Things to look out for on an s-type?

[paddy328]

My brother and i are looking to buy a jaguar for my dad as a surprise and it was going to be an early xj, but then i saw we could get an s-type 3.0 with about 90k on the clock.

Aside from the bodywork (I'm a detailer, so i know what I'm looking for there), what common faults are there to look for or expensive fixes if something is wrong?

[P700DEE]

Most important check the aircon blows cold and the heater works on both sides of the car. Lack of heat means a blocked DCCV and this leads to failure so once fixed you get nothing but hot air. Easy fix if just DCCV but it can be the control box and/or the wiring loom so you can be looking at £1K+ to fix. Visit climatecontrol.com to see the faults and fixes. Assuming later post 02 car , check if the gearbox oil has been changed (ZF 6 speed box) If not budget £400 to cary out. Suspension , prone to wear and can squeak when dry, one specialist said I needed it replaced, another just caried out the proper maintenance and it has not changed or squeaked for 2 years and quite a few miles.