2003 Jaguar S-Type consumer reviews

Was looking at reviews and found my own review here, made in 2006. Here I am, 10 days short of 2014, and I'm still driving the same car. Soon it is 10 years I have it, it has almost 150K miles and it is the best car I ever had. I just love it! I drove it all over the east cost, from Key West to Niagara falls, it still looks, drives and handles almost like new. When car was about 110K it had some issues with the engine. I went to my mechanic and he replaced lots of staff inside the car, which cost me more then $4K, but I'm so glad I did that, because 3 years later I'm driving it with no problems whatsoever. The only problem with his repair was that the car started consuming more fuel, exactly as per specification (check my other review here to see how good it was before). I understand that I need to find another car, that this one will break dead earlier or later, but every time I look at some new car I just don't like it as much as I do my old Jag. My wife has Mercedes C class, this is a joke comparing with the Jaguar, plus it cannot stop breaking. Bravo Jaguar for making such a nice car! This car made me to look for another Jaguar. Was looking at XF - it looks like made from cheap plastic inside. May be XJ will be next. One thing I don't understand - why Jaguar abandoned the vertical grille? This is a signature of the Jaguar car, and who said that it is an old looking?

All the power ever needed off the track. The sport mode throws you into the back of the seat. A wood and leather interior are both soft and hard and the sunroof is better than a convertible. Other cars copied the styling but this is the original. Couldn't afford a new one but a real gem if you find one well maintained.

The 2003 Jaguar I purchased about a month ago is an amazing vehicle. The original sticker was $ 51,000, and I bought it from an old lady ( yeah really) who only put 30,000 miles on it, for 10k. The interior and exterior is like new. She also had the car serviced for any little noise and kept up with the maintenance religiously. That is the type of Jag S that you want, one that has been maintained from the beginning because that seems to be where all the problems are, off the assembly. Once fixed, the car is good to go. And, from her receipts, during the first 5k, the car had some major issues that were fixed under warranty, mostly computer re settings. This car had two major issues when I purchased it, both due to a Jaguar dealersmechanics incompetence. One was a radiator hose plastic pipe that was crushed by a mechanic who over tightened a clamp which caused the hose to fall off constantly. The second problem was a fuel pump that was installed wrong and crooked and not tightened down so the check engine light would go on and the gas actually leaked out of the top of the gas tank under the car, if you filled it up. Once my mechanic fixed these problems at a reasonable rate, the car has never had a problem. It's smooth, luxurious, fast, and gets great mileage, 26 mpg, for a 4.2 V8 that's amazing. The old lady also ordered the car with a special racing green metallic paint and a set of 4 chrome jag wheels. I smoked the windows and the car sparkles. The paint is like new and so are the wheels. So if you want an S type, make sure you get one with good records, and even then, have a mechanic go over it, the jag mechanics are overpaid incompetent fools, never bring the car to a jag dealer. This lady was charged 300.00 to have a tail light changed and they were the above mentioned jag problems. And don't buy a Jag with the Xenon lights, they are self leveling and the motor mounts tend to break. If you already did there is a fix on youtube which is simple and amazing. A dealer will charge you 2,000 to fix it. You can do it yourself with two screws and a drill bit for about $ 2.00.

I went in looking for the Infinity G 35X and came out with the Jaguar S type and it's beautiful, and it runs like a dream. The car came equipped with cell phone capability ABS, All-wheel-drive, alarm system and it came with LoJack, This car is loaded sunroof, moonroof everything for the price I payed. It's my dream car. Reasonably priced. If I ever have to buy another car it will be through cars.com.

First purchased in 2003, I could well say this is a really nice vehicle. The styling is very luxurious. I have received many comments on how "nice it looked". It picks up really nice, has a decent amount of cargo space, and family friendly. What I do not like about the vehicle is the awkward locking system. As I am in the vehicle, I lock it up while I am inside, but it refuses to lock. Also, one time I purposely left the keys in the ignition with the vehicle on, and it locked me out (yes I did have my windows rolled down just in case). The overall locking system takes a long time to understand. This sedan is otherwise a wise choice for people with the money to afford its extensive repair costs and overall MSRP.

Love the interior wood look, the comfortable seats. OUtside sedan look with smooth lines. Elegant looking in and out.

I purchased this car from a used car dealership with 96 thousand miles on it, and other than a few scratches and 2 small holes in the leather it is in very good condition overall. I will not attempt to review things that you can read in the professional reviews and try to give you the 'feel' that you get from the various parts of the car. Exterior: This car looks really, very good. It is a beautiful design that looks lean athletic and graceful from all the front end angles. The only place it seems to loose some of its gosh factor is at the rear which seems less special than it might. The long hood with the quad headlights and chrome leaper really resonate with the american view of what english cars should be. Yes the design got dated rather quickly, but it still retains enough exclusivity to get people to give you the admiring double take. Interior: I got in the car and could just have closed my eyes and smelled the leather for a couple of hours. The redesign of the center stack for '03 really helps this car. The two tone interor color adds a sense of presence and the plastic soft touch surfaces don't scream cheap. Even though a lot of materials come from the Ford parts bin, the car retains it's British heritage well. If there is a complaint it is that the interior does feel very snug. The drivetrain tunnel intrudes on the space in the front, and being over 6 feet (6'1") I have a hard time finding a good balance between seat rake, and wheel placement. I find myself closer to the dash than I would prefer to get may arms and back confortable, and that puts my right knee just about grazing the dash. The trunk has sufficent space for two to travel with a fair amount of luggage, especially with the folding rear seats. The car is very quiet, with some tire noise and wind noise at the exterior mirrors being the only real intrusion during normal driving. Rear seat room is on par with a 5 series, but I wouldn't really want to put a pair of adults over 6 feet tall back there for any long stretch of time. Engine: This car came with the 3.0 liter V6 and 6 speed ZF automatic (a huge improvement to the pre 03 cars and reason alone to walk away from the older 5 speed models). This car is heavy and its not a light to light racer. That said, it moves with suprising speed on the highway and you can easily find yourself going 90 plus without realising it. The transmission always seems to be in the right gear, and you never seem to have that hesitation that you get with some other tranmissions. Using the sport mode on the auto engages a more agressive shift pattern with noticable quicker shifts, as well as the tranmission holding gears a little longer during acceleration. Ride and Handling: This is were the car shines. The 4.2 and the R have progressively firmer suspension setups and honestly, for the Tampa Bay area where I live, its vanity only to have the other cars. The standard suspension and handling set up on the 3 liter car works very well, never to hard or soft, always making you feel the car is better than you are. I haven't driven the car with the traction control off, so I can't tell you what happens when your exuberance exceeds your sense, but with the system engaged, the car can comfortable handle any road event thrown at it. Malfunction junction here at I 4 and I 275 can be taken "theoretically" at 20 to 25 miles per hour above the recommended corner speed without drama. Of course I don't know about that first hand.... Overall: As a used car the combination of luxury, size, and exclusive appeal really set this car apart from the everyone has to drive a BMW crowd. For high speed high comfort distance crusing this car is difficult to beat. Due to the cost of repairs, it is very important to purchase an extended warranty from one of the various nationwide vendors, but overall this car is no more or less realiable than anyother, especially with Ford assisting in that department. Keep in mind when you need parts that a Ford parts department is likely to have what you need at on half to one third the price of a Jaguar dealership. Wholeheartedly recommend this car. I won't ever sell mine.

This design is classic retro, the color is beeeautiful!!!This particular car drives great and a certified mechanic checked it out in a detailed manner and gave it a 5 star mechanical rating !!! This 36K miles car is basically a 3 YR OLD CAR WITH A 7 YR. OLD PRICE !!!

I test drove tis car listed here and took it to a mechanic, who diagnosed car to have in excess of $3,000 worth of repairs. You do get what you pay for, and in this case you will likely pay far more than the sticker price. Look elsewhere if you want a "drive and go" vehicle that won't break down once you drive off the lot.

The S-Type R is an absoluetly fabulous automobile! It is excellent in every stretch of the word. The performance, handling and style are beyond reproach! I'm considering buying another one....one to drive every day and one to store for the future. History is going to be very, very good to the S-Type R's! I'm in love with this automobile!