Jaguar S-Type (1999 - 2007) 2.5 V6 4d Auto (04) Owner Review

This car is all about class and style head ans shoulders beyond the cost and minor problems.Large on the outside and small inside it is far from practical, again, it is about class. The interior is absolutely superb, leather seats and Belgian walnut on the dashboard and the steering wheel, you feel embraced in luxury. The sound system is absolutely out of this world. Same for the drive, all personality and class. I have driven a few of the German thoroughbreds and they are downright crude in comparison, a whiplash, gas or brake. This baby lunges forward and stops with amazing authority without the slightest discomfort. Stays tight and level in sharp turns at high speed. If you remember how excited you were and how much you enjoyed driving the first six months after you learned this car will relive the experience for you. Now, about the little spots of bother here and there. The folks at Toyota will build a prototype and drive it hard for a million and a half miles, then take it apart and find out how to make components better and cheaper. It is quite apparent that the boys at Coventry did not do this. Therefore the problems with the Jag, still minor in my book. First,the transmission. It is said to be sealed for life which makes me wonder: Whose life? Mine became jerky at take-off after a few thousand miles and I found out that replacing the AT fluid was a bit if calisthenics.There is no fill cap, no dipstick, just a drain plug and a level plug on the side of the pan. So the fluid needs to be pumped through the drain plug to the proper level and then some, tilting the car sideways ten inches with the level opening high helps. The Jaguar boys tell you that you should only use their proprietary AT fluid at $ 70 a quart, eleven quarts required. Do not believe a word of it. Buy AT fluid at NAPA or anywhere at $ 4 a quart and it will work just fine. As for the other issues, I reattached the ceiling liner to the insulation layer, 1/2 inch thick with stainless screws and washers and it looks great. I plugged the AC heater hoses and I now get AC cooling only which is all I need. I removed the AT shift lock and can now shift without depressing the brake pedal. No big deal. I also disabled the gas tank lid latch, it can now be opened by hand, again no big deal. In summary, I love this car, the way it feels driving, if it totally blew up on me tomorrow, I will be out looking for another one to buy.