Hi everyone - I finally found my F-Type R match! However, it's at a (non-jaguar) dealer in SW Florida...and I'm in Ohio. I'm fairly hesitant to fly right now, and given the current season, I'm also not keen on driving the 23 hour trip back anyway. Thus, I'm leaning towards purchasing and having it shipped.

That said, I'm also a little hesitant to buy a car without even testing it first. Is there a service that anyone recommends for a pre-purchase inspection that's familiar with these models?

At 24k miles and 2 owners, clean Carfax and AutoCheck, with another 9 months left on the mfr's warranty, I'm a little less leery than I would be with something more risky. But it still feels pretty irresponsible, especially when I don't have previous experience with Jaguar (I've been a JDM devotee until now...just a little bit of a difference, lol).

 

I purchased my 2017 V6 manual BRG from a dealer 350+ miles away, site unseen.
Before hand, i did my homework and test drove a bunch of F-types, and Aston Martins, so I had a good idea of what I wanted.
Once my dream F-type popped up on the market, I purchased it immediately at List Price.... then two more guys came in a few minutes and were pissed it sold so fast.

If you have done your home work, and you have assessed the general mileage and condition of the target F-type, then I think you can pull the trigger.
You can let the dealer do all the paperwork, but they may require you set up the auto shipment.
I used Sherpa Auto Transport with great success.

 

I was in the same situation a year ago. Flew from CA to MO to pick up my SVR and drove back. Dealer was also a third party. The car ended up having some differential problems (covered under warranty) and some minor wear/cosmetic items that I had anticipated and budgeted for.

You've got warranty left, as long as you go in eyes open and have contingencies in the event of mechanical failures you should be fine. As a bonus, you'll get some extended time with the car to identify any potential issues to your closest jaguar dealer when you get home. Good luck!

 

I bought mine from across the state, but my cousin was the sales manager at the Jag dealer so it helped. I would have an independent in that area go over the car for a couple hundred and if it checks-buy. I shipped across the country for $1200.

 

You could always do a map search.

Go to the area that the dealer is in, in Google maps or similar, looks for garages in the area and then look at the reviews they get.

I did that with an R8 and a local independent. They knew the breed so when I asked them what they were going to check for, I was really happy. The R8 is riddled with issues, like the front frame cracking, leaking shocks etc and the guy listed a good few off the top of his head.

I didn’t buy the R8 as there were a few issues I wasn’t happy with and the dealer refused to budge on price, so eventually I walked.

I’m currently in the process of buying a ‘16 R in Italian Racing Red, which is about 1k miles away. Luckily though, mine is from a Jag dealer - the one that originally sold the car and have extended the warranty through to 2023.

 

Since you are shopping for an R, you've probably have a day or two to get an inspection done. As Herman pointed out, though, if you had been thinking about an MT, it would be gone in a flash if you were to hesitate.

 

Is this the one in Sarasota or Ft. Myers? If so, you could ask the salesperson at the dealership to drive it over to the JLR dealer in Ft. Myers for a once-over. I did something similar to that when I purchased my Z4 a couple of years ago. I didn't want to waste time and money. Salesperson was happy to help. Just coordinate with the JLR service dept. first.

 

Ft. Myers. And this is a great idea, actually. Thanks so much.

 

I got my MT shipped from TX to CA for $950. I bought sight unseen as well, the only surprise on the car being the front bumper was replaced at some point in its previous life. This is fairly minor imo, it is OEM quality.

Honestly, although the salesman said there was a lot of interest I took a few days to pull the trigger and got them to drop all the BS dealer fees.

 

Buying unseen, you will may find something. I think everyone does. But that doesn't mean you should worry that much as long as a proper inspection is performed by a certified Jaguar mechanic. Tell them to take it to a dealership and perform the certification inspection. To include video of the car running, driving, all views around the car for paint, and underneath while on the rack. A good look over and video is what I did, and I received mine off a truck unseen. I've had mine for a year now and made it a performance beast thats trustworthy.

Welcome to the F Type R club! You will not be dissatisfied.

 

My purchase was also sight unseen but I did have an auto enthusiast friend of mine check it out for me prior. Still a few things that were not caught but still ecstatic with the purchase. Shipping was a little under $1700 from Cali to GA but worth it considering I was looking for a specific rare option.

 

I purchased off a few photos and an encouraging phone conversation with the previous owner. Car was better than expected - Rear P-zeros pretty worn for 13K miles, but I was changing them anyway so i built that into the offer. I also built in about 4k for reconditioning and service etc; however, I was more than pleased that it needed nothing which says something because I am super picky. Ive responded to numerous posts about buying online and shipping etc. - its always a dice roll - sometimes great, sometimes not. I have had pretty good luck over the years and always ensure that I have cash on hand and am ready to buy right now so that even a lower offer to consider for fix-its is considered. I have sold a funny how people make an offer and then go about finding financing etc. Being ready makes you much more likely to secure a good deal and even allow yourself a cushion for unexpected things.

 

Good advice from the owners that purchased site unseen....I'm in this same scenario looking for an F-Type R.

Can the guys that shipped offer any recommendations as to the transport service they used and how best to go about arranging the shipment?

Thanks in advance.

 

I used a broker called Bears Transport (unfortunately I don’t have the name of the carrier that was used and when I asked for their card, they didn’t speak any English). I could have gone with a cheaper broker but I figured if you go too low, you may end up getting the worst carriers who don’t get much business because of their reputation or don’t have nice trailers. I did get quotes from the big companies like Reliable, etc but they were far more expensive at around $2200 and up. This is for an enclosed trailer btw.





forgot to add, also got a few quotes for open trailers and those ranged from $800 to $1300. For me, the extra $ for an enclosed trailer was a no brainer. If I was buying a cheaper daily type car, then I would probably opt for the open trailer.

 

I bought sight unseen as I was out of the country at the time of purchase. Got it from a exotic car dealer in Charlotte and they shipped to my driveway in Jacksonville in an enclosed trailer for $300. As they regularly ship to Miami, they threw it on a shipment already going. Worked out great. Just follow some advice from above and get plenty of pictures and video if possible. Read the forums and look out for common and obvious issues.

 

The dealer I purchased from set up all the freight, and assured me they ship 100's of vehicles with this carrier and there was nothing to worry about. They were right, it went smoothly and they actually arrived 2 days early.

It was an open trailer, she arrived dirty but cleaned up real nice!