter months, all paintwork stripped of polish / wax, full machine polish and topped with Wolfs Hardbody sealant and two coats of Mitchell and King Halloween wax
Decided to personalise under the bonnet, out went original engine cover
Replaced with another OE cover that I had resprayed after filling in original supercharged text and the swage lines
Decided to personalise under the bonnet, out went original engine cover
Replaced with another OE cover that I had resprayed after filling in original supercharged text and the swage lines
well it was only sold to help purchase a friends Maserati 3200GT that I had been offfered a good deal on - literally an hour after the Jag left last night I was told the Maserati had lunched its gearbox.
May play safe for a while and get a MK1 Audi TT - always loved the design and should provide reasonably cost effective transport if I can find a good one - has to be a V6 - don't really do less than 6 cylinders nowadays
May play safe for a while and get a MK1 Audi TT - always loved the design and should provide reasonably cost effective transport if I can find a good one - has to be a V6 - don't really do less than 6 cylinders nowadays
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