Well sh*t

I flew down, arranged for the drive back and everything else. The dashboard, across the entire car, is completely bubbled up and delaminated/shrunk.

No one noticed or mentioned it. I ended up not buying the car. I terestingly, the rest of the car was actually in good shape, the paint was pretty solid all in all.

Oh well. This was an expensive trip (including the non-refundable deposit apparently) but oh well. Better than buying the car overall. Time for more shopping!

thanks again to all of you!

Marc

 

Well, that sucks. You COULD have a case of misrepresentation to get back your deposit though.

 

Yeah, will look I to it. Their argument is already that I paid for a PPI and he missed it so no misrepresentation in their mind.

The owner of the dealer also said and I quote "we could have fixed that easily(250$ to have their guy make a new dash cover) but most buyers wouldn't care. It is okay that you do, but most wouldn't. "

They offered to rewrap the dash and then I could pay to ship it up. I passed.

Bummer. But, perhaps for the best for now

 

In future ask for close up photos of it . good hunting

 

Best would have been if Shemp had seen this thread earlier. Nothing better than a set of qualified eyes looking directly at something.
Nothing against any PPI guy, but evidently something was missed.

 

That really sucks! If you did not agree in writing that your $250 deposit would not be refundable, you should be able to get it back because you expected it would be refunded.

If you charged that deposit on a credit card, dispute that charge in writing with your credit card issuer.

Send that dealer a letter by Certified Mail, Return Receipt, explaining that you never agreed to your deposit being nonrefundable and demand that he return that $250 to you. Otherwise, you will have no choice but to pursue your legal remedies, report his unethical behavior to state licensing authorities, and file a police report against him for theft.

That dealer can't rely on your PPI to refuse to return your deposit because he didn't pay for it. Unless state law provides that deposits are nonrefundable or you agreed to it in writing, he should return it to you.

Don't let him steal your money.

 

The language of the sale was the deposit is non refundable UNLESS they don't describe the car accurately, there is a financing issue, or the car has a major mechanical fault.

In my opinion, they didn't describe the car accurately (not noting damage/condition). I will probably have my lawyer buddy send them a letter, but if that goes nowhere, then I am not going to file suit in Texas over 500$, primarily because I would have to be there. It is a learned lesson and a somewhat shady dealer in my opinion

 

You relied on the dealer's description and would have bought the car if the dashboard had been accurately described. They fraudulently induced you to spend the money to fly to Texas and scammed you out of the deposit. Your lawyer should demand repayment of your $250 deposit plus the airfare, parking, and other costs you incurred in good faith to buy the car.

 

I don't disagree with you at all, I don't suppose you happen to be a lawyer are you?

 

I'm retired. Sorry, but my nondisclosure agreement prevents me from answering your question. I can neither confirm nor deny whatever you may suppose.

 

Well crap. Sorry it didn't work out. I cant believe your PPI didn't mention that!

 

You and me both

 

PPI guy did himself a disservice as now his name'l be mud on this forum for anyone buying a jag in Texas.

Can you post up his deets for reference without it breaching libel laws?

 

I know you meant "libel" laws. No problem, we humans make misteaks.

 

So I don't want to drag the ppi through the mud too much, he is an excellent and extremely thorough mechanic and his overall description if the car was spot on. I spoke with him at length this morning and he can't understand how he missed it, although we both honestly think the dealer may have been trying to pull a bit if a fast one with some spray adhesive or somethig, because as soon as I came back to talk with them they immediately put the blame on the PPI guy, even though they said they "knew about it."
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Honestly, I would recommend the ppi guy again as he really got I to the nitty gritty with things and the car otherwise was exactly as he described. The dealership however, texascarz, I would stay away from unless you were walking. I can see why cars sit in their lot for a minute.

The ppi guy is mention above in the attachments for anyone who is interested, from there you could draw your own conclusion.

 

Why would you buy this car that has been used like a trashcan and being sold by someone with lower ethics than my drug dealer.
Why would you think a PPI could help you avoid pitfalls. It just takes more money out of your pocket.
80'sRule gave you the best PPI without looking at the car. (dealers themselves dont use PPI)
Good news is that you can chalk-up this to an education and now get a proper XK.
There is a really good reason a girl ends up at Match.com

Had you taken this car home you would have found so many other things the PPI guy missed.

 

I guess there are a couple of things to unpack here.

1) I met my wife of 7 years on match.com we have a lovely 2 year old son, and your comment honestly makes you seem like a bit of an ***. Although, honestly, I suppose there was a reason we were both there, but it had nothing to do with not being excellent members of society or some sort of societal rejects that noone else wanted.

2) 80s rule did offer an opinion and say that there might be more wrong. True. And that taken with every other piece of information went into the decision. This was an issue that I didn't want to deal with. Forgive me if I am wrong, but forum members, who have kept their cars immaculate, have also dealt with a shrunken dashboard at one point or another, it seems to be something that jaguar in general is prone to. If you can guarantee to find me a car with no risk of this issue ever, I would probably buy it.

3) There will be issues with the car I buy. I know that. You know that. We all know that. If I buy the CPO 2015 Xk that is for sale right now at a jag dealer, I will have issues with it at some point. There is little doubt in my mind. They might be fewer, or different, but if there were no issues, then things like this forum wouldn't need to exist.

4) I dont think the car was used as a trashcan, although I do think the dealer had low ethics. But i wouldn't put low ethics past any individual person either. I am not trying to buy a museum piece that has been driven 500 miles a year. I am trying to buy a fun used car that I will enjoy, and use, and wear on. I am asking the forum for a fair and balanced view of I formation that comes in. And honestly, so far, I have gotten that save for a single comment.

5) if a PPI is valueless, who then should I trust? Only individuals that exist in this forum who have mantained it perfectly? That is certainly one way of doing things no doubt. If I buy a car from any individual I will probably find things that they could live with that I can't and vice versa, and again given that this forum exists, we are all in similar boats on maintenance and risk for random issues (the 2 convertible issues posted in the past few days as an example).

This car had issues I was willing to live with/fix right in the longer term. The dashboard happened to be an issue that I wasn't willing to deal with, especially not on day 1 of ownership. If the dashboard hadn't shrunk, I would be enjoying the car somewhere in the middle of Illinois on my way home no doubt.

Cheers.

 

You called it!! it sold.
It blows my mind why anyone would buy an XK from a dealer...for more money!
Its an entrance exam.

 

Ya know, there is a "Ignore User" button............. I've utilized it a few times now.

 

A PPI cannot and did not tell you the pedigree, the small things that matter, for instance if a car has sat outside all its life exposed to the baking sun...even if the dash was not bad, it would soon be on that car. The link that Sean posted, a car that sat covered in a air conditioned garage. It speaks volumes more than PPI or carfax. I mention this to be helpful in finding your next car. Whats the irony that at the same time you were doing a PPI on a car with obvious signs of intolerable neglects (no caretaker would live with bad top and torn seats, if not for some other misgiving) there was a deal of a lifetime right here. And the proof is in that pudding, that car is exactly where it was 2 months ago and the deal is gone.

Just look for signs of care and scheduled maintenance, its all you need to find a great car.