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Hi, I’m looking at buying a 2015 CPO F-Type R. There are none in my area so I am looking at buying it and having it shipped to me. Sight unseen this bothers me. It is a CPO so this alleviates some concern. Are there any of you that have purchased vehicles this way? What do I need to be careful of? Is there anything about the F-Type R that I need to know about. I’m trying to do my due diligence. Thanks in advance.
Depending on your schedule and how far away the car is, you might consider a flight to inspect/test drive (and buy if all ok), then either ship it home or even better: drive it home.
Or else you could do what I have done twice now - ask a forum member who lives nearby to where the car is to inspect and test drive it for you.
I didn't do this with the F-Type as there was no-one nearby (1500 km away in Sydney) so I bought it sight unseen and it turned out to be 99.9% perfect, but I bought both of my previous Jags (2010 XFS and 2010 XFR) from thousands of km away after getting a forum member (not this forum) to inspect and test drive them for me.
If my experience is anything to go by you will have no trouble finding a forum member only too eager to check out an F-Type R for you!
With all due respect, due diligence from a distance can only go so far.
The fact the car is CPO'd provides some relief, though lesser so than with an "hands-on" inspection and road test. Besides the mechanical things, there are those who take good care of an exterior/interior and there are those who do not. Pictures can be deceiving. Some folks have great experiences buying and shipping sight unseen. But, unless the car is brand new, I would not purchase a vehicle without personally inspecting or having a trusted other perform a hands-on inspection. I agree with both Greggbhill and OzXFR. If you can't personally inspect, have someone else do it.
Where is the car located, BTW? Maybe someone on this forum is close by and would volunteer to help you out.
Thanks for the quick replies. I am a semi-pro detailer and the paintwork being is very good shape is important to me. I can make it showroom perfect if it does not have major defects. Pictures never tell the true story and car dealers don’t know much more than they want to sell the car. I prefer to do a hands on examination, but the car is in Illinois and I am in Georgia. I have contacted a detailer in Illinois to see if he can check it out for me but I have not gotten a reply yet.
I have not totally ruled out flying and driving it back yet. It is an option. If there is someone that lives in Illinois and would check out the car for me I would gladly pay their expenses, of course within reason.
I have read most everything I can find on the F-Type and it sounds like it is a well built and reliable vehicle. Does everyone else have similar opinions? I currently have a BMW 335d and it is time for something new and fast, but hopefully without the BMWs unreliability and high repair/service bills.
You folks are probably right. How do you like the manual transmission? I thought about going this way, but heard that some people didn’t like it. I prefer a M/T on a sports car.
There are companies that provide inspection services on purchasing a used vehicle , They are in everywhere much similar to Home Inspections. They charge around $150. I would also check that the CPO is transferable.
You folks are probably right. How do you like the manual transmission? I thought about going this way, but heard that some people didn’t like it. I prefer a M/T on a sports car.
The MTs have 2 potential shortcomings. Any MT built before the end of 2015 (MY2016) will have a weak clutch that will slip right off the production line and need replacing or blow up. Most times, the warranty will cover it unless the car has more than 15k miles on it and the dealer will claim "ordinary wear & tear". Within 3 years, they are already on the 4th generation of replacement clutches and may have finally got it right.
Also the throw on the OEM shifter is 4", and doesn't feel precise or sportscar like. This can be resolved with a short-shifter available from Velocity AP which offers a 3" throw and makes it feel almost as precise as a gated shifter. That said, I gladly gave up the V8 to get an MT (though, I did tune it to 450hp) and am loving it. But I'm an MT fanatic and have never owned an AT, so you have to take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
You folks are probably right. How do you like the manual transmission? I thought about going this way, but heard that some people didn’t like it. I prefer a M/T on a sports car.
Clutch is problematic, but can be sorted out under warranty. To me, MT is a cherry on top that makes F-type complete.
but hopefully without the BMWs unreliability and high repair/service bills.
Can't speak for the US, but down here and from my own experience, the Jag bills for service do exceed the BMW bills, and OEM parts can be ridiculously expensive.
Ridiculously expensive, meaning that some parts are way too expensive for what they are - you pay a whole lot of extra for the brand name only...
Simple example - had me floormats made, embroidered with leather matching my camel sportseats - €47 all in, even shipped home from Germany.
Dealer price for a similar OEM set, a whopping €477 - yes, 10 times more.
Do not mind to pay premium for premium, but the OEM mats are just mats, provided of a Jag logo, and far from worth €477 (imo).
I live in Norway and found my R Coupe MY15 in Germany via a German used car site on the web.
I got help from a trusted friend that knows cars well and lives in Germany. He did the inspection for me, checked the history, gave the car thumbs up and also helped me with the export paperwork.
Never regretted it, as it is the most fun and great looking car I have ever driven.
The car was only 1 year old / 4.500 miles when I bought it though, so the risc was less than it would have been on an older car.
First thing I did was deliver it to a professional detailer to get rid of some swirlmarks, and then applied Gtechniq Crystal Serum Pro ceramic coating. When finished it looked better than new.
I bought my 15R sight unseen from a private seller over 1k miles away. The car only had 2k miles and was still under warranty so I felt it was somewhat of a safe deal. I did my research on the seller and pulled the records from my dealer prior to handing over payment. Deal went smooth as butter, car arrived in flawless condition. I took my paint meter to every panel and all was perfect.
I've also had some bad experiences with buying sight unseen. I purchased a classic car from the opposite coast where the entire driver quarter was a different shade (close enough to be disguised in pictures but horrendous under natural light). This was a $2300 repair.
Years ago I helped a friend find a CPO M3 from BMW of Lincoln. He purchased the car sight unseen and when it arrived you could tell the entire car was resprayed. Apparently, a respray does not always disqualify a car from being CPO'd. To me a CPO holds very little weight and at the very least I would arrange a PPI with a paint meter test.
Can't speak for the US, but down here and from my own experience, the Jag bills for service do exceed the BMW bills, and OEM parts can be ridiculously expensive.
Ridiculously expensive, meaning that some parts are way too expensive for what they are - you pay a whole lot of extra for the brand name only...
Here in the US, I find the Jag parts at least, to be much less expensive than MINI (BMW) parts. The premium carpet set cost me US$145.
Hi, I’m looking at buying a 2015 CPO F-Type R. There are none in my area so I am looking at buying it and having it shipped to me. Sight unseen this bothers me. It is a CPO so this alleviates some concern. Are there any of you that have purchased vehicles this way? What do I need to be careful of? Is there anything about the F-Type R that I need to know about. I’m trying to do my due diligence. Thanks in advance.
I just did this with my MY17. 10K miles on the clock. It was from a dealer in Naples FL 1000 mi away. I have done this MANY times and for me its the “feeling” I get from the other end of the phone or keyboard. In this case the sales associate recommended face time. We spent a good hour talking and looking at every square inch of the car per my instructions. Worked out really well as it has in the past. Mechanically you take your chances I guess. I have them run a history and if its clean its clean. That’s what warrantee is for I guess. Again I have done this with my Lotus / GT500 / Porsche Spyder. All of these cars had under 10K miles and that helps when evaluating. One certainly has a realistic expectation. For me its like new. And that’s what I have gotten to date. Good luck!!
One additional thought to throw into the mix. There is a big difference between a 'new' CPO (ie dealer is doing the Cpo approval etc right now) vs. a car that has the Cpo extended warranty just transferring over to you. If they are doing the Cpo now then there are expectations about condition of many parts (tires, brakes, no body damage I believe etc). If it was last sold say a year or so ago as a Cpo and the extended warranty is being transferred over with the car, that's much less compelling. You still have warranty but the condition of the car is 'as is'
I made a trip to go get my F Type. I went with the 2016 to R in order to get the standard all wheel drive. A buddy of mine has the 2015 R hard top and it needs front wheel drive also to be safe for my wife to drive. Make sure you shut the hood from the center rather than the side, remember it’s an aluminum hood you don’t want to risk a twist. It’s an incredible car best one i have ever bought. Makes my Porsche seem underwhelming.
I made a trip to go get my F Type. I went with the 2016 to R in order to get the standard all wheel drive. A buddy of mine has the 2015 R hard top and it needs front wheel drive also to be safe for my wife to drive. Make sure you shut the hood from the center rather than the side, remember it’s an aluminum hood you don’t want to risk a twist. It’s an incredible car best one i have ever bought. Makes my Porsche seem underwhelming.
Grant congratulations! It's just a huge joy when you first make the purchase. Also for the vast majority of us it's a feeling that never goes away. The car just exudes soul, fun and genuine little kid joy. Pictures please! Or it didn't happen :-)
Potential F-Type R buyer
