Cheap 4.0 S-Type - Is it possible?
Discussion
I'm thinking of changing my second 'runabout' car and my eye has been drawn to the 4.0 V8 S-Type. Older versions (c.2000) appear to be going for around the £4k mark with reasonable miles on them (60k ish).
Is this a viable prospect or would one of these cars turn into a money pit? I will only be doing a couple of thousand miles a year so fuel costs do not concern me in the slightest but I have read some scary stuff about blown engines and gearboxes.
Any advice/knowledge would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Is this a viable prospect or would one of these cars turn into a money pit? I will only be doing a couple of thousand miles a year so fuel costs do not concern me in the slightest but I have read some scary stuff about blown engines and gearboxes.
Any advice/knowledge would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Swindorski,
I had a S-Type 4.0L V8 SE from new for 2 3/4 years, did about 70,000 miles, and I replaced it with and still have an S-Type 4.2L V8 SE,that I've had for just 6 years, done approaching 90,000 miles.
There is no doubt the later model is a vast improvement on the first model. The early ones had many Ford parts and were not very "Jaguaresque", particularly the interior. The later models were mainly improved by the switch to a 6 speed auto box, improved suspension, marginally more space inside and in the boot, a much nicer interior, and better mpg.
In general, I have been very pleased with both cars, the latter especially. I bought it with 14 miles on the clock as a demonstrator and planned to keep it and still plan to do so. I regard it as a sporty saloon and great for long journeys.
These are heavy cars so expect suspension, brakes etc to take something of a beating. With my later car I am on the 4th gearbox! It's been changed under warranty so it hasn't cost me anything, and the latest one seems fine. These gearboxes, which are also fitted to Mercedes and BMWs and suffer similar problems there, incidentally,are prone to problems mainly due to fine tolerances and some inferior materials. Mine suffered with the internal seals (aluminium I think) failing allowing oil to get to the wrong places. Jaguar have done a number of upgradres and what I now have seems fine. I did not have similar problems with the gearbox on the earlier model.
I get around 25,000 on the tyres. I don't do much hard driving, but I do a lot of fast cross UK and continental driving for which the car is ideal.
Mpg varies but generally it's around 23-25 on average, getting to 30 or so on a longer fast run.
Jaguar World had an article about buying used S-Types in their April 2008 edition. It's bit old now, I suppose, but it may still be useful to you. I have a copy...e-mail me if you want me to send it to you.
One final thing: owners of XJs and XKs with V8s are highly recommended to change the engine timing chain tensioners etc at around 100,000 miles, a job that will cost around £1200-£1800 depending on where it and what's done. I do not know if the same applies to the V8 engine in the S-Type, although I had a discussion recently at a JMD about this and was told they have never seen one done. This may be because they are taken to indies for this job as it will be cheaper. You may need to check this out depending on the target car's mileage and whether or not the tensioners etc have been replaced. Other PHers may comment more on this.
Hope this helps you decide whether to go ahead or not.
R.
I had a S-Type 4.0L V8 SE from new for 2 3/4 years, did about 70,000 miles, and I replaced it with and still have an S-Type 4.2L V8 SE,that I've had for just 6 years, done approaching 90,000 miles.
There is no doubt the later model is a vast improvement on the first model. The early ones had many Ford parts and were not very "Jaguaresque", particularly the interior. The later models were mainly improved by the switch to a 6 speed auto box, improved suspension, marginally more space inside and in the boot, a much nicer interior, and better mpg.
In general, I have been very pleased with both cars, the latter especially. I bought it with 14 miles on the clock as a demonstrator and planned to keep it and still plan to do so. I regard it as a sporty saloon and great for long journeys.
These are heavy cars so expect suspension, brakes etc to take something of a beating. With my later car I am on the 4th gearbox! It's been changed under warranty so it hasn't cost me anything, and the latest one seems fine. These gearboxes, which are also fitted to Mercedes and BMWs and suffer similar problems there, incidentally,are prone to problems mainly due to fine tolerances and some inferior materials. Mine suffered with the internal seals (aluminium I think) failing allowing oil to get to the wrong places. Jaguar have done a number of upgradres and what I now have seems fine. I did not have similar problems with the gearbox on the earlier model.
I get around 25,000 on the tyres. I don't do much hard driving, but I do a lot of fast cross UK and continental driving for which the car is ideal.
Mpg varies but generally it's around 23-25 on average, getting to 30 or so on a longer fast run.
Jaguar World had an article about buying used S-Types in their April 2008 edition. It's bit old now, I suppose, but it may still be useful to you. I have a copy...e-mail me if you want me to send it to you.
One final thing: owners of XJs and XKs with V8s are highly recommended to change the engine timing chain tensioners etc at around 100,000 miles, a job that will cost around £1200-£1800 depending on where it and what's done. I do not know if the same applies to the V8 engine in the S-Type, although I had a discussion recently at a JMD about this and was told they have never seen one done. This may be because they are taken to indies for this job as it will be cheaper. You may need to check this out depending on the target car's mileage and whether or not the tensioners etc have been replaced. Other PHers may comment more on this.
Hope this helps you decide whether to go ahead or not.
R.
Jaguar steve said:
Early S Types are nowhere as reliable or well made as the later facelifted models.
Check out Honest John's Car by Car guide to read a long list of problems with early ones. The reliability and repair cost indexes for the S Type don't make happy reading either.
Sorry Steve, I disagree . I have two clients with 210k and 256k miles now, normal dics roll bar bushes and bearings, that`s all.Two face lifts with major electrical issues.Good and bad in all ranges.Check out Honest John's Car by Car guide to read a long list of problems with early ones. The reliability and repair cost indexes for the S Type don't make happy reading either.
Check out
http://www.jaguarforum.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=16
If they go wrong and you don't fix your own cars I hope that your wallet is pretty fat.
I've got a 2003 V6 3.0
http://www.jaguarforum.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=16
If they go wrong and you don't fix your own cars I hope that your wallet is pretty fat.
I've got a 2003 V6 3.0
swindorski said:
I'm thinking of changing my second 'runabout' car and my eye has been drawn to the 4.0 V8 S-Type. Older versions (c.2000) appear to be going for around the £4k mark with reasonable miles on them (60k ish).
Is this a viable prospect or would one of these cars turn into a money pit? I will only be doing a couple of thousand miles a year so fuel costs do not concern me in the slightest but I have read some scary stuff about blown engines and gearboxes.
Any advice/knowledge would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
I looked into the S Type a while back, and the evidence in the Interweb combined with reviews both suggested that saving a few more pennies to buy the later 4.2 was a worthwhile exercise.Is this a viable prospect or would one of these cars turn into a money pit? I will only be doing a couple of thousand miles a year so fuel costs do not concern me in the slightest but I have read some scary stuff about blown engines and gearboxes.
Any advice/knowledge would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
RW774 said:
Jaguar steve said:
Early S Types are nowhere as reliable or well made as the later facelifted models.
Check out Honest John's Car by Car guide to read a long list of problems with early ones. The reliability and repair cost indexes for the S Type don't make happy reading either.
Sorry Steve, I disagree . I have two clients with 210k and 256k miles now, normal dics roll bar bushes and bearings, that`s all.Two face lifts with major electrical issues.Good and bad in all ranges.Check out Honest John's Car by Car guide to read a long list of problems with early ones. The reliability and repair cost indexes for the S Type don't make happy reading either.
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