chrisdc

Hi Bydand, Yep, I'm still looking. This black car you looked at, was it the same one I wanted to see? Sorry, not quite clear. I see it's still being advertised - as a 2005. Are you going to make a bid for the diesel? I'm not aware of this particular car. Have decided to first secure my garaging before I start any projects, but I'm still keen as a bean :) Regards, Chris

Thanks Geoff, You know what comes across in so many of the threads i've read? It's that so many people really "love" their cars. (Jags) When i was a kid, my best friends dad had his brother staying with him. "Uncle John" was down and out but he did own an early S-Type. This would have been in the early seventies. The car was already quite old by then. My friend and i (we were about 6 or 7 at the time) would sit in Uncle John's Jag and play with all those switches and pretend to drive, no doubt much to Uncle John's dismay. I never once saw that Jag leave that parking space, or heard it started but it made a life long impression on me. I sincerely hope it found a more "solvent" owner and that's it's been lovingly restored since then.

Hi Dave, You guys are right, it's nuts even if only because of the distance. I've also passed on the STR because i just don't know enough about them yet. I'm not under any pressure so i'm just going to keep an eye open and take my time. Part of my reason for passing on the STR is also that i don't have a properly closed in garage. For a going concern, that's not a problem, but if i'm going to have the car in pieces i should really have a secure well lit and properly sheltered place in which to work. I'll keep you guys posted though. Chris

Hi Isis, You're not going to believe this, i've just found another one and only a few km from where i live! And wait for it..... it has an overheating problem!! What's with these cars and overheating? This one is a 2002 type R. Only 70,000km on the clock. Surely not even run-in yet? Those sort of km over 11 years must have been what killed it. Dang! And it's also black with a sunroof! Ever since seeing a clip on YouTube and hearing that supercharger whine....well, the R would be my first choice. Thing is they're not as plentiful as the others. It's even harder to find a black one.

Hi Mike, Was worried i'd hear this :( Phoned dealer today and have not been able to find out too much about the car. Apparently the engine starts but is misfiring, so it would have to trailered home. I got the distance wrong but it's still over 1000 miles one way. A friend suggested i look at a worst case scenario - replace complete engine. If the engines are as "bomb proof" as i've heard, then there shouldn't be too much demand for them second hand which might mean i could pick up a good one from a wrecked car at a good price. Lots of "mights" here i know..... I could get the car for less than a third of it's usual retail price. I was horrified to see what a gasket set for this engine looks like. There must be over a hundred bits and pieces, and apparently it can take up to 25 hours labour to fit because the engine bay is so cramped. Has anyone done an engine swap on a V8 S-Type? And how long did that take? My buddy suggested that rather than trailer the car back, we take an engine with us and fit it there. Is this crazy? We've both done engine changes before but on older cars without all the fancy electronics.

Greetings fellow forumites, Been eyeing the S-Types for a while now and may have the opportunity to purchase a 2005 V8 (80,000 miles) for about a third of what they normally go for here. But there is a catch. The add says “engine needs attention – cylinder head gasket” but it also says the car is drivable. It's being sold as spares “just to be safe”. It gets worse, it's about 2000 miles from where I live. Apparently it's in good condition inside and out but then I’ve seen “immaculate” cars that were anything but. The only way to know for sure would be to go and look at it myself. My options are to fly there and try and drive it back, or to drive there with a friend and drive it back or tow it if necessary. I've searched “over heated”, “heating”, “gasket”, “cylinder head”, and more but incredibly, no one on this forum seems to have successfully overheated an S-Type. By successfully, I mean actually broken something. What say you guys? I'm desperate for any information that would help me make an informed choice. At this price I wouldn't have to sell my existing car which means I could take my time sorting the Jag. I'm reasonably handy with a spanner and I have friends that could help too. I've done this once before (flying across the country to look at a car) and it was a total disaster. The car (which looked great in the photos) turned out to be a complete wreck. But I’m the eternal optimist :) I think what i'm asking is if it's drivable, would there be something I could add to the coolant to try and seal the gasket and then drive very carefully and slowly back home? Are there any known cylinder head / cooling / water pump issues with this engine? Thanks so much. Sorry if this is a bit windy :) By the way the car is black which makes me want it even more.