Faults:

The most common problems experienced for this vehicle is front ball joints fail (which I can buy separately from control arm and press in), front and rear strut bushings (which we can replace rears with bushings! Fronts have to have struts), shifter assembly (which we can now get a replacement metal shift part that replaces the plastic shifter part that always breaks, saving you hundreds of dollars).

Between 60 and 80 thousand miles, all of the above repairs listed above seem to be common for this vehicle. Cost for repairs is struts $1200.00, ball joints 250-300 per side with press in ball joints, and 600.00 side with control arms, shifter assembly around 500.00-700.00.

General Comments:

Nice to drive, but as in the past, mechanically unreliable and too expensive too maintain.

Faults:

Major problem with battery drain... if the car was left for more than 3 days, the battery would drain... root cause identified module in boot staying 'awake' and not shutting down after closure... car was stripped and spent 3 months at an independent Jaguar specialist... could not identify fault, and put it down to a snap loom wire somewhere causing the issue... the car looked great and was OK if you used it daily..

General Comments:

The car looked great and was OK if you used daily... but woefully unreliable if left to stand for more than 3 days (battery drain causing non start).

Faults:

The coil packs on these cars fail with monotonous regularity. To get all six replaced by a main dealer is around £400!

Aircon lasts about 5 minutes between charges.

Needed two front ball joints replaced for MOT and that was £300 for parts alone.

Eats brake pads, and they are not cheap at around £60 per set, although easy enough to fit DIY.

General Comments:

This was to be the car that put Jaguar back on the map, and compete with German rivals.

A truly beautiful car that really stands out from it's mundane contemporaries.

Unfortunately that's also its best feature! The Ford sourced drive train is not in keeping with the car. The gearbox is slow and notchy and very unpleasant to use. The engine is very lacking in low down torque, making city driving a chore. This is a car that needs revved hard to perform, and constant down changes have to be made to keep pace with other 3 litre cars.

Handling is also not its strong point, and comfort is poor due to hard seats and a wallowing ride.

Just never feels the quality car Jaguar intended; more like a Mondeo in a posh frock, but with nothing underneath.

Faults:

Alarming clunks from gearbox when accelerating from standstill. This was eventually cured by a recall which re-programmed the software controlling the gear changes.

Stitching on seat squab came apart at seam.

Vanity light on passenger sun visor didn't work.

General Comments:

Classic looks and classy interior albeit a little tight for space.

The turbine like power available is just fabulous.

The gearbox since re-programming is good, but I still get the occasional clonk. For super fast response sport mode is required, but this mode tends to result in less smooth down changes.

Handling and ride has deteriorated and is currently causing great concern.

Faults:

Nothing - just routine service.

General Comments:

I run out of superlatives trying to describe this car. Grace Space and Pace.

Its equally happy cruising around the back streets of Edinburgh as it is at three figure speeds on the Autoroutes of Europe.

Acceleration is mind numbingly quick, the beast can zip up to 90 with alarming rapidity in complete silence -alarming because you would think you were travelling at 40mph - not good for the driving licence!!

Finish is excellent all round, inside and out, ergonomicaly - excellent.

You can drive hundreds of miles and emerge refreshed and feel you have hardly driven at all.

I have read all the reviews of the S type on this site and see they either range from bad - to utopia, and a denominator seems to be - troublesome cars seem to be Early six cylinder, North American spec cars, European V8's appear to be less troublesome and more reliable.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one and would find life rather bland without my S type!!