Quality Issue
 

So made a deal for a car.

Took the dealer a full 8 days just to get me the original pics and video.

When i asked what was taking so long i got the “we are performing an exhaustive evaluation and addressing any issues that don’t meet our or our customers expected standard.”

Ok, fine.

I finally get all the details and we make a deal same day.

Car is supposed to be delivered this Tuesday, 2 days from today.

Yesterday they reach out and tell me they’ve rescheduled delivery for the 20th, a full week later than the original agreed to date.

??????

So i call and ask WTF?

“During final pre delivery inspection we found a quality issue that did does not meet our standard”

okaaaayyyy, what is the “quality issue” that you missed during the first week of exhaustive inspection?

“it’s a quality issue we found and are addressing”

yes, you said that, what exactly is this quality issue?

“well sir i’m the customer service rep and they didn’t provide those details in the notes”

Ok, i’d like you to find out and get back to me next week.

So what’s that sound like to you guys?

To me it sounds like the car had a fender bender and it’s sitting in the body shop.

Seriously considering unwinding this deal.

Trust in your Gut on this one young Skywalker.

Karma can't be forced.

definitely need to talk with someone higher up and get full documentation on what they found and how they are correcting it.

Unless they are very specific and upfront on what the "quality issue" is, something that you can verify, you'll end up doubting the car moving forward.

I would.

The picture you posted of the car was sensational. I am out of the coupe/sports car business but you had me thinking!

I hope it works out to your satisfaction.

Is the dealership far away? If not…why not stop by unannounced and have a look? And, if they won’t let you see it and speak with the mechanic, you have your answer.

Run Forest!

Well that’s the thing.

I believe the car is in their Dallas distribution center so 30 minutes from me.

I suggested i just come pick it up (and save a $900 delivery fee to boot).

Radio silence.

I do not see a photo, but the story sounds more like a horror than a fairy tale. If you do not abandon the entire deal, then at least take Shaun's advice and get documentation on everything. And an independent PPI.

yeah that's a red flag hard pass.

Used or New?

You're getting a major run around. That would be a quick deal breaker for me. Like Paul said, you'll be doubting the car from now on.

Yep.... I'd be done with 'em too.

I've got a BAD feeling about this.

I'm not sure what car you are interested in, but chances are there are many of them out there.

It’s a Carvana car.

Interesting way they do business.

You see a car you like and you can reserve it for $100.00 deposit which gets auto refunded in 7-10 days so it’s easy to say f it and hit the pre-order button.

Once they, eventually, provide you with all the details and pics you have 48 hours to complete the purchase which literally takes 30 minutes all online. Then they deliver the car.

They make it real easy and convenient.

You can cancel the deal at any time and can unwind it up to 7 days of taking delivery.

But there is a lack of personal interaction, it’s not non existent but is buyer initiated.

It’s a nice car and ticked all but one box. 2011 XK, 1 owner, 44k miles, always dealer maintained, priced right.

It’s the lack of transparency in their sales pipe that’s making me nuts.

And the last minute delay doesn’t compute at all. They spent 8+ days “inspecting and perfecting” the car.

But 36 hours after buying it they find something in the pre delivery inspection, which in my mind is does the thing start / stop and is it clean, significant enough to delay it by a week?

I can’t help but feel something not minor happened after I bought it. A lot incident that requires body work makes the most sense to me.

This is the car.

https://www.carvana.com/vehicle/2383762

I would have already terminated the deal. Barring that, I'd make that 30 minute drive tomorrow and at least let them BS me face-to-face :D.

it is a beautiful car. It could be, and this is being forgiving, the car is somewhere else in the country and they have to get it here. That could take time to do it cost effectively.

Sorry man, but if you had mentioned that the 'dealer' is Carvana, as Samuel Jackson could be heard - "well that's all you had to say ***********. Meaning I would move on, immediately. There is so much wrong with that company right now, no way I would do anything business related. I can speak more if you're interested, but suffice it to say that they are and have been financing their daily operations through the sale of the vehicle but not delivering the title........for months sometime.

That's because they haven't paid the prior dealer/ owner for the vehicle.......yet

They know where every car in inventory is. They originally promised this Tuesday delivery.

That and when they reached out about the delay the reason they gave was “they found something during pre delivery inspection that needed to be corrected”

I’m not assuming that, they told me that but won’t tell me what they found.

I’ve done a lot of homework on this model. The only issues are, they eat batteries for breakfast lunch and dinner. They need to be on a trickle charger if they won’t be driven for 1-2 weeks. Water pumps and coolant crossover pipe. The pumps fail and the plastic crossover pipe cracks. Either will lead to total engine failure. Apparently these things over heat real fast when either fails.

It doesn’t take a week to replace a battery. I could see the water pump or crossover taking that long and i’f that’s the issue it’s good they are addressing. It’s similar to the IMS bearing problem, you want to know it’s been addressed before you own the car.

Problem is they won’t disclose what they found so i have to guess and a fender bender is the most logical thing in my mind.

Isn't it fraud for a dealer to withhold that information?

A used car dealership, I would assume anything you can't see yourself is a lie. I might be getting old and bitter. Or smart. :D

Buying a 11yo Jaguar off the internet, sight unseen, $24k valuation, 16-19mpg with today's gas prices, expensive parts, dubious reliability, from a startup company with issues history, $900 delivery fee for 30mi, and now a few more weeks for something majorly wrong they won't even disclose. Did I get that correct?

You know what you need do.

I’ve got a really nice bridge you might be interested in.

I'm sure Carvana is only looking out for your best interest.

Bought my 911 off the internet sight unseen ~20 years ago and you can say many of the same things about it, **** gas mileage, expensive parts.

You are not forced to take delivery of the vehicle if it shows up not as promised.

The post Ford era Jags have shown to be pretty much bullet proof easily racking up 150k relatively trouble free.

Yeah gas ain’t cheap but that too shall pass.

My interpretation of value is really, what will it cost.

The car is priced correct for todays market. It’s what they are selling for.

They are a tremendous bang for the buck buy in the secondary market and relatively rare. At the height of the model run they only brought in ~2,000 a year.

None of that concerns me in the least.

I don't know if it's a major problem, I'm assuming it is but that doesn't mean I'm correct.

It’s the dealers lack of transparency that bothers me.

I've recently purchased 2 cars from Carvana with excellent results... My GF's daughter decided to use them since I had a good experience with them and she got the run around and they sold the car out from under her and then the next one she picked came @ 5-6 days later than promised. Everybody we spoke with had a different story.. Completely different exp than I got. They worked with me and extended the 7 day trial date because of work travel, etc..
I would still go for it.. you do have the 7 days to find any issues with it..

Either way, you CAN absolutely pick it up from a "vending machine" store but not from the depot.

you haven't already cancelled? Why not?

you know they are under fire for not getting titles and other necessary paperwork processed in a timely manner--they are temporarily banned from sales in (2) states IIRC for these issues.

They are jerking you around--they either don't have the car and paperwork, or *something* happened to the car and they are in a bind trying to fix it.

Either way, you know the right decision.

You must really want this car bad to even be reaching out to see what others think about the deal.
I think most of us would have flushed this immediately.

I hope he reports back and tells us that the car exceeds his expectations in every measure. I hope.

Reading the carfax, I noted that the 2nd owner kept the car for two months???

Wake up, Laddie! RUN!

That was a dealer who took it in on trade then passed to Carvana. See that a lot on Carfax's.

Doesn't really matter anymore, they reached out again today and again would not disclose the issue beyond "Our goal is to ensure the repair is done correctly and safely to ensure you get a vehicle that meets your standards."

I pulled the plug on it already.

Sometimes things happen for a reason.

That one ticked all but one box.

A new one became available Saturday that ticks all the boxes.

Stay tuned.

Charging a $900 delivery for a local address?

Yeah I'm not 100% on that.

It's close by though.

They originally committed to delivering it within 3 business days of the sale, technically 2 since delivery would have been 10am on the 3rd day.

The online Porsche community is different. There are plenty of people around the US I have never met, but from whom I'd not hesitate to buy a car with little more than a phone call and a few emails. I'm pretty sure there are lots of folks who'd do the same from me. That's just how it is with a lot of the Porsche diehards. Doesn't apply to lots of other brands, cult followings or retail dealers.

I had no idea Pelican existed before I bought my Porsche.

No difference between Carvana & a mail order bride. From a pretty picture or two and a lot of promises for long term happiness, you take all the risk, your money and time, and the 1st time you meet is when she's walking down the isle in church on your wedding day....

Good call. I can't believe you were even giving it a second thought after they wouldn't disclose what the issue was. That's a HUGE red flag. Good luck on the next one.

LOL, when you put it like that....

Excellent. I hope this one works out.

FF a few months and then:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1120543-dilapidated-car-hoarder.html