So far I have bought 3 cars sight unseen. My 1st was a 1966 XKE coupe from a Pa. State Trooper back in 1969 . We did the deal over the phone and snail mail pictures back and forth. Traded him my 63 Corvette and some cash . The 2nd was buying a 2015 Audi A4 for my kid from an Audi dealer in Fl. It was a service car with 550 miles on it. Last was my 2012 XKR which I bought from a dealer in NH with 6600 miles on it and got tons of pictures and the service record. Now if I were doing a private buy I would want records based on mileage but if it were above 10K miles I would need to see it. Anything over that is an AS IS sale and either you look at it or you get what you get. When I bought my old Ferrari I saw and drove the car and talked to the guy that serviced the car and got the records. As for PPI's they are not a guaranty and the person doing it will not take any liability . So you pay up to maybe $500 for one and if it breaks after you own it then it's just an AS IS sale and you got what you got. Buyer beware .

 

BigArtie, if you are looking at a car in the greater Houston area, I would be happy to look at it for you. But for sure fly here for a final personal inspection and drive it home, lots of interesting roads between here and Penn.

 

thanks for all the input. currently considering 5 cars. 2 in the vegas area, the 1 in scottsdale as mentioned by richzak (only 5kmiles), and found 2 over here on the east coast in NJ, an xkr & xkr-s. 2 of the 5 are CPO and at jaguar dealerships. all the cars are IRR. waiting on high res photos and inspection checklist before proceeding. i appreciate members here willing to look at the vehicles, lots of good people here. if i bought a cpo car and had the photos/videos i requested prior, i think i would be comfortable purchasing without physically seeing it. both dealerships with the cpo's have offered to extend certification the full 7year, 100k miles. in response to mikey, i'd enjoy it everyday i drove it. the car was built to be driven and i'd use it as a dd, except when the snow is flying up here. again thank you to all that have chimed in. this forum has been a big aide in my pursuit.

 

BTW, when I purchased the XK, it was from a Jaguar dealer in NC. It was a trade-in on the face lift model. It was sold and serviced new by that dealership. I took solace in knowing it was at least maintained and the pictures showed a perfect car.

I did not do a PPI as I thought the saleswoman was on the level. Sometimes you have to have a little faith that not everyone is out to deceive...

Also, you should be able to get the PPI off the sales price if you buy the car.

 

I agree with you Moses. Either you have the faith to do it or you don't. I've yet to be burned.
Another thought that randomly popped in my head are flood cars. They're everywhere and easily shipped around via auctions, so it's another reason to go with a Jag dealership you trust or a forum member you trust.

 

whats everyones opinion on the cutoff point for mileage on these cars? ideally i want low miles and cpo, but i drive max 5k miles/year. theres a good bit of xkr & xkr-s' on the east coast over the 50k mile mark and they are also $10-18k less than the cpo's I'm considering. If all the service has been maintained & the car checks out, is it reasonable to consider the savings?

In particular referring to this R-S:
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...7259/overview/

Not too crazy bout that mileage, but love the FRB. Think it really makes the car.

 

Pictures look nice. I would make an effort to get the service records. Check and see if the water pump has been replaced. With 60k miles on it I think I would also ask for the transmission to be flushed and the fluid replaced if I were to get serious about acquiring the car. Is Roswell close to Atlanta? If so maybe one of our members in the area would willing to go check the vehicle out. Good hunting.

 

The cars are easily good for 200K+, but the higher the mileage and the older the car the less likely you'll do well by buying sight unseen.

 

From those pictures,I'd want to see the car in person before laying down the cash. It may be poor photos, but the drivers seat seems to have a bit of wear, and there appears to be a fair number of scratches around the buttons on the stearing wheel and console. Whether those things bother you or not, is best determined before buying the car.

 

I did it. First time out of state buyer and scored a nice XKR. I'm in MA and bought in FL. Here are some details/recommendations.

Obtain many pictures from seller and obtain carfax (pay for details on any accidents or other)

Negotiate price on phone/email, put a deposit ($500/$1000 on credit card) and agree (email is best) that deposit is refundable and offer is subject to in-person inspection. I was able to place deposit and then have bank (CapitalOne) process a cashiers check (via website) for remainder. Overnight deliver to my house so I had in hand when picking up car.

Visit car and inspect. This is a must. I had a checklist of common issues and checked all when visiting seller. Be prepared to walk away if something is not right. If you did your homework there should be no surprises. I flew down to FL with wife and cashiers check, license plate, registration of old car i was transferring and 7-day MA law printout stating car was legal to drive with old plate and no new registration. Bill of sale with tag number in upper right completed the formality. (Your state transfer rules may vary). I did not pay any documentation fees or taxes when picking up car. We pay taxes when car is registered in MA. Seller had copy (front and back) of title when I picked it up, and mailed actual title to my house a few days later.

So, if the car deal did not work out, I had a long weekend getaway with wife.

All went well so I drove car 200 miles up coast and stayed the night in Cocoa Beach. Drove to Sanford and picked up auto train to DC the next day. This was by far the most economical and timely way to get the car home. Hindsight I would have placed the car on auto train and flew to DC..it is a long train ride.

Drove from DC to Boston.

This was an easier transaction than I thought. My main concern was insurance as i would be driving the car in FL and through DC, MD, NY, CT, RI. As it turns out car is covered in the 7-day period.

I'd do this again in a minute... pretty sure I saved some $ also on actual car.

 

Well done! congratulations. Now the fun begins, but it looks like you have already started.

 

Thanks Ralph. All my friends love the car and ask me about it. I let them know that the wholesale dealer I bought from has more. I'd even broker a deal and pick up for them if the price was right. Half the fun of this was the hunt and travel to pick it up.

The other half of the fun is in about 5 minutes from now as I drive home from work in it. Plan is to drive for a year or 2 and sell/trade up...so I could make a habit of this.

 

Oh, and at some point I will want your advice on a 08 to 2010+ XKR upgrade. More HP I know...but curious on other +/-

 

The thing is, you will never make a profit on this car as the depreciation is too much too quick. They are a ton of fun, but that fun comes at a cost. Your next upgrade would be the 2010 XKR, then the 2012 facelift model. Those should be easily doable, though I have no idea of your financial status.
Fun cars, all. You will certainly enjoy yours.

 

Having owned both an 08 and a 12 XK vert before the current 13 XKR; IMO they are three different vehicles. 08 Vs 12, HP jump, updated tran and styling changes including a backup camera. Much greater power and the car was one step tighter. 12 XK vs. 13XKR night and day jump in hp and torque. Hp jump from 385 to 510, upgraded handling and exhaust system. This car is tighter still and I think handles the twisties better. On the other hand, You will probably derive great joy in your new ride. Have fun!!

 

Congratulations J5hort on your new ride. I know you will be smiling every time you see it. Speaking of which, I looked carefully at your post but couldn't find the pictures.