I reside in a suburb of Chicago and I was working a deal with this dealership on a Vapor Gray 2010 Jaguar XF Supercharged (last 5 of Vin 59821). I was working with Sunny, the sales guy and Jeremy Lustman, the general manager. Since I am skeptical about making such a large purchase for an item sight unseen, I asked Sunny for written confirmation that the car, which has only 32k miles, had no paint or body work. He assured me in at least one email that the car was in immaculate condition, with no paint or body work. However, Jeremy would not provide me with a written statement acknowledging the same. He also wouldn't give me a 3 day money back guarantee if the vehicle did not pass inspection by my local dealership. But he did certify the vehicle as I asked him to do as part of the deal. I know that vehicles that have been in accidents cannot be certified. So I thought that I should be ok. But I decided to contact a body shop in Chantilly to inspect the vehicle for me. WOW! I am sure glad that I didn't return the signed paperwork as I was planning on that day. The shop found that the car was previously involved in a wreck! The front and rear bumpers had been painted and every panel on the passenger side had paint and body work. Also, one of the wheels was bent and looked like someone tried to repair it with a hammer. The passenger side rear wheel had gashes in it from the accident. There was also paint over spray on one or more of the windows and other areas.!! I am contacting Jaguar USA to report these ........... The car fax and auto check show no accidents BUT that means nothing. Both Jeremy and Sunny are ....................... . Avoid this place!!!

 

I have had a very mixed experience with Rosenthal.

I have dealt with them at their Tysons Corner location. Back in 2005 I bought a 2003 S-type there...also certified. I have found some salesman there honest and well informed and others ignorant and liars.

I am pretty car savvy and inspected it myself. There was no doubt both front and rear bumpers and the trunk lid were repainted on the S-type I was interested in. That work was well done. I did find, though, a list of a half a dozen flaws with the car. I had attempted to take delivery 4 or 5 times, each time refusing to pay until they corrected the flaws that they originally agreed to in the deal I negotiated. Ultimately they made the car right and we still drive it today. This was not a pleasant experience at first, but we have truly enjoyed the car over the years.

On the other hand, there were a couple of cases where I needed major service on the certified warranty. The work they did was flawless and there was no push back on the coverage and I drove Jaguar loaners while the work was being done.

Additionally, being one of the largest Jag dealers in the country, they do have a good stock of parts. Their prices are 1.5 to 2x list, when you point that out to them, they will at least honor list price.

 

That is horrible. That said, any time you buy a car from a dealer where it is likely to be driven into the a city, especially the dc area, you should expect the bumpers to be resprayed. Of course it should be disclosed, but in the dc area, destroyed bumpers are practically standard equipment on cars that see the city. Not making excuses, your experience is beyond appropriate, just an extra level of caution to take. I made the mistake of street parking in dc for a month when I was younger and immediately got a garage. My bumpers were destroyed that quickly.


That said, I also called them when I was car shopping and found them less than helpful.

 

It's bothersome that they didn't tell you from the beginning what was going on with the car, that really makes it seem like the damage was pretty bad.

I guess it also has a lot to do with how much they were asking for the car.
If it was very cheap compared to the market average then I wouldn't hold it against them.
Beggars can't be choosers.

 

I never knew that a car could not be certified if it had body work. Is this written somewhere?

 

If you are still in the market and want an Honest deal on a great car, I can personally recommend Jaguar Plano (Park Place in Plano, Texas)..Ask for Brad....

Park Place Jaguar: New & Used Jaguar Dealership in Plano, Texas

 

I can also refer you to a great dealer down here in Charlotte. Scott Jaguar are good people as well as Jenkins jaguar in Milwaukee where I found my xfr.

Rosenthal definitely seemed shady, I tried working with them on a few vehicles they had and just got a bad feeling about the vehicles and the people.

 

I was told two different things about this. The GM, Jeremy Lustman told me, without admitting the car had body work, that Jaguar allows one body panel to be repaired and painted for certification. A rep from Jaguar USA told me that a car can be certified as long as there's no structural damage. But I know that it can't be certified due to the gashes in the tire due to the accident. An unsafe vehicle should not pass inspection.
The $175 I paid for the inspection was the best $175 I have ever spent. Of course, if the dealer was upfront with me I wouldn't have had to incur the expense.

 

My first clue that something may have been wrong with the car was it was on their lot for 5 months (in fact it's been re-listed on cars.com and their website). I asked them why it's been there so long and I never got a straight answer. Also, the price was little below average for the miles. Most seem to go for around $39k-$40k, not certified. They were at around $37k and I said I would pay full price if they would certify it. They agreed. I wouldn't say I was a "beggar". The sales guy sent me an email stating "no body work", so that's what I expected. I almost flew out there to personally inspect & drive the vehicle. If I would have spent the time and money to fly there and found that it was previously in a wreck I would have flipped out and heads would have rolled.

 

Thanks for all the comments, opinions and advice guys. Yes, I am still in the market for an XF. My first choice would be a 2010 or 2011 Vapor Gray/Tan Supercharged. Second choice would be same years and color but a Portfolio or Premium Luxury (2010), Luxury (2011). I don't necessarily need a supercharged model as I have plenty of power with my modded CTS-V, but it would be my preference. Cheers! Chuck

 

Give Scott Jaguar a call. Ask for Brian he is a great guy. They have a 2011 supercharged on the lot and a bunch of other models right now.
Used 2011 Jaguar XF For Sale | Charlotte NC

 

Sorry to read about your recent troubles with the dealers.

If you can, try not to purchase a car without seeing it person and even more importantly, driving it.

Keep us posted and good luck!

 

Oh..I forgot to mention..I bought my XF from Brad sight unseen..I have never had a regret...the car was perfect and as he described and sent pictures of..

 

I second the thumbs up on Scott Jaguar.

 

It's a damn shame they lied to you, I'm sure if they would have been straight forward you would have bought it.

To be honest they have that car perfectly priced.
Typically a car that has gone through only panel work and no frame work is priced about 10% under the going rate.

If that car has no frame damage and the bodywork was well done I think that is a good price to pay.
Any overspray on the windows comes off easily with a razor blade.

Don't get too caught up on "certified" cars.
You did the right thing to have it inspected.

 

Remember you are talking about a car salesman! We often rely on what we are told and if it is in writing it must be true. I sold my car that was struck in the rear with lots of damage, it was reported to the insurance co. and was sold about a year later. When we sold it I offered a carfax report that did not have that or any other accident listed but we had photos and shop documentation that we disclosed to the purchaser. Buyer beware!

My dealings with Rosenthal Service Dept. in the past has been good!

 

Actually, if they would have been honest I would not have bought it. I do not want a car that was previously involved in a wreck, even if it's half the price of the going rate. The vehicle was not certified but I wanted it certified as part of the deal. They agreed.
I have attached a copy of the inspection report. As you can see there was much more than over spray on the windows. Also, the car is not certifiable as there are several tears on the right rear tire.

 

I purchased my CTS-V sight unseen from a dealer in CT. While it had only 2200 miles on it I still had the salesman, general manager, body shop manager confirm in writing that there was no body/paint work. I should have had it inspected by a body shop as well, as I always do, even if I find a car locally. Fortunately, the car arrived in flawless condition.

 

Okay, your message and unfortunate experience with Rosenthal has been sent loud and clear.

You've been given a couple of choices of really good and honest dealerships..The one in Plano Texas, deals almost everyday with out State deals and even out of country deals..so they know how to treat you ..Time to move on ..We wish you luck and good results with your next attempt...Let us know how it works out.

 

Buying a car, new or used and dealing with car salesman / dealerships etc can be as stressful as it can be enjoyable.

We hear what you're saying, this is your experience with this particular dealer, some here have had average, some poor and some pretty good experiences with the same dealer??

As DPK says, your message has been sent loud n clear, then he kindly added the "flogging a deadhorse icon" so presumably you get the message?

Please move on............the guys here will be more than happy to help.

Good luck..