When Craig accidentally stumbles across a good launch-spec S-TYPE, there really is only one outcome
I'VE LONG had a soft spot for the S-TYPE despite the early cars' many and obvious shortcomings. After all, this was the car that redefined Jaguar and carried it into a new era, and as I was 21 when it came out, I was at an impressionable age. I remember the hype leading up to the launch and I was there at the 1998 British International Motor Show, where both the S-TYPE and the Rover 75 were revealed and Britain totally stole the show. I've since owned two and really liked them. Actually, make that three because another one has just joined the fray, albeit by complete accident. Martin, a friend of mine, was looking for a more economical alternative to his aged Mercedes-Benz E-Class and, with a budget of £2,000, asked for my help in finding something.
So, I fired up the computer and set my search parameters — within 50 miles from home, less than £2,000, four doors and a minimum of six months' MOT Two hours later, I'd failed. find a diesel Audi A3, which was Martin's first choice, but was on a different website booking transport to Lincoln to go and collect the S-TYPE I'd just bought for myself. Aft, all, it was a March 1999 launch-spec car and there really aren't many of those left. So much for finding a car for a friend (although I did eventually find him a Peugeot 308).
What made T264 THE even more appealing was that, like me, it was from Cheshire originally. Most of my dad's cars had 'NE' or 'NF' registrations, so it seemed to be calling me. Oh, and it was a manual. With the exception of a slightly crusty X-TYPE that I had for a short time as a spares car, I'd never owned a manual Jaguar before. And when I looked at the performance figures from the 3.0-litre V6 engine (0-60 in 6.7 seconds!), it really appealed.
When I got it back home I wasn’t disappointed. As well as being in great condition, with no welding underneath, the S-TYPE had a full service history covering 78,000 of its 82,000 miles, a
