Been "shopping" for an XKR for 6 months. Joined this forum to gain knowledge prior to purchasing. Sold a 2001 BMW 750iL (the V-12) and just put a deposit on a Black/Black 2012 XKR coupe w/ 35,000 mi. Private seller, claims car is accident free but is having an issue with the Tire Pressure Monitoring system flickering on/off.

Was wondering if anyone with a CARFAX account would help me out by running my VIN: SAJWA4DCXCMB46197

Link to eBay ad (no longer "for sale" as I spoke to seller and paid a $500 deposit to pull from eBay) http://www.ebay.com/itm/2012-Jaguar-...l2557#viTabs_1

Been following a lot of good conversations here on the Forum and like what I am learning. You all seem like good group of owners with a lot of knowledge and respect for one another.

Thanks for any help or advice you may have for me. Deal set to close on Wednesday, Oct. 22 2014

Bob

 

Bob,

A CarFax report isn't worth the paper it's printed on. Read their legal disclaimer. You can't rely on it and you have no recourse against them if their report fails to disclose damage from an accident, flood, or other causes.

Because you're buying from a private party (and not CPO from a Jaguar dealer), I strongly recommend that you spend the money to get a written pre-purchase inspection from an authorized Jaguar dealer detailing all of the areas that were inspected. That dealer call tell you if there is any remaining factory warranty on that XKR since you might need it for the TPMS issue. Be sure to ask if that inspection will include measuring the paint thickness and looking for evidence of collision repair. If it does not, then pay a body shop that is qualified to do Jaguar aluminium body and chassis repair for a written PPI.

You can't rely on anything that anyone tells you. Only you can do your own due diligence. Pay the price - you'll be glad you did.

Good luck, and I hope you find a great XKR and enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine!

Stuart

 

I spent some time looking at them and actually wrote a column on the service. They aren't bad with dealers but they are iffy with private sellers. Since this is from a private seller I agree with Stuart.

 

Speaking from personal experience as I used to work at a dealer in high school, I can say that the CarFax is pretty much worthless.

We worked with a third party auto detailing shop to do a quickie on all of our trade ins and auction cars, and one of their guys drove our X5 into a light pole, causing about $4k in damages. It never showed up on any of the dealer's records or the CarFax because the dealer made the detailing place pay out-of-pocket to repair the car (or risk losing our business, which was substantial). Since it was never ran through insurance, it wouldn't show up anywhere.

Sold it 2 weeks later as a CPO car.

Now, obviously, this is completely unethical. But stuff like this happens all the time.

So +1 on a PPI. It's worth its weight in gold. Either a dealer or a trusted indy. I wouldn't buy a car without one.

 

Thanks for the input above, all eye opening and good solid advice. Wanted a CARFAX report as a starting point. Some of the XKR's I have considered did in fact report crash damage, location and severity. I am not naive enough to believe that a CARFAX report is a anywhere close to an inspection. What it did was weed out the cars I would not even bother having inspected.

Was hoping to someone would have access to a report which I could read. Then I would move forward on (full inspection) or walk away from the car in question.

The car is in LA, has Hornburg dealer license plate frame, so I suspect this was where the car came from or is being serviced currently. Will call them today to see if they are willing to shed some light on the car.

Any area of a 2012 XKR I should pay particularly close attention to?

Thanks for all the advice and assistance!
___________________________________
Bob
Granite Bay, CA

 

I have to agree with all those above. Carfax is useless. I buy wrecked cars at insurance auctions to rebuild as a hobby. I bought one, came home and ran the Carfax. Never showed it was wrecked. I also looked at a 2006 S Type at a local dealer. It had a clear Carfax. But it was evident by the poor repairs that it had been wrecked and recently painted. Pay for an inspection and contact the local Jaguar dealer to see if it has been serviced or repaired using the VIN number.

 

Yes, the exhilarator pedal!

 

Spoke with Nick a service adviser at Hornburg Jag in Santa Monica. He pulled the records which show the car was bought by Hornburg at auction in TX in Jan '14 and then resold to my seller in April '14.

Hornburg service did the following in Jan '14: oil/filter change, brakes bled, both front tires replaced/aligned and replaced battery before reselling the car. Based on service records service rep has agreed to give the car an "extra close" look when it comes in tomorrow for the TPMS issue in lieu of paying for an additional inspection.

eBay ad gave a "free" AutoCheck which shows no issues:

Jaguar XKR Base Coupe 2 Door | eBay

Really hope to find out this car is the gem the seller claims it is and looking forward to joining the Jaguar team!

 

Car looks Great Good Luck with it I am sure you will love it.

 

GrtShrk,
Recently, maybe 4-5 months ago, I was looking at a 2010XKR (which I ended up buying). I had the seller bring the car to my mechanic, because I wanted him to scan and read any codes that the car might have. It turned out that there was one, a cam sensor, however, in 30 seconds of listening to the engine, my mechanic said that in his opinion, the car was going to throw a rod, imminently!. The seller, was momentarily shocked as he still owed $38,000. but then realized that he had bought an aftermarket warranty policy. Fast forward three weeks later, and they paid my mechanic to put a nearly new engine into the car. I then agreed to buy the car once it had a new engine in it.

The point is that the car you are looking at is in my neck of the woods (a few minutes away), and my mechanic who is also a commercial tenant of mine, would do me any favor I'd ask of him, and if you'd like, we can go over and look the car over, and I'll have him bring his code reader with him. I trust his judgment better than any dealer's word, after all it got me a new engine before I made a very costly mistake.

More than happy to help you out if you want an extra couple pairs of eyes.
Ted

 

Accidentally duplicated post. Sorry

 

Carfax reports.....

In my view, the Carfax reports are worthy of the price that is asked for the report. It's worth paying the $29.99 or $39.99. AutoCheck reports are the same type and provide same information.

Many potential automobile buyers think that Carfax reports are worthless. I find that untrue.

First you must understand how Carfax gets their information. In todays new world of high tech electronics..... insurance companies, automobile dealers, government agencies report to Carfax. Carfax only has the information on any vehicle on what is reported to Carfax. You will find when the Jaguar entered the country and at what port. You will find out what dealer originally had the car. You will see all states that the car was registered in and when. You will find out if the Jaguar was a private owner or lease vehicle. You will have info on any dealer service that was reported to Carfax by dealers.

If the Jaguar was taken to a small independent shop for service or body accident damage, there is a good likelihood that Carfax will NOT have this information. Carfax reports can be 100% accurate and Carfax reports can be totally misleading, especially when a true history of the vehicle is not reported.

Keep this in mind. I used the Carfax and AutoCheck reports when making my 2009 Jaguar XKR purchase in 2013. I completed my due diligence by speaking with the owner of the dealership that was selling the car. I spoke with the Jaguar dealer who completed service on the car. I feel my Carfax report was 100% accurate in my case. My car was originally a lease vehicle down in Florida to an individual who had the car serviced under the lease agreement at Palm Beach Jaguar. Therefore they (the dealer who leased the car) did all the servicing of the car. I was able to track the car from the date and location of when it entered the country, cleared customs, and the what dealership the car was shipped too, and all dealer servicing of the Jaguar XKR.

Unless the car you were looking at was in an accident and repaired under the radar at an independent body shop, my guess is on a 2010 XK/XKR the Carfax should be pretty accurate.

Keep in mind if the present owner of the car had a small shop service the car rather than a Jaguar dealer, the service records will not show up. My bet is the Carfax will also show the state and date of the auction sale on the Carfax.

Proceed carefully, complete your due diligence. Spend a few bucks completeing your investigation before buying.
Most importantly be open minded about the Carfax or AutoCheckreport.

The Carfax reports do provide some good valuable information.

 

Ted,

Thank you for such a generous offer!!

Another member PM'ed me with a contact in Hornburg's service department. Going to see if I can get him to look at the car today (its going in for a TPMS issue). Once that is done can I PM you with my information and see about using you and your mechanic to do a follow up?

Also want to say thanks to all the others who have chimed in with advice. I've read it all and appreciate all the help!

Great group here on Jaguar Forums.

 

Absolutely. and if you end up buying it, I'm going to be driving up to the bay area at least three times in the next month, and if you want a ride down to pick it up, just let me know. I'll say this, the 5.0L supercharged engine is somethin' else, you'll be stunned at the difference.

Good luck and let me know if I can help.
Ted

 

Wow, what a great group of people here on this forum.

Ted (tberg) - I work the international routes out of SFO for a major US airline, been there 28+ years now, and as part of my compensation I fly for FREE! If not, I would take you up on the ride!! A 400 mile road trip in your Jag would be just the ticket (no pun intended) to get me ready for my very own car. Thank you for the offer!

Speaking of my "almost" 2012 XKR, seller has it in Horburg's L.A. service department for the TPMS issue. I have spoken with the Shop Foreman and he has agreed to go over the car in addition to doing their normal 30 Point Inspection. He is going to call me today and report his findings. IF all is good then I will hop the first flight from Sacramento to LA with my big paper sack of cash. Seller will pick me up in the car and off to Chase we go to payoff his loan. Then its all MINE!

Bob

 

Hi,
I'll offer, when I purchased my '08 last February, I used a 3rd party inspection company. The test drove the car, checked all the system functionalities, and sent 56 pics of the interior and exterior. I felt comfortable with the process. My purchase was an out-of-state. The car was as it was offered, except for a cracked rim. I didn't fault the company for missing it, as it was a hairline crack that showed up during our MD state safety inspection process. The seller, eventual, forwarded a check for reimbursement of 4 new wheels I purchased.
Good Luck with your purchase....

 

Bob,
May I make one small suggestion. Have Hornburg run a code check from the OBD while you're there, so that you can see for yourself that there is nothing pending. Many of the issues don't show up as warnings on the dash, and I'd want to know if there were any issues. It's less than 2 minutes, and I can't imagine them objecting. It will give you some peace of mind. If you're coming down in the next day or two, let me know, I'd love to see it.

Best of luck. Hope you end up with it.
Ted

 

GrtShrk - If you are going to be near the Westside of LA in the next few days let me know and we can meet for a cup of coffee, along with Ted. Ralph

 

Hey Ralph,
That would be nice. I'd like to hear more about your trip.
Talk to you soon.
Ted

 

It's a GO! Have all the information I need to go ahead with the purchase of this 2012 XK-R Jag! Service department at Hornburg was great. They installed a new ECU for the TPMS, found a squeeky rear wheel spring insulator, informed me that yet another "new" water pump was in the pipeline (but that mine looked fine) and that the "cushion drive" on the nose of the supercharger was making some knocking noise at idle and might need to be replaced (under Jag warranty) in the near future. Remainder of car was clean and straight, all codes clear and TSB's up to date. So I am flying down today to wrap up the deal.

Ted and Ralph, I will PM you my mobile #. If one or both of you would call or text me with you number I'll have your contact. Once the car is MINE I'd be happy to meet up for coffee or a beer (my treat) as a way of thanking you for you assistance. Anyone else in the LA area or who wants to drive into area let me know, beer/coffee deal is open to all who chimed in here!