Hi, I just bought a 2004 jaguar xj8 and it appears that the title is rebuilt. The owner did not tell me this when I bought it 2 days ago and he won't answer the phone now. I'm in Orlando and bought it in Miami...4 hrs. Away. What can I do about it? Thanks guys for any help or advice

 

Btw...the bill of sale says it was sold as is...can I do anything or did I just loose my money?

 

There's nothing 'Jaguar' specific about your plight- buying any used car sight unseen or without performing due diligence always has risks.

What's physically wrong with the car other than the title?

 

Welcome to the forum,

Good to have you with us.
Was it a dealer? If not you are probably up the creek without a paddle.
How is the car, a salvage title is not necasserily bad.

If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.

 

Welcome to the forum,

Different laws in my part of the World so I can't help with this issue.

Hope you get it resolved satisfactorily.

Graham

 

I assume that you had a carfax of the car.

If this document neglects to show the Salvage title
state, Carfax will buy your car back. Maybe you
should check the carfax now, see if they
recognise it as having a marked title (they miss
a lot of stuff, trust me)

Try and file a claim with them if possible!

Ian

 

I live in palm beach county, lots closer to Miami than you, but I will never buy a car south of here...too many crooks.

Call a consumer rights atty, pm me for the info on one I know in this area.

 

Thanks guys for the help. The car does run well, and everything works. On the inside is like an 8 out of 10, the outside I'd say it's like a 6 or 7...needs a little work, probably like 2500 and it will be between a 9 or 10. it has 83,000 miles...he was asking 7200, I offered him 5000 cash after a test drive...in the end I ended up paying 5200...I couldn't believe he accepted...I asked him if the title was clean and hesaid yes and I took his word for it. it was an impulse buy, I've always loved the xj8 and thru all caution to the wind. I will come back later and post pictures...I will pm about the attny also when I get home...I'm on the phone and hate typing on it...thanks again guys

 

At $5200 that's maybe half what a 'clean' titled XJ would go for. That should/could have been a clue. I'd keep the car after making sure it's mechanically safe and not bother with lawyers- I don't think you've got a case

 

Please post the pics, do you know why it was salvaged?

 

Some pics...

 

I have no idea why it is salvage...also I should add that I went to the dmv after finding out it was a salvage title on an insurance website, they said that the title appeared clean and the system did not show anything... they didn't know why the insurance website says it was salvage...

 

The exterior could use some
de-chrome mirrors, de-chromed
wheels, and factory grills, but
it looks like a great car for $5200.

I would have it inspected by All
Jaguar, in Longwood, to see that
all the repairs were done correctly
underneath.

Welcome to All Jaguar

I too live in Orlando, and this is my
Jaguar shop. We have 2 Jags, so
they are a great service.

Buy a Carfax, and file a claim! If they
show a clean title, as the DMV does,
CarFax inc will buy your car back from
you. (As long as you claim to have
seen the carfax pre-purchase)

Ian

 

That's encouraging someone to pull an even bigger scam than the OP claimed was done to him............

 

I will try to go visit your shop on Monday or tuesday Ian. I am looking for a good independent jaguar shop that does good work, is honest, and doesn't charge an arm and a leg.

 

Unless the seller was a dealer, I'd forget the atty and just keep the car -- you got a good deal. Drive it and enjoy it. You also seem to NOT have a salvage title if the DMV was correct. Congrats on the purchase.

 

I think it's time to start a new thread in the tech section XJ ( X350 & X358 ) XJ6 / XJ8 / XJR - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to continue this discussion.
Welcomes are welcome.

 

Well, he hasn't told me whether or not he had one.
No fraud avice from Ian Clements!!! NO FRAUD HERE!


Anyway, Welcome JonJuelo.

You obviously have gotten a little taste of the kind of
help and response you'll get on here. The guys are
all very helpful, and it's an exceedingly friendly part
of the internet. I owe so much to the guys from the
X308 section--I have learned a lot about my car too.

Like Norri said, the home-base (if you will) for help with
your car is the X350 section. Whenever I'm in that section,
I find a lot of useful info.

I do vouch for All Jaguar, those guys have been very fair
and done good work. The sub-lets even are very reasonably
priced.

Welcome to Jaguar Forums, cheers on a fabulous deal
and an '04 XJ8. Post some more pics on your user
page, I can't wait to see them

Ian

 

It seems at this point that the title status is undetermined.

- seller says clean
- DMV says clean
- random insurance web site says salvage

- carfax is not known

So, at this point it is not known if there were any salvage type repairs, eg. chassis straightening that was done on the car.

It may simply be the insurance web site that is wrong.

What are the rules in Florida? Is it not the title as registered at DMV that trumps all?

If the DMV says clean, and you resist all attempts by any other party to brand the title as salvage, then it stays clean and there is no impact on future value.

Bear in mind that in some jurisdictions, salvage can mean just about anything where the insurance company totalled the car. Including things like hail damage. Sometimes the adjuster does it out of spite if the owner wants a settlement + the car. Nothing inherently unsafe about the car, but the adjuster writes off the car, and brands it salvage.

 

Well the wheels should have been the first warning sign!

But seriously, from your pics I can see that the drivers door isn't hanging straight, and the bonnet (hood) isn't sitting right either, at the bottom of the A-pillar. It could be that the drivers side wing isn't hanging right though, look at the gap to the sill.

The bonnet is a slightly different colour to the right front wing (fender) in the 2nd pic. From those photos it certainly looks like accident damage to me, take the car to a panel shop and ask for an opinion....