I must say you indeed were very lucky. I can't ever remember seeing a carfax with 40 service entries. As you say a driveway mechanic will not show up on a Carfax and most indy shops don't bother either. Fender benders repaired outside of insurance claims won't show either.
Those independent inspections are not much better either. I had a bad experience while buying a Porsche long distance (or at least trying to ) I decided to forego the independant inspection service (based on past experience) and contacted a dealer in the same area that the car was in. They did a top to bottom inspection including things like a compression test, full computer diagnostics,suspension inspection and drive test, had a body shop go over it basically they went over everything. It cost me 500.00 but in the long run saved me thousands as the car had major issues. The seller balked at me pulling out of the deal but the dealer helped by backing me up. It sucked being out 500 especially since I probably would have noticed the problems on my own had I seen the car in person. From that moment I swore off sight unseen buying.

 

@MidlifeXJR: thanks for the link. I'm getting a little reluctant to contact private sellers, but that does seem like a really good price.

Unfortunately, I have more to add:

The first car, which turned out to have a lien on it and for some reason the seller's name didn't match the title bureau's records, turned up at a dealership last week and autotrader sent me a notice about it. I don't know what transpired regarding the seller's name, the lien, etc, however the point is a dealership now has the car free and clear, which would make the transaction a little easier for me to deal with as opposed to sending funds to some private entity I know nothing about.

So, I called the dealership this morning...

The salesman told me that someone came in Saturday and put down a deposit on the car.

Meaning that if seller #2 would have just replied to my question a mere day or two earlier instead of waiting around all week, in all likelyhood I would have gotten the first car I wanted after all. Which, btw, wasn't an '03, but rather an '04 which is my favorite of all of them, with the old style front end but lacking the side moldings.

The salesman said he'd give me a call if the buyer doesn't follow through. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and sitting here somewhat baffled that one flaky seller managed to keep me out of not one but two cars

 

My point is that you are very specific on what you are looking for so I would pursue every possible avenue. My experience is that private party or dealer is equally bad or good. You get privates like the one that I bought from that ended up being so trusting that I was able to write him a $9500 personal check and drive 250 miles home with the car that very day. I could have easily scammed him, but the repore I built with him in the process sealed the deal. Other times you can get scammed... but you have already described dealers that caused you grief, so it is evident that they aren't necessarily any better. Ultimately, it is up to you to be able to determine a reputable seller.

Worse case with this example is you waste a phone call...

 

@ OhioXK: Don't give up hope. I found a 2000 XK8 convertible with an ultra-low 9,817 miles on the OD from a local wholesaler who advertised on AutoTrader of all places. I belong to a credit union, so I had my CU's Autoland auto broker go to check out the car. He also had his Autoland associates all up and down the west coast looking at several coupes and convertibles for me in the meantime. The Autoland brokers are all very picky about customer satisfaction and service. They did not recommend buying any of the cars they personally inspected in California and elsewhere. But my local guy went to see NCE KTY in nearby Portland and called me. "This car is everything the seller says it is." Plus he managed to bargain the price down enough so that I didn't mind paying what I consider to be a very reasonable finder's fee to the Autoland guy.

This was a very different experience from our first XK8 purchase about 7 years ago from a Pennsylvania dealer who advertised on Ebay Motors. While we were pleased with that car also, it did arrive with a couple of surprises, including undisclosed damage repair and a complete repaint. But the price was right at the time.

Moral of the story is, if you can't afford to go flying around the country looking for a solid deal with a reputable seller, contact your local credit union and work with the CU's auto brokers, who will do all the searching and legwork for you at less than the cost of a couple of trips to see cars not worth buying.

PS, I do not work for Autoland, but I am one very happy customer.

PPS: see my Garage for more pix of NCE KTY they day we bought her last June. Swwweeeeet!

 

Just some friendly thoughts.
You might want to be careful that the dealer that now has the car is not setting you up for a no wiggle room price negotiation i.e. "I have a lot of interest in this car and have already had offers" blah blah blah.
I would be asking myself;
1. Has enough time past for the dealer to clear up both the title situation and obtain a lien release and get the a new title?
2. Would the dealer be able to turn the car around this quickly. In many states a dealer has to offer some sort or short term warranty. If this is true in your situation then most dealers (especially branded dealers) have all cars taken in inspected by their mechanics to insure that they will not be liable for a new drive train the week after it leaves their lots. Older cars or questionable cars are usually shipped right off to auction. So taking in a car on Friday and selling it on Saturday is probably a bit unrealistic.

Just some food for thought. Good Luck. It will turn out great in the end, and trust me you will be one happy camper with this car!

 

I'v bought 3 vehicles in the last 5 years having found them on Autotrader. 2 were from dealers and 1 from an individual. I had to put down significant money on all 3 and one I had a contract drawn up that I paid fully for the vehicle, but it was refundable if I wasn't satisfied upon arrival. All three were good experiences (I didn't get screwed by the jag dealer, but the salesman was a *****).

That being said, I have probably walked away from as many or more deals that I've come across long distance too. If I don't feel confident in the seller, such as he doesn't respond quickly, or the responses just seem off or inappropriate, I walk away. Maybe those were deals that I missed, but so far so good with buying and flying sight unseen.

 

I reconsidered and sent an email just now. Thanks again for the link.

I'm not too concerned about assessing the condition of the vehicle - I can get an inspector to do that for me - so much as I am the secure transfer of funds.

 

I'm sure you will find the car you want. Just be patient and things will work out right.

 

I've bought three vehicles off of E-bay. Two from dealers and one from a private individual I researched the dealers not so much the car. Both Dealers were rated highly and both told me if the car wasn't as described they would refund my deposit of $500.00 Both cars were described accurately. As far as the private owner went the car was for restoration so he pretty much described it correctly. I know there are plenty of scams out there, but if you do your homework I believe there are many good deals to be had.
Doug
2001XKR Silverstone