Hi all

Well, I recently saw a nice looking high spec 63 plate L405 which was described as being in excellent condition with a full dealer history and 65k on the clock. I was invited to make an offer on the car but said that I wanted to see it first.

Today I drove 120 miles to go and look at the car and was really excited to find a good and well maintained early L405.

Sadly the car was not quite as described with a couple of oil leaks, a dent in the middle of the bonnet, paint damage to the scuttle, side vents, door mirrors, front bumper and sill. All the Turbine alloys needed refurbishment and there was a mix of tyres on the rear axel. No evidence of service history after 2017 (checked LR online system) but was assured it had been serviced, damage to the leather on the drivers seat and rear seats plus a few other bits and pieces.

I have just sat down and calculated that it will cost around £3500 to bring the car up to standard, which brings it up to MD prices. This was a private sale so no warranty offered.

Guys, never be tempted to buy a car unseen no matter how the seller promises that it is “immaculate” it’s just not worth the risk.

Jim

We had a similar thing, saw a 2010 Autobiography, looked lovely in the pictures, but getting there no history and smoking quite badly from the L/H exhaust, "they all so that", decided against that one needless to say. It certainly pays to view the car, no matter how far it is, always cheaper than paying for a huge repair bill.

Had a similar experience with a D4 HSE luxury at a company called V12 sports and classic cars. Looked great in the photos so drove around 1.5 hours to go and have a look. When i got there the car was several shades of blue, the bluetooth headphones and remote controller for the rear seat entertainment were missing, there was no evidence of service history. The front suspension was knocking over bumps and the brake discs were like circular saw blades

The sales guy basically said what you see is what you get and tried to make out that because i had driven 100+ miles that he had the upper hand. Needless to say he didn't get a sale  Paul

2014 Range Rover vogue se 4.4sdv8 Loire Blue
1992 Range Rover Vogue LSE 4.2 Ardennes green

The car I viewed sold earlier today for £25,000.

So by the time the car is brought up to standard it will be close to what you could have bought one from a dealership for, but without the benefit of enhanced consumer protection and a 6 month warranty.

Sometimes bargains are not as good as they first appear...

Jim

I couldn’t believe the variance in L405 condition last year when we were looking, lost a few weekends driving about the country. One “mint” car even pinged a suspension fault, guy was like oh it did that a few weeks back and my mechanic wiggled some wires  Sold - Bell a 2015 MY16 Loire Blue Autobiography 4.4 SDV8
Previously George a 2007 MY07 Java Black VSE 3.6 TDV8
Previously a 04 MY04 Defender 90

I recently bought a 2018 L405 from a main dealer in Conwy sight unseen. When it arrived it hadn't been valeted so was dirty inside, it had a flat battery, paintwork damage to front bumper, offside front wing and poor paint repair on the tailgate along with a badly misaligned passenger door.
Most of the work has been rectified through my own efforts apart from the door that needs a bodyshop to sort but they are 1 hour away and the car needs to be left. That's 4 hours of my life wasted just delivering/collecting as they refuse to do this.
This is a main dealer's idea of a approved inspected and fully prepared used car...shambolic really but quite common it seems.


I will never buy another car from a Land Rover dealer unseen irrespective of where they are in the country.

After buying a house a car is usually the second most expensive purchase we make. Very few of us would buy a house without looking around it and having a survey so why do some folk still buy cars unseen?

I must admit that when I went across to look at the L405 I was quite excited and ready to make an offer on the spot. It was such a disappointment to instantly see and find so many things wrong with it. When it was purchased it cost £97,438 just 6.5 years ago. Why would you not maintain such an expensive vehicle?

Jim

AndyS if that had been me i would have refused delivery on the grounds the car had not been prepared or inspected to validate its condition.
If dealers want to be able to sell cars remotely they need to step up there game (Not just main dealers all dealers)
it still amazes me when a car is up for sale they are not actually ready for sale. 2012 Vogue 4.4 TDV8 - Current
2014 Navara V6 - Gone
2004 Vogue TD6 - Gone
Grand Cherokee - Gone
Discovery V8 (LPG) - Gone
Discovery TD5 - Gone

That is shocking. I picked up mine 9 months ago (MY19) and was really impressed with the standard of preparation, they had done a very good job of cleaning it inside/out, it looked new under the wheel arches. The only problem was they had managed to polish out a scratch in the B Pillar trim which I'd asked them to sort, but it was a filler polish so after a couple of washes it was clearly visible again. So they replaced the trim piece and collected / dropped the car off, as they are over an hour away.

The only issue is that the wheel refurbishment isn't 100% perfect on one front wheel, but you have to get very close to notice it. MY23 Panamera E-Hybrid
MY19 SDV8 Autobiography - Sold

Dealers don’t tend to inspect or sort cars prior to going up for sale in case they don’t sell and need to be flipped in the trade or auction unfortunately.

Jayk69 wrote:

AndyS if that had been me i would have refused delivery on the grounds the car had not been prepared or inspected to validate its condition.
If dealers want to be able to sell cars remotely they need to step up there game (Not just main dealers all dealers)
it still amazes me when a car is up for sale they are not actually ready for sale.

jim4244 wrote:

After buying a house a car is usually the second most expensive purchase we make. Very few of us would buy a house without looking around it and having a survey so why do some folk still buy cars unseen?

I must admit that when I went across to look at the L405 I was quite excited and ready to make an offer on the spot. It was such a disappointment to instantly see and find so many things wrong with it. When it was purchased it cost £97,438 just 6.5 years ago. Why would you not maintain such an expensive vehicle?

Jim

Andy, what sort of discounts are you seeing of new RR’s at the moment?

I got a good deal on a delivery miles pre-reg earlier this year so worth checking those out too. MY23 D350 HSE
On my 7th RR plus various other JLR vehicles

Just been checking Autotrader up to now but with the new model out next year I understand I'm unsure whether to get on the list for one of them instead.

I had the same dilemma this year. Decided to go for a well sorted end of model RR for a few years and wait until the new model has had its gremlins sorted by which time there should be some discounts available too.

I’m loving the upgrade from a MY17 to a MY19. Seats and lights are exceptional. MY23 D350 HSE
On my 7th RR plus various other JLR vehicles