Car buying question

"GreenN_Gold" (GreenN_Gold)
11/05/2014 at 15:52 • Filed to: None

If a car was delivered to the Jaguar of Manhattan dealer in New York (we have the Monroney sticker), but yet the carfax (and the dealer, for whatever that's worth) both state that the car was sold for the first time here in Seattle, what exactly does that mean? Did someone really dealer trade for a car in Manhattan all the way across the country? It's a "base model" (3 inexpensive options) Jaguar XF in black, so I can't imagine they had to look all over the map to get that model on trade.

I'm asking for a friend. (No really, this time.) He's about to trade his 2005 Infiniti for a 2011 Jaguar XF. He's currently on an "all-day" test drive. He's questioning the car's NY origins. He seems unshaken by reliability concerns even though he swore of BMW due to his last car's problems.

Picture semi-related.

DISCUSSION (11)

Margin Of Error > GreenN_Gold
11/05/2014 at 15:59

That shouldn't be a surprise coming from an Indian company that pretends to be British.

GreenN_Gold > Margin Of Error
11/05/2014 at 16:03

I'm just glad he let me sit in it.

Saracen > GreenN_Gold
11/05/2014 at 16:09

base model XF, as in with the four banger?

Tapas > Margin Of Error
11/05/2014 at 16:10

What does the ownership of the company have to do with this case? lol

bradleyjames518 > GreenN_Gold
11/05/2014 at 16:13

I really wouldn't worry about it...People dealer-trade cars all the time, especially with a brand like Jaguar. They're a niche brand and inventory can be pretty low, especially for lesser optioned cars.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > GreenN_Gold
11/05/2014 at 16:20

Dealer swaps happen all the time over long distances. I was at the local Ford dealer this summer and a trucker was finishing loading a bunch of cars on to his truck. He was driving them from the northern reaches of the U.S. to somewhere like South Carolina or something. Talking to him for a few minutes it sounded like all he does is long distance dealer swaps.

If it is a new car I wouldn't be worried at all. Like someone else mentioned though, if it is a used car it is possible it is a Sandy title washing job.

GreenN_Gold > Saracen
11/05/2014 at 16:25

"Base model" as in it's an XF and there are only 3 options. That's why I put quotation marks. It's not an R and it's not loaded to the gills.

5.0 V8 with 385 hp.

GreenN_Gold > bradleyjames518
11/05/2014 at 16:26

I wouldn't worry about a dealer trade. But a dealer trade from Manhattan to Seattle for a non-rare car is quite far, it just raised an eyebrow.

GreenN_Gold > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
11/05/2014 at 16:32

It's used now. It's a 2011. The Monroney was just left in a glove box.

I've worked for Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth, GMC/Pontiac/Buick, and Chevrolet stores and we never had any trades of even close to that distance. Even a trade with a neighboring state was very rare. Maybe other stores are more willing to haul cars all over the country, but it's still hard to believe they couldn't find a black XF closer than Manhattan.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > GreenN_Gold
11/05/2014 at 16:43

I would say it is more likely that a Jag could end up across the country. They obviously sell way fewer cars, so it is going to be a lot more difficult to find one that is just so. The other thing to consider is that it got swapped between a few dealers. It could have been a "you want this car that we have, so send us these two cars that we want and by the way you have to take this oddball that we can't move with the car you want".

That being said a 2011 could very well have been affected by the hurricane Sandy mess. Whether it was water damaged or the NY dealer just figured they wouldn't be able to sell it because it was in NY during Sandy is open to discussion. It would be curious to see when it was originally sold new as that would tell you a lot as it may have left NY pre-Sandy.

GreenN_Gold > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
11/05/2014 at 17:03

Looks like Jaguar only sold 5,303 2011 model year XF's in the U.S. I would have guessed higher, but my perception is distorted because I work in yuppie-ville where everyone drives fancy pants cars.

On the other hand, Subaru only sold 8,323 WRX's the year I bought mine, and I didn't have to look far at all to find a few locally that matched my wish list. Maybe I'm just a bigger pushover than your typical Jaguar customer.

I just confirmed that the car has carfax history in Seattle before Sandy hit, so that's good.