I posted here last spring about the demise of our RL. First by being totaled (on value, though it still drove just fine), then buying it back, and then less than a week after taking it back from the body shop having a catastrophic mechanical failure. How often can you get a check for nearly the full value of a car right before it dies? We were blessed in that regard. After that I called around the various boneyards to see about selling it, but the best price came from a small dealer in town that sells import parts. Rather than break the car down, in July I saw our RL pop up on the market. At that point, we opted against buying it back. So we looked and waited for the right opportunity, what car to buy next. After the RL I felt spoiled and wasn't sure at first which direction to take. I finally zeroed in on a choice and a few days ago found what we wanted. It's a few years older, but only about 1/3rd the miles.

Here is our new-to-us 2003 Jaguar S-Type R. It's a full 20 years old with just 70k miles. The "R", for those not familiar with Jaguar nomenclature, means it comes with a supercharged 4.2 V8. I'm sure I'll be feeling the effects of that at the gas pump. Yes we're giving up a couple tech features, but gaining in other areas. It was an all day drive to a small town in eastern Arkansas to get it. This thing has been treated right. Not bad for just $6000, huh?



I never say never and who knows, perhaps another Acura might be in our future one day. But for now we're rolling in our new cat.

 

My brother had a full-size Jag of about that vintage and loved it. I drove it and was very impressed. He now has an RL and loves that, too. Two fine experiences.

 

I looked at and considered the XJ, especially the XJR or Super V8 variants, but I was pretty well focused on the S-Type. I also looked at the XK (the updated version from '07 on) but they do run a bit more and I'm on disability now. This S-Type was a fantastic deal and I knew it was time to act. We're loving it.

 

Congrats! I still dig that car all these years later.

 

Sorry it took so long to see your comment. Yeah, I'm loving this thing. There are a couple things I definitely miss from the RL. The powered rear shade was more useful than I expected, from the sun or headlights behind me, but also with tailgaters. If someone was too close, I'd raise that shade and it was surprising how often they'd back off. I guess it was sort of like, "Talk to the hand." LOL! The biggest though is the SHAWD. That's where the RL really shines!

While I absolutely love the supercharged V8, the gas pump does a good job of reminding me how much I love to hear that supercharger sing, but it's RWD with no limited slip differential. I'm not sure why Jaguar opted for an open differential, but I know they're not alone. For example, Lotus also built a lot of cars the same way. It takes me back to the cars I drove in the '70s, so at least it's not a new thing and this one has the benefit of traction control. That's a biggie today with 1/4" of ice from last night's freezing rain, but I'll probably just stay in today anyway. Even the RL would've had trouble on this mess.