1999 Jaguar S-TYPE 3.0 V6

With an almost unbelievable 17,000 miles on the clock, this Jaguar S-Type is the most desirable example of a car you’ve almost certainly never previously considered buying.

First registered on the 7th of July 1999, A4TRR – and yes, the cherished number plate comes with the vehicle – has had just the one former keeper, who purchased the car new as a present for his wife.

A long-standing Jaguar enthusiast, he paid more than £40,000 for it 21 years ago as he couldn’t resist ticking the options boxes for heated leather seats with adjustable lumbar support, the memory pack, metallic paint, a sunroof, cruise control, rear parking sensors, a wood-and-leather steering wheel, power folding door mirrors, front fog lamps, an auto dim rear-view mirror, floor mats and a full-size spare wheel. The car’s base price, in case you were wondering, was a little over £33,000.

The car was barely used as the couple were retired by then, and it eventually passed into the vendor’s hands after the sad death of its lady owner. A family friend, he was bequeathed the Jaguar and continued to maintain it in the manner to which it has become accustomed.

Fitted with the three-litre V6 petrol engine and an automatic transmission, this very example was featured in the May 2019 edition of Jaguar Enthusiast magazine. It really is like new, both in the way it looks and drives and we are, as you will be, smitten.

The Zircon Blue metallic coachwork looks simply splendid with barely a mark on it; rust, car-park dings and the general air of neglect that hangs around most examples of the breed are all alien concepts to this one. Instead, it sports tight, even shutlines, glistening chromework (and there’s a lot of chrome here…) and the sort of finish that means you’ll be keeping a spray can of instant valet and a microfibre cloth in the glovebox for instantaneous removal of bird poop, road tar and all the other contaminants that you would ignore on your everyday wheels.

And, in this respect you’ll be maintaining a proud tradition because this S-Type has clearly been obsessively maintained; we’re well used to seeing sharp, clean cars but this one takes pride of ownership to a whole new level; easy to understand on a six-figure Ferrari, that someone has done so on one of Jaguar’s least successful models speaks volumes for how these things can get under your skin…

The electrically operated metal sunroof opens and closes as it should, and seals tightly against both wind and rain.

The five-spoke alloy wheels are fresh and shiny and free of scuffs and kerbing; shod with matching Pirelli P6000 tyres too, all of which have good tread.

As we will never tyre of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The work that needs doing? Apart from both mirrors not firmly locking in their original place there doesn’t appear to anything, nada, nil. It’s wonderful, and just needs keeping that way.

The ivory leather seats are in startlingly good condition; sure, the driver’s seat has the very gentlest of creasing but they’re still butter-soft, supportive and look almost as good as the day the car rolled out of the Jaguar factory. And if you think they look good then the rear seats, which look like they’ve never been used, are going to blow you away.

The same goes for the leather on the centre armrest and door cards, all of which are still soft and free of any visible wear. The same is true of the carpets and overmats, which still look like new.

The plastic dashboard and centre console are both free of cracks, scuffs and other damage from the sun. It’s obviously been carefully garaged when not being used and is utterly remarkable and the interior hardware is all beautifully offset by a matching gearknob and steering wheel.

The headlining is clean and taut, and the light wooden veneer is all shiny and free of the sort of cracking lacquer that even the best-preserved cars can suffer from.

Oh, and everything in there still works too, but then you’d guessed that by now, hadn’t you?

The boot is clean and tidy, and lifting the carpets reveals a clean, rust-free floor. The spare wheel is a matching alloy that is shod with the same Pirelli P6000 tyre as the rest of the wheels, and the boot is also home to a Jaguar-branded first aid kit, and the battery is a genuine Jaguar item. It’s the little things that lift a car from very good to great, isn’t it?

We can see that the new owner might want to give the seats a feed of leather conditioner, but other than that the car needs nothing.

The engine bay is nigh-on concours-winning immaculate. Utterly lovely, it shows off the V6 petrol engine to perfection; while a lot of modern (-ish) engines are a bit boring and swathed in plastic covers, it’s a real treat to see something like this under the bonnet. Something mechanical and interesting – but then Jaguar has always put great store in the way its engines look and the S-Type continues that proud tradition.

The underside is clean and tidy too, and you can see a genuine Jaguar oil filter has been used. Little things like this, and the matching high-quality tyres, really do give an insight into the care that has been lavished on it.

It drives like new too, being tight and free of squeaks and rattles.

If you’ve ever even thought about owning an S-Type, then you really should try and find the time to pop along to see this one. (And don’t worry; if you’re self-isolating then we’ll fist-pump you instead of shaking hands - and the YTS boy is already in quarantine, although for very different, non-coronavirus reasons…)

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s low mileage. The car comes with a current MOT certificate that expires in August 2020 plus a number of expired MOT certificates.

It also comes with two keys, the original owner’s handbook and assorted bumf, a stamped service history booklet, and storage wallet plus an original sales brochure, a copy of the Jaguar Enthusiast it appeared in, a limited edition book on the model, and a ring binder full of invoices and bills for the work that has been done to it over the years.

The S-Type also comes with a Jaguar-branded umbrella, Jaguar cloth, a spare set of floor mats, and even a Jaguar razor!

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to the very highest standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please contact the owner to arrange an appointment.

Yes, we know: you’ve never previously considered buying an S-Type have you? But this one has got under your skin hasn’t it, and you can’t stop thinking about what a great wafter it would make for the weekends; smoking around and arriving in style at places like The Ace Café and Caffeine and Machine.

And there’s more good news: because the S-Type is chronically under-rated, we think this one is only going to sell for between £5,000 and £7,000, which is cheap enough to let you have a little flutter on them not staying this accessible forever.

And, when are you going to see another one like this? As well as being as close to concours condition as any S-Type you’ll ever see it is also a car with a love story attached – and while we might pretend to be hard-nosed about our cars the very reason we love old cars is the romance, the sense of history, and the chance to be a custodian for a few years; a chance to keep the flame burning when others would snuff it out.

For this reason too, the Jaguar S-Type deserves someone who will continue to conserve and love it. To continue to let it stand as testament to one man and the wife he loved so much.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.