Jaguar S-Type reliability: what is the second-hand model worth?

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Qualities and defects

What may tempt you

Equipment: on all versions, it is luxurious.
The interior atmosphere: the presentation is refined, the materials opulent, the design of the dashboard successful.
Practicality: rare on a car in this segment, the bench seat can be folded down into two parts, which increases the practical aspect.
Driving pleasure: only the smallest V6 is a bit tight, the other engines are flexible, powerful and efficient. Driving is always enjoyable.
The R version: the compressed V8 is furious and the S-Type becomes sporty. A great success.
The brand image: a Jaguar remains a Jaguar, the neighbors will always be a bit envious…

What can make you hesitate

The cost of use: pay attention to the current budget, it is high.
Trunk volume: compared to the size of the car, it is tiny (400 litres)
Consumption: it is high for all gasoline engines, and especially the compressed V8.
Its weight: it affects agility and degrades braking performance, which lacks endurance.
Rear space: the size would suggest greater rear habitability, it is not so…

Budget

Buy / Rating:

If the purchase price remains worthy of the brand’s image, the odds are quite reasonable and good deals possible, except with the most recent diesel.

Consumption :

No miracle on the side of the V6 and V8 versions. The sporty R is even gluttonous. The diesel V6 is more sober although efficient.

Insurance :

The Jaguar has insurance premiums equivalent to its German rivals. It is more expensive than French road cars, but less than an Alfa 166 for example…

Price of parts:

Not all of them are overpriced, but the average basket remains at a high level.

Maintenance :

Reviews every 16,000 km in petrol and 24,000 km in diesel. Concessions unsurprisingly charge high-end prices.

Reliability

Description :

We can not say, compared to the number of copies sold, that the worries are legion on the Jaguar S-Type. Nevertheless, some owners, especially on models at the start of their career, experienced recurring malfunctions that were often very costly to fix when the car was no longer under warranty… And their occurrence is quite random, with some cars not having any worries when others know the way to the studio by heart.

Heavy or immobilizing breakdowns:

Automatic box. Until 2002, or even early 2003, recurring and identified problems with the 5-speed automatic gearbox on petrol engines. Jerks, operation in degraded mode, blocking in first gear are revealing symptoms, sometimes from 80,000 km, with the “automatic gearbox fault” warning light coming on. Reprogramming the management electronics may suffice, but replacement is often necessary.

Other failures or weaknesses:

Ignition coils. Mainly on the V6, premature failure of the ignition coils (one per cylinder), manifesting itself in starting difficulties and jolts when driving, from 60,000 km. Replacement is the only solution.
On some cars, premature wear and play in the steering ball joints. They must be replaced.
A few cases of leaks at the level of the expansion vessel, which may have some porosity.

Outer appearance:

Nothing to report in this chapter except at the very beginning of the alignments of sometimes imperfect body panels.

Interior finish:

Nothing special to report. The quality of assemblies and materials has been improved over the years, to reach an exceptional level at the end of the career.

Electronic malfunctions/on-board functions:

Electric windows. On some cars, weak electric windows, the motor and mechanism of which must be exchanged.
Central locking. Occasionally, malfunction of the central locking. Sometimes accompanied by the malfunction of one or more locks. Function to be reprogrammed or necessary replacement of the main lock, which manages the others.

Reminder of rectification in dealership:

Spring 2001: noise in the front axle at the suspension ball joints. Due to poor tightening. Risk of loosening and loss of control of the vehicle due to breakage of the ball joint. Tightening or replacement of the ball joint. Applies to 2000-2001 models.
Spring 2004: reprogramming of the automatic gearbox control electronic module. Risk, when the gearbox is set to D, of accidentally shifting into reverse. Applies to 2003 and 2004 models.
Summer 2007: recall of a series of diesel V6s for reprogramming of particulate filter management.